For the very first time I got to enjoy some of the action in St Albert. Two whole days worth. The event was extremely well presented and the hockey was, as expected, marvelous. (Sorry Edmonton, but I have no interest in returning:-) The few comments I would offer first relate to the two most highly touted 98’s from Alberta, Benson and Clague. From the wet coast it is easy to imagine that a lot of the hype around these players is overblown.
It is not.
While I was mightily impressed by both, I’d have to say that I was most impressed with Clague. If only because I was so surprised that he is, as I’d been told by others, an even better prospect than Fabbro and Barberis from BWC. The gap is not huge mind you, but it is there. I’ve seen the two Bruins play plenty the past two years and I believe both should go in the Top 10. They are both that good.
Clague? Despite Benson’s off-the-charts point total, Clague could very well go first overall.
As for Benson, he is pretty much as advertised. I have seen nobody to match him in BC.
I start with these remarks for the benefit of my fellow British Columbians who, like me, might have been wondering about all the hype. It’s legit folks. That much I can tell you.
Okay. After all those nice things being said about Albertans, I am happy to point out that NSWC won the Championship!!! Not a shocker to me, as I honestly believed either of the two Winter Clubs would win it all. Maybe that’s my BC bias.
Now onto our BC boys.
Quinn Benjafield was tremendous for the Hawks. Color me stupid for not having given this player his full due before. He is a Top 5 BC Forward for me now.
I’ve always been a Dante Hanooun booster, and I’m sure he opened some eyes in St Albert. (It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.)
Tyson Jost remains my #1 BC Forward and should now be on every WHL Top 10 list. He certainly should be ahead of any other BC Forwards.
Jake Kryski showed well by my observation and a few other accounts, but Jaeger White keeps slipping. (Forgive me for boasting but I called that early on.)
Beck Malenstyn is the Forward who moved up the most on my ranking since the start of the season, but he was essentially a non-factor. And taking up the slack for OHA? Davis Koch.
Now, I could tell another Little House on the Prairie story about how this young athlete is courageously succeeding despite off-ice turmoil, but those details are not for public consumption and would only be trivialized or disparaged by some on this board. In other words, I will not again cast pearls before swine. Suffice to say, “Well done Davis!”. I can assure you, your performance was noticed by many.
Any thoughts on the Saskatchewan and Manitoba prospects at the event?
I was keen to see Kubic, the goalie from Winnipeg who gets a lot of press. And he looked solid technically and very quick … posted a shutout on something like 30 shots, so it was earned. But I didn’t see anything to put him head-and-shoulders above my top 3 or 4 from BC. Indeed, the Alberta goalie (sorry, don’t have his name) matched Kubic’s shutout performance in that game. It was a rare 0-0 tie.
Sam Steel is another player I’d heard lots about so I wanted to watch him … but he was a non-factor that game and I’ve since been told he was playing hurt and didn’t play at all the rest of the tourney. Would have liked to see him at 100%.
Only other player I noticed in that contest was on D … number 2, and I can’t remember his name either and can’t find it in my notes, sorry. But he was noteworthy.
From the Monarchs I noticed Ferber and Theissen … and that’s about it.
Just found it … number 2 from Winnipeg was Adam Thurlbeck. As I said, he was noteworthy.
Please note: any player I have positive comments about is sure to be my son, or my nephew, or someone whose parents paid me to market their kid.
(Okay, that was just a jab at the nasty, petty, jealous, crazies out there;-)
I was keen to see Kubic, the goalie from Winnipeg who gets a lot of press. And he looked solid technically and very quick … posted a shutout on something like 30 shots, so it was earned. But I didn’t see anything to put him head-and-shoulders above my top 3 or 4 from BC. Indeed, the Alberta goalie (sorry, don’t have his name) matched Kubic’s shutout performance in that game. It was a rare 0-0 tie.
Sam Steel is another player I’d heard lots about so I wanted to watch him … but he was a non-factor that game and I’ve since been told he was playing hurt and didn’t play at all the rest of the tourney. Would have liked to see him at 100%.
Only other player I noticed in that contest was on D … number 2, and I can’t remember his name either and can’t find it in my notes, sorry. But he was noteworthy.
From the Monarchs I noticed Ferber and Theissen … and that’s about it.
Steele did get hurt but came back and played in the last game, and was a force. The goaltending from the BC teams were weak imop.
Steele did get hurt but came back and played in the last game, and was a force. The goaltending from the BC teams were weak imop.
I’d have to agree, based both on what I saw and a few conversations with observers I trust. In fact, with the exception of that 0-0 tie I mentioned, most every game I saw showcased weak goaltending on either one team, or both.
That’s pretty standard for Bantam goalies though. They are often erratic, swinging between good and bad performances. It’s why they take longer to develop, to mature. Rare is the steady performer at this age. I know my #1 in BC, Willms, has been struggling lately, in St Albert too. Heck, maybe that’s what sets Kubic apart. Can a Winnipeger enlighten me?
Out of curiosity, what kids in Regina are the ones to watch? I ref a lot of minor hockey (though they don't let me do Bantam AA, I see a lot of Pee Wee 1, B2 and such) and I'm curious if there are any gems out here.
I was keen to see Kubic, the goalie from Winnipeg who gets a lot of press. And he looked solid technically and very quick … posted a shutout on something like 30 shots, so it was earned. But I didn’t see anything to put him head-and-shoulders above my top 3 or 4 from BC. Indeed, the Alberta goalie (sorry, don’t have his name) matched Kubic’s shutout performance in that game. It was a rare 0-0 tie.
Sam Steel is another player I’d heard lots about so I wanted to watch him … but he was a non-factor that game and I’ve since been told he was playing hurt and didn’t play at all the rest of the tourney. Would have liked to see him at 100%.
Only other player I noticed in that contest was on D … number 2, and I can’t remember his name either and can’t find it in my notes, sorry. But he was noteworthy.
From the Monarchs I noticed Ferber and Theissen … and that’s about it.
I have seen Kubic play all year and he has been consistently strong all year. Head and shoulders the best goalie from Manitoba for the Bantam Draft. Ryan Hall of the Monarchs is a big blocking goalie and has looked impressive at times and Jordan Brown of the Warriors stole the starting job early in the season from Tanner Douglas (who was an All-Star last year). Brown became an All-Star this year and looks good too. He is smaller than both Hall and Kubic, but he is very athletic and extremely quick. Plus his puckhandling is outstanding.
But Kubic is the cream of the crop. His positioning is amazing and he has tremendous rebound control. Ryan Kubic is off to the right start, he appears calm at all times and he is very technically sound. He does benefit from having a very strong team in front of him, but he is the type of goalie that will not lose you a game you should win. Solid Prospect.
Just found it … number 2 from Winnipeg was Adam Thurlbeck. As I said, he was noteworthy.
Please note: any player I have positive comments about is sure to be my son, or my nephew, or someone whose parents paid me to market their kid.
(Okay, that was just a jab at the nasty, petty, jealous, crazies out there;-)
Thurlbeck is a train! He is a stay at home defensman who lays out some pretty punishing hits. Good Prospect.
Garrett Kuklica, of the Sharks, has a lot of the same qualities but adds way more offensive upside though. Watching Kuklica this year, he has been excellent!
Keaton Thornton (Warriors) and Connor Bowey (Monarchs) are also great puck moving defensmen who should get a good look at the Draft. Neither of those two are the shutdown forces that Thurlbeck and Kuklica are, but both are superb skaters that play extremely smart and add some offense because they LOVE to join the rush.
Depending on what teams are looking for, I'd say Thornton, Kuklica or Thurlbeck could be the top Dman in Manitoba.
Last edited by MarkPatton: 02-03-2013 at 03:59 PM.
I gotta say that I agree with MB Scout a lot more in his assessment of talent in Manitoba. There are at least 2 - 98's playing who have age advanced into AAA Midget who will most likely go in the first round ( if history repeats itself as it has in the past with bantams who age advanced into AAA Provincial Midget ) There is also, at least 1 more 98 Wpg player who will undoubtedly go in the first round with 1 or 2 more possible. Also, a strong contingent of players will go btw the 3rd and 7th round. I don't know if / when Manitoba ever had 3 first round selections in the WHL Draft. I would think this may be the strongest draft for Manitoba in a long time.
Kaspick, Howden, Patrick and Theissen could all go first round.
Kaspick, Howden, Patrick and Theissen could all go first round.
Yes all three most likely will go in the Top 30, I would even say top 20. None get the attention like the boys from Alberta.
Not many people got to see the Sharks play which is too bad. Monarchs did not play well in St Albert, But are a good team, This team can make it to Westerns, if they play solid.
Kubic played good, but just as a few others (3 total)goalies from around had the same numbers, under 1.75 GA Sv per .094. Which is what you want. There are three goalies that will go in the top 3 rounds. Kubic being 1, 1 from Alberta and the other from BC.
Playing league Hockey then coming to St Albert and playing against complete strong teams show the difference from avg goalies from the good ones. Two in Southern Alberta were good thru the season, but at this tournament were not good at all. OHA goalie did not do well at all, and has not since November, very inconsistent against strong teams, good against bad teams.
Too bad Patrick was hurt the first part of the season. But I guess better early rather then late Feb and March.
Kubic is the top tender in MB, no doubt. He is quick, technically solid, has good rebound control and is incredibly focussed ... sometimes too focussed. The Dmen in front of him are not particilarly quick so he is going to have to win some games for them in order for his team to be successful. They have a very good group of forwards so as long as the puck is in the offensive zone, the Dmen look fine.
WRT MB Dmen, I like Kuklica. He is a big strong kid with a hard shot. He needs to make a better first pass though. Bowey is a good skater and passer but has trouble winning battles, as does Thornton. I like Lavoie. He is a big strong kid with quick feet and a good stick. He reads the play well, wins the battles down low and makes a good first pass. He needs to work on his top end speed though. Another Dman to look out for is Schioler who is playing at Shattuck. He is a big strong kid who can skate and shoot. As he learns to play more heads up, he will be a good prospect.
Yes all three most likely will go in the Top 30, I would even say top 20. None get the attention like the boys from Alberta.
Not many people got to see the Sharks play which is too bad. Monarchs did not play well in St Albert, But are a good team, This team can make it to Westerns, if they play solid.
Kubic played good, but just as a few others (3 total)goalies from around had the same numbers, under 1.75 GA Sv per .094. Which is what you want. There are three goalies that will go in the top 3 rounds. Kubic being 1, 1 from Alberta and the other from BC.
Playing league Hockey then coming to St Albert and playing against complete strong teams show the difference from avg goalies from the good ones. Two in Southern Alberta were good thru the season, but at this tournament were not good at all. OHA goalie did not do well at all, and has not since November, very inconsistent against strong teams, good against bad teams.
Too bad Patrick was hurt the first part of the season. But I guess better early rather then late Feb and March.
Even with Patrick being injured, he currently sits second in league scoring behind only Theissen. His first game back was something special; had 4 goals (including one on his first shift) and 2 assists. Helped the Hawks destroy the Warriors 13-1.
WRT MB Dmen, I like Kuklica. He is a big strong kid with a hard shot. He needs to make a better first pass though. Bowey is a good skater and passer but has trouble winning battles, as does Thornton. I like Lavoie. He is a big strong kid with quick feet and a good stick. He reads the play well, wins the battles down low and makes a good first pass. He needs to work on his top end speed though. Another Dman to look out for is Schioler who is playing at Shattuck. He is a big strong kid who can skate and shoot. As he learns to play more heads up, he will be a good prospect.
I do agree that Bowey has trouble winning battles, he also has trouble moving guys from the front of the net. He is a really good skater, but he is definitely small right now.
Thornton is really smart though. When you watch him play it's evident. He never gets caught puck watching or forgetting his man in front of the net. He is extremely smart about tying up his man's stick and getting contact at just the right moment to prevent chances when the guy in front is looking for a quick shot or off a rebound.
Lavoie is a big boy, he does need to add top-end speed you are correct, there is a lot of good in his game. Watching the Sharks play about a half dozen times this year, every time Kuklica has looked like their strongest Dman though. He has more offensive upside than Lavoie. He needs to get a bit smarter though, he can put himself in a bad position to make a play occasionally and he often gets caught watching the play in the corner, forgetting about his man in front of the net. Those are teachable things though, the skill parts of his game are very well developed and he is a tremendous skater.
Last edited by MarkPatton: 02-11-2013 at 09:09 PM.
95% of the players are on the 3 other web sites that rank players. its not that hard to copy and paste.
No much to 2nd guessing. Still asking whom you Scout for. I think its fair, if you are going to rank these players you should at least put your name. As do the 3 other sites that rank players.
Since you brought it up. You ranked the goalies. You have one goalie that is NOT ranked on any of the 3 ranking sites that include BC. Not even in the TOP 20 of BC, and some how you have him as 3?? The others I have no issues with them or their comments. But this kid did play one game with the Bantam A1 team against Semi, as a try out, He had 9 shots the problem is 4 went in. That is why he is on the A2 team.He could have been on the A3 team. but he does have size. Not paperwork or any other excuse you might have.
I will not give you my opinion , because it really does not matter. only the facts. He has not played against real top teams, Flight 2 in PCAHA is not Dallas Sanders Tournament or St Albert.. You can't rank goalies that play against Medicine Hat, Calgary Sabre's, etc. and the ones that play against Whistler, or Port Moody. Unless you post your name , your comment is pointless, since you are stating you are a scout. Lange,Spark, Mills, Outhouse and Grant are all on A1 Teams and deserve credit and are very good goalies.
Now that I’ve had a chance to watch a couple of these goalies & a few others play, all of these goalies mentioned bring something to the table, but there’s another kid over at BWC by the name of Lucas Mills who’s been flying under the radar, not because of his ability, but due to his size - so I’m glad you've mentioned him.
Mills is playing on BWC A2 team which only has three 1998’s on the team & two of them are the goalies (the other being Barrett).
I think his mobility is better than some of the goalies you’ve named & he’s technically sound and really likes to challenge shooters. The word is he’s very focused, great work ethic on & off the ice and has quick feet – I was told "just ask one of his past coaches".
I believe he’s been working with Lynden & Brady at AGC Goalie Training – so it appears he’s committed to improving his craft.
I didn’t have a chance to see him play this past spring, but he was part of Matt Erhart & Kevin Pederson’s Vipers/ Millionaires group & previous springs he playing for Doug Berry’s South Surrey Eagles team.
However like some of the other kid you’ve mention he needs to GROW….but may be worth another look & adding his name to the list.
Now that I’ve had a chance to watch a couple of these goalies & a few others play, all of these goalies mentioned bring something to the table, but there’s another kid over at BWC by the name of Lucas Mills who’s been flying under the radar, not because of his ability, but due to his size - so I’m glad you've mentioned him.
Mills is playing on BWC A2 team which only has three 1998’s on the team & two of them are the goalies (the other being Barrett).
I think his mobility is better than some of the goalies you’ve named & he’s technically sound and really likes to challenge shooters. The word is he’s very focused, great work ethic on & off the ice and has quick feet – I was told "just ask one of his past coaches".
I believe he’s been working with Lynden & Brady at AGC Goalie Training – so it appears he’s committed to improving his craft.
I didn’t have a chance to see him play this past spring, but he was part of Matt Erhart & Kevin Pederson’s Vipers/ Millionaires group & previous springs he playing for Doug Berry’s South Surrey Eagles team.
However like some of the other kid you’ve mention he needs to GROW….but may be worth another look & adding his name to the list.
Mills should have made the A1 team, Warm and Bosa should have made the A2 Team. But life is sometimes not fair.
Last edited by Capitals03: 02-09-2013 at 05:05 PM.
Reason: spelling error
Now that I’ve had a chance to watch a couple of these goalies & a few others play, all of these goalies mentioned bring something to the table, but there’s another kid over at BWC by the name of Lucas Mills who’s been flying under the radar, not because of his ability, but due to his size - so I’m glad you've mentioned him.
Mills is playing on BWC A2 team which only has three 1998’s on the team & two of them are the goalies (the other being Barrett).
I think his mobility is better than some of the goalies you’ve named & he’s technically sound and really likes to challenge shooters. The word is he’s very focused, great work ethic on & off the ice and has quick feet – I was told "just ask one of his past coaches".
I believe he’s been working with Lynden & Brady at AGC Goalie Training – so it appears he’s committed to improving his craft.
I didn’t have a chance to see him play this past spring, but he was part of Matt Erhart & Kevin Pederson’s Vipers/ Millionaires group & previous springs he playing for Doug Berry’s South Surrey Eagles team.
However like some of the other kid you’ve mention he needs to GROW….but may be worth another look & adding his name to the list.
No question, Mills is a legitimate talent. My notes are that he has good technical skills, athleticism, and he battles hard. Like most goalies his age however, he still overplays things, over-uses the butterfly slide, spends too much time on the ice, etc. The best ones lose all that excess movement, as well as the little priming gestures.
Mills does have potential though, probably as much as Kelleway in Semi. Though I do think Jeremy is marginally better right now. Unfortunately Mills is even smaller than Kelleway and that’s the real obstacle he will need to overcome as he travels down the road ahead. Until he grows some more Mills will keep getting passed over for goalies of lesser talent who have better size and that ill-defined thing called net presence. The ’99 boy on BWC’s A1 squad is a good example of this … he’s a year younger, less experienced, and obviously of lesser ability. But at 3 or 4 inches taller he got the back-up spot behind Shugrue. (Fact is, based solely on technical ability Lukas is a little better than Tyler in my book. But the size issue means Lukas gives away too much net coverage, especially when he’s in butterfly or paddle-down.)
I do note that Mills’s father and older brother are both very tall. So unless he was a preemie, Lukas could very well take on 5 to 7 more inches yet. And THAT would change everything. But right now his lack of size is too much to overcome. Certainly there’s no chance he’ll be taken in the May draft. Typically only about 20 Western goalies get drafted out of bantam and few, if any, of them are less than 5’ 10” at this age.
If you’re reading this Lukas, just remember that the bantam draft doesn’t mean much. There’s still time and opportunity aplenty to see how far you can take yourself. Keep battling.
Thinking about my previous post I just realized something: it’s unusual for me to have two small goalies – Kelleway and Tallarico – in my Top 5. Even Willms (still my #1) is only 5’ 9” in my book. And that’s the first point: there are no tall goalies this year, at least none that I would rank for this year’s draft. (Remember Stef Wornig last year? He was tall. Even McBride was 6’ 1” wasn’t he?) There are a few big-body goalies out there - Chilliwack, POE, etc - but none have yet shown they might round into suitable form. I’ve got two good prospects at 5’ 11” this year, but that’s it.
The second point is that BC’s crop of 98-born keepers is really not very strong this year. There is no-one worth taking in the first two rounds imo. I think the earliest any of my top 5 will go is round 3, and it will probably be Round 6 or 7 before my Top 3 are selected.
Tallarico (my #4) is off-the-chart technically, but I wouldn’t recommend using more than an even later-round pick on him, again because of the size issue. Using his Dad as a predictor (not scientific, I know) Nic will very likely max out at only 5’ 9” himself.
And Kelleway … probably won’t get selected at all.
So yeah, not an especially strong crop of goalie prospects this year. Lots of useful D-men to choose from, nice variety of Forwards, but few masked men here in BC. Is the crop stronger elsewhere in the West?
Thinking about my previous post I just realized something: it’s unusual for me to have two small goalies – Kelleway and Tallarico – in my Top 5. Even Willms (still my #1) is only 5’ 9” in my book. And that’s the first point: there are no tall goalies this year, at least none that I would rank for this year’s draft. (Remember Stef Wornig last year? He was tall. Even McBride was 6’ 1” wasn’t he?) There are a few big-body goalies out there - Chilliwack, POE, etc - but none have yet shown they might round into suitable form. I’ve got two good prospects at 5’ 11” this year, but that’s it.
The second point is that BC’s crop of 98-born keepers is really not very strong this year. There is no-one worth taking in the first two rounds imo. I think the earliest any of my top 5 will go is round 3, and it will probably be Round 6 or 7 before my Top 3 are selected.
Tallarico (my #4) is off-the-chart technically, but I wouldn’t recommend using more than an even later-round pick on him, again because of the size issue. Using his Dad as a predictor (not scientific, I know) Nic will very likely max out at only 5’ 9” himself.
And Kelleway … probably won’t get selected at all.
So yeah, not an especially strong crop of goalie prospects this year. Lots of useful D-men to choose from, nice variety of Forwards, but few masked men here in BC. Is the crop stronger elsewhere in the West?
what are you talking about, you just joined in Aug of 2012, you have not been around long enough. Williams is very bad when it matters against a strong team, Pulled twice in each the last two tournaments. You have not clue what you are talking about. Tallarico needs to learn to play the puck , no idea how too. Just stick to talking about your son. And you said earlier that Kubic was no different for the BC goalies.
Just watch your son play,
There seems to be more size in the Alberta goalies than BC. Drackett is the only small top goalie.
There are some nice large 99s in Alberta as well with Luke Eamon in Calgary and Dawson Weatherill in Red Deer both already over 6'. Weatherill will likely be one of the top goalies taken next year.
There seems to be more size in the Alberta goalies than BC. Drackett is the only small top goalie.
There are some nice large 99s in Alberta as well with Luke Eamon in Calgary and Dawson Weatherill in Red Deer both already over 6'. Weatherill will likely be one of the top goalies taken next year.
Adam Marcoux saw him at St Albert, maybe just the game but he was not good on any level. Skinner is the only sure thing, but he is on the slow side.
the only big goalie out of BC is Shugrue and he is most likely 3rd or 4th round.
Williams is not big and not good against good teams, he is good against AA teams.
If they are not 6ft they need to be very, very good, the kid from Red Deer is will be talked about next year. agree with most of who you selected. BC is weak on the goalie side one 1 or 2 maybe drafted. many too small.
I severely doubt that all those goalies would go. Alberta doesn't have a ton of top end talent in net, but it does have lots of depth.
Skinner will go high and I think Chapman and Sanders are locks to be drafted. Lorenson and Marcoux are likely, the rest probably won't go. I think Dechaine has high potential, he is very athletic and could be worth a late pick, but he'll probably just get a camp invite. McGrath may have impressed a few scouts at the John Reid, but I don't think he is of draftable calibre. The playoffs will heavily influence his stock.
Goalies take longer to develop the players at least in the eyes of Coaches, They will then to take older goalies with younger players. Not getting drafted in not a huge deal for goalies.
But it does help. If they are over 6 ft that also is a plus. Also the history if the goalie.
You are correct 3 or 4 will come from Alberta. 1 from BC and maybe 2 from Manitoba.
No coach can teach size and net coverage. There are many good goalies, so why not take the ones that are over 6ft which a few are, from what I have read.
The scouts want to see how they play against the best players, league games are about making the least amount of mistakes. You are very much correct the longer they are in the playoffs the better, if they make it to Westerns that is also a huge plus, since they will be seen more. Which is unfortunate for Alberta this year that only 1 team will come out. BCHL is also a option for s few of these kids as well. BCHL seems to be a option for a few. Also the NAHL is a route that can be taken. So the ones that do not get drafted it is not s huge deal. (more for the parents hurt egos then anything else)
