Beau Bennett / RW / Penticton: Full profileSean Bonar / G /Penticton ('91): Average size, but plays big, confident and consistently good. Excellent play reading, good leg quickness, and capable of big saves. Very good sleeper if you can get him in the late rounds.
Daniel Carr / LW / Powell River: Very good hands and some scoring touch, but I don't much care for his size/style combination. Smallish sized but plays a power forward style - which might be hard to carry off at the next level. Good quickness and agility allows him to be elusive down low and has really good hands in close. But the fact he requested a trade from the AJHL is a concern about his character. Maybe worth a late pick.
Grayson Downing / C / Westside: Good overall hockey sense, good defensively, and has decent puck skill. But seems to play the game on cruise all the time. Doesn't do anything to bring you out of your seat. I like his hockey sense, but lack of high end skill means he's a late pick at best.
Shayne Taker / D / Cowichan Valley ('90): Lanky, late-blooming d-man has really quick feet, but an odd stride - but overall his mobility is a plus. Has some good hands and is versatile - can pass the puck well or take it himself. Had this guy in mind as a serious sleeper, but he looked so bad down the stretch and in the playoffs, that I've dialed my expectations back on him a bit. I'd still extend a camp invite, however.
Mark MacMillan / C / Alberni Valley: Lots of offensive skill and smarts, but very slight build makes it hard for him to fight through checks or do much in traffic. Besides all the creativity with the puck, does well without it, playing defense, winning faceoffs, etc. Should be a really good college player, but is a longshot pro prospect.
Sahir Gill / LW / Vernon: Didn't quite pick up where he left off when he returned to the Vipers, but did get back to his scoring ways in the playoffs. Has really soft hands and nice passing touch, but plays very soft. Has a bit of a choppy stride. Not sure I'd spend a pick.
Isaac MacLeod / D/LW / Penticton: Has some interesting natural offensive instincts for such a big guy, but stride isn't good and has slow feet.
Tim Daly / D / Langley: Has a lot of power play skill and plays bigger than his size. A bit under the radar this season and might be a worthy camp invite.
Joey Laleggia / D / Penticton: Little rearguard is a nice skater and has a knack for getting the rush started. Very small and ends up losing a lot of physical battles - easy to knock off the puck isn't good in 1-on-1 situations. Not sure there's a lot of pro potential, but should be a fantastic college player.
Luke Curadi / D /Penticton ('91): Huge guy proved he could play up a level after moving over from the Atlantic Jr league. Actually has a decent stride for size and plays with some passion. But his game is extremely raw. Could get a look as a 2nd year eligible, especially since you could control his rights for the next 4 years.
Dylan Walchuk / C / Vernon: Little guy can skate really well and has some hands, but he's tiny. Should be a good college player.
1 comment:
As a longtime UNH hockey fan, I was particularly interested in your appraisal of Grayson Downing and Joey Laleggia. Although neither was selected in the NHL Entry Draft, I'm going to assume that they will continue to pursue the goal of playing professionally. I would appreciate hearing your analysis of whether either will try to improve their chances by choosing the Canadian Major Junior route.
Thank you in advance.
C-H-C
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