Wolves Den

The Sudbury Wolves are a much improved team from last year, primarily due to their experience and having not suffered from graduation. However, they have stumbled out of the gate this season and have not lived up to their potential. Their biggest area of concern has been defence. They did a good job of addressing that problem at the draft table and currently have two 1993-born defenders who play a regular shift - Justin Sefton and Frankie Corrado. The top line duo of John McFarland and Eric O'Dell have been bright spots and with Mike Foligno set to return behind the bench, the Wolves should start playing up to their potential.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn, examines the play of several Sudbury Wolves including NHL draft picks Eric O'Dell and Marcus Foligno, 2010 eligible John McFarland and Jake Cardwell and 2011 eligible Frankie Corrado and Justin Sefton.

John McFarland (2010), W, C, Sudbury

Highly touted prospect has put up modest numbers this season playing alongside Eric O'Dell .. playing on the left side of the top line, McFarland plays his wing well up and down but also pays the toll to go into traffic .. sensationally agile and athletic for his size .. his skating, shot power and physical strength are NHL elite already .. his thick frame makes him virtually impossible to knock off the puck .. plays on both the PK and the PP .. he is doing a better job in defensive situations and showing more enthusiasm in coming back, however he still has mental lapses and forgets to backcheck .. he is adept at finding seams in the offensive zone and getting into position .. at times, he can be downright selfish, as he completely forgets to distribute the puck and is only looking at the net .. not a great problem solver, as he does not always settle on the best option .. this is not to suggest that he lacks hockey sense, however at this point he relies too much on his skill than his IQ .. McFarland is a 1st round player but will need to work on his maturity both on and off the ice.

Jake Cardwell (2010), D, Sudbury

Cardwell learned on the job last year and saw action in 61 games recording 3 goals and 12 points in that stretch .. he engaged in two fights last season and this year, he already has two fighting majors in 14 games .. rugged and physical defender whose skills with the puck are not pretty .. his offensive game is rather limited, as he simply cannot make a play with the puck .. his skating is also sub-par, as he makes concentrated efforts to disguise his backwards skating .. skating is rather one dimensional and if he is not going forward he does have a hard time pivoting .. luckily for him his lateral mobility is ok and his size and range helps him to defend in close quarters .. sadly, he does not give his defensive partner many options, as he tends to look at the puck as opposed to skating up ice .. his game is based around him being difficult to play against and sticking players as he has a mean streak .. is getting his share of icetime but with two 16-year olds on the backend, he may see his icetime dwindle as they mature.

Eric O'Dell (Ana), C, Sudbury

First line centre is an extremely crafty and intelligent playmaker who makes others better .. he has managed to put on some weight this season and appears to be more involved in plays .. he has upped his competitiveness, as his play along the boards and wall has marked an improvement .. a sneaky passer down low, he scores the majority of his goals on wristshots in tight .. dangerous with room, where he can pick apart a defensive box and saucer a nice pass through the lane .. is learning to be more selfish and use his shot more .. a strong skater who wins one-on-one battles with defenders .. also uses his speed in the transition zone, as he possesses surprising gears to blow by flatfooted defenders .. O'Dell's game is very mature, he works hard and is an excellent penalty killer and is a disciplined player .. his pro future looks good should he continue to add weight to his spindly frame.

Marcus Foligno (Buf), LW, Sudbury

Foligno has been more successful in getting involved in games this season and even though it has not been on the score sheet, he does get on the game sheet most of the time due to his PIM totals .. a rambunctious, hard working checker who eagerly throws his body around .. his tireless work ethic and bully-like-style-of-play has helped him establish his role within the league .. not known for his offensive fortitude, Foligno's points will come as a direct result of his hard work and determination, however they won't come often .. he will use his size to score on wrap-arounds and will park himself in front of the net, but stickhandling through a series of players and unloading an accurate wristshot is simply not him .. has improved his defensive game and even though he does not fully grasp positioning, he does a good job of imposing his will in the pack and marking a man and sticking with him .. his skating has improved slightly .. his first step is still very sluggish but his high-end speed has gotten better .. effective when he keeps it simple and is doing just that, competing for loose pucks and playing each shift with the same intensity regardless of the score.

Frankie Corrado (2011), D, Sudbury

A standout defender for the Vaughn Kings Midget program, the second rounder made the team out of training camp .. slick and agile, he has been getting PK time, which is all the more impressive as a rookie defender .. solid in all directions, he makes great use of his edges and his mobility and lateral movement allow him to challenge forwards .. not playing outside his limits, his offensive game is mature, yet he has not showcased it .. learning to adjust to the pace of the league while making sure he does not over commit in the offensive zone .. playing with some gumption and does not appear to be intimidated by the opposition .. appears well on his way to becoming a defensive stalwart on a rebuilding backend.

Justin Sefton (2011), D, Sudbury

The prize selection of the Wolves in last year's OHL entry draft going 5th overall amidst much speculation that he would end up a Kitchener Ranger .. at 6-foot-3 and a solid 200 pounds, he is quite easily the most physically developed 16-year old in the league and certainly plays like it .. routinely getting called for minor infractions because he is too physical/aggressive for his own good .. his offensive skills have yet to be explored but he is certainly comfortable in his own end defending .. he wins battles, positions himself extremely well (all the more impressive considering he only has 14 OHL games under his belt) and physically likes to hit .. he is slowly starting to develop a reputation in the league as a mean, nasty defender and the opposition is looking to avoid him when coming into the offensive zone .. laterally, he moves very well, able to keep up with most forwards .. his first pass could still use some work but he is a decent puckhandler .. playing in 3-5 situations and already physically mature, Sefton will be a rock on the backend, a virtual shoe-in for the Under 17 team and a possible WJC member (in the future), as he plays the type of in-your-face, Canadian game that bares a similar resemblance to a young Dion Phaneuf.