WHL: Bridges Over Troubled Water

Bryan Bridges is at or near the top of every important goaltending category in the WHL thanks to a great defense in front of him and his own consistent play. We have notes on Bridges, Bretton Stamler and Chris Durand from a recent game.

Bryan Bridges (2005), G

Currently second to Mike Wall of the Everett Silvertips in shutouts with nine .. allowed a slap shot to trickle off of his glove and in to the net .. slid across smoothly and stayed square to the shooter .. came out to knock a loose puck away from an open man .. is very agile, but sometimes relies too much on reflexes and doesn't cover as much of the net as he should .. has amazing stats, however, a lot of that is likely a reflection of a stellar blueline corps.

Bretton Stamler (2005), D

Is one of two T-Birds with a negative plus minus rating (-2) .. partnered with Kyle Fecho .. made a nice play getting the puck through traffic to create offensive pressure while on the powerplay .. worked hard on the PK to acquire the puck from behind the net and fired it hard around the wall and down the ice .. stood his ground at the blueline and dished out a stiff open ice hit .. has the mobility to force puck carriers to the outside .. weak shot from the point was easily intercepted .. terrific breakout pass to create an odd man rush .. allowed his man to power past him towards the net .. will need to build up his overall strength, especially pertaining to his upper body .. made an amazing move avoiding a check at center and gaining the offensive zone .. a work in progress, but there's potential there.

Chris Durand (2005), C

Centered a line of Denis Tolpeko and Ryan Gibbons .. terrific anticipation .. has eyes in the back of his head as he shows with his splendid playmaking abilities .. knows how to effectively use his speed to create space .. blessed with an innate ability to deliver the puck to a teammate at just the right time .. displayed courage getting in the way of a howitzer by Dion Phaneuf .. drove to the net and easily knocked home a gift at the side of an unguarded goal .. counted on heavily in all situations and is equally proficient on the power play and penalty kill .. slick stickhandler in traffic .. not overly physical, but doesn't stay on the periphery.