WHL: Zach Attack

Curtis Billsten (2004), RW

Made a nice move to put himself on a breakaway to score a goal .. doesn’t have mind-numbing top end speed, but does keep his feet moving and has decent mobility and acceleration .. played on a line with Mark Kress and Torrie Wheat .. carried the puck up the ice on an odd man rush, however he failed to get his pass through a defender .. got out far enough to deflect the point shot over the glass .. lacks the strength to really tattoo guys in open ice, but does get decent contact along the wall and in high traffic areas .. made a nice dish to a wide open forward for a goal .. his drop pass on an odd man rush led to another goal .. one of those kinds of players that doesn’t do anything particularly great, yet seems to have reasonable success in a system where he knows his role.

Zach Hamill (2007), C

Played on a line with Martin Ruzicka and Michael Wuchterl .. came back hard to pick up the trailing forward .. although he didn’t receive a lot of five-on-five ice time to start the playoffs, he started to garner a regular shift as injuries and his own solid play warranted it .. a regular on the power play .. excellent acceleration .. closes the gaps on puck carriers using quick feet and tremendous mobility .. very competitive in the faceoff circle .. looks for holes and has the speed to get there .. threw a solid hit along the boards that stood a defender up .. stripped a defenseman behind the net and dished a nice pass to the front of the crease for a scoring chance .. displays amazing anticipation for his age .. lacks the size and strength to have any sustained physical impact, but is able to compete in high traffic areas .. whiffed on a point blank shot, but got a second chance seconds later and made no mistake .. remains alert and has an impressive amount of poise .. usually supports the puck carrier .. doesn’t yet have the top end speed to back defenders off when he is challenging them one on one .. very opportunistic.

Michael Wuchterl (2006), LW

Played on a makeshift line with Martin Ruzicka and Zach Hamill .. showed a willingness to mix it up .. went in for a hit along the wall, but was swatted away like a fly .. appears to be lost at times .. not a surprise that he is still a bit overmatched and tentative .. needs to be more proactive instead of reactive .. saw limited time and few shifts later in a tight game.

Bonus Kelowna Rocket Note:

Tyler Spurgeon (2004), C

Centered a line with Troy Bodie (Edmonton Oilers draftee) and D.J. King (St. Louis Blues draftee) .. tireless worker .. uses his exceptional speed and mobility effectively to cut down time and space of puckcarriers, especially on the forecheck .. kills penalties .. quality third line/two-way forward that gives everything he has on every shift.