[Converge]

Another good day today. They did an interesting 2-on-2 drill that really helped illustrate some players abilities.



01 – G Laurent Brossoit: Struggled a lot again today. Looked small in net, had poor rebound control, and anything that was up high had a good chance of getting past him. I know he’s young and it’s his first development camp, but he made a lot of shooters look pretty good today…

31 – G Joni Ortio: Another good day for Joni. He continues to be the clear cut number one at camp over Bakala. Showed pretty good rebound control and didn’t give shooters much to look at. He doesn’t have any glaring flaws in his game at this point.

32 – C Paul Byron: Still haven’t been impressed with Byron. He’s fast, but he’s not really a very good skater and has poor balance. He’s just a little guy who moves his feet quickly. He’s got a pretty good shot, but aside from that he doesn’t look very skilled to me. I’m sorry, but I can’t see this kid cracking our line-up this year. He’s small, doesn’t play physical, and doesn’t add much of anything. I may be wrong about him (and I hope I am), but he just hasn’t showed me anything to make me believe he has the ability to play well at an NHL pace.

36 – G Dan Bakala: Bakala looked pretty much the same today. He’s not too far behind Ortio in terms of skill, but he’s still clearly a step below. Seems like a pretty solid, all around goaltender, but still needs work.

38 – LW Logan MacMillan: Much more noticeable today. MacMillan isn’t really bad at anything, but he’s not exactly great at anything either. One of the better skaters at camp for sure though. His shooting and passing look about average to me.

39 – RW Bryan Cameron: Cameron is clearly one of the most improved players from last year to this year. You can really tell he’s worked hard to improve his skating and it’s really paying off; he looks much faster now. His shooting still looks really good, and he’s still really good in-front of the net. To me, Bryan Cameron is looking more and more like a legitimate prospect. I expect a strong season from him next year in Abbotsford.

42 – LD T.J. Brodie: Looked better today than the past few days. Showed some skill in the 2-on-2 drills, and good positioning. His skating looked really strong as well, but at times he seemed a little passive defensively. There were times when he should have probably challenged the puck-carrier more, but chose not to.

43 – RD Keith Seabrook: Seabrook looked pretty good again today. He’s got a good shot, and likes to use it. He seems like a decent defensive player, with a good blend of body-positioning and physicality; although he isn’t a big hitter.

45 – LD Joey Leach: At this point I think it’s safe to say that Leach’s offensive ceiling is very low, but I think he still has the potential to be a solid, stay-at-home guy. He utilizes his size and reach when defending, and plays strong along the boards. When given an opportunity to score, his shot seemed weak and placed poorly. I actually really like Leach’s game, and I’m interested to see how he progresses next year in Kootenay.

46 – LW Carter Bancks: Carter Bancks is a much better player than I thought he was a week ago. His shooting improved significantly, and his skating is above average. He’s not afraid to engage physically along the boards either. I could see Bancks filling out as a bottom-six guy one day, with some limited offensive upside. I really like his work ethic.

47 – LW Sven Baertschi: Baertschi’s skating looked much better this morning. He excelled at some drills that most others struggled with, and many couldn’t even do properly. He looks comfortable on his edges, even during difficult drills. He’s not an exceptionally fast skater, but he’s quick, and looked much more organized and balanced today. The 2-on-2 drills helped shed some light on his defensive game, and I don’t want to slap the “one-dimensional” or “poor defensively” tags on Baertschi, but he needs some work in that area. His positioning was a little off at times, but if anything his defensive lapses were a result of him trying to do too much defensively. As the 2-on-2 drills went on, the play got a little more physical, and I remember watching Beartschi skate calmly into the corner a number times, and thinking to myself “He’s not even going to get engaged physically…” only to have him simply strip the puck from the carrier almost instantly. His puck control and shooting both look way above average, and he’s even a pretty good passer. Sven has just been thoroughly impressive all week, even if there are some flaws in his game.

48 – RW Greg Nemisz: I think Nemisz is really starting to round his game out. His offensive skills are starting to come around and his shooting and puck-handling look better than ever. Although I don’t think he’ll ever be the dominant offensive player we thought he would be one day, I can see him developing into a strong two-way player who can put up 20-25 goals consistently.

49 – C Bill Arnold: Arnold hasn’t been the most noticeable player this week, but from what I’ve seen, he has a fair package of offensive capabilities. He’s got a decent shot, and is an okay puck-handler, although he needs to work on that more. Arnold still has a long way to go before he’s ready for pro hockey, but I think he has the raw skills to make it.

50 – C Justin Dowling: One of the bigger surprises today. Dowling thinks the game really well, and is a great passer. I was really impressed with him all day. He showed some pretty nice hands and scored some sick goals as a result.

51 – C Roman Horak: Not nearly the dynamic offensive talent we had heard about. It’s not that Horak is a bad player or anything, but his tools just don’t seem as well developed as I had expected. He’s a decent passer, and he’s got an average shot, at best. I hope to get a better idea of Roman’s defensive game tomorrow.

52 – C Mitch Wahl: Wahl didn’t look quite as good today as he did the past few days. His skating is still above average for sure. His top speed isn’t anything spectacular, but he’s a really good skater and has the potential to get faster. He looked smart and made good decisions in the 2-on-2, and displayed a well-rounded high end offensive game with great awareness. He’s also able to pick corners and place his shots really well.

53 – C Markus Granlund: Granlund needs to work on the mechanics of his skating more, and could definitely use more speed in his game. He’s a better shooter than I thought he would be, and his offensive skills seem above average. He still thinks pass first, and loves to set shooters up for one timers.