Based on the two scrimmages.
FORWARDS
Top 5 forwards:
- Gaudrau: Unbelievable skill. Dominant second scrimmage.
- Monahan: So smart. Looks NHL ready. I was more impressed with he offense then I thought I would be.
- Granlund: Big surprise. One of the best forwards on the ice. Huge shot.
- Baertschi: Most dominant player in scrimmage one. Poor second scrimmage but I think he got hurt early on a hit by Harrison.
- Jankowski: I struggled with this one. Could have put a bunch of guys. Knight and Agostino were close for example. But I was impressed with Jankowski. Huge growth in skill and size from last season. Looking like he might have a solid future.
Three Disappointments:
- Horak: He wasn't bad. But he should have been dominant. Non factor most of both games.
- Klimchuk: We saw flashes. But he struggled overall. (He will be better next year).
- Howse: He had a better scrimmage two but he really need to be noticed to stay on the radar. Generally he wasn't.
Three Surprises:
- Ferland: Seems to be much fitter this season. Showing more then toughness. Great hands.
- Elson: Offensive flashes and overall strong play. Looking forward to seeing what he does in the AHL.
- Harrison: Nobody knew who he was. We do now. A pain to play against and all over the ice.
DEFENCE
Top 3 Defense:
- Wotherspoon: Steady and quiet. But a rock.
- Culkin: Generally strong camp.
- Ramage: Impressed me second scrimmage.
Top 2 Disappointments:
- Roy: I was expecting to notice him. I didn't.
- Martin: Should have been dominant based on his age and pro experience. He wasn't.
Top 3 Surprises:
- Kanzig: Faster and better then I expected. Gave some justification to the 3-round selection.
- Sieloff: Feisty, feisty, feisty. Decent D. Great spark plug.
- Gilmour: I had no idea what to expect. Generally he impressed.
GOAL
Top Goalie:
- Gilles: He was the most consistent goalie through both scrimmages. Big, fast, technically sound. Made some beauty saves to end the second scrimmage. Brossoit was the runner up.
Worst Goalie:
- Ortio: Hoffman probably deserved this, but he was an invite so I went with Ortio. He still had a decent camp but one of the tenders had to 'win' the selection. Berra was the runner up.