[Ring of Fire]

My observations from tonight's game:

Defence:
Engelland-better than anticipated again, mobile, very calm, poised presence, physical, gets shots on net, scored, makes the simple, safe play
Russell-picked up where he left off last year

Kulak-very impressive again, good vision, his offensive game has lots of potential but he will benefit from gaining experience with lots of ice time in AHL
Diaz-great poise, puck control, good puck movement on the pp, shots get on net but not very powerful, plays with heart but struggled a bit with bigger forwards, lots of talent but can see why he hasn't stuck as a top 6 dman with a team.
Brookbank-great defensive plays again, simple, doesn't make mistakes, basically what you want in a 7th dman
Sieloff-physical, mobile, as advertised. Getting a full AHL season will be helpful.

Forwards:
Colborne-looked solid, confident, controlling the puck well, winning board battles, hugely improved from last year. A stronger possession player this year.
Glencross-generally looked disinterested, but still good hands, game-winner tip-in
McGrattan-scored!

Granlund-most NHL ready of the rookie forwards. Smart plays on the boards, creates offence, can play with anyone. He'll stick around to the end of camp and I wouldn't be surprised if he started the season in the NHL with Backlund injured.
Gaudreau-puck continues to follow him around, controls the puck very well, quarterbacks the pp, getting the puck to the net lots, lots of shots, creating scoring chances, doesn't look as deadly as usual at this level yet, but the skill is obviously there
Ferland-soft hands, good stick handling in traffic, started strong but disappeared for stretches, consistency might be issue
Baertschi-his best pre-season game so far. Scored a goal, looked more poised with the puck, stronger, and even threw a couple hits. I still expect more from him, would like to see more speed, and he'll have to create more offensive chances if he wants to make the team. Some AHL time to build offensive confidence may be needed for him to reach his offensive potential as a top 6 forward.
Reinhart-smart plays, good pk, doing the little things right, will have to beat Byron out for an NHL spot
Elson-lots of jump in his game, played very well in his role, good on pk, ultimately destined for AHL to gain size/experience, but definite progression on a prospect that was an afterthought last year. A character guy doing all he can to stick around and making a case that he can be an NHL player down the line.
Jooris-playing hard, simple, but AHL skill
Wolf-threw a few hits, but not a difference-maker. Not helping his cause to make the roster.
Klimchuk-plays hard, left game early with injury, likely will be going back to junior shortly

Goalie:
Ortio-poor rebound control on two shots led to two goals, otherwise fine
Carr-calm and composed, not tested much but played looks like a good AHL/ECHL depth option to get under contract