WHL: Fuller Up

We take a look at Evan Fuller whose not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2006. We have scouting notes from a recent game featuring Fuller and a pair of his Prince George teammates in the second of our two-part look at the Cougar' prospects.

Mike Berube (2006), D

Displayed poise after he dug a puck loose along the wall and then got past by a checker before sending a pass to his teammates .. not yet a physical presence in his own zone .. partnered with Dustin Byfuglien on occasion, but was definitely used as an extra defenseman as he rarely saw the ice in this game .. still learning to maintain position and keep his man in front of him .. isn't quite ready for prime time, although does possess some of the traits that should make him a reliable defender and with work and patience by the PG coaching staff might make a push for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Evan Fuller (2005), C

Already a handy third-liner with some offensive upside, but will need to add some muscle in the off season to be able to take advantage of his skating ability .. took a solid hit in the neutral zone .. played on a line centered by Dan Gendur and Blair Stengler .. once again was the recipient of a heavy hit, although this time he was paying the price of being patient until the outlet pass opened up .. displays a solid work ethic in traffic .. will finish his checks .. doesn't hesitate to stick up for his teammates in scrums after the whistle .. has some trouble staying on his feet due to being overmatched physically on occasion .. was easily bodied off the puck by a bigger pursuit .. stickhandles well in traffic .. good mobility and acceleration .. has above average speed, but defenders don't back off because they know that Fuller still has trouble fighting through contact .. didn't receive any special teams time .. comes back hard to back check and support the defense .. conscientious defensively .. drove to the net and went top shelf with a sparkling wrist shot to bring his team even.

Scott Bowles (2005), G

Came over in the Justin Pogge trade when the Calgary Hitmen felt they needed an upgrade in goal .. made a nice stop dropping down in to the butterfly to take away the five-hole and was lucky the rebound that went in to the slot was cleared .. handled the puck well and had some zip to his pass that he through around the boards, however, it went straight to the other team.. made a terrific save on a turnover near the hash marks and was able to steer the puck out of harm's way .. appears to lose his angles at times, especially when he is over aggressive .. came way out of his net to cut down the angle on a point shot .. really gets exposed when he's moving from side-to-side as he tends to lose his form along the way .. tends to be a bit of a guesser, also goes down too early .. looked great one-on-one with a shooter that tried to deke him in close .. wasn't set for a point shot and gave up a juicy rebound right to the side of the crease which was easily knocked home in to the unguarded cage .. was selected the third star of the game, but he remains a long shot to hear his name on draft day as the best that can be said is he is a competent goalie at the junior level with little upside unless he figures out what is holding him back.