WHL: Mad Max Gordichuk

Max Gordichuk (2004), D

Partnered with Roman Tesliuk .. on the penalty-kill .. still looks a bit gangly and his first step is mediocre, however his straight ahead speed is actually pretty decent .. turned over the puck in the neutral zone a few times on the same shift, but generally has good vision and makes a crisp first pass out of his end .. uses his condor-like wing span to cover up any mobility deficit he may possess .. kept a speedy forward to the outside and once the player tried to cut in Gordichuk tied him up effectively .. let loose a cannon from the point that was deflected in for what would turn out to be the winning goal .. has above average hockey sense .. he could turn out to be a bit of a project for any NHL team willing to draft him and show some patience.

Kris Hogg (2004), LW

On a line with Reid Jorgensen and Moises Gutierrez .. was bowled over with a stiff check .. takes a hit to make a play ..picks up his man in his own zone and is very conscientious defensively .. drilled a slap shot from the point that gave the goaltender some trouble .. since the start of the season has developed in to a scoring threat .. when stickhandling he has the speed and mobility to make a checker miss .. impressive acceleration .. drove to the net and got a shot on net and his linemate was able to knock home the rebound for Kamloops first goal .. solid hitter on the forecheck .. on the ice protecting a one goal lead late in the game .. selected the game’s third star .. has continued to improve since the start of the season.

Devan Dubnyk (2004), G

Got the starting assignment in goal .. had little chance on the only goal to beat him as it came off a one timer from the slot .. very vocal and keeps his defense aware of any developments .. excellent kick-save on a shot from the slot .. handles the puck with poise .. alertly jumped on a loose puck that his defenseman had turned over just outside of his crease .. uses his terrific size to cover the entire net even when he is down on his knees .. swallows up most shots and the ones he doesn’t he effectively steers the rebounds to the corners .. his athleticism has been questioned by some, but overall he gets up and down quickly .. made a game saving play by on a deflected point shot that made it through a traffic jam .. although he didn’t have much work in this game, he looked confident and focused when called upon.

Roman Tesliuk (2004), D

Partnered with Max Gordichuk .. on the penalty-kill and powerplaying units .. his grit has increased as the season has gone on and he displays an excellent physical presence with a touch of nastiness .. mobile skater that consistently proves that he has the presence of mind to pick the correct times of when to pinch .. almost snuck a shot in from the point .. he isn’t the next Paul Coffey, but he stickhandles well enough that opposing defenders must take respect his ability to carry the puck out of his zone .. destroyed an opponent with a clean open ice hit .. consistently makes a crisp first pass out of his end .. blasted a slap shot low and forced the goalie to make a solid glove save .. gets a ton of ice time in all situations .. hard to beat one on one .. tends to think defense first, but is developing into a dependable two-way defenseman .. excellent backward skater .. doesn’t hesitate to use the board to move the puck out .. didn’t play the last minute of the game.