Here's my report/notes finally. I was at the 2 games in Laval. Didn't put my focus on invitees much as I was focusing on actual prospects. First, the guys who only played the first game. I guess they were scratched as they also look the most NHL ready :
Tkachuk : Just drafted but is a physical specimen with the skills to go with it. The way he battles and use his body, the way he stickhandles through traffic, the way he sees/feels the game, he's born to be a hockey player. After a timid first 10 mins, he gradually took over the game and was the most impressive player in the end. He can do a lot of stuff that helps your team win and is quite entertaining. I think this guy will be an impact player for the Sens.
White : His game is complete/polished, he is not a high end talent that will put 70+ pts in the NHL but he makes a lot of positive plays all over the ice that will make him a coach favorite. He is capable of skilled moves that will allow him to rack up some points. This guy needs experience and to mature into his sophisticated game. He will be a NHL regular probably as soon as the season begins. A positive asset to have that shouldn't ever be too expensive, like a bigger and a bit more skilled Pageau.
Chlapik : Saw him on saturday in a suit, looked taller than 6'1. This guy is probably the hardest to assess. The question is how good will he be? If I would like to play it safe, I'd say a 40-60 pts player. Will he be a Center? The Sens seems adamant on playing him at that position. He is capable of highly skilled plays, very cerebral, great playmaker who sees the ice well and seems responsible defensively. He needs to continue getting stronger but I saw him being strong on the puck on many occasion, however in the NHL it gets harder and harder. Like others, he needs experience and know what to do and not do vs pros.
Wolanin : I was annoying with that guy, like "did you see what Wolanin did?" on many occasions... There's a reason I call him Wowlanin, some highly skilled plays, seems to have a knack for creating scoring chances with his passing/shooting/vision. If EK and Chabot can be efficient #1 and #2, and Wolanin #3, then Ceci more comfortable as a #4, then we might have a much better defense than people expect. But yeah, a lot rests on Chabot and Wow. I have faith in this guy.
Jaros : This guy is a rock, his hits seem to hurt real bad. He has also has a bomb of a shot. He needs to continue to clean his defensive game and improve his decision making. If he becomes more consistent, you have some kind of modern Volchenkov. Considering we have EK, Ceci, JBD in front of him, he won't need to be more than a 3rd pair guy, which could be an advantage.
Gustavsson : looked shaky and rusty at first, which is normal but looked more and more comfortable as the game went on. He made it look easy. Granted if it wasn't for the PPs the Habs got, he wouldn't have faced any quality scoring chance and IIRC only had 14 SOG in the whole game. Good on him that he was able to keep his focus in a boring game (for him). Difficult to have a deeper evaluation on just 1 game with so little action.
Guys who played the 2 games :
Brown : Didn't dominate, needs to improve his first 2 steps acceleration. Like others have hinted, this is a guy who would actually look better in a more structured game. I saw him deliver some nice hits, one that made his team regain possession but he needs to be able to find a way to impose himself physically to create space for himself and his teammates. Personally, I'd see him with Tkachuk and White, guys who create a lot of space themselves, allowing him to have the puck on his stick. That's when he can be good. But don't expect a prime Getzlaf, he is more a passive player like Spezza with superior vision and playmaking. If you can accept that, you won't complain too much on Brown, who should be a real asset on the PP. The plan should be to have a Duchene-Brown-Chlapik 1-2-3 punch down the middle in the near future, but probably not this year.
Formenton : his speed is such an asset, it's crazy. For offense, but also for defense. I saw him backcheck on a 2 on 1 that closed the threat pretty quickly. He has a sneaky snapshot that will catch goalies off-guard. I dream to see him and Pageau on the PK in the near future. He has all the tools to develop as an all around utility player, but the type that scores 20 goals and 20 assists but also make the other team rage. Seeing him live from a short distance, you can see that he has character too. Will be a huge fan favorite.
Batherson : The way he tied the game and won it in OT with the pass to Formenton is why he will also be a huge fan favorite. He is a guy that is always trying to create offense, sometimes it doesn't work and I guess he can get frustrated but with time and effort, it ends up in the net. He seems to have such a great drive and determination to become the best he can be, that's why it's impossible to determine his ceiling at this point in time. He reminds me of young Mark Stone, but faster and obviously not the same hockey IQ because Stone has probably one of the top in the NHL.
Luchuk : Wish I could have seen more for him, seems energetic, some skill, some agility but is a bit smallish. We have to see what he is able to do at the AHL level for a full season. He wasn't able to stand out in any of the games.
Sturtz : Another smallish guy, even smaller. But is quite determined, energetic and agile. He was provoking some stuff in the opposition zone.
Kelly :
Lajoie :
Hollett :
Mandolese :
OK I'm posting to not lose the info. Still have to finish it.