Oak #3 F Matt Luff – Overall played a pretty solid game. Showed a knack for the net throughout the tournament and displayed this scoring the 1st goal of the game off a well placed shot from the right wing. Needs to work on his defensive zone positioning and work harder to get pucks out
of the zone along the boards. [sociallocker]
Oak #4 D Troy Henley – Good size standing at 6’1 and 200 lbs. Skating is an area that needs improvement as he remains upright all the time. Makes good first passes out of his defensive zone and is not afraid to initiate contact. Throughout the tournament he kept things safe and steady on the backend however in this game he took some uncharacteristic risks pinching and jumping into the rush although it did not end up costing the team.
Oak #23 D Kyle Capobianco – Average size for a defender at this level. Skates extremely well, quick feet and good lateral movements. A pure offensive defenseman, Kyle constantly is moving the puck up ice and jumping into the rush. High offensive upside, but needs to pick spots a bit better and get himself into better positions to score when he does jump up. Assisted the 2nd goal on the Power Play with a high shot that was tipped low.
Oak #66 D Matt Spencer – Great size at this level standing 6’2 and 185 lbs. Good skater who keeps opposing forwards to the outside and shows a good burst of speed occasionally rushing the puck up ice. Physical player taking every opportunity to punish opposing forwards whenever he gets the chance. Sometimes is caught standing around in the defensive zone although when he does get the puck makes an excellent first pass. Not as high offensive upside as Capobianco although he picks his spots better and contributed throughout the tournament.
Oak #74 F Adam Craievich – Great size for a forward at this level. Very offensive player, showcasing this throughout the game with some nifty hands in tight, dekeing defenders on a few occasions. Skating is Adams biggest area of improvement as he has not shown a high level of speed. Very good near the net and generally scores if given the opportunity in tight. This was showcased on the 2nd goal with a beautiful tip and shot. While he shows great offensive position, Defensive zone positioning is also an area of improvement as he sometimes clears the zone too quickly.
Oak #77 F Jesse Barwell – Not the biggest player although he makes up for it with aggression and good skating ability. Shows good vision on the ice and is a playmaker when given offensive chances. Jesse is constantly assisting the defenseman down low in the defensive zone. Very aggressive on the Penalty Kill forcing opponents to sometimes make wrong plays and turnovers. Showed offensive ability throughout the tournament but was left off the score sheet in the finals.
YSE #6 D Connor Schlichting – Great size standing at 6’2 and 180 lbs. Shows good feet and lateral movements. Keeps opposing forwards to the outside on the rush and forces off angle shots. Not shy of initiating contact and generally uses his body size well in the defensive zone. Good shots from the point on the Power Play. Makes good first passes out of the defensive zone and generally chooses the safe opportunities instead of forcing passes.
YSE #84 F Graham Knott – Good size and uses body well to control pucks in the offensive zones. Works hard along the boards and in the defensive zone to get pucks out. Good skater and generally puts himself in good positions to get offensive opportunities.
YSE # 86 Jesse Wiemer – Similar player to #84, although not as good a skater. Showed good net presence banging home a rebound for the 1st YSE goal. Uses size well in both zones.
YSE #91 Sam Harding – Smaller than #84 and #86 although still has good height for this level. Displayed nifty hands scoring a beautiful shootout forehand backhand move to clinch the tournament for the Express. Good feet displaying good speed when given the opportunity to skate in open ice. Crafty in the offensive end, although didn’t contribute on the score sheet until the shootout.
Scouts Notes: York Simcoe Express won the game 3-2 in Shootout after Oak #74 and #6 missed and #3 hit the post after some crafty dekes. Oakville was missing 3 top projected forwards after their paperwork were not completed or received in time. Oakville ran 4 D all tournament as the bottom 2 D filled in as forwards for the missing players. Showed good conditioning although I’m sure it wore down on them as by Sunday night they didn’t display as much offensive jump as early in the tournament. Back and forth contest, while Oakville has higher end skill, York Simcoe works well together as a team and are constantly competing in all zones. [/sociallocker]