WHL: Sweet on Sauer

The Winter Hawks seem to have a never ending supply of talented defensemen as they once again proved at the recent exhibition tournament in Everett when they rolled out an embarrassment of riches including "newbies" Cameron Cepek and Michael Sauer. We also have game notes on a number of prospects expected to play for Portland this season.

Dustin Butler (2006), G

Bulky looking Winter Hawks’ goalie made an easy kick save .. has to be more careful about not allowing rebounds in the slot .. very good down low, but has to work on covering the upper part of the net, especially in close .. gave up a scoring chance when he lost the puck in his feet.

Michael Funk (Buffalo Sabres), D

Inconsistent, but rugged Sabres draftee still has to improve his play in his own zone as it can be rather erratic at times .. suffers from lapses in decision making as well as lacking poise and vision .. works hard and can be an intimidating presence in high traffic areas .. displays a real passion for playing a gritty style of game .. moves the puck with authority at the point on the powerplay .. still resembles a poor man's Braydon Coburn and suffers from the same lack of discipline that at times befalls his ‘Hawk defensive partner as both can take some awfully questionable penalties ..got in a fight and started off strong only to lose a little steam and, in the end, a close decision.

Cameron Cepek (2006), D

Late 2003 bantam selection from California was a pleasant surprise for the Winter Hawks who seem to have a never ending pipeline to talent on the blueline .. partnered with Brendan Mikkelson .. mishandled the puck in the corner, but still had the presence of mind to clear the zone .. played on the PK .. excellent dish to create a quality scoring opportunity .. elite vision and hands .. battles hard in traffic .. slick skater .. moves the puck quickly and on target .. very solid positionally in his own end, however, like many young blueliners can be guilty of sometimes over handling the puck .. saw action late in periods and other pressure situations .. quickly recovered after falling in the corner to intercept a pass and get the puck out of Portland’s zone .. makes opponents pay a price if they choose to park themselves in front of the net .. once in awhile gets mesmerized by the puck instead of just playing the man.

Martin Bucek (2005), LW

2005 draft eligible, Czech rookie winger displayed a nice edge to his game .. he finishes his checks fearlessly .. doesn’t have elite top-end speed, but is fast and strong enough to win his share of battles for the puck .. works hard to maintain position in front of the net .. parked all alone in front of the net, but drilled a hard slap shot directly at the goalie for a wasted opportunity .. crunched a puck carrier skating with their head down at center ice .. gave a terrific feed through the slot for a quality scoring chance .. consistently doled out heavy body checks along the wall.

Brandon Dubinsky (New York Ranger), C

Skilled super-pest is not blessed with breakaway speed, yet he still is able to get open .. tried unsuccessfully to draw a penalty by tucking the defender’s stick under his arm and then going down .. on the powerplay .. extremely talented offensively, but also has the uncanny ability to get under the skin of all but the most mature player .. very aggressive without the puck and will stick a guy behind the play .. will pay the price to make a play.

Garrett Festerling (2005), C

Pint-sized forward was allowed to stickhandle from the corner to the front of the net and backhand a terrific shot for the opening goal of the game .. took the puck from center ice and used his explosive speed to break in one-on-one with the goalie and then pick the top corner with a tremendous wrist shot .. aforementioned lack of size is an issue, however he uses what size he does have to fight through checks and will even throw a solid hit or two .. uses his amazing top-end speed to close gaps on puck carriers and back off defensemen when he has possession of the puck .. on the PK and PP.

Sasha Golin (2006), RW

Speed to burn rookie winger definitely has some zip to his wrist shot .. blessed with elite acceleration, especially the first few steps .. appears to need to add some muscle to his slender frame, although he is listed at 6’2” and 185 pounds .. took a hard hit on the boards to make a play .. although he showed no willingness to fight he did stand his ground when an opponent roughed him up after the whistle .. scored a fluky goal on the powerplay that rode up the goaltender and in the net from the side of the crease .. got bounced off the puck twice in one shift.

Braydon Coburn (Atlanta Thrashers), D

Two-way defenseman who is as nasty as he is skilled .. can get caught flat-footed and forced in to taking down or holding on to a speedy puck carrier .. has excellent top end speed and mobility .. inexplicably has a few brain cramps in his own zone at least a few times a game .. tremendous hands .. blessed with amazing god-given talent, but would likely benefit from a few more years of seasoning at the junior and minor league level before making the inevitable jump to the NHL .. got free on a breakaway and made no mistake putting the puck in the back of the net .. most effective when he plays an intimidating and most importantly disciplined style of game.

Frazer McLaren (2006), LW

Choppy skating, gigantic second year Winter Hawk got time on both special teams .. let loose an off-speed point shot that was deflected in for a PPG .. uses an active stick on the PK .. went well off side on a rush .. dropped the gloves and started to throw’em right away, however his opponent quickly turned the tables on him and soon had him down .. tattooed a slap shot from the top of the slot along the ice right past a stunned goalie .. lazily bumped the goalie, drawing a goaltender interference penalty .. lacks some mobility, however his size definitely works to his advantage when on the forecheck.

Michael Sauer (2005), D

Poised blueliner takes a hit to make a play .. has a high panic threshold, especially given his lack of experience at the WHL level .. not hesitant to pinch in and take the open shot .. looks extremely confident in all three zones .. communicates well with his defensive partner .. has the quarterbacking skills thanks to tremendous vision and patience .. left his man in front of the Hawks’ goal, giving the player a glorious scoring chance .. should have moved the puck to a wide open forward at the face-off circle, but seemed to be “locked in” to shooting the puck .. above average mobility and overall speed .. played on both special teams.