WHL: Kruise Missile

Tyler Schmidt (2008), D, Tri-City

Can be guilty of losing position on his man near the net and must be more alert overall in the Americans' end .. a solid skater that moves his feet well .. lacks much vision on the powerplay .. works hard in the corners and high traffic areas .. plays with some grit and will on occasion make opponents pay a price .. needs to improve his decision making in his own zone .. has posted a decent plus four .. a regular on both special teams. (10gp, 1-3-4)

Eric Mestery (2008), D, Tri-City

Huge at 6'5-195lbs and uses his size as well as an active stick to close an opponent's passing and shooting lanes .. must be careful about when to push up in the play as he can get caught giving up an odd man rush .. must learn to tie up the man in the scoring areas better .. can be pressured in to turnover and poor decisions .. fairly strong on his skates, but would do well to add some strength .. plays on the powerplay and penalty-killing units. (10gp, 0-2-2, +5)

Kruise Reddick (2008), C, Tri-City

Smallish pivot uses his superb speed to close the gap on the puckcarrier .. splendid skater that moves almost effortlessly .. loves to pressure the point on the penalty-kill .. wears an A .. will play the body, but generally is more proficient when he uses his stick and body positioning to create turnovers .. supports the puckcarrier well .. knows how to slip by a check without taking a big hit .. gets in quickly on the forecheck, however doesn't arrive with a ton of force .. showcases some desire to fight through contact in the dirty areas and thanks to keeping his feet moving isn't as easy to box out of the play as his size would suggest .. sometimes gets a bit overzealous on the backcheck winding him up in the penalty box .. a regular on the PP and PK.

Johnny Lazo (2008), C, Tri-City

Pint-sized forward will take the body .. cuts down time and space nicely on the forecheck .. splendid skater obviously lack of size has to be an issue, however his mobility and acceleration is so good that he rarely gets tattooed with a damaging hit .. will sacrifice his body to block a shot .. boasts a blazing slapper that can beat a goalie from almost anywhere in the offensive zone .. plays on both special teams. (10gp, 4-4-8)

Kyle Birch (2008), G, Tri-City

Is gaining experience backing up Chet Pickard .. must be more alert with controlling his rebounds .. will quickly come out of his net to challenge the shooter .. communicates with his blueliners .. moves well down low, however likes to go down and too often stays down giving up big holes upstairs .. picks up the shot through traffic .. tends to open up a bit too much when coming across the net .. has a lot of work ahead of him to be considered a top prospect for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. (GAA 4.47, 0.852 Sv%)

Chet Pickard (2008), G, Tri-City

Keeps the puck in front of him and uses his big body and solid positioning to take away the holes .. will come out to play the puck .. displays nice mobility and gets across the crease quickly .. does a nice job swallowing up the first shot .. boasts good quickness with his feet and has the ability to take away the far corner with a nice pad save .. definitely the better prospect of the two Tri-City' goalies early in the season. (GAA 3.26, 0.882 Sv%)