WHL: Watch out for Hitmen Late in Draft

The Calgary Hitmen enjoy a comfortable lead in the WHL's Eastern Conference and boasts several players who are draft-eligible in 2008. McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman has notes on Michael Stone, currently listed No. 54 on McKeen's Midterm Draft Rankings and several other prospects who are making a push for a mid to late-round NHL draft selection in 2008.

Brendan Rowinski (2008), C, Calgary

Hard-working, solid two-way player with a nose for the defensive part of the game .. he cycles and protects the puck along the boards and shows a lot of grit and a good work ethic .. however, he needs to get stronger and add some weight to his frame .. a strong skater who competes hard for the puck, Rowinski likes to set up the play by passing the puck and finds the open man very well .. great hockey sense and poise, he could be a late-round pick if teams are willing to take a flyer on him.

Michael Stone (2008), D, Calgary

His skating is average and he needs to work on his foot speed, although his strength and balance is good .. handles the puck relatively well with good defensive zone outlet passes and does not panic .. Stone has a hardedge shot but at times, he tends to hurry his shot, but anticipation and decision-making will come with experience .. he finishes his checks well but has a tendency to be caught out of position and it sometimes leads to him taking bad penalties .. a stay-at-home defenseman, who is a project and either a mid to late-round pick.

Ian Schultz (2008), RW, Calgary

Works hard, is creative with the puck, and shows lots of good character and leadership traits .. a strong skater with a good stride and excellent work ethic .. he has shown flashes of nifty moves and good stickhandling with the confidence to challenge opposing players using his speed and agility .. he needs to work a little harder on his defensive game especially his backchecking and rejoining the rush with the puck going the other way .. this is something that will come with experience and coaching, otherwise, he will look only as a one-dimensional player .. he could develop into a good two-way player with the potential for some upside to score.

Ryan Fox (2008), RW, Calgary

Competes hard and has great vision and sees the ice very well however, he has to improve his skating if he's going to move on to the next level .. has a good shot and a quick release and he always seems to pick up those so-called garbage goals in front of the net .. the knock against Fox is that he has to be more consistent game in/game out .. he has some offensive upside but has to bring his 'A' game every night .. he also has a tendency to take unnecessary penalties by over extending himself by clutching and grabbing his opponents when it is not needed .. he must learn how to tie up an opposing player better.

Brandon Kozun (2008), C/RW, Calgary

Small but agile, Kozun uses his speed and frame to create openings for his linemates .. he handles the puck with ease, reads the game well, and finds open space where it seems he could not possibly be able to make a play through heavy traffic .. through the month of February, Kozun was a plus-26 for his team and takes the defensive aspect of the game seriously .. he needs to work on his faceoffs, but that will come with time .. tends to drift out there at times and does not always seem to be into the game especially if his team has a lead .. he will not let his size get in the way of his development, as he leads by example and is not afraid to go into heavy traffic in front the net to battle for the puck and look for rebounds .. the jury is out in whether he will be taken in the draft, as some teams may shy away due to his size.

Martin Jones (2008), G, Calgary

With veteran netminder Dan Spence getting most of the duties this season for the Hitmen, it has been tough for the 17-year-old to see much action .. however, when he has been the starter, Martin has not looked out of place and has collected 15 wins with only eight losses and a respectable .904 save percentage .. he is a big goalie and is very adapt at cutting down the angles and facing the shooter .. he has been working on his lateral movement, as he has to be quicker moving side to side .. Jones has shown flashes of a quick glove hand and is very calm and cool under pressure .. likes to play the puck and remarkably handles it well for such a young goalie .. one thing that could be better is his rebound control, as he tends to give up too many but he sees the puck very well and likes to battle .. is not mentioned much with other 2008 eligible goalies from the WHL, but he may be a mid to late-round pick this year.