Prince George at Vancouver Jan 10

Game Report

Jan 10, 2012

WHL Regular Season Game

Home Team: Vancouver Giants

Away Team: Prince George Cougars

Draft Eligible Prospects Breakdown:

VAN#3(Brett Kulak) Had a very good defensive game. Excellent gap control and use of his stick to keep everything to the outside and break up plays. Had a little bit of an edge to his game tonight. Liked to be a little aggressive and step up on the blue line to stop a rush. Could have something to do with the low skill level of the opposing team. When he would create a turnover, he would

quickly move the puck south-north by making a long pass or carry the puck himself. On one play, he made a terrible drop pass and it led to a 3 on 2 the other way. Offensive instincts are average. His speed was a factor again. Almost lost a foot race for a loose puck to a player that was about 10ft behind him.

VAN#9(Dalton Sward) Scored a goal tonight on the PK. Read the play well and quickly jumped into the hole and quickly snapped it home in the slot. Really like his hustle and desire, but his game ends there basically. Not much offensive skills, and just lacks overall sense to read the play. Work ethic can only take him so far into his hockey career.

PG#12(Daulton Siwak) Played on what basically was the top line for PG, and mainly was used for his physical presence. Played a good game along the walls and worked hard, but failed to generate much in the offensive zone. Invisible like the rest of his team for much of the game. Showed off a good one timer release by the faceoff circle. A good skater, but nothing special. Hands were not very good.

PG#20(Troy Bourke) Probably the best player for the Cougars, but does not say much. A quick, shifty player that had a couple of great chances in the slot, but took way too much time to pull the trigger and get a shot on net. Hits the holes in the offensive zone very quickly and makes good reads. Makes good passes, but nothing on the spectacular level. Defensively, gets caught puck watching way too often, and takes an awkward path to his point man whenever he has to pressure. He’s on the PK, but that has more to do with the fact that they have nobody to do that job on the team.

PG#22(Joseph Carvalho) 2014 draft eligible defenseman. Showed some great poise with the puck, but strength, speed and ability to read the play must improve. Talked to his major midget coach from last year, and said “a very nifty defenseman, but his body is built like a bag of milk.” Tonight, Cougars dressed 8 ’95 born players, and he was the only one that didn’t handle the puck like a grenade. Was used on the PP and PK. Again, this is probably a case of not having quality players to play those roles. More or less struggled trying to run the PP, but that’s a big task given to him. Defensively, had a really difficult time with the forecheck and trying to win battles along the boards. Giants tried to run him a couple of times, but managed to escape every time.

PG#27(Alex Forsberg) Very good offensively, but lack of physical game really hurt his game tonight. Looked disinterested for most of the game, particularly in the defensive zone. Showed off some good speed with the puck on the rush. Had a quick release tonight. Didn’t take long for him to receive a pass and to get a shot off on net. Must be more accurate though, but has the right idea. Makes very good passes. Vision seemed to be his best asset. Intensity level must be better, and more consistent. Only showed some work ethic when he sensed that his team was close to scoring.

SCOUTS NOTES: Not an entertaining game to watch. The Cougars dressed 8, 1995 born players, and looked very bad tonight. Generated close to 0 quality offensive chances all game. Brett Kulak looked like he really thrived, but performance must be taken into context. I liked Troy Bourke’s game to an extent. Showed some flashes of brilliance, but must take advantage of his chances more, and improve his strength. Was getting thrown around by Vancouver’s David Musil like he was made out of paper along the walls. Alex Forsberg was good, but not consistent enough. Prince George as a team looked defeated as soon as the puck dropped. Did not see much out of their 1995 born players other than Joseph Carvalho. Tough to look good as a younger player, but showed some promise throughout the game. To note, Jake Mykitiuk is listed as 5’5, and certainly looked that way. Played centre and was no match against any of the guys down the middle for Vancouver.

FINAL SCORE: 3-0 Vancouver