Now that I've had time to digest the game and view some of the highlights, 5 or 6 of the guys had pretty solid efforts. It was clear that they were a little rough around the edges and perhaps even nervous. I was surprised at how most of the passing was pretty good, especially for this early in the season. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the guys were already denying time and space, never allowing many clean zone entries.
Fleury and McKeown were both very good. Fleury is a bit of a "free wheeler" but his skating keeps him from getting in too much trouble. He wasn't beaten wide (which Foegele did to him in each of the last two prospect camps) any that I saw. McKeown is smooth, never appears out of place, has solid offensive instincts. He also never seems to be flustered by anything.
Janne Kuokkanen is the real ****ing deal. He's confident in the very best way that a goal scorer should be. That first goal was just a laser where he found a seam, got everybody moving to the left, and then ripped it top shelf back against the grain. He was noticeable all game long....in a good way.
Despite missing 2 or 3 shots high and wide early, Lucas Wallmark (to quote Johnny Sideburns) was a going concern all game as well. He played excellently on the PK, made some very nice passes, and his goal was one of effort as well as vision. He didn't fare great in the face off circle that I could tell (frankly not sure the entire team did very well there). If he can improve there he very well could give J-Mac a run for his money.
Warren Foegele continues to impress me. He played very well defensively and used his speed to wreak havoc in the offensive zone. For the most part he was quietly doing his job in a very workman-like fashion.
Valentin Zykov deserves an honorable mention. I thought he had a couple of nice plays late in the first, sort of disappeared in the 2nd, but had a very solid 3rd period. His back checking was very solid. As I said elsewhere, if he can get control of his lethal wrister, he's going to be tough to handle.
Despite throwing the puck over the glass for a penalty, Wesley played solidly, very similarly to how McKeown played. Clark Bishop also had a nice game as a 4th liner. He broke up a number of plays that seemed on the verge of dangerous, but his stickwork and positioning on the defensive side of things proved to be enough to keep that from happening.
Lastly, I thought Jake Bean seemed to get more comfortable as the game wore on. It is clear to me that he doesn't quite know his role. His 3rd period was night and day compared to his 1st period. Kid is going to make a fair share of mistakes, but I hope the coaches realize that those come with his type of play and don't kill him for it. Like Dave said, he's a project, but in 2 or 3 years he could be a force to be reckoned with.
