WHL: Ferraro, Rebel with a Cause

Landon Ferraro (2009), C, Red Deer

The son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro is making a name for himself as he proved by being rated 9th by Central Scouting on their WHL list in their preliminary rankings .. although is still only listed at 5-foot-11, 166-pounds, he is showing good signs of maturing physically .. blessed with imagination and sports tremendously skilled hands .. light on his feet and is especially explosive first few steps .. will finish his checks with some gusto .. a regular on the powerplay .. supports the play well .. elusive skater and is able to avoid many of the bigger hits .. protects the puck .. will back up a defenceman that pinches in .. reads the play and is able to effectively use his quickness to be opportunistic on a potential turnover .. boasts a slick release and a heavy wrist shot .. has the ability to beat a defender out of the corner with the puck .. blessed with the patience and confidence of a goal scorer .. surprisingly rugged and displays no hesitation in giving or taking a hit to make a play .. knows how to get open .. is already the go-to-guy on the Rebels and leads the team in goals (23), powerplay goals (8) and points (38) .. selected in the first round (2nd overall) in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft .. centers the line of Cass Mappin and Carter Smith. (41gp, 23-15-38)

Willie Coetzee (2009), RW, Red Deer

Currently playing on a line with first overall by the Rebels' in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Brett Ferguson .. rated 19th by CS on their WHL list in their preliminary rankings .. sports good jump out of the blocks .. competes, but to play the way he does at that the next level will need to be bigger and stronger .. solid wrist shot .. is very good feet and is quite elusive in open ice .. will go to the net without the puck .. takes the pass smoothly at top speed and without breaking stride .. does a nice job pressuring the puckcarrier in to moving the puck sooner than he would like to .. can lose position on the puck .. boasts terrific vision and the ability to find the open man with a crisp pass through traffic .. at his best when he keeps his feet moving and playing with determination .. can make a checkers thanks to slick stickhandling .. plays with nice puck pursuit .. doesn't shy away from playing in the dirty areas and taking the punishment that it entails to stay there .. a regular on the powerplay. (42gp, 12-10-22)

Cass Mappin (2009), LW, Red Deer

Chosen by the Rebels in the first round (12th overall) in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft .. CS lists him 13th on their preliminary WHL list .. solid looking skater blessed with good mobility .. is able to support the puckcarrier and goes to the net without the puck .. uses his speed to pressure the forechecker .. boasts the overall speed to close the gap on a loose .. good size at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds .. has the ability to finish his checks with authority .. we would like to see more determination in his play without the puck .. reads the play well .. protects the puck with his body and will fight for position in front .. sports nice hand-eye coordination .. currently leads the Rebels in penalty minutes with 71 .. a regular on the powerplay and with seven ppg's is behind only Ferraro powerplay on Red Deer .. plays on a line with Landon Ferraro and Carter Smith ..

(42gp, 15-16-31)

Justin Weller (2009), D, Red Deer

Large bodied defender was selected by the Rebels in the second round (24th overall) in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft .. has only played in eight games this season due to a wrist injury .. generally makes the very simple plays with the puck .. will try and stand a puckcarrier up at the blueline .. usually uses his size well .. communicates with his defensive partner, Colin Archer .. a regular on the penalty-kill .. can be rushed in to turnovers .. can get caught out of position thanks to mediocre mobility and sometimes misreading the play .. lacks any imagination with the puck from the point .. a solid physical defender at the junior level, but his general foot speed is lacking. (8gp, 0-2-2)

Darcy Kuemper (2009), G, Red Deer

Passed over in the draft or maybe more to the point overlooked last year as he was having a very successful season with the Saskatoon Blazers of the SMHL .. boasts tremendous size at 6-foot-4, 195-pounds .. moving the puck isn't necessarily a strong suit .. surprisingly quick feet and does an effective job taking away the bottom corners .. can be guilty of playing a bit too deep in his net, however when he does challenge the shooter he is able to close the holes .. does a nice job keeping focused .. needs to consistently swallow up loose pucks as he can be a little lax with his rebound control at times .. has overtaken Vancouver Canucks' draft pick Morgan Clark as the Red Deers' starting goalie .. CS lists him 4th on their preliminary WHL goalie list. (27gp, Sv% 0.908, GAA 2.66)