WHL: The Forgotten Man

If you're a big fan of the Western Hockey League you likely remember that Gilbert Brule and Daniel Bertram were taken one-two in the 2002 Bantam Draft. However, you likely don't remember that Mike Gauthier was selected with the third pick by the Prince Albert Raiders. We have notes on Gauthier and three of his 2005 draft-eligible teammates.

Mike Gauthier (2005), D

Big number 4 saw time last season on the third pairing with Jeff May .. has the ability to send a seeing-eye pass through a checker’s legs and up to an open teammate .. will take a hit to make a play .. like many rookie defensemen can get caught watching the play and reacting instead of initiating .. has to work on maintaining position in front of his crease and keeping his goaltender’s sight-lines clear .. displays confidence carrying the puck and has just enough stickhandling ability and speed to take the puck out of his end, however, he doesn't have breakaway speed of soft enough hands to back off checkers .. was reasonably effective using a combination of an active stick and a solid work ethic when he was killing penalties .. allowed to gain confidence with carefully measured ice time, but was trusted enough to play late in periods or games protecting leads .. lacked a change of speed or explosive acceleration .. works hard in high traffic areas, yet still needs to add some muscle to his lanky frame as well as adding a nastier edge.

Jeff May (2005), D

Partnered with Mike Gauthier at times last season, generally on the third pairing .. will line a forward up at the blueline and tattoo him with a stiff check .. must make high percentage plays with the puck and be careful about not overhandling the puck in danger areas .. uses his maturing vision and decent hands to first spot and deliver a crisp breakout pass to a teammate .. likes to play the man in traffic, but still lacks the strength to be able to fight off bigger forwards .. has a solid wrist shot, but should work on getting it through and on net instead of trying to overpower a goaltender.

Jordan Morgan (2005), LW

Saw time on the fourth line and was given limited ice time .. some of his passes tend to be just off the mark either force a teammate to fish the puck out of his skates or are simply turned over .. drives hard to the goal area looking for loose pucks, but lacks the touch to be a real threat in the scoring zone .. reliable defensively and works hard in own zone .. lacks creativity or superior vision .. doesn’t have enough speed or strength to beat many defenders one-on-one.

Mike Hellyer (2005), RW

Saw time on the fourth line and was given limited ice time .. takes the odd ill-timed, even lazy penalty away from the puck usually when he stops moving his feet .. doesn’t have the ability to stickhandle fluidly at top speeds .. has some creativity and will look for an open linemate, however, he is no more than adequate in the offensive zone .. will drive to the net looking to pounce on a free puck, but doesn’t have soft enough hands to knock most pucks home .. good skater with an explosive first step or two, which should improve with work .. gets himself in trouble when he tries to force passes through traffic.