2021 Development Camp Wrap Up
Keep in mind while I'm watching one player, there's usually 3 more doing the same thing elsewhere on the ice, I watched every day though and I'm pretty comfortable with my takes, it was good to see everyone again!
2018 Draft
Curtis Hall- The 6-4 220 pound Hall has the look of a NHL player, he had zero problems with any of the drills and to my eyes was very consistent, lateral movement is still a work in progress and at times needs a bigger runway to get going, really displayed soft hand and vision in the 3v3 drills, I'm happy with his progress
Dustyn McFaul- While McFaul wasn't at the very top of camp defensemen he still impressed me, moves very well with or without the puck, at times looked a little conservative out there but rarely made mistakes, has a nice hard and low shot and moves the puck fairly well, I'm perplexed his stat line in College is so low, I think he has more to show
2019 Draft
John Beecher- Johnny showed his rust right off the bat, shook it off rather quickly, speed and power was on full display but his hands haven't caught up yet, unfortunately wasn't able to do some drills and missed all of the 3v3,4v4,5v5 action, he's on target to start on time in Michigan and turn Pro in early Spring, very high floor
Quinn Olson- mixed camp for Quinn, some drills did well, other's looked like white rice when there were opportunities to separate from the pack, he's a good 2 way player that's also solid from the dot but I might have over rated him a bit, expect him to play 2 more years in College
Jake Schmaltz- I liked what I saw from Mr. Schmaltz, he is the classic Jack of all trades master of none, high work rate ,quick release ,good skater but nothing close to elite, he just get's the job done and has an edge to him while doing it, how can you not like that?
The Much Maligned 2020 Draft
Mason Lohrei- What else can I say other than I told you so.... arguably Boston's best prospect, not a finished product but that's the exciting part, puts on the Freshmen 15 and gains more game experience and hopefully turns pro in March, kid is the real deal
Trevor Kuntar- Outstanding camp, got better everyday and just outclassed the rest, he was so freaking good it's hard to describe, phenomenal growth from his Freshman year at BC and I thought he had a good year.. he dominated 1v1 drills and wins just about every board battle, laser shot, drives hard to the net , keep an eye out for him, legit!
Mason Langenbrunner- What a revelations this kid was, great skater, high IQ, pinpoint passing, looks like a natural back there, his shot needs work and is very light for his size (6-3 180) but doesn't head to Harvard till 2022 so you're looking at potentially 5 more development years and he'll put on the pounds then, he absolutely showed NHL promise, we just have to be patient
Riley Duran- Riley had a excellent camp, I was nervous cause he was on such a dysfunctional team in the USHL but he showed why the Bruins drafted him, he's a budding power forward who isn't the sum of all his parts, hands haven't caught up yet but was in the right spots all week long ,a few years at PC are going to do him wonders
2021 Draft
Brett Harrison- He was exactly as the Draft Guides wrote, big ,rangy ,a killer in close, must of scored 100 goals from 6ft in, at times during different drills had the same look my kids had when I made them drive on the highway for the first time but other than that he looked the part, 2 way play was better than expected, while he didn't stand out he did pretty good for someone 18 years old
Ryan Mast- Impressive first camp, big dude that's pretty light on his feet, surprising offensive chops, heavy shot from the point, would imagine he'll be a top pairing guy in Sarnia, lots to like so far
Andre Gasseau- Another one that impressed but wasn't as consistent as Mast, struggled on the first day, a budding power forward type that likes to posses the puck and create space for others, has a wicked wrist shot but is very raw, hence why after playing on the NTDP he's doing another year in that league with Fargo, he did ok in drills but really shined 3v3 and game like situations
Ty Gallagher- Ty looked like a heady Ryan Lindgren clone (minus the sandpaper), plus skater, powerfull shot, did enough that I noticed him often, seemed comfortable in this setting and looked well prepared, will be in good hands at BU
NHL Contract
Brady Lyle- intense defender that played with a chip on his shoulder the whole week and was excellent, he was all business and did very well with the various skating drills, went easy on the goalies during slap shot drills and often led by example, can't ask for much more
Kyle Keyser- Kyle started the week as if Boston pulled him off the beach a few hours earlier but he quickly rebounded and made many ridiculous saves over the next few days, he had a solid camp and hopefully gets rewarded with a preseason start in Boston
AHL Contract
Alex Olivier Voyer- What ever the Coaching staff told him to work on he clearly took it to heart, easily the best forward on the ice on the first day and continued to work hard all week, he's not the most gifted but showed an excellent work rate, had a few highlight reel goals, smart on management to invite him, he did well
JD Greenway- Signing him is either going to be a magnificent hit or fail spectacularly, early in camp he looked the part, got the 2 year contract and then kind of half assed it during the scrimmage, now he's a mammoth of a dude and he wasn't in the same shape as the others so he was running on fumes near the end but I was hoping for a little more, maybe they start him in Maine and make him play his way to Providence.
The Invites
Parker Ford- Excellent camp for the little engine that could, showed skill, speed, jam, sandpaper, IQ ,he can do it all and really was a pleasure to watch, absolutely should be offered a contract
Tyler Gratton- Not sure what they see in him unless he's willing to sign now and will start in Maine? He had a few nice goals but never stood out otherwise, Pass on signing him
Mathew Kopperud- Started very slow but finished on a high note, another one that shined once the drills were over and the bullets started flying, not the biggest kid almost has that typical College player frame, he's pretty elusive though and made plays last few days, he's worth tracking from here on out, I'd sign him
Reed Lebster- Overall mediocre , did have his moments during face off drills where he crushed his opponents but never really shined elsewhere and never caught my eye, Pass on signing him
Marc McLaughin- I was jazzed to watch him but first couple of days he kind of laid an egg, he recovered and really put his stamp on the week, scored goals of all kinds and battled hard, not the biggest guy but very wide, strong along the boards usually winning most battles, deceptive shot too, He's on my list to sign
Ben Meyers- He missed day one, was meh day 2 and I'm thinking to myself what's the big deal with this guy and then the game scenarios started and yeah he's pretty good, silky smooth with great vision and can do it at full speed, fantastic chemistry with Kuntar just tortured the D, he's pretty high end but chances are we won't get him, sorry
Anton Malmstrom- Interesting player, I went from why is he here? to why is he playing at Bowling Green?, big, sturdy defensman that skates like a little guy , excellent hockey resume so it's no surprise how seasoned he looked back there, excellent escape ability, solid vision, really looked good, just a sound player. He'd be a good get
Travis Mitchell- High risk reward type that's trending in the right direction , watching him you wouldn't know he sat the season out, had no trouble navigating through all the drills and ate the forwards up during rushes, has probable the highest upside of the invitees but I was cautioned about him a few times by various prospect aficionados... ,he's got loads of raw talent just waiting to be molded though, I'd try and sign him now
Brandon Scanlin- STUD! just a monster back there, Condor like reach sweeps away any trouble and if they get through that he just pastes them against the board , 6-4 220, really good skater, moved the puck well, showed surprisingly good offensive flair, shot was nice and heavy, he killed it this week, Absolutely a must sign
Zach Stejskal- very impressed, I stood right above him all week, made the routine saves look routine, was a model of consistency, now and again leaked a goal but they all did, good size, good lateral movements, seemed to enjoy the experience ,what else can I say other than sign him!
Keith Petruzzelli- He was good too but I had Stejskal slightly ahead, Keith is massive in size and fills up the goal, I don't think he's reached his potential with movement and
flexibility yet, made some big saves during the scrimmages , I'm interested to see where he ends up
That's it, next stop Prospect Challenge Buffalo NY
