SectionNDeserter
12-31-2010, 08:46 AM
My take on the forwards in the first half, along with letter grade and short summary...
Josh Cowen (C+) - More injury woes for the irritating forward, as he is lost to mono for the first couple of months of the season. He has been a gritty, in-your-face player that the other teams hate to play against, while showing some flashes of offense here and there. Sadly, I am not sure of where he will fit into the lineup next season, as he has just missed so many games to injury, and played so many games while injured in his career.
Turner Elson (B) - Hardest working player on the team, game in and game out. Fantastic speed, good hands to go with his fantastic work ethic. Started out the season on the 1st line, and has settled into the second line. Is on pace to double his offensive numbers from last season.
Brett Ferguson (B) - Great penalty killer with some good moves but a little lacking in finish. Loses a lot of board battles, but every once in a while gets a surprising shot/pass out of a scrum on the boards.
Byron Froese (A) - A lot of pressure on this kid to perform after he came to Red Deer for former 1st round pick Landon Ferraro. He has not dissapointed so far, with 15 goals, 12 of them on blasts while working the point on the power play. He is on pace for 80+ points. My only concern with him so far, is that he has only 3 even-strength goals on the season.
Adam Kambeitz (A-) - He has made more than one NHL scout take notice this season I am sure. He is arguably the best penalty killer on the team. He has great speed, and works hard around the net. My only knock on him so far, is that he has taken a few games off here and there. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him get picked in the later rounds of the NHL draft this season.
Andrej Kudrna (A) - The Rebels don't lose out on a lot of trades, and they don't come out as clear cut winners in many either. This is the exception. Wow! The big winger is strong on the boards and in his own end, and has a nose for the net, having put up 39 points in 33 games thus far. While on the other end of the deal, I think the Giants eventually manufactured the departed Cass Mappin into a 6th or 7th round bantam draft pick.
Colten Mayor (C+) - He started out slow, but I see some real improvement in his game over the last month or so, and it is translating into a lot more ice time. He is not the greatest skater in the world, but he has adapted his game to take out the trash in front of the net, and plays in tough areas despite not being the grittiest player.
Locke Muller (B-) - I do not recall ever seen a Rebel put an opposition player through the glass with a big hit, but I think that Muller will ultimately be the first one to do that. Despite missing the first 6 weeks or so of the season with a broken hand suffered in a pre-season fight, the hulking forward has quickly worked his way up in the lineup with punishing hit after punishing hit. He looks calm and poised with the puck, and gets about 3-4 solid bone-rattling hits every shift. He is not at all opposed to dropping the gloves as well. I can see him developing into a power forward with this team.
Tyson Ness (C+) - He is a pretty decent skater, with some great offensive instincts. Works pretty good in traffic for a rookie. At the moment, he is plying his trade on a checking line, but I think that he could put up some decent offensive numbers in this league, if paired with the right players.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (A+) - I would be interested to see this kid's takeaway numbers. If they keep track of this stat, I would bet that he has more than twice as many as the next closest player in the league. The teams in the league have really started giving him a lot less room to work, in some cases putting their best defensive forwards on shadow duty on him. Despite this, he still has 47 points in 35 games as a 17 year old. He finishes all his checks (though he is not a punishing hitter), he comes out of a scrum with the puck more often than not, and is nearly impossible to take the puck away from. He should go in the top 5 in the NHL draft this season.
John Persson (A) - His first few strides to get up to speed look terrible, though it has improved. Doesn't seem to detract from his overall game however, as he is a big body in front of the net, he has fantastic eye-hand coordination, and scores some tough goals. He also blocks a TON of shots, and is a hard worker. He is one of the big surprises this season, and has continued to improve as the season goes on.
Chad Robinson (C) - Doesn't get a ton of ice time, and I haven't really seen a lot of offensive talent with him, but he is good on the boards, and isn't a defensive liability when he is on the ice.
Daulton Siwak (B-) - Decent size, started off the season really slow, and really came on in the second half. He has really gotten good at winning faceoffs, but still needs a little work on his consistency before he will become a great player in this league.
Josh Cowen (C+) - More injury woes for the irritating forward, as he is lost to mono for the first couple of months of the season. He has been a gritty, in-your-face player that the other teams hate to play against, while showing some flashes of offense here and there. Sadly, I am not sure of where he will fit into the lineup next season, as he has just missed so many games to injury, and played so many games while injured in his career.
Turner Elson (B) - Hardest working player on the team, game in and game out. Fantastic speed, good hands to go with his fantastic work ethic. Started out the season on the 1st line, and has settled into the second line. Is on pace to double his offensive numbers from last season.
Brett Ferguson (B) - Great penalty killer with some good moves but a little lacking in finish. Loses a lot of board battles, but every once in a while gets a surprising shot/pass out of a scrum on the boards.
Byron Froese (A) - A lot of pressure on this kid to perform after he came to Red Deer for former 1st round pick Landon Ferraro. He has not dissapointed so far, with 15 goals, 12 of them on blasts while working the point on the power play. He is on pace for 80+ points. My only concern with him so far, is that he has only 3 even-strength goals on the season.
Adam Kambeitz (A-) - He has made more than one NHL scout take notice this season I am sure. He is arguably the best penalty killer on the team. He has great speed, and works hard around the net. My only knock on him so far, is that he has taken a few games off here and there. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him get picked in the later rounds of the NHL draft this season.
Andrej Kudrna (A) - The Rebels don't lose out on a lot of trades, and they don't come out as clear cut winners in many either. This is the exception. Wow! The big winger is strong on the boards and in his own end, and has a nose for the net, having put up 39 points in 33 games thus far. While on the other end of the deal, I think the Giants eventually manufactured the departed Cass Mappin into a 6th or 7th round bantam draft pick.
Colten Mayor (C+) - He started out slow, but I see some real improvement in his game over the last month or so, and it is translating into a lot more ice time. He is not the greatest skater in the world, but he has adapted his game to take out the trash in front of the net, and plays in tough areas despite not being the grittiest player.
Locke Muller (B-) - I do not recall ever seen a Rebel put an opposition player through the glass with a big hit, but I think that Muller will ultimately be the first one to do that. Despite missing the first 6 weeks or so of the season with a broken hand suffered in a pre-season fight, the hulking forward has quickly worked his way up in the lineup with punishing hit after punishing hit. He looks calm and poised with the puck, and gets about 3-4 solid bone-rattling hits every shift. He is not at all opposed to dropping the gloves as well. I can see him developing into a power forward with this team.
Tyson Ness (C+) - He is a pretty decent skater, with some great offensive instincts. Works pretty good in traffic for a rookie. At the moment, he is plying his trade on a checking line, but I think that he could put up some decent offensive numbers in this league, if paired with the right players.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (A+) - I would be interested to see this kid's takeaway numbers. If they keep track of this stat, I would bet that he has more than twice as many as the next closest player in the league. The teams in the league have really started giving him a lot less room to work, in some cases putting their best defensive forwards on shadow duty on him. Despite this, he still has 47 points in 35 games as a 17 year old. He finishes all his checks (though he is not a punishing hitter), he comes out of a scrum with the puck more often than not, and is nearly impossible to take the puck away from. He should go in the top 5 in the NHL draft this season.
John Persson (A) - His first few strides to get up to speed look terrible, though it has improved. Doesn't seem to detract from his overall game however, as he is a big body in front of the net, he has fantastic eye-hand coordination, and scores some tough goals. He also blocks a TON of shots, and is a hard worker. He is one of the big surprises this season, and has continued to improve as the season goes on.
Chad Robinson (C) - Doesn't get a ton of ice time, and I haven't really seen a lot of offensive talent with him, but he is good on the boards, and isn't a defensive liability when he is on the ice.
Daulton Siwak (B-) - Decent size, started off the season really slow, and really came on in the second half. He has really gotten good at winning faceoffs, but still needs a little work on his consistency before he will become a great player in this league.