WHL: Battle of Troy

A look at the Kelowna Rockets' leading rookie point getter Troy Ofukany. We have notes on Ofukany, Tim Kraus and Cody Franson from recent games featuring the 2005 NHL Entry Draft prospects.

Troy Ofukany (2005), RW, Kelowna

Swift skating winger played on a line with Tyler Mosienko and Blake Comeau .. gets a pretty good burst from his first few strides .. overall speed is above average, as is his mobility .. delivered a beautiful headman pass crisply on the tape while avoiding a bodycheck in traffic .. doesn't shy away from the dirty areas will take a hit to make a play, but doesn't initiate significant body contact himself .. went to the net and almost redirected the puck on goal .. supports the puckcarrier well .. has some difficulties cleanly handling passes with a bit of zip behind them .. displays a very nice work ethic, especially on the forecheck .. needs to improve his stickhandling, at least with regards to protecting the puck .. lacks the strength necessary to be a physical force in traffic .. was a regular on the powerplay, however, rarely ever sees time on the penalty-kill.

Tim Kraus (2005), LW, Vancouver

California native has entrenched himself on a scoring line with Gilbert Brule and Mitch Bartley .. supports the puckcarrier by finding holes in the offensive zone .. will go to the net and has a tendency to pick up the garbage from Brule .. turned over the puck with a low percentage pass through traffic .. has good vision, however, his passes don't always find the mark .. doesn't get much behind his bodychecks .. made a very weak effort reaching for a loose puck and compounded his poor play by taking a tripping penalty .. came out of the penalty box and was the recipient of an unselfish play by Adam Courchaine, who was only a step behind, but still pushed up the puck to Kraus for a breakaway and the latter made no mistake firing it home .. got on late during a penalty-kill .. sees time on the powerplay.

Cody Franson (2005), D, Vancouver

Gigantic blueliner is still a tad too gentle for his own good .. uses his enormous reach to create turnovers .. has the most success when he plays within himself and keeps the game simple, especially in the defensive end .. plays on the penalty-kill and powerplay .. decent mobility for his size, however his acceleration needs work .. fairly dependable at keeping the puck in at the point .. will pinch in to go for a loose puck .. his offensive awareness has progressed since the start of the season, but like his physical game more will be expected as he matures.