[Mitch]

Originally Posted by _Q_

For what it's worth, this is how I evaluate the young guys on the team:

Brodie - Incredible vision, extremely steady and mature game for his age. Needs to develop an edge and gain some size. Still, I like that he was one of the only players to stand up for his goalie against Colorado. He is definitely a top 4 Defenceman right now and maybe can be top 2 as early as next season.

Backlund - Has developed quite nicely into a two way centre. Brings it every shift. Doesn't take any shifts off. Seems as though he might be a future leader of this team. Can play well enough on the second line, but needs to work on his shot to be more effective in the offensive zone. Probably will never develop into a star first liner, but that's what I used to say about Iginla as well 15 years ago. So who knows.

Horak - Don't know why, but he's my favorite out of the young guys. Just like Backlund, never takes a shift off. Has good speed, OK hands, but is determined and tenacious as hell. I think 21 year old Horak is a better player than Backlund at 21 and would not be surprised one bit if he developed into a better player than Backlund. That's not taking anything away from Backs, but I think Horak is that good. If Horak can develop his shot a bit, then watch out.

Reinhart - I was always down on Reinhart before this call up. I never thought he had what it takes to become an NHLer. I have enjoyed watching him play the last couple of games, last game especially. I think I need to watch more of him to form a proper opinion, but I do like what I see so far. He had an incredible game last night and I really hope he can build on that.

Baertschi - He's OK. Needs more time in the AHL. I know we all want to rush this guy into the NHL, but I just don't think he's good enough. Not yet anyways. He's weak, but has good vision, always seems to know where he should be and is extremely determined. Still he gets pushed around easily and has a very soft shot. Hopefully he uses the offseason to bulk up a bit.

Agreed on everything regarding Baertschi except for his shot. His shot is actually very very good if utilized correctly. I remember watching one of the heat games during the lockout and he scored on a one-time shot, in which the puck went in and out of the net before the goalie had time to react. Ryan Pinder said he hadn't seen that hard of a shot since Kotalik.