Some WHL players competing in the Home Hardware Top Prospects game

TEAM CHERRY

 

Morgan Klimchuk, LW Regina Pats

Morgan Klimchuk has stepped into a top 6 role for the Regina Pats and has had a productive season so far. He is a fast skating winger who has displayed a good goal scoring touch consistently throughout the season. Klimchuk is at his best when he is moving his feet in the offensive zone. He has shown that he can locate the soft areas in a defensive zone coverage, and is able to capitalize on those chances. He has a good release on his wrist shot and has displayed good accuracy on his shots too. The biggest improvement Klimchuk has made from last season is his willingness to go to the net and put away rebounds. He goes into the dirty areas in the ice and takes the punishment to try and score goals from in tight. Klimchuk needs to work on his defensive game, particularly his awareness without the puck to have more impact in games. He had a bit of a rough stretch in the early parts of December, but seems to have picked it up lately to be a bigger factor for the Pats, who will definitely need him to continue to chip in offensively on a regular basis to win games.

 

Mirco Mueller, D Everett Silvertips

Mirco Mueller has done a great job to adjust to the game in North America. At the beginning of the season, he really struggled along the boards to maintain position and to win puck battles, but he has definitely been able to improve that aspect of his game. Mueller was solid for Switzerland in the 2013 U-20 World Junior Championship tournament, and was a big contributor to the team’s success. He was often matched up with opponents’ top players and shut them down effectively. Mueller is a very good skater given his size, and combines it with his long reach to keep opponents to the outside. He is good with the puck and makes quick passes to his forwards to get the attack going in a hurry. He likes to jump into the rush and create an advantage for Everett, but only does so when he knows that it is safe for him to go. It would be nice to see Mueller use his good slap shot more often and be a threat to score from the point. He still has some work to do in terms of using his body more and gaining a mean streak, but he is certainly well on his way to becoming a good professional hockey player one day.

 

Eric Roy, D Brandon Wheat Kings

Eric Roy is a big, smooth skating defenseman who is most effective in the offensive zone. He moves the puck very well, and has a very good shot from the point. He shows off some creativity with the puck at times, and likes to carry it out of his own zone. He is a good skater given his size, and is quite impressive with his ability to quickly change directions and protect the puck at the same time. In the defensive zone, Roy has a good stick and consistently protects passing and shooting lanes well. He uses his size and quickness along the walls to break up the cycle. However, Roy has a tendency to be a little casual at times in his own end, and not be as physical as he can be. He just needs to raise his intensity level, and be more aware of his surroundings and learn to better position himself to prevent scoring chances.

Tristan Jarry, G Edmonton Oil Kings

Jarry has been overshadowed by starter Laurent Brossoit for most of his WHL career, but he has proved to be a good goaltender when he had the opportunities to play, particularly this season. Jarry has quick, active hands that allows him to cover the top half the net well. He has the size that all NHL teams seem to look for in goaltenders nowadays, which also allows him to have a big butterfly to cover down low well too. He is also quite composed in net, and has done a good job to improve on his mental game and not get rattled as much as last year. The only real concern with Jarry is his ability to track pucks when there is traffic in front of him, or on a scramble play down low. He is getting better at that aspect of his game, but it is something that he still needs to work on to be a good goaltender at the next level and to provide stability in net once Brossoit does move onto the professional ranks. The lack of playing time Jarry receives does raise some questions regarding his development, particularly to allow him to stay sharp and be able to work on his game, but it really is only a matter of time before he gets the starting job in Edmonton.

 

TEAM ORR

Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW Portland Winterhawks

Bjorkstrand has played a big part in the Winterhawks’ team success this year. He has jumped into the lineup and has fit in seamlessly on a team full of depth. He is a very quick skater, who has the ability to control the puck on his stick when he is moving at a high pace. He is difficult to contain along the boards because he is so fast and handles the puck well. He is more of a playmaker and showed off some good patience and vision, but is not afraid to shoot the puck as well. He has a good release on his wrist shot, but needs to work on locating the soft areas in coverage to have a chance to shoot more Defensively, Bjorkstrand can be better at being more aware of where his point man is and get in better position to block shots. We really look forward to watching Bjorkstrand keep improving as this season moves on and take the pressure off of their top line.

Curtis Lazar, C Edmonton Oil Kings

It is hard to find a forward that really understands how to play the game at all areas of the ice like Curtis Lazar at the age of 17. Even when he is not putting up points on the board, he is able to positively impact the game with his play without the puck for Edmonton. Lazar is an above average skater who does well in the corners because of his agility. He may not be the fastest player, but he is certainly dependable along the walls and will have no trouble sticking to his man or quickly covering an open area in coverage to bail out a teammate. He reads the play well in the defensive zone, and it is rare to ever find him out of position or on the wrong side of the play down low. Offensively, Lazar has a very quick release to his wrist shot and shows good strength along the walls. It will be rare to see him stickhandle through an opponent and score a highlight reel goal, but his goals are the result of hard work and high level of hockey sense. He has been inconsistent in terms of picking up points throughout the season, but he has helped to prevent a number of goals too. He is a prospect that, mentally, seems ready for the professional level.

Nicolas Petan, C Portland Winterhawks

Petan may be a little undersized, but he certainly more than makes up for it with his skill level. He is a threat to score or pick up an assist whenever he is in the offensive zone, and he works hard to create those chances for his teammates and himself. Petan is very quick on his feet, but also understands that the puck moves much faster than he ever could, and utilizes his vision to get a quick transition going. He uses his skating along the boards to try to get away from his opponents and create some time to make a play. It seems that if he has any prolonged time to dissect the situation, he is able to create a scoring chance shortly after. He makes decisions very quickly, and looks confident with the puck on his stick. Petan is not afraid to go to the net to score off of rebounds, and is willing to take the hits and slashes to get the puck. The issue with Petan is just his size and strength. He has a difficult time along the walls in the defensive zone to knock opponents off the puck and try to reach in to poke pucks loose. He will have to find other ways to be more effective in his own end, and be a bigger factor in all areas of the ice.

Madison Bowey, D Kelowna Rockets

The emergence of Bowey has been one of the big factors to Kelowna’s success in the WHL this year. He has really developed into a solid defenseman at both ends of the ice for the Rockets, and looks to add to their tradition of developing defensemen like Shea Weber, Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn. Bowey is one of the best skaters available in the draft. He has very impressive speed skating forwards and backwards, and has quick feet to make quick starts and stops and turn on a time with the puck. It allows him to get back into position whenever he takes a gamble in the neutral zone to create turnovers or try to land a big open ice hit. He likes to carry the puck, but would be better off to make an outlet pass instead at times. You can tell that he loves to play the game by the way he approaches each shift. He has a lot of energy, and never seems to take a shift off. By the end of his WHL career, he will surely be a fan favorite in Kelowna and be talked about in the same breath as the great players that they have developed in the past.

Seth Jones, D Portland Winterhawks

Seth Jones has lived up to expectations, and more with the Winterhawks this season. He has such a rare combination of size, skill and speed that he uses to his advantage time and time again at both ends of the ice. When Jones has the puck, it is rare to ever see him get outmuscled or knocked off balance for a turnover. He uses his big frame to protect the puck and is quite strong on his feet. He is able to buy time for his teammates to get open and makes a good, accurate outlet pass to get the attack going. Jones has good speed, and is hard to contain when he is driving to the net. He is dangerous on the power play with his shot and passing abilities, and has to be respected, which leaves room for the skilled forwards on Portland to create some great offensive chances. Defensively, Jones is very hard to get past by off the rush or along the boards, and really uses his skating and reach to his advantage yet again. He could play with more of an edge at times with and without the puck, but his poise is certainly impressive at that age. He definitely has the potential to be a franchise defenseman as a pro one day.

Shea Theodore, D Seattle Thunderbirds

Theodore is one of the most skilled players in the WHL. He has excellent stick handling abilities, and can create scoring chances by going end to end with the puck and deke out every opponent along the way. Theodore has very impressive speed, which allows him to join the rush quickly and be a threat, whether it be as a decoy by driving to the net or receiving the puck and blowing past by the defense. He is virtually out for the entire power play for the Thunderbirds as their power play quarterback, and does a good job of moving the puck quickly. He also possesses a good slap shot, but needs to use it more to keep opponents guessing. Theodore possesses good size to be able to play a physical game, but he needs to be more willing to dish out some hits and be hard to play against in his own end. He has the potential to be a very valuable offensive defenseman as a pro one day, but needs to be better in his own end to be trusted by coaches now and in the future.