WHL: The Great Wahl

The Spokane Chiefs have recently been crowned the champions of the WHL and much of their success is due to the contributions of many talented draft prospects. McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman has notes on several Chiefs who are eligible for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft including Mitch Wahl, who has a good chance of being a late, first round draft pick.

Mitch Wahl (2008), C, Spokane Chiefs

The 6-foot, 185-pound native of Seal Beach, California is a potential first round draft pick in 2008 .. the slick-skating forward can play wing or center and plays a very good up-tempo game .. Wahl has improved in many areas of the game and is high on the list of many scouts .. he is a very good skater, which he incorporates into the many facets of his overall solid play .. he likes to be the playmaker, as attributed to his 53 assists to go along with his 20 goals in 67 games this season .. the most glaring stat for this budding young star was his plus-33 rating, which speaks of his sound two-way play at both ends of the rink .. he does not have a blazing shot and if there were anything he should work on it would be that .. however, he has good hands around the net and has shown a good finishing touch .. demonstrates great hockey sense and has that innate ability to find his linemates with great tape-to-tape passes by showing great vision and poise .. physically, he doesn't go out of his way looking for trouble but is not afraid to mix it up and play that type of game should the situation arise .. will likely be taken late in the first round or early in the second and it would be a surprise if he dips further than that.

Dustin Tokarski (2008), G, Spokane Chiefs

Some scouts have the 5-foot-11, 185-pound goalie rated as high as No. 1 in the goalie rankings to as low as fourth in the WHL .. he had a very good season appearing in 45 games splitting the netminding duties with veteran Kevin Armstrong and posted a 30-10-3 record with an impressive .922 save percentage .. some critics believe that he benefited from the defensive- minded Chiefs system and playing in front of a very good crop of d-men .. however, having watched this kid play that is probably not doing him justice .. he can flat-out stop pucks and there were many a night during the regular season and playoffs that he had to come up big on several occasions to keep his team in the game or ahead and that speaks volumes about the poise and stability of such a young goalie .. demonstrates good lateral movement, quicker than most give him credit .. makes the tough saves through traffic and controls rebounds well .. many teams try to keep the puck away from him when they dump it into his end of the ice because he is so adept at handling the puck around the corners of the net .. he stays square to the shooter and likes to challenge but at times, he tends to stay too deep in his net and reacts late on screen shots .. with the exception of Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans, Tokarski could be the most talented of the crop of goaltenders coming out of the WHL this season, and he will likely be a second or third round pick.

Jared Spurgeon (2008), D, Spokane Chiefs

Not a notable draft prospect to begin the season, Spurgeon eventually attracted the attention of scouts this season with his stellar-defensive play and great poise and maturity .. the 5-foot-9, 170-pound rearguard played in 69 games posting 12 goals, 31 assists and a durable plus- 36 rating .. Spurgeon skates very well with a wide stride that he can kick up into another gear if need be .. he has worked hard on his shot over the year and it has paid off in spades, as he is more accurate than he ever was, has greater control and better velocity from the point .. he is not overly physical but plays very good positional hockey and always seems to get the puck out of harms way in his own zone ..displays strong outlet passes, as he does not rush and always takes a look .. he played both the pk and pp this season logging good minutes and getting valuable experience .. he knows his role and plays it to a tee, as he does not try to overcompensate in average areas of his game and puts team defense first .. he will probably be a mid-round pick at the draft.

Tyler Johnson (2008), C, Spokane Chiefs

The diminutive 5-foot-9, 170-pound center impressed scouts with his work ethic and grit throughout the season and during Spokane's playoff drive .. Johnson was recently named the MVP of the WHL finals, in which he scored three goals (two of them game winners) to help Spokane sweep the Lethbridge Hurricanes in four-straight games .. in 69 regular season games, he posted 13 goals and finished with 35 points to go along with a plus-17 rating .. blessed with great skating skills and speed, Johnson often draws penalties and is tough to catch up to .. he has a shorter skating stride but he maximizes the power stride and accelerates well .. he is very capable of blasting a shot from the top of the slot or making a sleek pass to a wide-open teammate seemingly from nowhere .. he battles hard and is not afraid of going to the net for scoring chances or finishing off a play by paying the price or taking a hit .. however, he needs to bulk up a little with his frame and try to add some weight in the off-season .. defensively, he has improved a lot from early in the year and is still adjusting to that part of the game .. will likely be a mid-to-late round selection.

Jace Coyle (D), 2008, Spokane Chiefs

Another of the talented blueline core that makes up the Spokane defense .. the 5-foot-11, 185-pound d-man appeared in only 52 games due to injury and healthy scratch situations .. posted one goal and nine points over the season but what he brought to the backend made the coaching staff smile .. he had a plus-8 rating and was arguably the grittiest of the Spokane defense core .. is strong on the puck in his own end, as he is strong on the cycle and plays with a mean streak .. he is not overly physical but plays smart defensively by blocking shots, clearing the front of his net, and playing strong positionally .. he is very smart with the puck and puts his outlet passes on the sticks of his teammates .. will play defense first and knows where the play is going to develop .. a very good penalty killer and when he was out of the lineup, they felt it on most nights .. very underrated and did not get many accolades but he leads by example, never quits, comes to play every night and expects the same of others .. he has caught the eye of NHL scouts and will likely be a mid-to-late-round selection.

Mike Reddington (2008), D, Spokane Chiefs

The 6-foot, 198-pound Reddington had a good season on the blueline with two goals, 10 points and a plus- 22 rating in 71 games .. is more of a contrast in style to his teammates, as he likes to play a more offensive game and jump into the play more often .. an average skater, nothing fancy but he could improve on his foot speed .. has solid passing skills, as he spots the open man very well .. has a hard shot from the blueline but he must learn to harness it better to produce better results .. plays physical and delivers good bodychecks along the wall .. had 102 penalty minutes and is not afraid to drop the gloves if the need arises .. he has to get better body position on players to ensure he is not called for stick infractions, which he seemed to get a lot of this season. .. he should get some attention at this year's draft, and could be a mid-to-late-round pick.

Brett Bartman (2008), D, Spokane Chiefs

Not to be forgotten is the 6-foot, 185-pound Bartman, who did not score a goal in 48 games this season but managed six assists and a plus-16 rating ..he has been working hard at his game and is still adjusting himself into the WHL .. he has good size and mobility but he needs to work on his skating to get to the next level .. has an average shot but must use it more often in potential scoring situations .. displays a good work ethic but he has to react better to plays forming off the opposition's transition game .. for his size, he has to be more physical and get a little meaner and tougher .. he has talent but unlike his other draft-eligible teammates, he has yet to put it all together and be more consistent .. there is a possibility that he could be drafted, but it would more than likely be in the latter rounds.