WHL: The Regina Monologues

Giving his take on the WHL's 2008 draft-eligible prospects, McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman continues his tour with a stop in Regina, as defenseman Colten Teubert and right-winger Jordan Eberle lead a talented group of Regina Pats. Teubert and Eberle both have a great chance at being selected in the first round and are listed at No. 18 and No. 24 respectively on McKeen's Midterm Rankings.

Colten Teubert (2008), D, Regina Pats

The 6-foot-4, 181-pound defenseman had a productive season with 7 goals and 23 points as a defense first d-man. .. he also had 135 minutes in penalties to go along with a minus–8 rating .. is blessed with good speed, as he has a long, quick skating stride that has impressed scouts .. he likes to jump into the play when he can, but pays more attention to defense and getting back in the play .. his outlet passes to his forwards are usually tape-to-tape and non-rushed .. he has an average shot, however he has been working on this .. tends to hurray his shot on the powerplay, thus diminishing accuracy and velocity .. very steady on the backend and extremely workmanlike about getting the puck out of his zone when the other team is pressuring .. his hockey sense is above average, as he spots plays developing and reads them well .. on the penalty kill, he is highly effective in clearing opposing players out in front of his net .. leads by example and has a desire to win every time he is out there .. physically, he is just growing into his massive frame and is still putting on weight .. he is a solid body checker with a mean streak that sometimes gets him into penalty trouble, but plays a hardnosed-style-of game. .. in a year where defenseman seem to be at a premium for the draft, Teubert ranks right up there as a top-five defenseman out of the WHL, and should go mid-to-late first round of this year's draft.

Jordan Eberle (2008), RW, Regina Pats

Another Regina prospect that scouts have followed closely .. the 5-foot-10, 162-pound winger scored 42 goals and had 75 points in 70 games with the Pats this season .. he also a plus-5 rating and 20 penalty minutes .. an average skater with a good stride and finesse to go with it .. he really worked on his foot speed and his skating .. it has paid off with occasional bursts of speed that have opposing players paying attention to where he is on the ice, as he can easily slip behind you .. passes and moves the puck at a heightened pace and plays an up-tempo game looking for things to happen and capitalizes on other players mistakes .. he has a hard shot but he needs to work on control and situations where he has to shoot or make decisions much faster .. has a very good transition game, as he looks for open ice, passes and drives to the net looking for rebounds .. does not take unnecessary chances defensively, picks up his winger, and rarely is beaten to the puck .. is still learning the game and makes the occasional mistake or bad decision in the neutral zone but competes hard, comes back more determined and learns from mistakes .. scoring has not been a problem, but he has now added and shown more grit in his game, which bodes well for his upside, as he rounds into an all-round player .. he is not overly physical, but will go to the front of the net and pay the price .. based on his performance and improvement in areas of his game, there is a good possibility that he may be taken in the first round.

Matt Delahey (2008), D, Regina Pats

The 6-foot-3, 214-pound defenseman appeared in 68 games this season putting up good numbers scoring 3 goals with 19 points and a plus- 7 rating .. has all the tools to be a big bruising d-man at the next level if he can put together the total game package on a more consistent basis .. he is blessed with good skating skills with good side-to-side skating motion .. has a long good reach with his big frame and plays a rugged, physical game .. plays with tenacity along the wall, but his hockey sense however must improve .. the knock against him is that he does not react quick enough to read plays and that often leads to him being out of position .. he is not afraid to battle hard and can be tough to line-up against in those so-called dirty areas .. needs to work on his shot to gain better velocity and control .. he has has the ability to take control of a game but has to show more grit and poise .. has the traits to be a leader on this team just like his much-heralded teammate Colten Teubert .. he is a project, but he has enough talent and upside to be taken as a mid-round pick this season.

Todd Kennedy (2008), C/RW, Regina Pats

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward played right wing and at center but appeared in only 30 games due to injuries and healthy scratch situations this season .. had two goals, three assists, 41 minutes in penalties and a plus- 4 rating .. has great size but should work on his skating, as its ok for this level but at the pro level, he would have to kick it up a notch .. a gritty winger with the potential to develop some scoring .. works hard every shift and is strong on the puck .. however, he sometimes gets into trouble by holding onto the puck too long and it leads to him being stripped for costly turnovers .. defensively, he has to improve in tying up opposing players and making better decisions in his own zone .. an interesting prospect worth watching to see if he can make that extra jump over time, but he will likely not be drafted this year.

Matt Strueby (2008), C, Regina Pats

Strueby had a good season taking on different roles for the Pats and has performed remarkably well .. in 65 games, he scored 7 goals and added 10 assists with a plus-3 rating and 34 minutes in penalties .. was primarily used as either a third or fourth-line checker and took pride in that role, as he helped his team to first place in their division and second overall in the Eastern Conference ... he has a quick skating stride with good speed and agility .. his stickhandling and passing could be better but it is not a major drawback .. does the little things that coaches like, such as picking up his check and sticking to him like glue .. he is capable of playing physical and will not back down if it gets rough .. he is patient with the puck and always looks to make a smart play .. has good size (6-1, 175) but must improve on his strength .. he does not have a great shot, as he needs to gain better control and get more shots on opposing goalies .. he will get some draft attention, but if selected, it will probably be in the later rounds.

Jeff Bosch (2008), G, Regina Pats

Appeared in just 23 games with the Pats this season, as he was given the backup role-playing behind Linden Rowatt .. the 6-foot-1, 175-pound goaltender put up respectable numbers with 11 wins, 7 losses and 1 shootout loss .. for a relatively big goalie, he does not come out enough to challenge shooters, as he prefers to stay planted deep in the crease .. he has good lateral movement and vision, but needs to improve his puckhandling skills around the net .. his glove hand is good and he flashes the leather when he gets the chance .. has a good attitude of not dwelling on bad goals and shows a willingness to bounce back strong .. he often gets beat to the stick side with low shots and has to improve there .. he may go late in the draft, but he needs to workout some kinks in his game.

Curtis Kulchar (2008), D, Regina Pats

Skating and foot speed are the glaring weaknesses in his game .. he needs to work on this if he is going to improve and move on to the next level .. the 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman appeared in 50 games tallying three assists with 22 penalty minutes and an even rating .. a good passer and is adept at finding the open man with outlet passes in his own end .. has a strong ,hard shot with good accuracy and velocity .. he is very workmanlike and does not try to over compensate in pressure situations .. could play a little meaner in front of his net and make opposing players pay the price for planting themselves in front .. has a willingness to learn and is a hard-working player wanting to improve .. is if his skating and foot speed improve over the next couple of seasons he could garner some pro attention, but he probably will not be drafted this season.