WHL: Nichol Back-up

Mike Nichol (2005), G, Brandon

Is simply a bit of a train wreck when handling the puck in any situation and appears to be extremely nervous out of the crease .. competent at deflecting shots with his blocker in to the corner .. gave up a weak powerplay goal by losing sight of the puck behind the net and was therefor out of position when it unexpectedly popped out front .. needs to put a lot of time and effort in to learning how not only how to control the puck, but handle it and move it with authority .. must be more vocal with his defenseman to give them direction, because there tends to be a bit of confusion in the defensive zone that doesn't happen with a more experienced backstop .. needs to move with more fluidity as he appears awkward moving from side to side or up and down, however, he does cut down the angles well when facing an opponent head on.

Codey Burki (2006), C, Brandon

Didn't look out of place playing left wing on a top line with Ryan Stone and Eric Fehr, but will have to produce more to become a regular on the scoring lines .. has the ability to skate and give crisp touch passes at high speeds .. quick feet allows him to get a burst of acceleration to force defenders to back off as well as open up space for his linemates .. although not overly physical, will take a hit to make a play .. as he gets stronger he will be more effective when he drives to the front of the net, however he is willing and does keep the defenseman occupied .. uses his speed and mobility to take away time and space on a forecheck .. must guard against blind passes as he has been known to throw the odd pass away on a low percentage pass .. plays equally hard with or without the puck, but as stated earlier he needs to add muscle in order to take better advantage of his tremendous work habits .. rarely if ever saw any time on special teams last season .. very agile and can turn on a dime .. as he matures should see increasing time on the penalty-kill and protecting leads, but even now he will sacrifice his body to drop down in front of a point shot .. defensively aware and comes all the way back to support the defense.

Cory Courchene (2005), LW, Brandon

Gave the Wheat Kings some much needed sandpaper and was used primarily as an energy player on the third line .. uses his speed to get in quickly on the forecheck .. has yet to show any touch around the net or offensive awareness, but not for a lack of try .. drives hard to the net and is fearless about taking a hit to make a play .. at his best when he plays with a bit of a nasty streak and was usually pretty dependable about not stepping over the line and costing his team. Still he must continue to work on maintaining discipline as he has been known to get suckered in to taking the odd even-up penalty when the other team is about to be short handed.

Mark Louis (2005), D, Brandon

You wouldn't know it by his one assist in 39 games played last season, but Louis does display some offensive ability that should be encouraged and allowed to blossom .. like many young defensemen he can be forced in to ill-timed turnovers in his own end by overhandling the puck .. solid skater with or without the puck .. uses his speed and vision to back off forecheckers and has the vision to deliver a crisp breakout pass right on the tape .. has to be more aware of his defensive responsibilities, especially not getting caught pinching up in the offensive zone as often as he does .. not surprisingly will need to become stronger around the puck, especially in scrambles around the crease .. failed to get much time on either special team's units.