WHL: Everybody Loves Ray

Californian born Ray Macias is versatile to a fault as the Kamloops coaching staff doesn’t hesitate to use him on the blueline or as a forward which could be hurting his rankings for the 2005 Draft. We have notes on Macias as well as three of the Blazers’ youthful defensive corps from a recent game.

Kalvin Sagert (2005), D

Played on the left side with Keaton Ellerby .. strong on the body in front .. had a slow burst out of the blocks losing a foot race to a loose puck which led to a breakaway .. efficient skater and is strong on the puck .. uses an active stick to cut off passing lanes as well as creating turnovers off of unwary puckcarriers .. made a poor decision as the last man back to try and stickhandle past a forechecker and nearly turned it over .. took a few penalties on the night, but was generally disciplined .. a solid physical presence .. lacks much imagination in the offensive zone .. possesses a very heavy, although not very accurate, slap shot .. good hand-eye coordination .. wasn’t able to hold the puck in on a few occasions which lead to odd man rushes .. handles the puck very well when given time and space .. delivers a good breakout pass .. played in all situations including trying to kill a penalty in overtime.

Victor Bartley (2006), D

Mitch Bartley’s little brother is already showing signs of having a chance at a much brighter future in hockey .. partnered with Ryan Bender .. blessed with an amazing first step and incredible mobility and overall speed .. hyper aggressive away from the puck .. excellent transition from skating forwards to backwards .. not generally used on the PK, except very late .. plays with high energy and is not afraid to get in the face of an opponent .. has an excellent breakout pass .. took a player down driving to the crease .. flubbed a shoot in and didn’t allow his team to make a change .. displays good awareness without the puck .. needs to get stronger, however not surprisingly has shown improvement since last season .. had a few miscues handling the puck which lead to turnovers, but overall looks to be developing into a player to watch for 2006.

Keaton Ellerby (2007), D

Young blueliner didn’t look out of place partnered with Kalvin Sagert .. picks up his man and displays poise not reflective of his youth .. excellent overall speed and will pinch in when the opportunity arises .. plays on the penalty-kill.

Ray Macias (2005), D/RW

Defenseman, played right wing on a line with Jarret Lukin and Brock Nixon .. displayed terrific vision and hands chipping a pass while stationed at the side board to get a breakout .. amazing speed, mobility and transitional ability .. even when used as a forward the Blazers still play him at the point on the powerplay .. made a few dekes from the faceoff dot and got right in for a quality scoring chance .. tried a wraparound that was easily stopped .. his versatility could be hurting his development as it is not uncommon to see him line up as a right winger, left winger and defenseman all in the same game .. moves the puck smoothly .. used his speed and his ever improving strength to gain position in the slot and forced the checker to haul him down .. made a few moves on the powerplay to spread the defense and then shoot the puck through a crowd, eventually ending up in the net off the stick of Moises Gutierrez .. not shy about unleashing his heavy wrist shot whenever the opportunity presents itself .. looks for the holes in the offensive zone coverage .. in the third period played on a line with Richard Jasovsky and Aaron Richards that showed signs of clicking .. dishes out quick tape-to-tape passes .. needs to use his speed on the forecheck better as he can be a bit too passive at times .. did a good job tying up his man in the slot .. played in OT and flourished given the extra room.