WHL: Meyer No Hotdog

Stefan Meyer is a solid prospect in his own right, but that hasn't stopped him from being overshadowed by Clarke MacArthur and Cam Barker. We have scouting notes from a recent game featuring Meyer and some of his fellow Medicine Hat Tiger teammates.

Stefan Meyer (Fla), C

Supports the defense, although at times he lacks tenacity away from the puck .. centers a line of Jarret Lukin and Clarke MacArthur .. uses his elite speed and mobility to cut down time and space on the forecheck .. wears an A .. pro-level vision displayed with his feed through center to spring his winger free for a quality scoring chance .. blessed with terrific poise and a high panic threshold that few at the Junior level possess .. doesn't hesitate to play in traffic .. plays on the penalty-kill and powerplay .. not as physically proficient as MacArthur and is likely not as good of a prospect as his linemate.

Clarke MacArthur (Buf), RW

Displayed his high skill level for all to see at the recent World Juniors where he was a major part of Canada winning Gold .. showed remarkable poise with the puck as he stickhandled in traffic and dished the puck off to a linemate breaking open .. plays on a line with Stefan Meyer and Jarret Lukin .. has amazing chemistry with the aforementioned Meyer .. supports the defense .. was overly aggressive in the offensive zone and took a needless cross-checking penalty .. uses his stick to close down passing lanes .. turned on the jets and protected the puck with his body as he drove around the defender and in on the goaltender where he almost scored on a splendid move .. tipped a cheeky pass through his opponent legs and right on to a linemate's stick .. supports the puckcarrier by giving them an outlet in which to move the puck .. played in all situations and sees a ton of ice time .. besides Cam Barker, is likely the most pro-ready Medicine Hat Tiger.

Kris Russell (2005), D

Very high risk and with some reward, although the former doesn't yet justify the latter .. is the regular partner of Cam Barker .. pinched in from the point and missed the puck allowing an odd man rush against, however, due to his exceptional foot speed and mobility, he was able to get all the way back in to the play and nullify any possible scoring chance .. plays on both the PK and PP .. very aggressive, with regards to when chooses to try and rush the puck .. needs to use more restraint when it comes to pinching in and leaving his position, although that will likely come with maturity .. must work on protecting the puck better as he is too easily stripped of it .. displays good awareness of his man in the defensive zone .. Russell is as smooth skating backwards as he is moving straight ahead.

Cody Blanshan (NYI), D

Partnered with Steve Marr .. wears an A .. kept the puck carrier in front on the one-on-one .. straightaway speed is adequate, although his mobility and acceleration is mediocre at best .. has a physical presence in his own zone, but isn't an overly gritty defender .. most effective when he allows the play to come to him .. not a great passer as some of his passes were a bit off the mark .. uses an active stick to back off the puckcarrier .. plays on both special teams .. is a mediocre prospect with a slim shot at making a living in hockey, however, there is a window of opportunity if he puts in a lot of extra work.

Cam Barker (Chi), D

Blessed with a powerful stride and amazing strength which allow him to be very effective on the rush .. partnered with Kris Russell has matured to become a steadying influence on the blueline and often bails out his young protégé by being the conscience in the defensive zone .. strong on the puck .. is a physical force, but generally chooses to steer the puckcarrier wide instead of punishing him with a big bone crunching hit .. has tremendous vision and is a threat as a QB on the powerplay .. has the look and poise of a pro and will likely make a solid push at full-time employment at the NHL level when the league starts up again.

Matt Keetley (2005), G

The beneficiary of extra playing time this season thanks to all the time Kevin Nastiuk missed due to injuries .. doesn't hesitate to swallow up any and all loose pucks that enter his crease .. has quick feet and solid reflexes .. doesn't get overly fazed by traffic .. sometimes gets caught playing a bit too deep in his crease .. blessed with nice size .. remains a longshot to get drafted this season even though he has shone, albeit behind a powerhouse Tigers' team.