What to do at #31?

The first round is done. All the glitz and glamour of staring at a TV for 4 hours is over, and now the Oilers have some decisions to make. After all, we still have the 31st overall pick which is nothing to sneeze at, as it should still net us a first-round talent. Who is still available with this pick?

Brandon Saad: LW Saginaw, OHL

From Bob McKenzie: Strengths - possesses all the tools. with size, strength, shot, skating and hands all above average. Capable of driving to the net and working effectively along the wall. Weaknesses - Doesn't show up to compete every night,lacks passion at times. Left scouts wanting more effort and production. NHL Upside - Has the physical tools to be an imposing top-six forward, but will need to improve his work ethic.

Rocco Grimaldi: C US NTDP

Bob again: Strengths - A feisty little warrior. when he's going his feet never stop, fearless on the puck, character guy, plays hard, strong core and lower body, likes to score goals, skilled puck carrier and sniper. Weaknesses - He's only 5-6. Can try to do too much by himself and overhandle the puck. NHL Upside - Has drawn comparison to Theo Fleury and Marty St. Louis. His lack of height shouldn't hinder him from becoming a top-six forward at the NHL level.

Ty Rattie: RW Portland, WHL

Bob: Strengths - Skilled winger who sees the ice well, gifted around the net, swift skater and top-end puck skills. Weaknesses - more of a projection than Rattie, has to build his strength and continue working on his all-around game. NHL Upside - draws some comparisons to Jordan Eberle. May be a top-six forward with time if he's willing to compete hard enough, but he's raw, will need to add strength.

Boone Jenner: C Oshawa, OHL

Bob: Strengths - Exemplary work ethic and leadership qualities, fights through everything. Strong desire to succeed, has a physical edge to his game. Keen hockey sense, above average vision, anticipation and playmaking abilities, plays in all situations. Weaknesses - Skating is not great, short stride and a wide track, can't stop and start very well. NHL Upside - Will be a favourite of his coaches wherever he plays. Has the desire to succeed that leads most to believe he will overcome skating deficiencies. Will likely wear a letter for an NHL team some day.

Tomas Jurco: RW St John, QMJHL

Bob: Strengths - Has top ten skills with elite puckhandling abilities and excellent skating agility, has all the physical attributes to be a star. Weaknesses - very inconsistent, is a star one night and accomplishes little the next. Not overly gritty, tends to stay to the outside of the play. NHL Upside - Risky pick in the first round who may be a top-two winger (think a more skilled Michael Frolik), or could struggle for ice time due to inconsistencies.

John Gibson: G US NTDP

Bob: Strengths - Composed, technically sound, competitive. Bounces back strongly from letting in bad goals, good mental strength. Good puckhandler, decent glove and quickness. Plays soundly in big-game situations. Weaknesses - No elite qualities to his game, not tremendously gifted athletically. Must work on his consistency. NHL Upside - Will likely be the first goalie selected and in a few years vie strongly for NHL playing time. May only be a backup, but a poised one with winning pedigree.

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Still a lot of talent here and the Oilers have a lot of different player types to choose from, although there doesn’t appear to be a defenseman that stands out amongst the crowd of forwards. I’ve also included goalie Gibson in the mix because, well he was a projected first rounder and the consensus best goalie of the draft.

We’re not going to get an offensive juggernaut with our second round pick, I think that’s fairly certain. Should we still target an offensive talent like Ty Rattie in the hopes that we get lucky?I don’t think he fits the draft mantra of the Oilers. He’s undersized and unlike RNH, no sure thing that he’ll be an offensive force. He also lacks the secondary skills that ensure he’d at least be a serviceable 3-4 line guy. The same argument goes for Tomas Jurco. He’s got the size Rattie lacks but questions about his desire and compete level scare me off.

Like 5 in Monty Python’s Holy Grail, Rocco Grimaldi is right out. Oilers fans would riot in the streets over the selection of the smallest player eligible for this year’s draft.

After deliberation, the guy I like best at #31 is Boone Jenner. He’s not going to make the NHL due to his offensive skills though they’re present, but he’s not going to take a shift off. A very Anton Lander-esque pick.

Whoever we pick tomorrow, it will be done after a good night’s sleep and hopefully much deliberation. We’ve made two solid selections thus far in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Oscar Klefbom, but adding a third blue-chipper from the 2011 draft would be another feather in the cap of our scouting department.

In Stu We Trust

With the first overall selection in the 2011 Entry Draft... A Bubbling Under mockdraft

The NHL draft is only days away and as many other bloggers, I’m wasting way too much of my free time scouring over all the literature I can get my hands on that discuss a bunch of 18-year old kids. It’s my favourite time of the hockey year.

This year I thought I’d put all my reading to use and create a mockdraft instead of following suit and putting out another Top-30 list. Lowetide has already done a couple this year and as always they’re well thought out, including the lists from SpOILer and Blue Bullet that he’s put up on his site. As usual, Bob McKenzie has his out and it always laps the field in terms of accuracy. I really enjoyed getting in the heads of the 30 teams’ General Managers in order to identify what exactly their team needs from Friday’s first round.

In compiling my mockdraft I relied heavily on Bob’s list as it is the gold standard. Using THN’s NHL team prospect reports as a guide, I devised a plan for each team as to their prospect strengths and weaknesses. Each team’s work in the previous five NHL entry drafts provided insight into their drafting tendencies in making a selection, there was no way Edmonton was going to Russia and Brian Burke was definitely staying in North America for example.

Without further ado, Edmonton is on the clock...

1: Edmonton:

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Taylor Hall LW, Magnus Paajarvi LW, Jordan Eberle RW, Sam Gagner C, Alex Plante D, Riley Nash C

Team Needs: Teams finishing last place consistently need everything. Unfortunately with no clear-cut #1 pick this year this gives our GM “options”. They need help at C, on defence, and in goal.

Pick: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C Red Deer

2: Colorado:

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Joey Hishon C, Matt Duchene C, Kevin Shattenkirk D, Chris Stewart RW

Team Needs: Colorado could use some productive wingers to compliment established centers Duchene, Paul Stastny and Ryan O’Reilly, but could also use another stud blueliner to compliment the offensive talents of recently acquired Eric Johnson. Worth noting that they have stayed in Canada for their first rounders the past five years.

Pick: Gabriel Landeskog, LW Kitchener

3: Florida

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Erik Gudbranson D, Nick Bjugstad F Quinton Howden LW, Dmitry Kulikov D, Keaton Ellerby, Michael Frolik

Team Needs: Florida’s gone full-tilt rebuild like the Oilers, starting in earnest last year at the draft where they made three selections to address three needs. They could use a C here and are unlikely to take a defenseman with Gudbranson in the stable. All their first round selections last year under new GM Dale Tallon were large mammals.

Pick: Sean Couturier, C Drummondville

4: New Jersey

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jacob Josefson C, Mattias Tedenby RW, Matt Corrente D
Team Needs: New Jersey is in an unfamiliar position this year picking as high as they are, and they aren’t likely to screw this up. They’ve been lacking a stud on defence since the days of Scott Neidermayer and there’s a damn good blueliner available. If negotiations are not going well with Zach Parise, they may be tempted to take a forward here.

Pick: Adam Larsson, D Skelleftea

5: NY Islanders

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Nino Niederreiter LW, John Tavares C Calvin DeHaan D, Joshua Bailey C, Kyle Okposo RW

Team Needs: The Islanders need help pretty much everywhere, so they’re bound to get something good in the 5-hole. They aren’t known to go for defence with their first pick, as 2008 first rounder DeHaan was their second selection that year. There are still both forwards and defensemen available here, but expect the Islanders to go forward here to provide a complimentary center to John Tavares.

Pick: Jonathan Huberdeau, C St. John

6: Ottawa Senators

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jared Cowan, Erik Karlsson, Jim O’Brien C, Nick Foligno LW

Team Needs: Goaltending and defence sure aren’t needs here. Ottawa has to upgrade their forward corps if they’re going to be taken seriously in the coming years. There are two options available here, and both are good fits. Ottawa has taken both from the CHL and Sweden in the past, but I think that intangibles will win out here.

Pick: Mika Zibanejad, C Djurgarden

7: Winnipeg Winnipegs

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Alex Burmistrov C, Evander Kane C, Zach Bogosian D, Bryan Little C

Team Needs: A name and logo. Outside of that, Winnipeg needs a center to build their new team around. There are some defensemen available here that would fit BPA, but Winnipeg doesn’t have a glaring need for them as their blueline is young and signed long-term.

Pick: Ryan Strome, C Niagara

8: Columbus

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Ryan Johansen C, John Moore D, Nikita Filatov C, Jake Voracek RW, Derick Brassard C

Team Needs: Columbus has historically been thin on the blueline and avoided drafting them with high picks. There aren’t many forwards available at this point in the draft, but there are some dandy defenders here. With John Moore in the fold they can forego the offensive creativity and focus on the snarl that left when Adam Foote left town.

Pick: Dougie Hamilton, D Niagara

9: Boston

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Tyler Seguin C, Jordan Caron RW, Joe Colborne C, Zach Hamill C, Phil Kessel C

Team Needs: The recent Stanley Cup champions must be over the moon with that Kessel trade, but that’s old news. Boston can afford to stockpile the best talent available. If pressed, I’d say they could use a blueliner to feed Chara on the PP.

Pick: Ryan Murphy, D Kitchener

10: Minnesota

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Mikael Granlund F, Nick Leddy D, Tyler Cuma D, Colton Gilles L, James Sheppard C

Team Needs: Minnesota is undergoing a franchise transition of sorts. With less emphasis on an ever apparent defensive presence, their prospect pool requires a shot of offense. They might be scared off from selecting a defenseman here as their most recent picks have either been foolishly traded away (Leddy) or failing to live up to first-round status (Cuma). Unfortunately for Minnesota, the talent level falls off after the first nine players.

Pick: Sven Bartschi, LW Portland

11: Colorado

Team Needs: With gritty winger Landeskog in the fold, Colorado can turn its attention to other areas of concern. Calvin Pickard, selected last year, lessens the need for a goaltender. The graduation of Stefan Elliot from junior opens a space in the pipeline for a puck-moving blueliner. The “shy away from Europe” theory again applies here.

Pick: Nathan Beaulieu, D St. John

12: Carolina

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jeff Skinner RW, Phillippe Paradis LW, Zack Boychuk C, Brandon Sutter C

Team Needs: The Hurricanes hit a home-run last year with the selection of Skinner, who will be a staple for the next decade as a top-6 winger for Carolina. They’ve got depth at C and some intriguing defensive prospects. Another team that doesn’t like to take Euros with first rounders.

Pick: Jamie Oleksiak, D Northeastern

13: Calgary

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Tim Erixon D, Greg Nemicz C, Michael Backlund C, Leland Irving G

Team Needs: Calgary was recently spurned by 2009 first rounder Tim Erixson, easily the top prospect in their system. This defection exposed their lack of prospect depth and was a loss that Calgary frankly could not afford. They managed to turn a bad situation into a less crippling one with their return from the Rangers, but this could scare them off of Euros for a while. They’ve needed prospects to contribute offence forever.

Pick: Mark Scheifele, C Barrie

14: Dallas

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jack Campbell G, Scott Glennie RW, Ivan Vishnevsky

Team Needs: Besides ownership stability, the Stars need players who can score. They’re about to lose their offensive force in Brad Richards and, while it’s impossible to suggest an 18-year old will step up and fill that void, they’re going to need the help eventually. Defence isn’t the greatest concern in the world here and they picked up their stud goalie last year. While a center would be the best bet, and Zack Phillips is available, I see them opting again (as was the case with Scott Glennie) for a large winger who can score goals.

Pick: Joel Armia, RW Assat

15: NY Rangers

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Dylan McIlrath, Chris Kreider C, Michael Del Zotto D, Alexi Cherepanov (RIP), Bobby Sanguinetti

Team Needs: New York doesn’t really need anything particular here, just a player they can eventually plug in and allow him to play to his strengths. They don’t have a drafting philosophy in the first round as I can see and have no problems going to Europe to make important selections. They’ve got enough snarl on the blueline with McIlrath and Pavel Valentenko and enough skill on the wing to go a long way. I’m making this selection on the hope that Del Zotto regains his form.

Pick: Zach Phillips, C St. John

16: Buffalo

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Mark Pysyk D, Zack Kassian RW, Tyler Myers D, Tyler Ennis C, Dennis Persson D

Team Needs: An offensive center with size would certainly fit the bill here to compliment their hard-working wing prospects. With Myers already winning awards at the NHL level and Pysyk eventually contributing solid two-way play they have no need to go after a defenseman again. They avoid Europe like the plague and have shown a tendency to look to the WHL in recent drafts.

Pick: Mark McNeill, C Prince Albert

17: Monteal

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jarred Tinordi D, Louis Leblanc C, Ryan McDonough D, David Fischer D

Team Needs: Montreal has only minor needs at this point and can afford to draft according to their preferences instead of BPA. They love the NCAA programs (Tinordi was originally committed to NCAA) and will likely stick to that route again. They lack a dynamic offensive contributor in their prospect pipeline but those aren’t available at this point. There are some highly talented Swedes available on teh blueline, but I don’t see that as an option for Montreal.

Pick: J T Miller, C US NTDP

18: Chicago

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Kevin Hayes F, Dylan Olsen D, Kyle Beach LW, Pat Kane RW, Jon Toews C

Team Needs: More cap space. They’ve got great depth everywhere right now, having fleeced every trading partner they had after being forced to offload salary last offseason. They’ve got speed, offence, ruggedness, grit and goaltending. The best player still available (in North America) is who they’ll grab.

Pick: Duncan Siemens, D Saskatoon

19: Edmonton

Team Needs: They still need a ton of help but having picked up their stud centerman the Oilers can focus on the remaining hole in their prospect system; blueline offence. I’ve seen many mockdrafts with the Oilers taking the likes of Oleksiak, Siemens and Joe Morrow here but this isn’t the player type the Oilers have need of. The prospect pool is filled with stay at home or two-way types (Theo Peckham, Colten Teubert, Alex Plante, Jeff Petry all fit that mold), picking another one at this stage doesn’t make sense to me. Especially when there are some offensive defensemen who are available and are higher rated.

Pick: Jonas Brodin, D Farjestad

20: Phoenix

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Brandon Gormley D, Mark Visentin G, Oliver Ekman-Larsson D, Mikael Boedker LW, Viktor Tikhonov LW, Kyle Turris C, Nick Ross D, Peter Mueller C, Chris Summers D

Team Needs: Phoenix has had more first round draft picks the past 5 years than any other team in the NHL. Problem is they’ve picked some duds, and the rest have failed to live up to first round billing (O E-L excluded of course). They could use a center, as Kyle Turris is still struggling to be more than a 3rd liner. They’ve picked a little bit of everything in recent years, there doesn’t seem to be a tendency with the Phoenix scouting department. This is a bit of a reach pick.

Pick: Rocco Grimaldi, C US NTDP

21: Ottawa

Team Needs: With Mika Zibanejad home and cooling, the Senators have another opportunity to improve their forward depth. As stated earlier there’s no reason to consider D this year, unless there’s a guy left who is head and shoulders above the rest. I think they go forward, and they stay within Ontario to get it.

Pick: Matt Puempel, LW Peterborough

22: Anaheim

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Cam Fowler D, Emerson Etem C, Peter Holland C, Kyle Palmeiri C, Jake Gardiner D, Logan Mac Millan LW, Mark Mitera D

Team Needs: If it weren’t for the meteoric rise of Jeff Skinner, the Ducks would have walked away with the steal of the draft last year in Cam Fowler. He’s going to be a #1 in a few short years but could use some help around him. They’re deep at forward, blessed with skill, size and two-way abilities but lack a little bit of nasty. This pick could end up being Tyler Biggs, but I think they’ll like a defenseman here.

Pick: Joe Morrow, D Portland

23: Pittsburgh

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Beau Bennett F, Simon Despres D, Angelo Esposito C, Jordan Staal C

Team Needs: The search continues for wingers that can play with the best centers in the league. They made a dandy selection last year with Beau Bennett, but should continue to add to their cupboards. Their defensemen are getting on in years but Simon Despres should be able to slot in as a top-4 guy in short order. I’ve got two players in mind here, and I’m taking size and speed over a consistent effort.

Pick: Tomas Jurco, RW St. John

24: Detroit

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Riley Sheahan F, Thomas McCollum G, Brendan Smith D

Team Needs: Detroit does not, nor has it really ever needed, anything. They will continue to go about their business to find the best ranked player regardless of where he came from. Lidstrom’s eventual retirement may be playing in their minds, and they could very well look to Sweden for another defenseman.

Pick: Oscar Klefbom, D Farjestad

25: Toronto

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Nazem Kadri C, Luke Schenn C, Jiri Tlusty, F

Team Needs: Regardless of how much we make fun of Toronto, they’ve done a good job in the recent past to shore up their organizational depth pretty much across the board. They won’t go goalie, they prefer to sign them when they’re a little older. The Leafs have better depth at forward than they do on the blueline at this point due to good drafting and trading. Brian Burke will pick a kid from North America, you can set your watch to that.

Pick: Brandon Saad, LW Saginaw

26: Washington

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Evgeny Kuznetsov F, Marcus Johansson C, Anton Gustafsson F, Karl Alzner D, Nicklas Backstrom C

Team Needs: Washington needs heart. They’ve got all the talent in the world but lack a true leader. That’s not the easiest thing to find, but there are some real character players in this year’s draft who could fit the bill here. A defenseman would also be nice, as they have enough offensive firepower to field a second team that could still beat the Edmonton Oilers. There are many options for the Capitals, who could again try for a home-run with someone like Viktor Rask. Very underrated scouting department.

Pick: Boone Jenner, C Oshawa

27: Tampa Bay

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Brett Connolly RW, Viktor Hedman D, Carter Ashton RW, Steven Stamkos C, Riku Helenius G

Team Needs: Tampa Bay is under new management, so throw the book out the window. The procurement department did well before Steve Yzerman was placed in the GM chair, picking up big productive bodies and the occasional superstar. The selection of Brett Connolly last year proved Yzerman is not scared off by injuries when drafting players. Their defensive pipeline is not strong, but there are forwards ranked higher. I think they continue along with their trend of drafting large mammals with secondary skills.

Pick: Tyler Biggs, RW US NTDP

28: San Jose

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Charlie Coyle F, Logan Couture C, Ty Wishart D

Team Needs: San Jose has achieved the level of “Detroit-model” in the sense that they don’t have to go after a specific position at the draft. They’ll gladly take whatever player is available to them and work them into their system when they’re ready. Lots of size and nastiness on the blueline already, but are a bit thin on the wing. Versatility is a big plus in San Jose’s system.

Pick: Niklas Jensen, LW/RW Oshawa

29: Vancouver

Past 5 drafts 1st rounder: Jordan Schroeder C, Cody Hodgson C, Patrick White C, Michael Grabner F

Team Needs: Vancouver made it to within one game of the Stanley Cup this year, and as such don’t need much at the NHL level. Their prospect pipeline however, could stand an injection of consistent talent. Recent first rounders Schroeder and Hodgson have stalled at the AHL level and White likely won’t even get that far in the Canucks’ system. The blueline was forced to provide replacements throughout the year and rookies Chris Tanev and Lee Sweatt proved capable. They need scoring and won’t likely go the college route any time soon.

Pick: Ty Rattie, LW Portland

30: Toronto

Team Needs: With big winger Saad added to their prospect collection, Toronto can add another Brian Burke type player to their stable.

Pick: Scott Mayfield, D Youngstown

31: Edmonton

The best of the rest begins the second round for Edmonton on day two of the draft. Stu MacGregor will be able to re-stack his deck and go out on Saturday and find the best player who slipped through the cracks. I would have loved if Tyler Biggs were still available as I think he’s exactly what the Oilers need, but will have to look elsewhere. Not typically the type to go looking for the home-run, Edmonton will likely pick the safe player at 31.

Pick: Rickard Rakell, RW Plymouth

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That’s the draft as I see it. Looking back, my draft had 29 of the 30 players Bob McKenzie slotted as first-rounders. He’s the foremost word on the scouting front these days, and when in doubt, I trusted his list.

Disagree with my picks? I’m sure you will. Let me know in the comments section, and I’ll try and give a more in-depth reasoning as to why I made my selections.

2011 Draft POI: Jonas Brodin

Next up in our selection of prospects believed to be available with the Oilers second first-round pick is Jonas Brodin, a well-polished defenseman from Sweden (as if they produce anything else).

The rankings:

THN: 22
RLE: 25
CSS: 3 (Euro)
ISS: 20
Craig Button: 10
Bob: 12 (mid-season)

We see a very wide spread of positions for Brodin, but none that see him fall from the first round. He projects to being NHL-sized by the time he fills out in a couple of years, currently listed at 6'1 165. He's not going to bowl anyone over with sheer physical will but that's not his game. What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in other aspects of his game, according to frequent Oilogosphers poster SpOILer, who recently posted his top-30 over at Lowetide. SpOILer had made the brave mind to place Brodin 5th on his list, saying:

Brings the most elite hockey sense out of any of the top 6. I think it is dangerous to under-rate this ability. Off-the-charts anticipation. Is a plus plus skater. Very good passer. Has only average size and strength. It's tough to tell how much offense he will generate, but he had 4 assists without much PP time and that's a good number for the SEL. With his brains and passing ability he should be at least a solid point producer. His sense and skating make him about as much a can't-miss pick outside of the top 3 as can be had. The ability to make high quality reads playing against men at his age sets him apart. Most defensemen take years to learn what he already sees instinctively

SpOILer's not the only one raving about Brodin's vision and playmaking ability. Kirk Luedeke is fast becoming the most important voice in prospect talk that isn't working for MSM. Back in November, Kirk did a piece on Brodin and has this to say:

One more in a long line of highly skilled and mobile puck-moving rearguards from Sweden, the tall (6-1) but very lanky Brodin is an outstanding skater whose strength is his east-west lateral movement and ability to crossover in the face of forwards who attack with speed. He's got excellent vision and defensive instincts, able to diagram unfolding plays and put himself in position to interdict and neutralize the opposition attack. Brodin also has the ability to start the transition game to offense with his soft hands and crisp outlet passing. Although only about 165-170 pounds, Brodin has also shown a surprising ability to play a physical game.

Brodin appears to have speed and playmaking ability in spades, which is something the Oilers pipeline lacks as of now. Marincin and Petry both possess offensive ability from the blueline, but not of the calibre Brodin is expected to bring. Reports also suggest he's not shrinking violet either, and despite his apparent lack of bulk has been toiling against men for the past two seasons in Sweden's top two divisions.

Consistency also appears to be a hallmark of Brodin's game, which is something I hold in high regard when we're talking about 17- and 18-year olds. He's seen as the safe pick in the 20's by a couple of sources; not quite as pretty a package as teammate Oscar Klefbom but he'll get the job done. Likely won't be ready for a couple of years, but he's in a good situation in Sweden to develop his game against men.

I can see the Oilers taking Best Defenseman Available if they don't take Larsson #1, as has been their bent lately when they have multiple picks in the first round. Brodin certainly qualifies as worthy. The Oilers will certainly have him heavily scouted as they've been going to Sweden for their European selections with much more regularity since SMB took over.

2011 Draft POI: Tyler Biggs

I started doing a couple of these earlier in the year, where I'd introduce you to a kid I thought deserving of a mid-round pick. Jesse Forsberg is here and Shane Prince is here. I've been carelessly lazy for the last....ever, so these entries sort of fell by the wayside.

Blame my girlfriend, not me.

Anycase, I figured that since Lowetide has been covering the top end of the draft board with his usual excellence, that I'd leave that schtick to him and focus on players of interest that could be falling to the Oilers with the 19th overall pick. First up is a massive specimen who caught my eye reading his profile in THN's recent 2011 Draft Preview.

Meet Tyler Biggs.

Rankings:

THN: 20
ISS: NR (Top-30)
CSS: 22 CDN
Bob: 10 MID

Born April 30, '93 in Ohio, he's a 6'2" 210lb RW who plays for the US National Team Development Program (NTDP). He finished the year scoring 17-11-28 in 48 games. While he isn't the most gifted offensive force that will be available at 19, he comes with other qualities that may get him noticed. Said THN:

"His Dad (Don Biggs) was a pain in the ass and he will be, too. He is legitimate tough."

I'm thinking somewhere along the Zack Kassian side of hockey will be the expectation of Biggs. He's going to be the guy to go into the corners and use his size to lean on even the bigger NHL defenders. He's got other qualities that will suit him at higher levels of hockey, says RLR scout Max Giese:

"He's a fast, mean, physical in-your-face guy with some leadership qualities."

CSS's Jack Barzee thinks his intangibles might be holding back his offensive abilities:

"Biggs is another young player who has taken on the job as leader of his team, and does most of their fighting when they have to fight, if not all of it. I think the responsibility for standing up for teammates has taken a little away from his offensive finish … wearing that ‘C’ and doing those things. My gut feeling is that he’s on an uphill path”.

Video of Biggs' game are available here. From an admittedly limited sampling, we see that Biggs likes to get involved for puck battles along the boards, can effectively skate down loose pucks and looks capable in a two-way role. His shot also looks to be a weapon, with a quick release and is accurate. Apparently has some PK ability already at a young age also, which is a bonus for a player who looks like a 3-4 line guy.

He's committed to his hometown Miami University for the Fall, though his CHL rights are owned by the Oshawa Generals.

I think he'd be a good fit for the Oilers organization because he resembles a lot of the qualities that have already been listed by General Manager Steve Tambellini and Head Scout Stu MacGregor as areas that need to be shored up. We've got a enough young offense in the likes of Hall Eberle Omark Paajarvi (Nugent-Hopkins?) that we can now concentrate our energy on finding players to compliment their skill. A big body who can skate with a willingness to protect the meal-tickets? Sounds like a winner to me.

A quick musing on what the draft lottery means to me

I want this guy in Oiler colours.

I’ve never been one to shy away with giving out my opinion, especially if I’m leaning strongly one way on a topic. Last year I soap-boxed for Taylor Hall all the damn year and was rewarded. In 2007 I nearly hit my ceiling when we selected Alex Plante (jury’s still out on that one).

And now we come to the 2011 entry draft, where once again I’ve got my eye on a particular player. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first won me over reading up on him from the 2010 THN edition of Draft Watch. His unique combination of skill and speed was more than enough for me to overcome his slight stature. I made a note to follow his 2010/11 season with a close eye, perhaps more so than any other draft eligible prospect. Though I am not in a position to watch him play live (A WHL team in Winnipeg is higher on my list of necessary things in the ‘Peg than an NHL franchise), I followed his stats lines closely. Initial concern about his lack of goal production was buffered by the notion of Hall riding shotgun.

Then came the Top Prospects game in which he put on a hell of a show for me. I finally was able to take personal opinion from his game style and compare it to paper reports. His creativity, vision and overall hockey sense were what stuck with me the most from that viewing and carried over to the next time I saw him play, in his opening round series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Much like Sidney Crosby did to the Oilers in his first appearance in Edmonton, RNH patiently went about his game until he struck. Then again. Then again. Before the Oil Kings knew what had happened the game was a lost cause and RNH was front and center in the charge.

There are some other nice talents in the draft this year. Adam Larsson will make another GM very happy when he’s playing 25 minutes a night. Gabriel Landeskog might be the next Mike Richards-type player. Sean Couturier’s light may have just dimmed this year and could make us all look like fools. But in the end I know what I like watching in Oilers hockey and that’s speed and creativity, pure and simple.

And that’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ game.

Prospect Statistics: February

One young man made huge strides during February while most kept up their status quo. We’re getting into the stretch run for our prospects, many of whom are fighting it out with their respective teams for playoff positioning. It’s at this time when I’m looking for the cream to rise.

Cameron Abney RW Edmonton/WHL

FEB 14GP 2-5-7 -5 7PIM 10ZPG
YTD 52GP 6-11-17 -5 79PIM

Abney had an offensive burst this month, but it should be accurately pointed out that really he just had an offensive outburst for two games (3 assists in one, 1-1-2 the other). If he gets a contract from the Oilers I’m going to be more to be more than a little irate.

Phil Cornet RW Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 6GP 1-0-1 E 0PIM 13SH 5 ZPG
YTD 42GP 5-8-13 +4 4PIM 65SH

After an outstanding January, we see Cornet regress back to his previous levels. Had zero points in five games to start the month, and was subsequently benched for OKC’s next five games. He’s going to get lapped by the influx of talent next year.

Drew Czerwonka LW Kootenay/WHL

FEB 12GP 0-6-6 +2 22PIM 8ZPG
YTD 58GP 12-27-39 +11 94PIM

A dip offensively, but Czerwonka still appears to be providing a good all-around game. He’s seen his powerplay numbers take a large cut, but when your team trades for Cody Eakin that’s bound to happen. I hope he finishes the year strong, because I’m rooting for him.

Robby Dee C Maine/NCAA

FEB 8GP 0-6-6 +3 4PIM 19SH 3ZPG
YTD 34GP 9-21-30 +6 24PIM 82SH

Dee continues along in his senior year for Maine, hoping to impress the Oilers brass enough to earn a contract after finishing college hockey. He’s in much the same boat as fellow collegiate athlete Chris VandeVelde was last year. He’s putting up the numbers and has other skills (faceoffs), but will ST have a case of once bit, twice shy with this player type from the previous administration?

Jordan Eberle RW Edmonton/NHL

FEB 13GP 5-6-11 E 10PIM 34SH 187.03EV 32.53PP 0.13SH 5ZPG
YTD 50GP 14-20-34 -4 14PIM 110SH 726.16EV 122.56PP 45.26SH

Young Eberle returned from injury after the Oilers first game in February and immediately began to put up numbers again. His points are coming almost exclusively at even strength (1 PP assist in Feb), but remains a high-event player at even strength as only 3 games are even par this month. He’s learning at an accelerated pace in the best league on the planet, we’ve got something special here.

Taylor Hall LW Edmonton/NHL

FEB 14GP 5-4-9 0 4PIM 44SH 212.27EV 42.54PP 0.10SH 7ZPG
YTD 63GP 21-19-40 -10 18PIM 183SH 880.18EV 173.25PP 1.42SH

Hall is a remarkable talent, but he put up his points in slightly unconventional fashion this month and for that we should be cautious. 80% of his goals this month came courtesy the PP and a game such as that Feb19th contest is such an aberration that I don’t know what to do with it. He’s sorting out his defensive lapses but like Eberle remains rather high event. We should still be treating him with kid gloves but at the low end of the potential spectrum he’ll be a top-6 NHL forward for the next two decades.

Curtis Hamilton LW Saskatoon/WHL

FEB 13GP 5-15-20 +11 10PIM 1ZPG
YTD 53GP 21-52-73 +43 20PIM

I love this pick. He was a gamble in the last draft (huge injury concerns) but he’s paid off better than any of the other 2nd rounders we took. He’s got offensive upside, knows his way around his own zone and can be the guy the Oilers can count on next year to be a PK demon. It’s rare for any but the impact prospects to make the jump straight from major-junior to the NHL, but I think Hamilton is capable of doing just that next year because of his secondary skills. Oh, and he lit up the league this month. No big deal, just an ordinary month for him, right?

Teemu Hartikainen RW Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 10GP 2-2-4 -2 0PIM 21SH 7ZPG
YTD 59GP 16-20-36 -3 29PIM 111SH

Just when we thought Hartikainen had taken the next step towards his NHL career, well it seems we may have been a bit premature in that projection. He’s still got talent, but he wasn’t exactly pushing for a recall in February. Maybe January’s AHL rookie of the month’s been figured out by the AHL competition and they’re keying on him as a player of interest when pre-game scouting is discussed, or maybe he just didn’t have it in February. I’m hoping it’s the former.

Kellen Jones F Quinnipiac/NCAA

FEB 7GP 2-3-5 -2 2PIM 19SH 2ZPG
YTD 36GP 7-18-25 E 31PIM 80SH

Jones and the Bobcats are an interesting case. I’d be more willing to dock Jones points for February’s performance (mostly PP points) if his team could be bothered to win a single game in said month. As Jones goes, so do the Bobcats. It’ll be a very interesting March as the Bobcats limp towards the playoffs.

Milan Kytnar C Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 9GP 1-0-1 -2 6PIM 10SH 8ZPG
YTD 57GP 7-10-17 E 20PIM 54SH

Kytnar’s fate was much the same as Hartikainen’s this month. He reached high places in January but came crashing back to Earth in February. He’s not required for offense in OKC but it’d still be appreciated once in a while.

Anton Lander C Timra/SEL

FEB 7GP 1-1-2 -7 2PIM 24SH 126.36TOI 5ZPG
YTD 45GP 9-14-23 -12 30PIM 98SH 818.46TOI

Ouch. That’s a horrible minus column for a kid who was billed as a defensive specialist. We should be concerned about Lander’s continued development in Sweden. He has to be signed sometime this offseason, but there’s an opportunity to get him over to the AHL this year if he signs quickly enough.

Ryan Martindale C Ottawa/OHL

FEB 12GP 5-9-14 +6 4PIM 3ZPG
YTD 58GP 32-46-78 +37 22PIM

Just a decent month for the big center from Ontario. He’s losing pace with his linemates in the OHL’s scoring race as both Tyler Toffoli (a 50-goal man) and Shane Prince (draft eligible this year) are pulling away. Is he riding coat-tails?

Linus Omark F Edmonton/NHL

FEB 12GP 0-7-7 -4 2PIM 16SH 141.10EV 34.12PP 0.00SH 6ZPG
YTD 32GP 3-13-16 -11 14PIM 52SH 385.27EV 83.24PP 0.00SH

Omark did well from a point production standpoint in February playing with fellow Swede Magnus Paajarvi. Like Eberle he’s doing his damage at even strength which is a welcome sign. As the Oilers are no longer in a position to succeed I’d like to see Omark given more responsibility to see if he’s a piece to build with or another passenger.

Magnus Paajarvi LW Edmonton/NHL

FEB 14GP 4-1-5 -3 0PIM 26SH 169.45EV 20.56PP 0.07SH 10ZPG
YTD 61GP 10-14-24 -3 12PIM 121SH 797.56EV 86.21PP 1.48SH

Another kid at the NHL level putting up even strength points. It’s a broken record at this point but it really bodes well for the future of this team. In Paajarvi’s case we won’t know his true potential until he gets an extended shift in a top-6 role (one upside of the Penner trade). Is he more than a 30 point-per-year all-around man?

Tyler Pitlick RW Medicine Hat/WHL

FEB 11GP 7-5-12 +1 2PIM 5ZPG
YTD 55GP 27-35-62 +4 29PIM

The lustre of Pitlick is starting to wear off on me. Case in point, he hat-tricked in the Tigers’ Feb26 game (one PP goal), a game in which the final score was 7-3 Tigers, Pitlick ends the game -1. He screams defensive liability to me and couldn’t even make this team as a center, the position he was theoretically drafted as. His point totals are heavily influenced by PP time (2-3-5 in Feb) and is still struggling with his +/- despite playing on one of the Dub’s best teams. I expected more.

Kristians Pelss RW Edmonton/WHL

FEB 14GP 7-4-11 +7 8PIM 8ZPG
YTD 57GP 14-16-30 +15 27PIM

Uh, what? When did this 7th rounder come to realize he’s got some hockey skills? An absolutely perfect month for the Latvian saw him move up to play with real linemates and flourish. I’d be interested in seeing whether this kind of pace will be sustainable next year or not. He’s going to be a player of interest next year.

Toni Rajala RW Ilves/SM-Liiga

FEB 8GP 2-4-6 +5 0PIM 40SH 129.54TOI 4ZPG
YTD 38GP 9-13-22 +2 4PIM 183SH 575.26TOI

Decent. Nothing more nothing less on offense, but his +5 is a good sign. He’ll be in OKC next year regardless of what he does this year, so let’s see if he can do more with his opportunity as another previously mentioned 5th rounder (ahem, Cornet).

Chris VandeVelde C Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 10GP 2-0-2 -3 6PIM 17SH 8ZPG
YTD 58GP 9-4-13 -17 38PIM 79SH

VandeVelde’s trying hard to stop his bleeding, but he’s clearly been outclassed this year. Perhaps he’s a late-bloomer at every level of hockey.

Jordan Bendfeld D Stockton/ECHL

FEB 13GP 1-1-2 -7 20PIM 21SH 11ZPG
YTD 21GP 1-1-2 -3 50PIM 29SH

Bendfeld’s a depth AHL defenseman getting outclassed in the ECHL. Too bad we have another year on his ELC to talk about.

Jeremie Blain D Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

FEB 12GP 2-10-12 -1 16PIM 17SH 3ZPG
YTD 34GP 3-29-32 +12 44PIM 27SH

All the talk among the Oilogosphere regarding our offensive D-prospects surrounds Martin Marincin, and I think that’s unfair to this outstanding prospect. Due to his injury trouble earlier in the season he’s been left out of most of our conversations, but he’s making the procurement department look great yet again.

Kyle Bigos D Merrimack/NCAA

FEB 8GP 0-1-1 E 47PIM 15SH 7ZPG
YTD 27GP 0-5-5 +1 112PIM 51SH

I don’t know about Bigos as an NHL prospect anymore, but then again every team needs a guy like him to police the other team. He’s either not afraid of the rough stuff or can’t keep up with the NCAA forwards.

Taylor Chorney D Edmonton/NHL

FEB AHL 3GP 0-0-0 -1 2PIM 5SH 3ZPG
YTD AHL 45GP 3-13-16 E 20PIM 69SH
FEB NHL 4GP 1-1-2 -1 2PIM 6SH 56.00EV 13.22PP 0.59SH 3ZPG
YTD NHL 10GP 1-3-4 -4 4PIM 11SH 136.45EV 22.14PP 5.22SH

Chorney was having a nice run at the NHL level until his injury. It looks like he’s really started to figure out that a defenseman should know how to play defence. He’s in the mix for a roster spot next year based on his NHL performance this year.

Brandon Davidson D Regina/WHL

FEB 13GP 1-12-13 -7 15PIM 3ZPG
YTD 63GP 8-41-49 -7 71PIM

I like Davidson. He doesn’t have draft pedigree, but knows how to play hockey. An awkwardly bad minus column keeps him from an A+ vote of confidence this month. If only he played on a real hockey team...

Martin Marincin D Prince George/WHL

FEB 14GP 1-7-8 -1 16PIM 7ZPG
YTD 59GP 13-39-52 -4 57PIM

I’d call this an improved month for the big Slovak rearguard, if only for the fact that he didn’t embarrass himself defensively again. The points are nice, but if he can’t play defence there’s no reason to get interested.

Johan Motin D Oklahoma/AHL

He’s injured. Apparently it’s upper-body.

Jeff Petry D Oklahoma/AHL

FEB AHL 6GP 0-3-3 +3 0PIM 11SH 4ZPG
YTD AHL 37GP 7-18-25 -5 16PIM 83SH
FEB NHL 7GP 0-0-0 -4 4PIM 3SH 111.16EV 11.43PP 12.15SH 7ZPG
YTD NHL 21GP 1-2-3 -4 6PIM 25SH 351.10EV 53.02PP 29.29SH

To say Petry had a bad February is the understatement of the year. Perhaps it was over-hype that led to our worrying about his play, but any way you shape it he had to be better than he was this month. I hope they keep him down in the AHL for the rest of the year so he can get his confidence back. He should be ready to go next year.

Alex Plante D Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 10GP 0-1-1 E 14PIM 12SH 9ZPG
YTD 56GP 1-10-11 +7 108PIM 54SH

Plante’s offence appears to have dried up at the AHL level, but it’s his +/- that leads me to believe he’ll have an NHL career. He’s been an effective blueliner this year.

Tyler Bunz G Medicine Hat/WHL

FEB 13GP .929SV% 2.40GAA 1SO
YTD 49GP .918SV% 2.53GAA 3SO

Bunz continues to stake his claim as the pipeline’s top goalie prospect with a workhorse month. He played in all but one game this month for the Tigers, including one relief appearance and was in most cases the team’s best player. I don’t think goalie development makes a lick of sense, but he seems the best of the bunch.

Bryan Pitton G Oklahoma/AHL

FEB 1GP 0.935SV% 1.85GAA
YTD 4GP 0.920SV% 2.46GAA

He played when Gerber was on recall to the Oilers. Numbers look good but aren’t apparently good enough to oust Jeff Deslauriers from his backup spot.

Olivier Roy G Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

FEB 10GP .922SV% 2.39GAA 1SO
YTD 40GP .907SV% 2.87GAA 2SO

Roy had a bounce-back month after regressing for what seemed like the entire season. A couple of ugly games, but like Bunz there were many where he had to bail his team out in order to win. He’s still alive, but I’m not 100% convinced he has NHL potential.

---------------------------
To note: I’ll be adding Colten Teubert to next month’s prospect statistics.

Trukhno sighting

In finding where Jordan Bendfeld's been playing the past month, I ran into an old Oilogosphere friend.

Slava Trukhno has been found. He's playing in the ECHL this year for the Bakersfield Condors. I'm quite shocked he didn't bugger off back to Russia the first chance he got after playing out his entry-level deal with the Oilers.

He appears to be doing quite well for himself in the ECHL, scoring at over a point-per-game pace with the Condors (36GP 9-31-40) and has even managed a brief re-call to the Peoria Rivermen, farm team of the St. Louis Blues (3GP 1-1-2).

It's a far cry from where many of us originally thought him to be at this stage in his professional career, but at least he's still doing what he enjoys.

As an additional note, March's prospect stats are compiled, I'll hopefully have them up soon.

WHL hockey night: Blades vs Tigers

I've got nothing to do tonight, so I've decided to sit back and watch some Dub hockey. Tonight's game is important for Oilers fans as it pits two of our top prospects against each other in Saskatoon's Curtis Hamilton and Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz.

I'm going to try a bit of live-blogging, with updates at the end of each period. We'll see what comes of it.

First Period:

17:40 Hamilton good entry, two smart passes for two SC.

16:00 Bunz holds post, strong pass around boards.

15:30 Hamilton block in defensive zone leads to two-on-one SC

11:35 Bunz is a god. Great positioning allows him to make approximately 4 saves in 2.3 seconds

6:55 Hamilton late on the backcheck, leads to GA

5:35 Bunz quick reaction save on a smart Saskatoon tip. Reflexes appear to be a strength

4:20 Bunz with smart clear of the puck to center ice

Second Period:

18:20 Game’s first penalty goes to the Tigers. Time to see what Bunz’s got.

18:10 Bunz flashing the glove hand

17:25 Bunz’s angles are solid on the PK here, directs the rebound calmly into the corner

11:00 Bunz barely avoids an own-goal. Stupid play by the Tigers defender

10:30 Curtis Hamilton drives wide. Shot blocked, Hamilton blown up by Hat defender. Hamilton calmly gets back up and continues offensive pressure for another 30 seconds.

9:25 Bunz beaten by a hell of a wrister blocker-high. Hard to fault Bunz on that one.

7:36 The Blades’ ball begins to roll and you can just tell the pace of the game has turned. Bunz beaten again and like before it’s no fault of his. Down and out on a second rebound opportunity. Someone’s gotta clear that puck.

7:13 Okay, Bunz should have had that one. Hamilton scores on what can be described as an average shot. Announcers are saying it was tipped but it didn’t look like it to me. Hamilton’s 19th of the campaign

5:05 Bunz, trying to stop the bleeding by himself, stands tall on yet another Blades PP.

Intermission interview with Curtis Hamilton. I missed the first part so there may have been a bit on the Oilers that I didn’t catch. From what I did:
- Chemistry developing with Schenn
- This year’s club similar to last year if a little younger, hard-working successful team
- WJC awesome experience

Third Period:

17:55 Hamilton out as one of Saskatoon’s primary PKers. Breaks up a pass and charges down the ice to create a great chance on a two-on-one

17:40 Only to be the last man back into the play for a MH powerplay goal. One step forward, two back.

16:25 Bunz with another 5-bell save, this time off Marek Viedensky wide open in the slot. He’s a crafty player, too bad he’s a Sharks draft pick

13:17 If Hamilton gets an assist on the fourth Blades goal, then I’ll start to question his ability to produce offense at the professional level.

13:10 He did.

11:30 Hamilton with another nice stick on the PK to create an odd-man rush with Schenn. He’s very dangerous with his ability to create turnovers at the point

2:35 Tigers score to put the game at 4-3 while on a two-man advantage. Interesting that draft-eligible Duncan Siemens is one of the Blades PKers in that situation.

1:15 2010 first rounder Emerson Etem gets the tying goal. Tyler Bunz should get the secondary assist with a great clearing pass to Linden Vey. Shorthanded to boot.

0:05 Bunz with the money save to maintain at least a single point. Got some help from his defenseman, who was able to sky the loose puck before it fell into the net.

Overtime:

1:04 Terrible way for Bunz to lose this game. Complete clusterfuck between goalie and defenseman leads to the Hamilton/Schenn tandem pouncing. Hamilton with the initial chance, Schenn with the slam-dunk.

---------------

I really wish I had the chance to see more junior hockey. That was a more entertaining game than half of the ones I've watched the Oilers slog through this year. Thinking on the Oilers prospects in this game, I found Curtis Hamilton to be around the puck all night long. A goal and two assists for the 2010 second rounder who has all the makings of a future NHLer. Tyler Bunz had an up and down kind of game. He was completely unflappable for the first half of the game, only to let in three goals in rather quick succession before getting back on his horse. I like his puck skills and his ability to be square to the shooter, but he'll need to see a lot more rubber before he's a finished product.

The announcers commented before the game started that Tyler Pitlick will be missing his third straight game, possibly due to injury. If the Tigers play this well without him in the line-up, they're surely to go far in the playoffs with a healthy #7 on the bench.

Prospect Statistics: January

This month sees the majority of our prospects keeping with the status quo, which means we might have finally reached an established level of productivity to measure our final months against. The prospects who have a shot at the next level should begin to elevate their game for the stretch run to the playoffs, while the also-rans will begin to taper out.

Cameron Abney RW Edmonton/WHL

JAN 12GP 1-5-6 +3 46PIM 8ZPG
YTD 38GP 4-6-10 E 72PIM

Abney saw a resurgence in his game during the early part of January, both in terms of offensive production and overall nastiness. Edmonton was an improved team over this stretch and the offensive production was well spread out. However he ended the month not playing in Edmonton’s last game of January for reasons currently not known to me. He was 0-fer in his previous three games, so either he’s trying to shake a nagging injury or the coach found a better option again.

Phil Cornet RW Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 13GP 4-4-8 +7 0PIM 28SH 8ZPG
YTD 36GP 4-8-12 +4 4PIM 52SH

This month’s breakout player caught lightning in a bottle when placed on a line with fellow prospects Milan Kytnar and Teemu Hartikainen. Cornet stepped it up in the absence of Liam Reddox and Linus Omark in a big way. I’ve been harping on the first year pro to force the coaches hands more often and with a month like this you know he’s going to get added responsibility heading towards the playoffs.

Drew Czerwonka LW Kootenay/WHL

JAN 12GP 2-8-10 +3 33PIM 5 ZPG
YTD 46GP 12-21-33 +9 72PIM

Another solid month for a guy thought of as an afterthought on draft day. I didn’t think this pace was sustainable but the kid’s got it going on. He’s doing most of his damage at even strength (1-7-8) which is a good sign that the offense is translatable to a higher level, but the fact he’s playing on a dominant team might play against him. We wait for him to come back down to Earth, but he’s enjoying the view.

Robby Dee C Maine/NCAA

JAN 7GP 1-4-5 -3 10PIM 16SH 2 ZPG
YTD 26GP 9-15-24 +3 20PIM 63SH

The senior Dee continues along at his established pace. He’s not killing it, but neither is he losing his focus. I haven’t been able to consistently find his faceoff numbers from game-to-game, but expect they’re still hovering around his established 60%. He’s one of the main offensive producers on his team, alongside the Hobey Baker candidate (and Detroit pick) Gustav Nyquist, but needs to pick up the pace to earn a contract. He’s no spring chicken.

Jordan Eberle RW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 1GP 0-0-0 E 4:51EV
YTD 37GP 9-14-23 -4 4PIM 76SH 673:39TOI 539.34EV 89.63PP 45:13SH

Eberle was injured for basically the entire month of January. It’s going to affect his development, the only question is going to be; how badly? We wait.

Taylor Hall LW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 13GP 4-5-9 -3 6PIM 39SH 249:14TOI 207:20EV 41:54PP 7ZPg
YTD 49GP 16-15-31 -10 14PIM 139SH 899:54TOI 667:51EV 130:31PP 1:32SH

Taylor Hall’s progression has reached the level where he’s one of the Oilers’ main offensive catalysts. He’s firmly established his presence in the Top-6 but isn’t exactly handling the league’s best yet. He’s got room to grow but has ages to do it in. A wonderful player.

Curtis Hamilton LW Saskatoon/WHL

JAN 9GP 1-10-11 +5 4PIM
YTD 40GP 16-37-53 +32 10PIM

Hamilton spent the first portion of the month playing for Canada and as he’s proven in Saskatoon he is a versatile player. Beginning as a PK specialist and 4th liner, Hamilton ended up entrenched within the Top-6 and was contributing offensively. Upon his return to Saskatoon he was able to pick up where he left off, but his performance is troubling to me. Going back his last 16 games, he has only a single goal for his efforts (16 assists). Is this a sign that he’s becoming less comfortable shooting, or that he’s become a playmaker instead of a scorer? Regardless of that, expect the Blades to be the team to beat in the WHL this year, as the acquisition of Brayden Schenn adds another bullet to the chamber. Let’s hope his reputation as a high-end WHL playmaker allows Hamilton more opportunities to score.

Teemu Hartikainen RW Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 15GP 4-10-14 +8 4PIM 30SH 6ZPG
YTD 49GP 14-18-32 -1 29PIM 90SH

Hartikainen’s getting a lot of love around the Oilogosphere of late and while it’s nice to see him finally crack AHL pitching, I’d like to temper some of those feelings a touch. He’s still not the consistent offensive presence the basic boxcars would suggest. Of his 14 January points, 9 came in 4 games (three 2-point games, one 3-point effort), while impressive, I’d prefer to see a little more regularity. Maybe it’s just me nit-picking on one aspect of his game, but I’d like to see another month like this. A positive note is his improved defensive play. After going -11 over the first two months, he’s countered that nicely with +10 over DEC/JAN. A very strong arrow in the right direction for the big Finn.

Kellen Jones W Quinnipiac/NCAA

JAN 8GP 1-6-7 +6 2PIM 17SH 3 ZPG
YTD 29GP 5-15-20 +2 29PIM 61SH

Jones picked up the pace in January and so did his team. He’s one of his team’s top scorers and is out-scoring his brother at this stage. I’d like to see more shots on net, but with so little to go on in terms of knowledge of NCAA hockey, I’d say he’s progressing.

Milan Kytnar C Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 4-4-8 +9 6PIM 17SH 8ZPG
YTD 48GP 6-10-16 +2 14PIM 44SH

If this is what happens when you give Kytnar average linemates, you have to wonder what he’d do with Alex Giroux. Another player to have immediate results upon the call-ups of Reddox and Omark, Kytnar has showm himself capable of increased responsibility at the AHL level. The depth of the OKC roster is strong though, so when the eventual assignments from Edmonton come, Kytnar will be back with the dregs. This might be the high-point of Kytnar’s debut pro season.

Anton Lander C Timra/SEL

JAN 9GP 1-6-7 -4 6PIM 20SH 169:57TOI 2 ZPG
YTD 38GP 8-13-21 -5 28PIM 74SH 692.10 TOI

Lander returned to the Timra line-up from a disappointing tournament for Sweden (not particularly Lander, but the Swedes as a whole) at the world juniors, and two things happened. For one, he appears to be cheating towards offense and his two-way game is suffering, and two he’s getting increased ice-time including powerplay time (1-3-4 in January). He’s trending well offensively (he’s currently riding a 5 game point streak) and is being used in different roles on the team (he’s being listed as 3rd C, 3rd RW and 1st LW in January). In short, he’s become a versatile player and is working on adding an offensive touch. He’ll be ready to step over to North America next year and won’t be long in the minor-pro levels, if at all.

Ryan Martindale C Ottawa/OHL

JAN 12GP 7-8-15 +4 0PIM 3 ZPG
YTD 45GP 27-36-63 +27 18PIM

Martindale’s still putting up big numbers, but he’s far from the only one on the 67s to be doing that. Along with line-mates Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli, the 67s have recently had more players step it up offensively. The names Lindsay, Ceci, Nesbitt and Mohanen are gracing the stats sheets as often as Martindale’s is. While it’s nice to have some friendly competition among teammates, Martindale’s history of, well, lazy play might become a factor. If others are producing, does Ryan still have to put forth 100% effort for the team to continue to win? Maybe we’ll find out in February.

Linus Omark W Edmonton/NHL

JAN AHL 2GP 1-4-5 +1 4PIM 5 SH 0 ZPG
YTD AHL 28GP 14-15-29 +7 32PIM 72SH

JAN NHL 12GP 2-2-4 -6 8PIM 29SH 192:07TOI 159:03EV 32:04PP
YTD NHL 20GP 3-6-9 -7 12PIM 36SH 294.29TOI 244.17EV 49.12PP

Omark continues to piss me off by getting sent down and re-called, so I am required to count and present statistics for two leagues, the bastard. Unfortunately, Omark did not has as successful a January as he did a December, possibly stemming from unfamiliarity with his linemates (he was with his AHL buddies for most of December). I would have hoped he could have stepped up in Eberle’s (and Hemsky’s) absences but it wasn’t to be. He’s doing a lot of things right, but most nights you can tell he’s a rookie.

Magnus Paajarvi LW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 12GP 2-3-5 -1 2PIM 28SH 195.04TOI 170.18EV 24.39PP 0.07SH
YTD 47GP 9-13-19 E 12PIM 95SH 695.20TOI 628.11EV 65.25PP 1.41SH

Young Magnus continues to move at a very similar pace. He’s not improving by my eye, nor is he drowning. His minutes have improved in the absence of Eberle, but who knows what’s going to happen when Jordan draws back into the line-up. I hate to say it but the scouting reports saying he’s not much of a scorer are starting to ring true. He continues to impress with his defensive prowess though, which is something you don’t often see in a teenager.

Tyler Pitlick RW Medicine Hat/WHL

JAN 11GP 5-9-14 +1 4PIM 3ZPG
YTD 44GP 20-30-50 +3 27PIM

Pitlick is beginning to put up some impressive offensive numbers, but the manner he’s scoring them is concerning to me. Half his points this month (1-6-7) came via the powerplay, an area I don’t see him getting much opportunity at higher levels. He’s also still not developing any impressive two-way ability, as evidenced by his mediocre +/-. I had expected more from a collegiate athlete in this regard this year, as he’d been playing against men rather effectively last year. He might be a bit more of a long-term prospect than we first believed. Didn’t dress in MH’s last two games of the month, possible injury.

Kristians Pelss RW Edmonton/WHL

JAN 13GP 3-3-6 E 2PIM 8ZPG
YTD 43GP 7-12-19 +8 19PIM

Bet nobody saw this coming from the Latvian when he was drafted, myself included. I believe the line I used over at Lowetide was “Even if he’s the Latvian Wayne Gretzky, why bother?” Well I’ll admit my mistake and submit that this was a very good use of a 7th round pick. Pelss seems to have caught on to the WHL game and has started to flash some offensive chops. He’s become an everyday player and even getting some powerplay time.

Toni Rajala RW Ilves/SM-Liiga

JAN 8GP 1-3-4 +2 0PIM 38SH 109.29 TOI 4ZPG
YTD 30GP 7-9-16 -3 4PIM 143SH

Despite a rather pedestrian World Juniors, Toni Rajala may be turning a corner in Finland. He’s becoming a more consistent offensive performer and appears to be improving his two-way game. Now if only he could be earning more ice-time, we’d be laughing. Fun fact, Jesse Niinimaki is playing almost twice as much per game as Rajala, something’s not right there. Rajala’s challenge now is to take some of those minutes from a failed prospect. I suggest borrowing one of those nice rifles he’s been busy shining and drilling with during his “down time”.

Chris VandeVelde C Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 15GP 2-0-2 -7 8PIM 23SH 13ZPG
YTD 48GP 7-4-11 -14 32PIM 62SH

Ouch. VandeVelde is failing in his prescribed role (shutdown C) in the AHL, and he’s failing spectacularly. One wonders if some time in the ECHL is approaching?

Jordan Bendfeld D Oklahoma AHL

JAN 7GP 0-0-0 -3 12PIM 2SH 7ZPG
YTD 13GP 0-0-0 +1 28PIM 7SH

Bendfeld is still alive and kicking, long after I had written him off for dead. It’s nice to see, but he’s not really bringing anything to the table other than a warm body. Then again, it could be worse. And it does appear to be worse, at least for one prospect, because he’s playing and they’re not.

Jeremie Blain D Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

JAN 12 GP 0-11-11 +8 16PIM 5Hits 20SH 5ZPG
YTD 22GP 1-19-20 +13 28PIM 10Hits 31SH

The Titan are a completely different team with Blain in the line-up. On most nights if they’re scoring at even-strength it’s usually involving Blain in some form or another, putting up 9 of his 11 assists 5-on-5. I think it’s safe to say now that his injury problem has passed and we’re free to enjoy night after night of offensive prowess from Blain.

Kyle Bigos D Merrimack/NCAA

JAN 4GP 0-0-0 -1 23PIM 6SH 4ZPG
YTD 19GP 0-4-4 +1 65PIM 36SH

I think Bigos is injured, as nothing else explains his 4-game absence at the end of January. Granted he’s not doing well of late, but I’d expect Merrimack would rather have their policeman in the line-up than eating popcorn if they had their druthers.

Taylor Chorney D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN AHL 8GP 1-3-4 -4 2PIM 13SH 4ZPG
YTD AHL 42GP 3-13-16 +1 18PIM 64SH

JAN NHL 6GP 0-2-2 -3 2PIM 5SH 4ZPG

A January that saw Chorney recalled to the big club was a nice reward for a prospect who was in dire straits last year. It should be viewed as a testament to just how far he’s come since last year, when he couldn’t even play defence at the AHL level. He may have not had as productive a cup of coffee as the other young blueliner, but it’s a step forward. He’s still scoring basically all his points on the powerplay, but I didn’t expect him to be an outscorer.

Brandon Davidson D Regina/WHL

JAN 13GP 2-4-6 +4 24PIM
YTD 50GP 7-29-35 E 56PIM

I’m a fan of Brandon Davidson and am cheering like hell for him. The nice thing about Davidson is he’s backing my fandom up with solid play. He’s putting up a nice point total and he’s turning his +/- around. He’s also playing on a bad team (has there even been a “good” Regina team?”, so his stats are all that more impressive to me.

Troy Hesketh

He’s in very big trouble as a hockey player. For one, there are reports he refused to report to his new club after being traded from Chicago of the USHL. Those reports have been denied, but speaks to the character of someone described as very “prima donna”, and “selfish”. Secondly, he’s suffered a concussion which has prevented him from playing since early December. Lastly, he’s lost his scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, due to academic ineligibility. Things are not looking well for the Minnetonka native at all. I’ll have more on the situation as it presents itself, but I think Guy Flaming will scoop me at his wonderful blog.

Martin Marincin D Prince George/WHL

JAN 12GP 2-7-9 -9 4PIM 5ZPG
YTD 45GP 12-32-44 -3 41PIM

Should we start worrying about Marincin? He’s getting killed defensively, but still putting up points. Personally, I place a little more emphasis on the defensive side of hockey for blueliners, so I am concerned that Marincin’s development is hitting a wall. If a defenseman can’t play defence, there’s not much positive to say about him.

Johan Motin D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 5GP 0-0-0 +1 2PIM 3SH 5ZPG
YTD 34GP 1-3-4 -8 25PIM 29SH

Oklahoma played 15 games this past month. If you only draw into the line-up once every three games you know you’re in trouble as a prospect. To add insult to injury, Motin lost his spot to the aforementioned Jordan Bendfeld. Not good. He might be back in Sweden next year.

Jeff Petry D Edmonton/NHL

JAN 12GP 1-1-2 +2 2PIM 18SH 259.07TOI 206.01EV 37.17PP 15.49SH 10ZPG
YTD 14GP 1-2-3 E 2PIM 22SH 298.27TOI 239.54EV 41.19PP 17.14SH

Jeff Petry has arrived at the NHL level and I don’t think he’s ever going to look back. He’s playing big minutes, PP minutes, SH minutes, veteran minutes. Edmonton desperately needs a guy like Petry to be that all-around minute muncher, especially having lost Ryan Whitney possibly for the season. His point totals are low considering his history of being a point producer, but that’s really splitting hairs.

Alex Plante D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 14GP 0-4-4 +3 28PIM 12SH 10ZPG
YTD 46GP 1-9-10 +7 94PIM 42SH

Plante had a solid month by anyone’s standards, but it’s even more impressive given the lack of Jeff Petry on the Barons’ blueline. He continues to show good defensive ability, and his combination of size and toughness should earn him a second cup of coffee in Edmonton in as many years.

Tyler Bunz G Medicine Hat/WHL

JAN 10GP 90.3 SV% 2.86GAA 7W 3L
YTD 36GP 91.2 SV% 2.58GAA

Bunz has replaced Olivier Roy as the Oilers top goaltender prospect in my eyes, but it’s more because of Roy’s shortcomings than Bunz doing anything special. Bunz has been okay throughout January, but nothing spectacular. He’s winning, which is good, but his stats were off his season averages. That may be the result of an extraordinary December though. Goalies are witchcraft.

Bryan Pitton G Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 1GP 96.8 SV% 1.01GAA 1W
YTD 3GP 91.5 SV% 2.68GAA

He played, but that was because Gerber needed a night off and Jeff Deslauriers was playing in Europe for Canada’s Spengler Cup entry. Nothing to write home about here.

Olivier Roy G Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

JAN 9GP 89.7 SV% 3.21GAA 7W 2L
YTD 30GP 90.2 SV% 3.03GAA

Olivier Roy’s getting a lot of underserved accolades from the Oilogosphere, but I’m not buying what they’re selling. I see a goalie being picked up by a strong offensive team, not having to single-handedly win a game for the team. His stats have been declining steadily as the season progresses, not to mention losing his role as starter for Team Canada. I really don’t think there’s much here.

Prospect Statistics: December

This is Troy Hesketh. A month ago he was a hockey player. Now? Well, we don’t exactly know what he is, other than an American teenager. December has seen a number of our prospects deviate negatively from their normal production values. It has also seen a number of them participate for their respective countries in the biggest tournament for junior-aged talent.

*EDIT* I've added in the totals for Davidson and Marincin.

Cameron Abney RW Edmonton/WHL

DEC: 2 GP 0-0-0 +1 0PIM 2 ZPG
YTD: 26GP 3-1-4 -3 26PIM

I didn’t see anything to suggest that Abney was injured, so we’ve got to assume that he just isn’t a good enough player to be in the line-up for Edmonton anymore as a regular player. If his December performance continues to the New Year, I’d be shocked if he was awarded a contract at the end of this year by the Oilers

Phil Cornet W Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 8GP 0-2-2 0 2PIM 12SH 6ZPG
YTD: 23GP 0-4-4 -3 4PIM 24SH

Cornet’s games came at a time when Linus Omark was playing with the Oilers. He’s clearly not among the 12 best AHL forwards on most given nights. He’s shooting more which is a nice sign but sooner or later he’s going to have to force the coach to play him more.

Drew Czerwonka LW Kootenay/WHL

DEC: 11GP 3-8-11 +7 13PIM 3 ZPG
YTD: 34GP 10-13-23 +6 39PIM

Another great month for the 2010 6th rounder. Kootenay is one of the best teams in the WHL this year and Czerwonka is providing complimentary offense to the more well-known scorers. What really impresses me is his dedication to the defensive side of hockey in December, only in two of his 11 games was he a minus player. He’s getting some powerplay time as well (1-2-3 in December), and it stands to reason that he’s got the trust of his coaching staff.

Robby Dee C Maine/NCAA

DEC: 6GP 3-4-7 +2 6PIM 11SH 1ZPG
YTD: 19GP 8-11-19 +6 10PIM 47SH

Robby Dee has become my darkhorse candidate for prospect of the year. He’s a lot older than most, but he’s performing in a very tough league. For some reason, my usual source material didn’t have his faceoff percentages for any December games. He’s contributing on the powerplay (2 goals) and at even strength while scoring at a very consistent pace. The only downside is his schedule, which has been extremely light the past two months, playing in only 11 games.

Jordan Eberle RW Edmonton/NHL

DEC: 13GP 5-3-8 0 0PIM 35SH 8ZPG
YTD: 36GP 9-14-23 -4 4PIM 76SH

Eberle rebounded from a goalless November to put up a very respectable 8 points this month. He’s still got that defensive awareness that also eluded him in November and has rekindled his chemistry with Taylor Hall. He’ll be a treat to watch all season long.

Taylor Hall LW Edmonton/NHL

DEC: 13GP 6-4-10 -2 2PIM 45SH 6ZPG
YTD: 12-10-22 -7 8PIM 100SH

A very productive month for Edmonton’s youngest Oiler. He’s found his stroke and is burying goals from everywhere. His shot totals lead all of the Oilers rookies by a wide margin, and is contributing both on the powerplay (2 goals) and at even strength.

Curtis Hamilton LW Saskatoon/WHL

DEC: 5GP 0-5-5 +1 0PIM
YTD: 31GP 15-27-42 +27 6PIM

Hamilton’s December with Saskatoon was “interrupted” with a trip to Buffalo with Team Canada’s U-20 entry in the WJC. He made the team as a 3/4line player but ended up contributing much more than that. He impressed me with his ability to fit various roles for Coach Cameron, from PK specialist to top-line winger. While it wasn’t his most productive month in the Dub, his contributions to Team Canada more than make up for that.

Teemu Hartikainen RW Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 11GP 3-4-7 +2 8PIM 13SH 6ZPG
YTD: 34GP 10-8-18 -9 25PIM 60SH

Hartikainen was the player elevated to Top-6 minutes with the departure of Linus Omark to Edmonton and the big Finn was more than capable of picking up the slack. Not only did he contribute at even-strength (1 PP assist in DEC) but he showed that he’s capable of keeping the opposition off the score sheet as well. It looks like Oklahoma won’t be missing Omark all that much with Hartikainen around.

Kellen Jones W Quinnipiac/NCAA

DEC: 6GP 0-5-5 -3 2PIM 14SH 2 ZPG
YTD: 21GP 4-9-13 -4 27PIM 44SH

After a November to forget, Jones is back finding the score sheet, but the majority of his points (3 assists) are coming with the man advantage. He’s struggling to keep opposing teams from scoring and the team is losing games. The Jones twins are basically the Quinnipiac offense, so as Jones goes, so do the Bobcats.

Milan Kytnar C Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 11GP 1-2-3 0 2PIM 10SH 8ZPG
YTD: 33GP 2-6-8 -7 8PIM 27SH

Kytnar’s still putting up modest point totals, but he’s found his shut-down game again, which is good news for the Barons. Seen as more of a defensive specialist, Kytnar will need to continue this positive trend in his +/- if he’s to move up the organizational depth chart.

Anton Lander C Timra/SEL

DEC: 5GP 1-1-2 -3 4PIM 14SH 87.57 TOI 3 ZPG
YTD: 29GP 7-7-14 -1 22PIM 54SH 522.13 TOI

Lander’s December began with a promotion to the second-line for Timra and he delivered to mixed results. He scored his two points in games where he was on the 2-line, but he also contributed his -3 rating during those games. He also captained Team Sweden at the WJC tournament in Buffalo, where he is the top-line center and skating with talented players like the draft-eligible Gabriel Landeskog and Patrik Cehlin. A good month for Lander.

Ryan Martindale C Ottawa/OHL

DEC: 6GP 3-5-8 +2 0PIM 2 ZPG
YTD: 33GP 20-28-48 +23 18PIM

Martindale missed some time at the beginning of December due to injury, but it hasn’t slowed down his torrid offensive pace. He’s contributing both at even-strength and on the PP (1-2-3) but wasn’t invited to Team Canada’s tryout camp which is somewhat distressing to me. He’s obviously scoring well enough to be invited and he’s a large mammal capable of getting physical. Let’s hope Martindale takes this the right way and dedicates himself to making the cut next year, instead of sulking.

Linus Omark W Edmonton/NHL

DEC AHL: 3GP 1-2-3 +1 0PIM 5SH 2 ZPG
YTD AHL: 26GP 13-11-24 +6 28PIM 67SH
DEC NHL: 8GP 1-4-5 -1 4PIM 7SH 102.22 TOI 5ZPG

Damn Swede, making my life difficult trying to Excel two separate leagues. No matter, as Omark’s season has taken a turn for the better with his recall to Edmonton. He’s brought his crafty talents and dogged determination with him, but is still a very streaky scorer in both leagues. He should push for increased ice-time with Edmonton, and may not see the AHL again this year.

Magnus Paajarvi LW Edmonton/NHL

DEC: 13GP 2-6-8 +5 4PIM 26SH 192.03 TOI 7 ZPG
YTD: 35GP 4-10-14 +1 10PIM 67SH 500.16 TOI

Magnus rebounded from his November O-fer in dramatic fashion this month, putting up points and earning increased ice time. His +5 is a testament to his defensive acumen and speed, as he’s consistently the first forward back in the defensive zone to take care of his assignments. His shot totals are also improving, which should bring good things in the New Year.

Tyler Pitlick RW Medicine Hat/WHL

DEC: 11GP 4-9-13 -2 4PIM 2 ZPG
YTD: 33GP 15-21-36 +2 23PIM

That Pitlick didn’t earn an invitation to Team USA’s tryout camp is more an indication of USA’s increased depth than it is a factor of Pitlick’s season, as I discussed previously. Pitlick was without one of his team’s leading lights (Linden Vey or Emerson Etem) for the final six games of December’s schedule, but that didn’t stop him from amassing a 9-game scoring streak (broken the last game of December) during that stretch. He’s putting up good numbers at even-strength with only four powerplay assists in December, but I thought he’d have figured out the defensive side of the WHL by now.

Kristians Pelss RW Edmonton/WHL

DEC: 5GP 2-3-5 +6 5PIM 2ZPG
YTD: 30GP 4-9-13 +8 17PIM

Who saw this coming? Seriously. Pelss has become an every-day player for Edmonton and respresented his home country of Latvia in the Division-1 U-20 WJCs, helping them to a gold-medal finish. Upon his return to Edmonton he promptly put up a multi-point effort. He’s finally earning the trust of the coaching staff (well, at least he’s being trusted more than Cameron Abney, hah), and is making things happen. Not bad for a kid even the internet hadn’t heard of on draft-day.

Toni Rajala RW Ilves/SM-Liiga

DEC: 5GP 1-2-3 +2 2PIM 28SH 82.38 TOI 3ZPG
YTD: 22GP 6-6-12 -5 4PIM 105SH 336.03 TOI

Rajala’s season isn’t going as well as some might have hoped, but they fail to remember that the SM-Liiga is a very good league full of men and Jesse Niinimaki. Okay, the last part may not be exactly endearing, but the fact remains Rajala is keeping his head above water juggling professional hockey and Finland’s dated tradition of mandatory military service. Between those two things he’s also managing to moonlight for Team Finland in Buffalo. He’s a very busy man this year, so credit where it’s due. He’s shooting from everywhere this year to some success and is starting to be more defensively responsible.

Chris VandeVelde C Oklanoma/AHL

DEC: 11GP 1-1-2 -1 10PIM 16SH 9ZPG
YTD: 33GP 4-5-9 -7 24PIM 39SH

We didn’t expect VandeVelde to bring his much talked-about offense from the NCAA to the professional ranks, and December seems to follow that logic. He’s been put in a shut-down role on the Barons and is fairing adequately by indications of +/- this month. I don’t know what more to expect from one of the Oilers’ oldest prospects, but it’s not as if he’s putting up the numbers to warrant a call-up.

Jordan Bendfeld D Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 6GP 0-0-0 +4 16PIM 5SH 6ZPG

Bendfeld is seeing his first AHL action of the season in December. That’s a bit of a tell as to how far down the organizational depth chart he is. For what it’s worth, he doesn’t appear to be in over his head this time. He’s playing the role of policeman well and isn’t getting killed in the defensive zone. To me, he seems to be earning more and more game action.

Jeremie Blain D Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

DEC: 8GP 1-7-8 +5 10PIM 0 HITS 1ZPG
YTD: 10GP 1-8-9 +5 12PIM 5 HITS

He’s finally back and healthy. I almost forgot he was capable of blueline offense, but I guess when we don’t hear from a prospect for a while we tend to forget about him. His return is a rejuvenating shot in the arm for the Titan as he is a leader on this team (assistant captain) and a valuable offensive weapon. Stay healthy kid.

Kyle Bigos D Merrimack/NCAA

DEC: 2GP 0-0-0 0 4PIM 10SH 2ZPG
YTD: 15GP 0-4-4 +2 42PIM 30SH

Merrimack played 3 games in December. Bigos didn’t do much in two of them. Moving on...

Taylor Chorney D Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 11GP 2-3-5 +1 6PIM 14SH 8ZPG
YTD: 34GP 2-10-12 +5 16PIM 51SH

Chorney isn’t quite the offensive defenseman he was thought to be anymore, but appears to have morphed himself into a serviceable depth option for an NHL team. He’s still putting up a lot of his points on the powerplay (2 assists of 5 points this month), but it’s still a respectable total for a blueliner. He’s a bit streaky with his points though, as two of his games contributed four of his points.

Brandon Davidson D Regina/WHL

DEC: 10GP 1-4-5 +3 4PIM 5 ZPG
YTD: 37GP 5-25-30 -4 32PIM

Another month of solid offensive contribution for Davidson. What's more impressive is his +/- is starting to take a turn for the better. He's rounding into form and might be an option at the next level if he can prove adequate defensively.

Troy Hesketh D Chicago/USHL

DEC: 2GP 0-0-0 -2 2PIM 1SH
YTD: 23GP 0-0-0 -11 30PIM 8SH

More of the same from Hesketh here. What’s more is that he appears to have had a falling-out with his team. There are rumours he’s been dealt, but nothing official as of yet. Deal or no deal, I think his hockey scholarship to Wisconsin might be in jeopardy.

Martin Marincin D Prince George/WHL

DEC: 7GP 1-4-5 +1 2PIM
YTD: 33GP 10-25-35 +6 37PIM

Marincin continues his impressive season and earned a place on the Slovak Junior squad for the second straight year. There's really not much to say here that hasn't been said before, Marincin is a WHL stud.

Johan Motin D Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 10GP 0-1-1 -7 8PIM 9SH 9ZPG
YTD: 29GP 1-3-4 -9 26PIM 23SH

Motin’s a tough nut to crack this year, as he’s been wildly inconsistent from month to month. This was not one of his good periods as he didn’t score and his ability to play defence went in the tank. HS’d once in December he may be losing playing time to Bendfeld or a veteran AHLer sometime soon.

Jeff Petry D Oklahoma/AHL

DEC AHL: 8GP 3-5-8 +1 4PIM 24SH 3ZPG
YTD AHL: 31GP 7-15-22 -8 16PIM 72SH
DEC NHL: 2GP 0-1-1 -2 0PIM 4SH 1ZPG

The development of Jeff Petry took a strong upward spike this month, and may not plateau out for a while. He’s fixed his defensive shortcomings, as evidenced by his much improved +/-, while still putting up above-average point totals. He’s earned his way to the NHL club and didn’t look out of place in his two-game stint. Edmonton needs a player of Petry’s skill-set dearly at this point with Ryan Whitney’s injury troubles. The former Michigan State Spartan may have earned his way into an NHL job for the next decade.

Alex Plante D Oklahoma/AHL

DEC: 10GP 0-0-0 +2 10PIM 8SH 10ZPG
YTD: 32GP 1-5-6 +4 66PIM 30SH

Plante continues to improve towards mastering AHL offenses, but it came at the expense of his ability to produce his own offence this month. No matter though, as Plante fits a niche market attractive to many NHL minds. He’s a big body, he likes to hurt people, and is improving his mobility. A very real option for recall at any time and might not be in the AHL for much longer.

Tyler Bunz G Medicine Hat/WHL

DEC: 9GP 6W3L .923SV% 2.28GAA 1SO
YTD: 26GP 17W7L .916SV% 2.47GAA 2SO

Bunz continues to improve on his stats and has taken control of the #1goalie duties for MH. In his one relief appearance this month, he stonewalled the opposing team for the last 37 minutes of the game, allowing his team to come from behind to win. I’m starting to become a fan of Bunz’s and think he was well worth the investment of a 5th round pick. When he loses he tends to lose in spectacular fashion, we’re not talking a 2-1 loss here, he’ll need to cut down on that to be taken seriously.

Bryan Pitton G Oklahoma/AHL

Pitton did not play a game in December, even with Jeff Deslauriers on loan to Team Canada’s Spengler Cup entry.

Olivier Roy G Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

DEC: 3GP 2W1L 0.883SV% 3.38GAA
YTD: 21GP 0.904SV% 2.95GAA 1SO

Regardless of his inconsistent play, Roy was named to Team Canada’s squad in Buffalo. He’s been going downhill since November now, and hasn’t exactly been stellar for Team Canada thusfar. Is he cracking under pressure, or are holes in his game starting to show through at the highest level? I think we should be concerned about our #1 goalie prospect, he’s close to being passed by Tyler Bunz in my opinion.

Beware the Latvians

I’m almost done with the December prospect statistics. Seriously I am. It just so happens that I got distracted on something peculiar.

I noticed when compiling the stats for our WHL prospects that something was amiss. There was a long stretch of games where both of our Edmonton Oil Kings prospects were not playing in any games. I can understand one of the two missing a game here and there, because Cameron Abney really has lost his way as a hockey player, but for both Abney and Pelss to be out indefinitely? Something’s up here.

And sure enough, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for both of them missing time. Abney for the aforementioned horrendous play, and Pelss for a much better reason.

He was helping his home country of Latvia win their way back to the spotlight of International Junior Hockey. Team Latvia, along with the Danes will be back in their place as Canada’s doormat next year in Calgary/Edmonton, both having won their way back as champions of the 2010 U-20 Division 1 Championship.

Our own Kristians Pelss was a leading light on his team, coming in tied for 4th in team scoring as an 18-year old. His final totals of 5GP 2-2-4 aren’t anything flashy but his PIM total of 31 is easily the highest on his team. He must have a bit of agitator in him to garner that kind of statistic. The team lead in points went to a 19-year old player, and fittingly so as this is primarily a tournament for upperclassmen, but Pelss’ respectable showing bodes well for his country’s team and his club team back in Canada. If he can step up his scoring prowess for Edmonton it’ll go a long way in raising his stock within the Oilers’ organization.

As the story unfortunately goes in the promotion/relegation of countries on a year-to-year basis as is the way in the IIHF’s current format, Latvia (and Denmark) will go from champions one year to likely cannon-fodder in 2011. It isn’t the greatest format, and one I’d certainly like to see changed (relegated top-tier teams and promoted Div1 teams should square off pre-tournament to determine who plays in which division, in my humble opinion), but that’s not for the here and now. Coming to Latvia’s aid next year is the fact that Pelss will be one year older and still eligible for the tournament, as will some kid by the name of Zemgus Girgensons, who played in this year’s tourney as a 17-year old and put up 4-3-7 over the five games. He’ll likely be the go-to guy next year, with Pelss riding shotgun as all the other top-10 scorers from this year will not be eligible in 2011.

So congratulations to Kristians Pelss and the rest of Team Latvia. Next year? Get ready for the pain.

I'm not dead yet

To those wondering when I'm going to get off my ass and get December's stats up, sorry.

I just got my laptop back from it's tour of hell (AKA the techie) for the second goddamned time in two months. Stats should be up in a day or two.