WHL Report: Red Deer Rebels

With the first week of the WHL regular season winding down, the Red Deer Rebels have proven to be one of the league's early surprises. Undefeated in three contests and tied with Brandon and Tri-City for tops in the league, youth has been front and center for a team that's experiencing a resurgence since missing the playoffs three out of the last four years. McKeen's correspondent Matt Bugg profiles several Rebels, including standout Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), C, Red Deer

The WHL's top prospect for 2011 has thus far started the season off right with five points in three games, including three points against the lowly Oil Kings in a season-opening home and home .. reads seams well and constantly gets into position for passes or rebounds .. great agility and one-step quickness .. skating a is a pleasure to watch - from his sheer technical proficiency to his blazing speed, Hopkins is clearly ready for prime-time in this regard .. a puck magnet .. shoots from places inconceivable for other players .. can even change the type of a shot seconds before release, frequently catching defenders and goalies alike by surprise .. showing a greater tendency to trade off his reputation as a shooter, setting up plays with aplomb .. when heading into the zone alone, he will spin and box the puck out with his shoulders and legs in order to catch the trailer with a pass .. great hustle on the backcheck, and shadows the puckcarrier effectively with his body and stick at all times, despite his immature frame .. beyond his natural talents, Nugent-Hopkins is among the hardest-working players in junior hockey .. on one shift, he was bagged with 22 seconds left in a blowout game, he hustled back to pick up his man on a 3-on-2, as if the game was tied with 22 seconds left.

Tyson Ness (2011), LW, Red Deer

Late-bloomer has come out of nowhere to secure a top-nine role with the Rebels after spending all of last season in Midget AAA .. despite being only 5-foot-11 and 167 pounds, he plays a high-tempo style of game .. continually hangs out in the crease area, paying the price to be in position for rebounds .. has flashed surprisingly good offensive instincts and tracks pucks well as they move around the zone .. his vision is also apparent on the cycle, as he quickly gets rid of the puck to the right person without any funny business .. quick, hard snapshot is tailor-made for putting rebounds into the back of the net, but his accuracy is exposed on scoring attempts from further out than the blue paint .. although he is constantly moving his feet and his top-end speed is above-average for the WHL level, Ness' strides are too short and his technical proficiency is poor, especially in his first few steps .. will need to improve both in this area and physically if he is to be an NHL role player.

Matthew Pufahl (2011), D, Red Deer

Sidelined for most of last year thanks to major shoulder surgery, was nevertheless clearly ready to make the jump from Midget in limited action .. a fluid skater, although he does not own elite forward speed, Pufahl's best asset is his refined footwork - especially when changing speed and angle on the fly .. clean crossovers both forwards and backwards allow him to recover on the off-chance he is fooled by a deke .. however, this is rare .. Pufahl handles one-on-one situations with uncanny maturity .. he possesses exemplary patience and allows his man to come to him, while never giving his opponent enough room left-right to execute a move .. offensively, he is not a game-breaker - he prefers simply to slide a lateral pass to his partner, but has shown a hard, accurate touch pass both in transition and when working the point .. at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he is within a reasonable range for a player of his specialty.

Mathew Dumba (2012), D, Red Deer

Former fourth overall Bantam Draft pick will be a top point producer among U18 rearguards this season .. extremely crafty offensive player .. handles the puck with dazzling fluidity both in-flight or standing still, and owns tremendous hand-eye coordination .. a favorite move is to intercept a turnover with his skate and kick it to his stick without missing a beat .. slick skater who transitions and pivots well .. greatest attribute may be his confidence .. Dumba is willing to try things not even a veteran defender would in order to create an offensive opportunity, even going so far as to rush up the middle of the ice for chances, feinting around anyone who tries to stand up to him .. however, while he has been criticized in the past for relying too much on his bevy of puck skills, it appears he has learned to pick his spots while also playing faultless defence .. early on this season, Dumba has been a fixture on the second powerplay and PK units.