WHL: Wishart Rising Star

Towering Prince George defender Ty Wishart continues to progress rapidly in his sophomore season with the Cougars. Chief correspondent Dave Fortier assesses recent performances from Wishart and six other '06 NHL draft hopefuls including newly-acquired Jesse Dudas plus four players from the Swift Current Broncos.

Ty Wishart (2006), D, Prince George

Big man displays excellent potential to become an all-around NHL talent .. stride is very smooth .. gets good range from his first step and gets moving quickly from a standstill position .. top speed is adequate .. shows good leg strength when taking a hit or muscling opponents, but still has to fill out his lanky frame before making a seamless jump to higher levels .. adding bulk will also benefit him in terms of agility and lateral movement which aren't major weaknesses at this point but could still be refined .. makes poised decisions all over the ice .. smart outlet passer, surveys his options to start the rush and doesn't panic when under duress .. plays solid one-on-one defense, using his body to gain body position on opponents .. always attempting to get in the way of shots and passing lanes .. employs an active stick around his net which he effectively uses to pick off passes .. nice long reach .. boasts a big slapshot with very good power behind it .. gets his shot away in adequate time despite a somewhat lengthy windup .. plays an intelligent physical game, picks his spots well and won't go out of his way to throw needless hits .. logs as much icetime in all situations as anyone on the Prince George blueline including Andy Rogers.

Evan Fuller (2006), C, Prince George

Tough gritty forward with enforcer potential .. plays a 'power forward' game, particularly in traffic where he attempts to skate through a defender rather than go around .. top speed is adequate .. excels in dump-and-chase system as he is capable of creating pressure on defenders with his speed and skating .. could use some work on his agility though, as he doesn't turn corners all that quickly .. displays a good work ethic all over the ice, constantly moving, battling for possession, and throwing his body around on the forecheck .. possesses the ability to make constructive plays with the puck when he wins a battle in the corner as he sees the ice reasonably well from an attacking perspective .. good fighter, demonstrates excellent ability as an enforcer .. shows impressive patience, dodging punches and waiting to pick his spots - doesn't just grab and throw like many fighters.

Jesse Dudas (2006), D, Prince George

Recently acquired in a trade from the Lethbridge Hurricanes .. overall his skating is adequate however he doesn't often use it to form any kind of attack .. top speed appears to be about average though he never really bore down and tested this limit .. moves well laterally and boasts good agility, stops and changes directions quickly .. well balanced, able to withstand a hard check .. makes conservative decisions with the puck in his own end - very basic and safe, will bank it off the glass if no other option comes to mind and didn't really look too hard for a breakout passing option .. satisfactory one-on-one defensive abilities .. logged ample time on the power play in this viewing as several of his mates took undisciplined penalties .. displayed a solid shot from the point, good long-range accuracy and a quick release .. also appears to possess decent offensive-zone instincts when given ample time to make a play, though nothing to get overly excited about.

Michael Hengen (2006), D, Swift Current

Late '87 birthdate already in his third WHL campaign .. impressive skater with good agility and above-average top speed .. accelerates very well when carrying the puck out of his zone, can exert pressure with a high-speed attack .. also uses his quickness to keep up effectively with shifty opponents when deep in his own zone .. sees ice reasonably well and makes a solid short breakout pass, though doesn't appear to be a long-range threat as he doesn't spot exceptional plays up ice .. thinks well with the puck and shows decent creativity .. doesn't succumb to pressure and will buy time for himself by maneuvering around and waiting for a reasonable outlet to open up .. didn't get a chance to display his slapshot during this viewing, but did show a strong wrister with good range, accuracy, and quickness .. displays proper body positioning and uses his quick feet to contain opponents .. however, he could stand to upgrade his overall strength as he has difficulties handling opponents physically.

Spencer McAvoy (2006), RW, Swift Current

A very good skater with excellent top speed when skating full tilt .. boasts a quick first step, accelerates very well and reaches top gear in a only a few strides .. agility is also a strong point, able to stop and switch directions rapidly .. sees the ice well while skating full speed and can execute strong passes through traffic .. conversely, he could be a much more effective player offensively if he worked harder all the time instead of just in spurts .. intensity seems to dip off for periods during a game .. showed a fine defensive effort all game, coming back hard on several plays .. maintains quality defensive positioning by using his large 6-foot-2 frame and good skating ability to keep himself in front of opponents and therefore better able to limit open areas.

Levi Nelson (2006), C, Swift Current

Top-scoring rookie for the Broncos currently sitting third on the team in both goals and points (31-8-7-15) .. relied upon in all situations including both special teams .. gave a good effort all over the ice, constantly skating and working hard to come back into his own end .. first step is quick, accelerates well to top speed, which is above average .. capable of pressuring defense on a fast paced rush .. his balance is adequate for this level however he will inevitably need to improve his lower-body strength if he hopes to make the jump to higher levels .. demonstrated an extremely quick release on his wristshot, able to get it off from anywhere without much time .. accurate from both long range and from in close, however at times he would be better off making a move instead of always shooting immediately .. handles the puck well in traffic and can execute smoothly at top speed.

Kyle Bortis (2006), C, Swift Current

Saskatoon native didn't help his stock with this performance .. top speed is pretty average for a primarily offensive-oriented player .. based on this particular viewing, his hockey sense isn't a strong point to his game .. struggled to make plays in traffic and whenever under pressure .. also seemed to lack composure and natural instincts around the goal .. had several chances in close but just kept banging away instead of waiting patiently for an opening to materialize.