WHL: Dustin The Wind

Dustin Kohn of the Calgary Hitmen is likely going to keep the team's recent history of having a defender or two drafted in the NHL Entry Draft. Currently we have him ranked 39th overall and just behind Brendan Mikkelson of the Portland Winter Hawks on the WHL list. We have scouting notes from a recent playoff game featuring Kohn and some of his Calgary Hitmen' teammates.

Riley Merkley (2005), C

Solid prospect rarely hurts the team in any zone .. displays good technique in the faceoff dot .. centered a line of Keegan Dansereau and Darryl Moscaluk .. won two draws in a row that led directly to quality scoring chances .. works hard in traffic and away from the puck .. very good mobility and acceleration aids him in his pursuit of the puck carrier .. looked like a sniper on one goal as he faked the goaltender down and then roofed it .. played on the penalty-kill and even the powerplay .. has progressed nicely since the start of the season.

Dustin Kohn (2005), D

Made a few errant pass attempts early in the game .. partnered with Jeff Schultz .. dished out a crisp breakout pass right on the tape .. has the ability to rush the puck end-to-end and thus is able to back off checkers a bit .. takes a hit to make a play .. is becoming more effective at punishing opponents .. won a battle for the puck behind his net .. was able to elude the forecheck and start a breakout .. dished out a sweet, crisp pass in the perfect place for his teammate to deliver a one-timer .. gave the puckcarrier on a two-on-one a bit too much room by backing off a little too far .. closed the shooting lane perfectly on a rush .. played on both special teams.

Jeff Schultz (Wsh), D

Simply marvelous at delivering a crisp breakout pass right on the tape .. partnered with Dustin Kohn ..very skilled stickhandler and with his elite vision gets more time and space carrying the puck than his mediocre, but improving skating would normally warrant .. played on the powerplay .. not a shock given his immense size that he is extremely hard to knock off the puck .. has very soft hands and is able to corral passes that are a tad off line .. isn't a wallflower in his own zone, but his move up the prospect rankings would be aided by a mean(er) streak.

Ryan White (2006), C

Displayed patience with the puck as he first held on to it, beat a defender and then found the open man with a crisp pass right on the tape .. takes the body effectively, although doesn't punish the opponents as much as he will as he matures physically .. saw a regular shift as well as time on the penalty-kill .. worked hard to dig for pucks in the dirty areas .. just barely eluded an elbow .. played on a line with Steve Covington and Brodie Dupont .. supported the puck carrier and drove to the net for the pass .. closes the gaps on the forecheck .. very dependable defensively, especially for an '06 eligible player .. White already shows signs of becoming a solid contributor at both ends of the ice.

Karl Alzner (2007), D

Won't hesitate to take a shot .. will make the simple play when pressured .. partnered with Alex Plante .. dished out a nice breakout pass as his time and space was being reduced .. carried the puck between the bluelines and then executed a perfect dump in .. must improve his strength on the puck .. played on the PK.