WHL Report: Siemens and Stransky

Duncan Siemens (Col), D, Saskatoon

Selected by the Colorado Avalanche with their second pick in the first round, 11th overall, in this years' NHL Entry Draft .. Siemens is an extremely confident, mobile blueliner with room to add some beef on his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame .. appears extremely confident, although can seem look stiff and disinterested when he stops moving his feet .. uses his stick efficiently to create turnovers or at the very least back off the puckcarrier .. will put himself in harm's way to block a shot .. moves the puck crisply and on the tape, in fact he has been known to rifle some of his passes up to a forward to take advantage of a dozing opposition .. is able to make a speedy transition from offense to defence .. boasts the ability to swivel rapidly and retrieve the puck, if an opponent tries to dump the puck in deep .. plays on both special teams .. reads the puck well .. he can fight if the need arises .. will likely benefit this coming season when he becomes the big dog on the backend with the departure of Stefan Elliott .. knows how to take a hit while protecting himself and the puck .. very adept at delivering a bone crunching hit in open ice .. a solid, if unspectacular pick for an Avalanche team needing to stock the prospect cupboard.

Factoid: Ranked 13th overall in our Final Draft Rankings.

2010-11 Season: 72gp, 5-38-43, +40 (WHL)

Matej Stransky (DAL), RW, Saskatoon

Selected 165th overall by the Dallas Stars in this years' NHL Entry Draft .. needs to get a lot stronger on the puck .. boasts a dangerous if sometimes inconsistent shot .. listed at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds .. would have been selected higher in the draft if he displayed a bit more compete in his game, which would also improved his chances of powering past a defender after trying to go inside-outside .. overall skating ability is far from elite, although is still surprisingly elusive .. showcases an impressive reach .. moves the puck well to the open man .. simply put the Stars have a big project on their hands as Stransky currently lacking two key ingredients to take his game to the elite level, skating and urgency.

Factoid: Third on the Blades in playoff scoring with nine points (3-6-9) in only 10 games played.

2010-11 Season: 71gp, 14-12-26, +13 (WHL)

DRAFT CHATTER:

Did you wonder why the Calgary Flames would select the smallish, mediocre skating Sven Bartschi from Switzerland 13th overall? Then you haven't seen him set up shop in the offensive zone and backs off checkers with his dazzling stickhandling abilty. Bartschi is also feisty and showcases a willingness to compete with the bigger boys.

There were a few rumblings that Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders was hard to coach. The Raiders would likely beg to differ as would the Chicago Blackhawks who recently selected the hard working pivot 18th overall.

Some have compared the Medicine Hat Tigers' Kale Kessy to Milan Lucic of the Stanley Cup Champion' Boston Bruins. However, Kessy is not as physically dominant or as big as the former Vancouver Giant was at the same age.

The St. Louis Blues will be ecstatic with Ty Rattie's ability to find the open man with tape-to-tape passes. The current Portland Winterhawk might only be listed at 5-foot-11, and only 165-pounds, but he is an effortless skater and more than willing to drive to the net without the puck.

Speaking of recently drafted Winterhawks, Tyler Wotherspoon might just be what the doctor ordered for a depleted Calgary Flames' prospect pool. The big blueliner moves extremely well thanks to a long, powerful stride. He's strong on his skates and boasts a mean streak. The knock against him is that he can be pressured in to turnovers and must learn to make better choices in his own zone. Could be a good one if he continues to develop!

Did you know that Marcel Noebels, whom the Philadelphia Flyers selected 118th overall in this years' NHL Entry Draft, scored a goal and added two helpers in six games representing Germany at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, New York?

One of the reasons that Brent Benson of the Saskatoon Blades went undrafted, is that he doesn't know how to conserve his energy. Needs to work smarter, not harder!