WHL: FitzGerald Jazzs Opposition

It is only fitting that Zack FitzGerald was selected by St. Louis as he generally makes any puckcarrier black and blue that happens to venture down his side of the ice. We have regular season game notes on FitzGerald and a number of his fellow drafted T-Birds.

Clayton Barthel (Wsh), D

Won't hesitate to ice the puck if he feels the T-Birds need it .. played along side Bretton Stamler .. solid on his skates and hits with authority .. over committed when he went to the side boards and basically found himself in no man's land .. teed up a slap shot from the point that got through traffic .. at times either over handles the puck or treats it like is a grenade .. wasn't able to contain his man at the side of the net, which allowed the forward to bang home a juicy rebound .. played on the penalty-kill .. not his best game.

Matthew Hansen (Van), D

A solid two-way defenseman that emphasizes his play in his own zone, but skilled enough with the puck that he can chip in with some points .. supports his defensive partner, which on this night was Scott Jackson .. will bang it off the boards to clear the zone if the breakout pass is too high risk .. played on the PP .. strong effort along the boards .. gets himself open to accept the pass .. has the ability to rush the puck out of his zone and can usually beat the first man, although doesn't have the overall speed to go end-to-end .. defensively conscientious and maintains solid positioning .. type of a defenseman that one appreciates the more often you see him .. rarely panics under pressure.

Aaron Gagnon (Phx), C

Explosive wheels with exceptional acceleration and mobility .. wears an A .. centered a line of Ladislav Scurko and Derek Couture .. played on both special teams .. lacks the strength to fight through heavy traffic .. needs to consistently keep his feet moving on contact .. uses his speed, like few others can, to get in on the puck carrier and cut down space and time .. used his body to protect the puck as he drove hard to the net and put a shot just wide .. has some trouble on the face-off holding up the opposing center in order to buy his defense time .. got to the goal and was able to get a scoring chance by his willingness to take a hit.

Ryan Gibbons (Phx), RW

An intimidating presence, blessed with the ability to make the opposition hear footsteps .. played on a line with Denis Tolpeko and Chris Durand .. far from being labeled as a pretty skater, especially with regards to mobility and acceleration, but he is very strong on his skates and is a thunderous hitter .. usually arrives at the puck in ill humor, in fact, is most effective when playing with a nasty streak .. at his best when he both pays the price as well as making the opposition to do the same .. dished out a bone-crunching hit along the boards to help force a turnover in the offensive zone .. puck carriers always have to be leery with Gibbons on the ice, as he will generally take the man out with a hit instead of being mesmerized by the puck .. used his strength to create space in the slot on the net which lead to a goal .. if he can add another step and work on his mobility, he might have a shot of getting to the next level as a mid-level power forward.

Nate Thompson (Bos), C

Wears an A .. centered a line of George Holloway and Tyler Metcalfe .. powerful skater and has good puck pursuit .. supports the defense .. takes and dishes the pass well .. dominant in traffic, especially along the wall when digging for loose pucks .. played on both the powerplay and penalty-kill and most of the key times of the game .. gained the zone after stickhandling past a checker and then found a linemate with a crisp pass in the slot .. has the ability to be a physical presence, but has been known to go through the motions on occasion.

Ladislav Scurko (Phi), C

Works hard away from the puck and on the back check. .. played left side on a line with Derek Couture and Aaron Gagnon .. stickhandles well at high speeds .. takes the puck to the house .. will likely need to get stronger, but is generally solid on his skates and is pretty mobile.. displays good puck pursuit .. a regular on the PK and PP .. dished out a terrific pass to a linemate just as the player was getting open for a scoring chance .. doesn't shy away from parking himself in front of the net and taking the punishment that usually ensues .. will stick up for a teammate in a scrum .. supports the puck well .. has trouble getting past bigger defenders.

Zack FitzGerald (StL), D

Dished out a crisp tape-to-tape breakout pass to catch a few opposition in deep.. played along side Kyle Fecho .. wears an A .. closes shooting and passing lanes effectively .. doesn't always turn the correct way when defending .. surprisingly quick, with very good acceleration .. played in all situations .. has very good vision and displays poise with the puck, especially in his own zone .. uses an active stick to defend against the one-on-one .. absolutely destroyed a puckcarrier, who showed a lack of judgment by skating with his head down through center, with a teeth rattling hit.