WHL Report: Saskatoon Blades

Despite losing the likes of Brayden Schenn, Marek Viedensky and Stefan Elliott to the pros, the Saskatoon Blades have remained a competitive team this year. Although they don't have a draft-eligible player as highly touted as Duncan Siemens was last year, the Blades do have a handful of players that have the potential to be top-100 picks in the 2012 NHL draft.

Dalton Thrower (2012), D, Saskatoon

Similar to teammate Duncan Siemens, Thrower plays with an edge .. often throws big hits and looks to drop the gloves from time to time .. also likes to get into opponents heads by chirping after the whistle .. his play isn't jaw-dropping at either end of the ice, but he makes an impact in every situation .. currently gets a lot of powerplay time .. shows decent patience and poise with the puck and he also has a strong slapshot .. also sees time on the penalty-kill, and always plays with grit .. never backs down from pushing battles in front of the net, and often wins them .. skating and speed is above average .. has no trouble keeping up with top-talents around the league .. Thrower needs to work on consistency, as some nights he'll out play Siemens, while other nights, he'll be fairly quiet .. lacks pizazz at either end of the ice, but he has the ability to be an impact player in every situation.

Lukas Sutter (2012), C, Saskatoon

Is the son of Rich Sutter .. loves to get under the skin of opponents and he does a very good job of it .. often gets star players from other teams off their game .. is great on the penalty-kill .. is willing to block any shot that comes his way and do whatever it takes to get the puck out of the Blades zone .. he's not the greatest on the faceoff dot, as he struggles against other top centres around the league .. offensively, Sutter plays a grinder role .. he works hard along the boards and in front of the net, and because of this he's able to rack up some points .. the 6-foot, 199-pounder's biggest downfall is his skating .. has an awkward skating style and his speed is below average .. needs to work on his stop and starts as well .. on a positive note, his skating has vastly improved from last season .. Sutter is a confident player who excels in an energy role.

Ryan Olsen (2012), C, Saskatoon

Olsen seems to have all the tools .. a strong skater (tad awkward style though) with better than average speed, good puck-handling abilities and a 6-foot-2 frame .. finishes his body-checks, but isn't overly physical .. the downfall on Olsen is he lacks finish and his positioning needs work .. often has a lot of net to shoot at and scuffs the puck or is out of position for a pass that would give him a great scoring opportunity .. the Blades have a lot riding on Olsen, as they're hoping he can develop into a 65-85 point centre .. they are currently giving him a lot of icetime, but he isn't producing as of yet.

Andrey Makarov (2012), G, Saskatoon

Makarov has been solid thus far for the Blades .. he's arguably been the Blades best player this year .. positioning and rebound control has been sound .. the majority of the goals that have beaten Makarov were deflected or on fluky bounces .. Makarov looks very comfortable with puck on his stick .. he does not rush passes, as he's been out waiting opponents and making smart passes to teammates .. despite being touted as a possible late round gem, Makarov was passed over in last year's draft .. it seems unlikely that he'll be passed over at the 2012 draft if he continues this strong play.