WHL: Its Rabbit Season

Nicolaus Knudson (2006), D

Young defender missed being eligible for the 2005 draft by about a month .. good job forcing skater to the outside .. allowed his goalie a chance to see the shot without obstruction .. strong skating stride .. not afraid of the rough stuff and isn’t easily intimidated by even the toughest forward .. took a hit to make a play .. was injured earlier in the game and came back out with a full cage .. solid with the puck.

Joe Barnes (2005), C

Blades pivot didn’t opt in to last years’ draft, which wasn’t a complete surprise given the poor buzz on his chances of being selected high .. played on a line with Devin Setoguchi and Aaron Bader .. first few steps looked a little awkward, although his overall speed is above average .. not physical and tends to get overmatched in the dirty areas .. played on the powerplay and penalty-kill ..came back and supported the defense .. lacks immediacy, maybe even enthusiasm in his style of play .. uses his immense wingspan to cut off passing lanes .. good hand-eye coordination .. needs to work on his mobility as he often makes wide sweeping turns, instead of sharp, quick ones .. displayed good vision coming from behind the net and almost popping it by the goalie.

Justin McCrae (2007), C

Young forward centered the line of Jamison Orr and Boris Leckovic .. comes back deep on the backcheck .. takes a hit to make a play .. gets a good jump from his first few steps .. ties up his man off the draw .. supports the puckcarrier .. went to the net and picked up the rebound for a quality scoring chance .. works real hard with or without the puck .. took a solid hit on the wall, but still managed to move the puck up to an open forward with a crisp, backhander .. not overly big, however, he is game and does make sure he finishes his checks .. puts the pass right on the tape .. didn’t get any time on either special teams.

Devin Setoguchi (2005), RW

Highly touted prospect eligible for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft .. nice snap to his wrist shot .. played on a line with Aaron Bader and Joe Barnes .. excellent first step quickness as his skates were just a blur .. displays good awareness of his teammates .. lazily tipped a pass at center ice which went directly to the other team .. appeared a bit lackadaisical coming back .. looked dangerous breaking between two defenders while on the PK and almost got in all alone .. takes the pass without breaking stride .. caught flat-footed at the blue line and was in no position to check a player entering the Blades end .. displayed offensive awareness supporting the puckcarrier entering the offensive zone .. made a few players miss with some elite moves through traffic.

Colton Gillies (2007), C

Second overall pick in the 2004 WHL bantam draft playing in his first ever regular season game .. didn’t look out of place centering a line of Bjorn Svensson and Ryan Menei .. displays good hustle away from the puck .. already looks able to handle the pace of Junior due to his speed and surprising understanding of the game for his age .. worked hard on the backcheck taking a glorious scoring opportunity away by picking up the trailer and lifting his stick .. took a nasty crosscheck and bounced right up.

Wacey Rabbit (2005), C

Mini-pivot’s stature might be an issue, but the size of his heart can’t be questioned .. played on a line with Zdenek Bahensky and Ryan Keller .. excellent at applying pressure on the forecheck with an excellent combination of mobility and overall speed .. picks up his man in the defensive zone .. uses his stick very effectively to cut down passing lanes .. played the point on the first unit powerplay .. dished out a perfect breakout pass to a hard rushing forward in the clear who was able to go down the wing and score .. very aggressive killing penalties as he rarely allows the pointman time to set anything up .. very opportunistic when pucks come loose .. was out muscled on a face-off which gave the player a clear lane to the front of the net .. picked up his man who was sneaking up the middle of the ice .. outworked a player in the defensive end and then cleared the zone .. has very good vision of the ice, especially in the offensive zone .. counted on to take a lot of the big draws late in the game .. doesn’t hesitate to go in to traffic.

Mike Green (wsh), D

Poised blueliner wears the C for the Blades .. partnered with Dalyn Flatt .. takes a hit to make a play .. kept the puck carrier to the outside .. elite puckmoving defenseman with excellent stickhandling ability as he moves the puck up the ice with authority .. a mainstay on both special teams .. keeps his head up when carrying the puck .. will make the smart play more often than not in his own zone .. a real steadying influence on the blueline .. usually the first guy to get back defensively .. took the bait on a deke that allowed the player to go free and clear on the goalie .. saw his 15-year-old teammate being roughed up and he went charging in from a long way to protect him .. very good overall speed and excellent mobility .. tremendous leader.

Zdenek Bahensky (nyr), RW

Played on a line with Wacey Rabbit and Ryan Keller .. amazing zip to his wrist shot .. bodied a player off the puck .. gets in quick on the puck carrier .. played on the PP and PK .. forced a turnover in the offensive zone and let loose an absolute howitzer that went high and wide .. deceptively fast and can make a people miss .. excellent stick handler .. strong on the puck and beautifully graceful skater .. the type of player that can pounce on any opportunity at any time and make the other team pay the price.

special thanks to Colin Tiggelaar for putting the notes together.