WHL: Logans Run

Notes from a recent game featuring four Tri-City Americans including Logan Stephenson who are eligible for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft in Carolina.

Clayton Stoner, D (2004)

Will pinch in if the opportunity presents itself .. usually is effective taking the man one-on-one .. solid on his skates and can take a hit .. got caught going for a hit and the forward went right around him for a quality scoring chance .. must improve on gap control as he allows the opposition to much time and space to make plays .. was initially beaten on a two-on-one, but recovered to break up any scoring chance .. boomed a high slap shot from the point .. kept his head up and stepped out of the way on a rush or he would have been destroyed by a player that had him lined up in open ice for a big time hit .. along with teammates Stephenson and Schneider did a spectacular job limiting the other team's four-on-three man advantage, made all the more impressive as one of the players was without a stick.

Matt Schneider, C, (2004)

Effortless slap shot ..heavy wrist shot .. average skater with decent mobility .. can become a bit lackadaisical in his back checking and must show more determination .. got in the open in the slot area and wired home a wrist shot top shelf on an unscreened goalie .. participated on the PK .. on a 4 on 4, he almost got open for a breakaway .. won an important faceoff in the late in the period while killing a penalty .. uses his huge wingspan to create turnovers .. tends to wander at times .. not a liability in his own end .. displayed hustle driving to the net, took the pass in the clear and deked the goalie out and roofed it on the backhand .. went down to block a shot.

Brett Festerling, D, (2004)

Broke up a dangerous looking play in the slot and had the vision to deliver a crisp pass up to a wide open forward breaking out of the zone .. smooth long stride, with a good initial burst .. displays leadership ability and communication skills when dealing with his defensive partner .. takes a hit to make a play .. active stick aids in stripping the puck carrier from the puck .. on the PK and PP .. turned over the puck with a lazy pass through the neutral zone .. let a player beat him to the front of the net .. left the ice clutching his arm after a hard hit along the wall early in the second period and never returned (later determined to be broken and is out a month) .. progressing nicely in most areas and showing signs of being a sleeper draft pick.

Logan Stephenson, D, (2004)

Lined up at center and took the opening faceoff (for intimidation purposes), but reverted back to defense thereafter .. very solid physically .. conscientious defensively .. most dominant when he uses intimidation as a tool .. strong along the boards and in high traffic areas .. partnered with Nikita Korovkin .. participated on both the power play and penalty kill .. tried to skate up with the puck on an odd man rush, but was overtaken by a checker .. needs to get shots away from the point faster as a number of them were blocked .. frequently makes the safe play .. showed excellent anticipation by jumping up and intercepting a pass.