WHL: Everett Tips Giants

McKeen's files notes on several promising players.

Michal Repik (2007), RW, Vancouver

Player of smallish stature owns very soft hands that have developed a reputation for highlight real plays. .. uses sharp cuts and turns along the boards to elude defenders successfully .. shows a periodic willingness to battle along the boards, however a weak upper body results in less than stellar success rate .. uses excellent pick-up speed to blow past defenders and pursue loose pucks on the forecheck .. sees ice time on the PK, presenting an offensive threat shorthanded .. tends to get pushed around easily by opposing players of varying size. .. only willing to pay the price physically if situation presents a scoring opportunity .. constantly dropping to block shots, however timing needs work as defenders simply wait for him to slide by .. vision and passing ability are understated due to infrequent/inconsistent use, an underutilized skill .. wrist and slap shots are not particularly hard or explosive, nor is his release.

Jonathon Blum (2007), D, Vancouver

Highly touted defensemen has caught the attention of scout's league wide with his offensive capabilities, smooth skating and the fact that he shoots right .. saw significant time on the PK, where his stick-work and skating are his primary weapons to stifle offensive flow .. is an outstanding skater with excellent first step quickness and shifty body moves to avoid opposition fore checkers .. capable of very sharp turns and owns sneaky lateral agility .. owns impressive hand-eye coordination as he repeatedly demonstrated the ability to knock down airborne pucks .. pass accuracy is impeccable, delivered crisply with appropriate timing .. also, saw time on the PP where he quarterbacks the play and adequately distributes puck among teammates .. owns an intriguing skill-set with solid play-anticipation instincts .. got caught flat footed at the blue line and wasn't able to recover position quick enough on the first goal against, then missed his defensive responsibility 12 seconds later for the second goal against of the game.

Spencer Machacek (2007), LW, Vancouver

The tough left-winger recently returned to Vancouver's lineup after sustaining a concussion that forced him to miss the Top Prospects Game .. played on a line with Giants top scorer Kraus where he was responsible for opening up space for his more offensive line mates and maintain a physical presence in all zones with his second to none work ethic .. does not have exceptional pace, however his stride is powerful and gets him from point A to B .. played on the second PK unit, and saw some time on the PP where he was a staple in front of the net .. always keeps his feet moving, an excellent attribute to a player of his style as he looks to make the hit on every play .. very aggressive fore checker and hitter who forces defenders to cough up the puck frequently in the corners and along the boards .. hits primarily for power and punishment, in time he will learn to also use his physical play to separate opposition from the puck in order to achieve possession .. closes gaps very quickly at all times, challenging opposition puck carriers to make fast decisions .. owns a good slap shot with a big wind-up that he keeps low handcuffing goaltenders, this led to a goal off a huge rebound by Everett goaltender Tyson Sexsmith .. is primarily a rugged player with defensive maturity beyond his years and outstanding consistency shift-to-shift .. does not own soft hands, offensive creativity or a great shot and needs some work on his lateral agility .. has NHL third line shut-down/physical pest upside, a "trenches" type of player that wins championships.

Tim Kraus (2007), C, Vancouver

Vancouver's second leading scorer (46 points through 52 games) has been a pleasant surprise this season .. sees time on both the PP and PK .. uses his good size to his advantage when battling for pucks, uses reasonably strong body positioning to win battles on a semi-consistent basis .. plays the slot on the power play, however he showed a tendency to pass one too many times and could be a more selfish shooter .. catches goaltenders off guard when he does shoot, as he will do so from anywhere in the offensive zone .. drives hard to the net and through the slot area on scoring opportunities, both with and without the puck .. sees the ice well and accurately identifies offensive opportunities by utilizing trailing players or pinching d-men .. fluid skater using an economical stride and owns shift maneuvers when carrying the puck .. can be nasty along the boards and displays an ability to get his nose dirty .. defensive intensity wanes, as he did not show the desired effort with the game on the line and tends to over pursue the puck at times .. best deployed as a dump and chase player.

Mitch Czibere (2007), C/LW, Vancouver

Relatively unknown on the stacked Vancouver roster plays on a line with recently acquired Kendal McArdle .. adequate on face-offs, as he frequently beat Everett's Peter Mueller on draws .. can thread passes through opposition sticks and legs .. willingly throws the body, which comes in handy in big games such as this .. very aggressive on loose pucks using strong upper body strength to overpower opposition by neutralizing players along the boards effectively removing them from the play .. saw some time on the PP .. recognizes defensive responsibilities as he drops deep to tie up fore checker sticks and disrupt down-low play with his body once again using his strong upper body to push the opposition off the puck .. owns above average skating and acceleration that allows him to pull away from back checking forwards off the rush.

Brent Regner (2007), D, Vancouver

Highly underrated and underappreciated defensemen has taken massive strides this season and should be a player to watch in the second half as he gains notoriety within scouting communities .. the first year defender is somewhat undersized at 5 foot 10, but this has little effect on his game as he uses outstanding puck poise and improving positioning to get the job done .. is currently partnered with Brenden Mikkelson, which has benefited his learning curve as he learns from the seasoned veteran .. has a nice first pass that is accurately delivered to streaking forwards .. pinches from the blue line displaying excellent timing and reads on top of smart decision making .. saw some playing time on the PP, however due to the presence of WHL veterans like Cody Franson and Jon Blum, his time here was limited .. is strong on his skates as he is able to take crushing hits and remain standing .. makes strong cuts and turns .. maturity identifies defensive responsibilities, correctly tying up opposition sticks and forcing body position .. owns excellent instincts .. rarely turns the puck over, due to his exceptional poise under pressure and an ability to stickhandle out of traffic using surprisingly soft hands..

Zach Hamill (2007), C, Everett

Undersized center continues to dominate the WHL as the season progresses, but has yet to see his efforts pay off in draft rankings as he currently finds himself ranked No. 22 among North American skaters by CSB .. currently overcoming the flu, that was rampant at the Top Prospects Game .. not a flashy player by any means but subtly achieves desired results as shown by his 72 points through 50 games .. Hamill has incredibly soft hands that he deftly uses to feather passes to teammates for easy scoring chances .. his hands are very quick in tight to the body and down low .. displays outstanding vision, often catching opponents and teammates off guard as he finds the open man with ease .. his vision is most impressive in close to the net .. hand-eye coordination is something to behold .. is an unselfish player as he lays down the body to block shots and/or passes up scoring opportunities by making an additional pass .. reliable on both sides of the puck .. keeps play primarily to the open ice, as his small stature is not effective for board play .. plays on the first PP unit and has strong faceoff abilities .. calm and poised with the puck, especially on the PP .. could be a steal come draft day.

Taylor Ellington (2007), D, Everett

Good-sized defensemen continues to show a steady game for the Silvertips this season .. while not as highly touted as other prospects in this game, Ellington should be a top fourth-round selection at the draft .. quarterbacks the power play, making his biggest contribution by carrying the puck up ice into the neutral zone before passing off to develop the play .. provides reasonably solid defensive stability at the back end, periodically showing flashes rarely found in pre-draft players .. displays some excellent lateral agility, most noticeably on a play at the blue line where he rapidly retained position on Vancouver's Milan Lucic to shut down the play as it developed .. does not really stand out in any one area .. shows good patience with the puck and ability to open up shooting and passing lanes from the point .. also sees substantial time on the PK .. has a tendency to become an observer once beaten on a play.

Kyle Beach (2008), LW, Everett

The underage 17-year-old is entering into his first full season (played four games in 05/06) with the Silvertips and projects to be a top eligible player at the 2008 draft .. currently playing alongside 2007 draft eligible Zach Hamill where he has accumulated 25 goals and 51 points in 51 games .. very adept at getting under the skin of his opposition and drawing penalties as a result .. owns a good-sized frame at 6 foot 3, which he throws around with consistency, however he could finish his checks more .. had a quiet night in this game, save for a breakaway coming out the penalty box where he was out-waited by Sexsmith .. shows some versatility as he filled in at center when Hamill was kicked out of the faceoff circle .. owns soft hands and the ability to make plays in tight .. likes to utilize the give and go on the PP where he plays along the left-side boards just between the circle and corner .. drives hard to the net following the puck .. saw playing time during overtime, which speaks to his coaches confidence in his abilities when the game is on the line .. most adept working off the boards .. needs to improve his poise with the puck in the defensive zone, instead of blindly throwing the puck up the ice to clear the zone.