WHL: A Leavitt-ating Performance

Swift Current is currently tied for top spot in the WHL's Eastern Conference with the Prince Albert Raiders. They have three players in the top 11 in scoring including rookie Alex Leavitt whose eligible for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. We have notes on him as well as a number of other prospects in a recent game featuring the Broncos.

Matej Trojovsky, D, (Carolina Hurricanes)

Powerful slap shot .. has a bit of a nasty streak as he knocked a guy down a few times along the boards, but did it one too many times and received a roughing penalty .. plays a feisty style .. won a fight and was very "animated" after it as he felt he had a score to settle .. delivered a bone-jarring hit along the wall when a forward tried to go wide on him .. must show more discipline as he was tabbed with a double minor PIM for roughing late in a period .. seems to communicate well with his defensive partner.

David Schulz, D, (2004)

Gets a good jump out of the blocks from his first step .. plays on the on the PK and PP .. very mobile and has a good closing speed .. plays with composure and focus that belie his tender age .. knows when to tie up his man and when to rub guys out on the boards, both of which he does effectively .. keeps his head up when handling the puck .. not afraid to lug the puck out of the defensive zone .. heavy wrist shot .. doesn't let players beat him one on one .. got in a fight late in the game that didn't result in a clear decision.

Aaron Rome, D, (LA Kings)

Recently traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors .. wears an A on his jersey .. on the penalty kill and power play .. the odd time that he does make a mistake he is able to recover quickly .. has great hockey sense and knows when to let loose with a blast from the point .. isn't opposed to getting physical or chippy and won't be intimidated .. usually makes the high percentage play .. showed good composure by not only not joining a scrum in the offensive zone, but leadership by calling his defensive partner back so that the faceoff wouldn't be moved in to the neutral zone .. got in to a bit of a wrestling match and didn't seem willing to drop the gloves, but didn't back down .. looked a little wobbly after being tattooed along the boards by a devastating hit, however, he never missed a shift .. solid on his skates and can take a hit .. didn't close the gap on a player enough and allowed him to get open in a prime scoring area which resulted in a goal .. turned over the puck at center ice by making a lazy pass.

Alex Leavitt, C, (2004)

Elite passing and playmaking skills .. forechecks aggressively, took a defenseman inside out and almost got by him .. on PP .. holds up his man on the draw .. has tremendous patience and will hold on to the puck long enough for a play to develop .. displays a great burst of speed when space is available .. scored the Broncos first goal from a faceoff .. made a crisp pass right to an open man in the slot for a quality scoring chance .. forced a player to trip him for a penalty .. doesn't hurt his team defensively, although he is predominantly an offensive player .. amazing vision as he always seems to be able to find the trailing player in the other team's end .. made a spectacular no look backhanded pass to a player wide open, which resulted a splendid scoring chance.

Colin Stone, C, (2004)

Nice hand-eye coordination .. gets in hard on the forecheck and uses his body to create turnovers .. got an assist on a goal scored due to sloppy defensive coverage .. fought hard along the boards and in high traffic areas.

Michael Szczachor, LW, (2004)

He was dressed, but didn't see the ice.

Tyler Redenbach, LW, (Phoenix Coyotes)

Played on a line with Jeremy Williams .. on the power play .. has good vision and moves the puck crisply and on the tape .. has developed good chemistry with the aforementioned Williams and tends to try to get him the puck .. took a PIM for roughing .. deceptive wrist shot from the hash marks that created a rebound .. good skater, but appeared to shut it down once the game was out of reach.

Jeremy Williams, RW, (Toronto Maple Leafs)

NHL level hands as he can take a pass even if it's in his skates .. a threat to score at any time with his laser-like wrist shot .. holds up the opposing center off the draw .. conscientious defensively and comes back and supports the D .. doesn't mind nailing a guy on the boards .. always makes a good first pass due to excellent vision and passing skills .. on PP .. looks for the holes and is adept at finding them .. uses the wall to his benefit when moving the puck .. always dangerous in the offensive zone and is willing to shoot from anywhere .. sick skills in the faceoff circle as he rarely lost a draw .. lost his composure in a late period melee and took a roughing penalty for punching a player that was being held by an official .. breakaway speed and exceptional mobility .. uses his linemates effectively .. does put up with a lot of abuse, however it would be nice to see him cutout the diving as he tried unsuccessfully a few times to draw penalties .. simply amazing vision and on ice awareness .. got nailed going across the middle with his head down .. didn't pick up the trailing forward causing a goal by leaving the player wide open with an empty net.

Kyle Moir, G, (2004)

Took over with 5:34 remaining in the second period and was forced to make a spectacular save soon after .. must be better at managing rebounds as he gave out a juicy one off a bad angle shot .. allowed a goal in large measure to a lack of support from his defense .. had no chance on the second goal that beat him, again due to horrible defensive coverage .. stays square to the shooter .. good reflexes .. stands up well on shots from the slot.