WHL: OK Milan

The Vancouver Giants are putting many of the building blocks together this season so that they will not only be ready to host the Memorial Cup in 2007, but win it. One of the younger players that are still a bit of a secret is Milan Lucic who displays many of the signs of maturing into a fine power forward. We also have notes on Cody Franson, J.D. Watt and Tim Kraus.

Cody Franson (Nsh), D

Sitting with 15 points (4-11-15) after 21 games .. possesses fairly good acceleration and, when combined with his strength on the puck, can be used for the odd long rush .. needs to improve his stickhandling at top speeds .. doesn't display elite imagination nor vision in the offensive zone, however he remains a competent quarterbacking defender who can take advantage of a lapse in the other team's defensive coverage .. breakout passes are improving and he's beginning to be a threat carrying the puck .. still lacks much physical presence in front .. moves extremely well for a big man thanks in some part to a powerful skating stride .. a poised, unselfish player with a high panic threshold .. generally can be relied on to pick the correct time when to pinch in from the point .. sports an ever-improving slapshot .. supports his rushing defensive partner by hanging back in case of a turnover .. defensively aware and displays good leadership by communicating with his teammates effectively .. uses his long reach to close down passing lanes and back off puckcarriers .. has the ability to stretch a defense with splendid tape-to-tape passes that have sent more than a few teammates on breakaways .. a mainstay on both the PK and PP .. developed impressive chemistry with Paul Albers.

J.D. Watt (Cgy), RW

Chipped in with 10 points (2-8-10) in 17 games for the Giants this season .. tends to be on the third or fourth line as he was in this game with the likes of rookies Kenton Dulle and Milan Lucic .. in training camp, Vancouver gave a brief look at him at center and correctly decided he is better suited to the wing .. not overly quick, however is strong on his skates and usually arrives in ill-humour to finish his checks .. generally not that far away if a raucous occurs .. most effective when he's using his body and playing a gritty, high-energy game .. not a pretty stickhandler, however has shown some improvement in this area and does make the odd checker miss .. still a bit of a project with limited offensive upside, yet the type of player that could end up getting a

look at the NHL level .. plays on both the penalty-kill and powerplay.

Tim Kraus (2006), C

Thanks to a dismal finish to last season, Kraus fell right off the radar screen of all 30 NHL teams, however with 22 points (11-11-22) in 20 games and a much more consistent effort most nights, he might find himself back in the draft hunt .. a good overall skater who just needs to drive harder to the net .. holds up the opposing center effectively off the draw .. a solid contributor on the powerplay and even the penalty-kill .. displays good vision and moves the puck well to a teammate in scoring areas, although can be guilty of trying to force the puck in to traffic .. centers the top line of Michal Repik and Mitch Bartley .. at his best when he shows a willingness to pay the price to make a play .. unfortunately, his history has been that this isn't always the case.

Milan Lucic (2006), LW

On first blush his five points aren't much to get excited about until you understand that he gets limited time on any scoring line and that all his points are goals .. fairly powerful, yet awkward-looking due to a hunched-over skating style .. boasts good strength on the puck and more than willing to take a hit to make a play .. tends to bull his way to the crease and many defenders have trouble containing him one-on-one .. played on a line with J.D. Watt and Kenton Dulle in this game .. likes to go the front of the net to knock home the garbage .. possesses enough speed to get in early on the forecheck .. used mainly on the fourth line, however his combination of strength, grit and offensive upside should eventually be rewarded with quality minutes by next season .. his skill with the puck is limited and he currently lacks the finesse to use his linemates to full effect .. his passing accuracy is also a bit inconsistent as he can put it on the tape one moment and the next shift it might be in a player's skates .. at his best when using his size and

strength to overpower the opposition in traffic .. if he can get just a step or two quicker, he'll start to punish even more puck carriers with bone-crunching hits.