Defense and goaltenders 2013-14 - Halfway there

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Devan Fafard (C+) - He looks really tired a lot of nights, and hasn't been as tough on the boards as he was last season. Looked better last season.

Nick Charif (B-) - He has great lateral movement, and has adapted well to the WHL game so far. Probably the closest thing that the Rebels have to a first pairing defenseman (besides Fleury) that can play on the powerplay moving forward. Still needs more time to develop though.

Hayden Fleury (A+) - Big, solid and skilled. He rushes the puck up the ice with so much composure, and is creating a ton of chances on the powerplay with his shot. Seems a can't miss first rounder in the NHL entry draft this year.

Kirk Bear (C-) - So far he has been a year younger version of Riley Boomgaarten (without all the stupid penalties). Seems to still be improving however, so it should be interesting to see where he fits in next season.

Brady Gaudet (F) - Lazy, turns the puck over constantly, gets burned to the outside constantly, makes bad decisions with the puck, routinely fails to clear the puck from his defensive zone. He is a #5/6 defenseman that is getting spoon fed-first pairing minutes, and he is failing miserably. Have seen his minutes scaled back a little recently, with Charif getting some of them, and it seems to have either motivated him a little, or moved him a little closer to the number of minutes he should be getting.

Kayle Doetzel (B+) - Looks like he could be a top defenseman when he is paired with anyone but Dixon, at which point he looks like he never played hockey before. Worst pairing I have seen in Red Deer since the Berube-Egener fiasco. However, when he isn't paired with Dixon, he looks incredibly poised with the puck, and has even taken five or six shots in the first half of the season! More importantly, he has managed to stay mostly healthy, which is something he has REALLY needed this year. He has also made a few clutch defensive plays, as well as a recent clutch OFFENSIVE play.

Kolton Dixon (F) - Pros: He is tall, and likes to fight. Cons: He came out on the wrong side of his few fights here, not sure if it is his thing. Not a great skater, no real offensive game, has made key mistakes that directly led to the Rebels losing two or three games. Takes two or three lazy/stupid penalties in almost every game he is dressed for.

Goalies

Taz Burman (C+) - Not completely sure what sitting on the bench watching Bartosak face 40-50 shots a night is doing for his development. He has looked as good as a 16 year old rookie goaltender that barely plays could look. There was a number of 18/19 year old goaltenders they could have picked up prior to the start of the season, and after the start of the season. Still not a big fan of not reassigning him at the start of the year to get more playing time.

Patrik Bartosak (A-) - I think only the Lethbridge goaltender has seen more shots this season. He is their whole defense on some nights. If the Rebels don't have some sort of plan in net in place for next season, or improve the blueline a great deal, they are going to lose a lot of games next season, by a lot.

[calcheyup]

As a whole this unit has been atrocious this year and just so disappointing. To have someone like Brandon Underwood leave a huge hole in your defense that nobody else seems to be able to fill is pathetic.

Fafs has been nothing but an enforcer this year, gets beat regularly, and has managed to get worse since last year, not better. Nobody has ever expected him to be a top tier defenseman in this league but I had hoped he'd be able to provide quality 4-5 minutes back there. So far that hasn't really been the case.

Charif is another Sutter find that has been terrific out there. Granted, playing across from Fleury is a big help for anyone, but he's really solidified that top pair.

Fleury - What can you say. Guy looks like a young Jay Bouwmeester out there. Very composed with the puck, great skater, makes good decisions.

Bear - Terrible. If the guy plays 5 minutes he manages to get skated by on the rush no less than twice. Looks totally unable to play at this level.

Gaudet - You said it. Makes horrible decisions, takes brutal penalties, gets beat on the rush constantly. Was the Rebels best defenseman a good chunk of last season and another guy who I had hoped after seeing last year could provide good second pair minutes. Again that hasn't been the case at all.

Doetzel - This defensive corps badly needs the steadiness. That said, he's still looking like a 3rd pair defenseman on a good team and I honestly don't get what the fuss over him is besides his size.

Dixon - Another empty jersey. Takes bad penalties and skates poorly.

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Fafs has been nothing but an enforcer this year, gets beat regularly, and has managed to get worse since last year, not better. Nobody has ever expected him to be a top tier defenseman in this league but I had hoped he'd be able to provide quality 4-5 minutes back there. So far that hasn't really been the case.

He hasn't been as strong on the wall, or in front of the net as he was last season. Lots of guts though. He is in tough to be here next season though.

Charif is another Sutter find that has been terrific out there. Granted, playing across from Fleury is a big help for anyone, but he's really solidified that top pair.

Seems to have some good hockey sense, and is fairly mobile and likes to shoot. Very versatile for a rookie too, he is constantly being moved from the left side to the right side.

Bear - Terrible. If the guy plays 5 minutes he manages to get skated by on the rush no less than twice. Looks totally unable to play at this level.

I don't know if guys are skating past him as often as you say, but he sure hasn't looked like much more than a warm body so far. Doesn't hurt them like a few of the others on the team, but doesn't seem to be improving at the moment.

Gaudet - You said it. Makes horrible decisions, takes brutal penalties, gets beat on the rush constantly. Was the Rebels best defenseman a good chunk of last season and another guy who I had hoped after seeing last year could provide good second pair minutes. Again that hasn't been the case at all.

Aside from Sutter, probably the biggest disappointment for me this season. I thought he would step out of Dumba's shadow this season and lead the team, so far he has only led the team in turnovers and bad clearing attempts.

Doetzel - This defensive corps badly needs the steadiness. That said, he's still looking like a 3rd pair defenseman on a good team and I honestly don't get what the fuss over him is besides his size.

He is a first round bantam draft pick, and was ranked in the 2nd/3rd round of the NHL draft by various scouting agencies at various times, but was never drafted. I didn't see what the fuss was when he was ranked in the NHL draft so high, but after he wasn't drafted I think the fuss being made over him was quickly forgotten. He doesn't get beat often, punishes guys on the boards, and has finally put together more than twenty games without getting injured for months. Really no offensive game to speak of though. He is Justin Weller with less of a mean streak.

Dixon - Another empty jersey. Takes bad penalties and skates poorly

The team just doesn't have enough depth/experience to be able to bury all of the stupid penalties that he always takes at the most inopportune times. He would be a not bad 5/6 guy if he could eliminate that from his game (and still play aggressively).