Author: Gord Susinski

Noah Kosick #13 Swift Current Broncos – August 18, 2008 – Left shot centre. 5.11 / 170

Kosick is an offensive forward. Strength: Decent speed and an adequate skater. Competes hard and shows good anticipation in reading the play. Plays centre on the top power-play unit. Goes to the net and picks up rebounds and buries them. Opportunity for Improvement: Needs to improve his skating stride and overall effectiveness in the defensive zone. Can be selfish with the puck. 

Skating: 4

Shooting: 4

Hockey IQ: 6 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 4

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 6

Zach Pantelakis #34 Swift Current Broncos – October 18, 2007 – Left shot centre / left wing. 5.11 / 164

Pantelakis is a power forward. Strength: Decent skater with good speed. Possesses nice hands and can finish when given the opportunity. Trusted in 4-on-4 situations. Drives the net hard, competes every shift, and shows strong hustle. Keeps his feet moving while defending in the defensive zone. Opportunity for Improvement: Could use a more active stick when defending in his own zone.

Skating: 6

Shooting: 6

Hockey IQ: 6 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 6

Playmaking: 5

Puck Skills: 6

Stepan Kuryachenkov #33 Swift Current Broncos – July 16, 2008 – Left shot left wing. 6.00 / 165

Kuryachenkov is an energy forward. Strength: Quick feet and plays with a high level of energy. Opportunity for Improvement: Skating mechanics look a bit loose. Tends to throw the puck away when anticipating contact instead of making a stronger play under pressure.

Colt Carter #8 Moose Jaw Warriors – July 23, 2009 – Right-shot defenseman. 5.09 / 163

Carter is an offensive defenseman. Strengths: Quick to activate offensively, often jumping into the play. Possesses quick feet, strong skating ability, and delivers a solid first pass. Opportunities for Improvement: Needs to improve his recovery effort when caught up ice. Must refine the timing of his pinches to avoid leaving gaps defensively.

Skating: 6

Shooting: 4

Hockey IQ: 4 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 4

Playmaking: 4

Puck Skills: 7

Riley Thorpe #38 Moose Jaw Warriors – March 27, 2008 – Left shot left wing. 6.00 / 173

Thorpe is a 2-way forward. Strengths: Highly effective penalty killer with a strong compete level. Possesses a quick release and consistently stays engaged by moving his feet, making plays on the puck, and finishing checks each shift. Demonstrates strong involvement in all areas of the game and contributes offensively as the point man on the top power-play unit. Opportunities for Improvement: None noted.

Skating: 6

Shooting: 6

Hockey IQ: 6 

Physicality: 6 

Defensive awareness: 6

Playmaking: 5

Puck Skills: 6

Joe Iginla #21 Edmonton Oil Kings – August 13, 2008 – Right shot right wing. 5.10 / 174

Iginla is a power forward. Strengths: Shows good hands with a decent shot. Willing to drive to the front of the net and competes hard in battles. Opportunities for Improvement: Tends to overhandle the puck and force plays, including passing into traffic or holding it too long. Needs to improve decision-making and overall comfort in the defensive zone.

Skating: 5

Shooting: 7

Hockey IQ: 4 

Physicality: 5 

Defensive awareness: 4

Playmaking: 4

Puck Skills: 8

Cohen Klassen #37 Regina Pats – September 8, 2009 – Left shot centre. 6.00 / 176

Klassen is a vanilla offensive forward. Strengths: Smart playmaker who creates opportunities for his linemates. Opportunities for Improvement: Needs to improve timing when finishing checks and show better awareness on line changes, particularly when the puck is in the defensive zone.

Skating: 5

Shooting: 5

Hockey IQ: 5 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 4

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 5

Cage Smith #20 Edmonton Oil Kings – December 24, 2008 – Left shot centre. 5.10 / 156

Smith is a skilled forward. Strengths: Strong shot blocker and effective penalty killer. Goes hard to the net and competes well in battles. Opportunities for Improvement: Needs to refine puck skills and show more consistency with decision-making under pressure.

Skating: 5

Shooting: 5

Hockey IQ: 5 

Physicality: 6 

Defensive awareness: 5

Playmaking: 5

Puck Skills: 5

Julien Maze #72 Regina Pats – December 7, 2007 – Left shot left wing. 5.10 / 170

Maze is a skilled forward. Strengths: Possesses good hands and a reliable shot. Willing to go to the hard areas, competes well, and battles effectively around the net. Opportunities for Improvement: Can overhandle the puck and force plays, often passing into traffic or holding onto it too long. Needs to make quicker, smarter decisions and become more confident in the defensive zone.

Skating: 7

Shooting: 7

Hockey IQ: 4 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 4

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 6

Ryan Lin #4 Vancouver Giants – April 18, 2008 – Right shot defenseman. 6.00 / 175

Strength: Moves the puck with purpose and accuracy, even over long distances, to exit the defensive zone. Has quick feet and accelerates rapidly. Willingly blocks shots and consistently closes the gap with his body. Confident jumping up in the play to create offense. Opportunity for Improvement: On occasion, can get caught up ice and allow opponents in behind him, leading to breakaway chances when he becomes too focused on the offensive play.

Skating: 8

Shooting: 5

Hockey IQ: 5 

Physicality: 6 

Defensive awareness: 8

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 8

Tyus Sparks #5 Vancouver Giants – January 4, 2008 – Right shot right wing 6.00 / 180

Strength: Moves the puck effectively with accurate passes. Uses an active stick to defend and regain puck possession in the defensive zone. Displays good puck-handling skills and control. Opportunities for Improvement: His short, choppy stride limits his ability to reach top speed quickly. Needs to slow the game down at times—avoid rushing plays and take an extra moment to ensure clean, deliberate passes.

Skating: 4

Shooting: 4

Hockey IQ: 5 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 6

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 6

Tobias Tomik #13 Vancouver Giants – December 18, 2007 – Left shot left wing 6.02 / 198

Strength: Strong on his feet and tough to knock off the puck. Battles hard along the boards and uses his body effectively to protect possession. Skates well with good speed, and moves the puck quickly and accurately. Will throw the body when needed. Opportunity for Improvement: Could benefit from using a more active stick when defending.

Skating: 7

Shooting: 5

Hockey IQ: 5 

Physicality: 6 

Defensive awareness: 5

Playmaking: 5

Puck Skills: 7

Andrei Molgachyov, #8 Calgary Hitmen – March 1, 2008 – Left shot centre. 5.10 / 172

Molgachyov is an offensive forward. Strength: Shows decent speed through the neutral zone. Won every faceoff he took in this viewing. Possesses a quick shot. Opportunity for Improvement: Skating stride appears stiff, and he lacks lower-body strength, making him easy to knock off the puck. Tends to lose board battles and often waits for the puck instead of moving toward it, leading to turnovers.

Skating: 5

Shooting: 4

Hockey IQ: 4 

Physicality: 4 

Defensive awareness: 5

Playmaking: 4

Puck Skills: 6

Caine Wilkie, #34 Calgary Hitmen – March 1, 2008 – Left shot left wing. 5.08 / 166

Wilkie is an energy forward. Strength: Quick feet and good speed with a high hockey IQ. Displays a soft touch with the puck and uses his body effectively to gain possession. Competes hard every shift with great hustle and energy. Scored a nice goal through sheer effort — constantly moving, finding open ice, and making himself available for the pass. Reminds me of Theo Fleury in his early years. Opportunity for Improvement: None.

Skating: 6

Shooting: 6

Hockey IQ: 6 

Physicality: 6 

Defensive awareness: 6

Playmaking: 6

Puck Skills: 7

Eric Tu, #31 Calgary Hitmen – October 26, 2008 – Left catch goalie. 6.03 / 198

Strength: Stays square to the shooter and maintains good positioning. Opportunity for Improvement: Tends to give up rebounds instead of steering them to the corners or covering them. Leaves the five-hole exposed and looks a bit unsteady on deflections or redirected shots in tight, appearing to have difficulty tracking the puck. Wasn’t heavily tested in this game, facing only 22 shots with few high-quality chances.

Athleticism: 4

Positioning: 6

Anticipation: 4

Tracking: 4

Rebound control: 4

Technical skill: 5

Compete: 4