WHL: Seattles Best

The first in a series of player notes from a recent exhibition tournament hosted by the Everett Silvertips. In this installment we look at Bruins draftee' Nate Thompson as well as a number of other drafted and undrafted Seattle Thunderbirds. Unfortunately top 2005 prospect Chris Durand (pictured) was not amongst them as he was unable to attend due to injury.

Clayton Barthel (Washington Capitals), D

Washington draft pick played on both special teams .. put a hard slap shot directly on net from the point .. displays a willingness to pinch in to the high slot when the opportunity presents itself .. smooth skater has the speed and mobility to make the transition from defense to join in on the rush .. maintains proper coverage in front of the net .. has good hand-eye coordination.

Scott Jackson (2005), D

Skilled two-way defenseman .. played on the powerplay and penalty kill .. drilled a point shot along the ice and just missed sneaking it in on the far side .. pinched in to the slot and was robbed on a marvelous opportunity on the powerplay .. skated confidently out of his zone and was able to put a pass right on the tape .. must work on reading the play especially in the defensive zone because on more than a few occasions was caught flat footed and grasping at air as a speedy puckcarrier went around him rather too easily .. defensive lapses aside, he is very solid on his skates and has above average speed and mobility .. although not overly punishing, does hold his own in high traffic areas.

Denis Tolpeko (2005), RW

He tried and failed to deliver a hard check along the boards, however he has shown a greater willingness to take the body compared with last season .. has a heavy wrist shot, but needs to maintain his energy to get to the prime scoring areas .. was allowed to skate through the slot and bang home a nice slap shot after receiving a pass at full gallop .. dropped the gloves and accounted himself reasonably well in losing a close decision as well as receiving a total of 17 minutes in penalties to go along with an automatic game misconduct.

Nate Thompson (Boston Bruins), C

Boston draft-pick used a combination of high energy, speed and grit to dominate on almost every shift .. was an important cog on both special teams .. forced the defender to take a penalty by driving hard to the net on a give and go .. jumped on a loose puck in the crease for a powerplay goal .. a real force in the physical department .. was rewarded with an easy tap in for fighting off a checker and pushing his way to the crease .. had a bit of trouble at times in the face-off circle .. active stick on the penalty kill .. excellent hand-eye coordination.

Chris Durand (2005), C

Still recovering from injury suffered getting ready for the under 18’s and did not play in any tournament games.

David Richard (2007), LW

Good skater, worked hard to get back and take the shot away from a forward with only one man to beat.

Ladislav Scurko (Philadelphia Flyers), C

Offensively gifted pivot displayed excellent vision dishing a crisp pass to an open linemate in the slot for a powerplay assist .. possesses tremendous anticipation .. blazing wrist shot .. would like to see him play in heavy traffic areas more often as he tends to stay on the periphery .. didn’t shy away from coming to the aid of one of his teammates in a scrum after the whistle .. took a heavy wrist shot from the point while on the powerplay that alluded the goaltender .. got caught with his head down in traffic, but bounced right back up and helped out on the forecheck .. his skating didn’t stand out as a negative or for that matter as a positive.

Steven Goertzen (Columbus Blue Jackets), RW

Speedy winger that has the ability to make plays at top speed, in fact his elite top speed stretches defenses giving him more room to roam .. stopped in close on the powerplay .. delivered a sweet pass right to the tape of an open teammate who was able to easily steer it home .. very good stickhandler .. works hard on the forecheck and displays good awareness without the puck.

Cole Simpson (2005), D

Solid, yet unspectacular defenseman .. played the right point on the powerplay .. made an ill-conceived pass that was easily intercepted .. played on the PK .. worked hard behind the net to maintain position against a forechecker .. delivered a bone-jarring hip check in open ice .. pinched in and drove to the net and showed a willingness to pay the price for a scoring chance.

Zack Fitzgerald (St. Louis Blues), D

Positionally sound, average skating defenseman with a decent first step .. stickhandled past a checker, but lost the puck .. communicates with his defensive partner .. while killing a penalty he followed up a solid body check along the boards with a bit of a vicious elbow to put his team down two men .. almost snuck a hard shot from a bad angle past the goalie .. will make any player that parks himself in front of the crease pay a price .. didn’t bite and maintained excellent positioning on a puck carrier trying to put a few moves on him .. flubbed on a wide open slap shot from the point .. easily makes the transition from skating in either direction.