WHL: Trying to Make a Giant Leap

In the last installment of his WHL tour, McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman looks at the draft-eligible prospects from the Vancouver Giants. James Wright is listed at No. 108 on McKeen's Final Rankings and Lance Bouma, Gary Nunn, Craig Cunningham, Stefan Schneider and Kraymer Barnstable will all be hoping to hear their name called at the draft to take that next step in their careers.

James Wright (2008), C, Vancouver Giants

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound pivot struggled most of his draft-eligible season with inconsistency, and a bout of mono knocked a lot of strength out of the young center .. in 60 games, Wright had 13 goals, 36 points and a plus-4 rating .. he has the athletic ability to be a dominating player at this level but has only shown flashes of that promise so far .. he has good wheels and passing skills but cannot seem to get that final touch around the net that escaped him all year .. many times, he found himself in the doghouse for his inconsistent play .. physically, he needs to fill out his upper body to be better prepared for a tough, full-season grind in the WHL .. has good hockey sense, as he makes smart plays and reads them well .. Wright projects to be a late second to early fourth round pick at the draft.

Lance Bouma (2008), C/LW, Vancouver Giants

The 6-foot, 194-pound forward plays both center and left wing and is an energy-type player when he wants to be .. he does not always show his potential or compete hard every night .. however, he was able to pot 12 goals and finished with 35 points in 71 games .. he is a good skater that is deceptively quick and he is able to kick it up a notch on occasion .. looks to pass and there's nothing fancy about that part of his game, however he gets the job done but many believe he should be shooting more often, as he has a good, accurate shot with above-average velocity .. he plays physical and is not afraid to drop the gloves on occasion, as his 93 penalty minutes can attest ..defensively, he is sound and has learned to play better defense under Don Hay as his coach .. he was a plus-10 and has good hockey sense .. he has the potential to elevate his game but he must be more consistent .. likely a mid-round selection.

Garry Nunn (2008), RW, Vancouver Giants

Nunn put up good numbers as soon as he came over from the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL .. in 35 games, he managed to score eight goals, with 29 points and was a plus-17 .. skating is Nunn's strong point, as he excels with great speed and some nifty moves when attacking offensively .. Nunn is not very big (5-9, 175), but he plays big and is willing to pay the price by taking or delivering a hit to make or finish a play .. he shows a lot of grit, is very understanding of the game, knows how plays are going to develop and adjusts to defend defensively .. arguably the Giants best two-way forward and he only played half a season .. he does not possess a hard shot but can fool goalies with his wristshot from the top of the circle .. he is a real gritty winger that will garner some draft interest, as he would settle in nicely at the next level as a third or fourth-line player .. projects to be a mid-to-late-round pick.

Craig Cunningham (2008), LW, Vancouver Giants

The diminutive forward is listed as 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds .. his skating skills are his best attribute .. he is not a bad passer but needs to work on making the right choice as to when to pass or shoot .. his indecisiveness led to turnovers and odd man rushes where he was caught out of position .. he is grinder but needs to learn how to read plays and react sooner .. he managed to put up 11 goals and 25 points in 67 games but needs to be better defensively, as he was only a plus- 2 .. physically, he gets pounded and beat up in the WHL, but he stands up for himself, as he had 72 penalty minutes last season .. he has a good shot but must shoot more and work on his accuracy .. he is a leader, is well liked by his teammates and he should be better next season .. still needs developing before he can make the jump to the next level .. will likely not gamer much draft interest this season.

Stefan Schneider (2008), D, Vancouver Giants

The big 6-foot-4, 200-pound defenseman had a hard luck season appearing in only 36 games and adding just 4 assists .. however, he had a respectable plus-9 rating .. he was out most of the season, because of a wrist injury that happened in training camp, which required surgery ... when he did get back in the lineup, he showed some rust and seemed to be slow defensively .. however, the Giants are convinced he can bounce back .. he needs to work on his skating, as it is a concern along with his crossover foot speed .. likes to join the rush when given the chance but does not overstep or get caught very often .. his outlet passes are generally good .. he must be more physical given his big frame and punish opposing forwards trying to set up shop in front of the net .. he has a booming shot but he needs to keep it low and on target more consistently .. because he missed so much time, it is unlikely that he will be drafted this year, but he bears watching in the future.

Kraymer Barnstable (2008), G, Vancouver Giants

Barnstable was not able to get into many games this season, as he was the backup to San Jose Sharks prospect Tyson Sexsmith .. the 6-foot-1, 170-pound goalie appeared in 14 games for the Giants registering a 6-4 record with a goals-against average of 2.45 and a save percentage of .886 .. Kraymer has average lateral movement, as it could be better with more game experience and off-season work .. demonstrates good spirit, as he never complains and works hard in practice .. he challenges shooters, cuts down the angles well but needs work on rebound control and he must be quicker with recovery when going down after stopping the original shot .. Kraymer is learning to handle the puck and that is always a plus, as we see more and more goalies taking an active role as far as handling the puck .. will likely not receive much draft interest this year, but time is on Kraymer's side, as he has a lot of junior hockey left, and let's face it - Tyson Sexsmith won't be there forever.