NAME: Ty Halaburda TEAM: Pacific Coast Sea Devils HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5’10/145lbs POSITION: Center HAND: Right DRAFTGEEK RANK: 21ST SKATING: 4.5 SKILL: 4.5 SHOT: 3.75 SMARTS: 4 PHYSICAL: 4.25 Halaburda was a returning player to a bit of middle of the pack academy. He started the year playing in the second division tournament, playing in games that were not lined with scouts like a Yale vs Delta Green would be. However, Ty Halaburda took some significant steps … Read more
NAME: Mazden Leslie TEAM: Lloydminster Bobcats (AMHL) HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’0/160lbs POSITION: Defense HAND: Right DRAFTGEEK RANK: 7TH SKATING: 3.75 SKILL: 4.5 SHOT: 4.75 SMARTS: 3.75 PHYSICAL: 4.5 Mazden Leslie is an interesting player to track. A couple of seasons ago he played as an underage player in the AMBHL where he had 18 points in 34 games. Last season, Leslie was arguably the best defenseman in the AMBHL where he put up 50 points on the … Read more
Hockey Canada’s annual U18 Summer Camp took place on July 28th to July 30th. The summer camp contains 44 of the top under 18 talent in Canada and it is used to decide the Canadian Ivan Hlinka squad. We are starting to see a trend at these camps that players need to have a certain level of skill to get invited to them, it is no longer just required for … Read more
Name: Dylan Plouffe Team: Vancouver Giants (WHL) Position: Defense Height/Weight: 6’0 201lbs Hand: Left NHL Draft Ranking: N/A Western Prospects Ranking: 45th Estimated Draft Position: Camp Invite Areas of Strength Maturity Physical Defensively High Level Skater Areas of Weakness Discipline Over Committing Improving in All Areas Report: Its a shock that Dylan Plouffe has yet to earn looks from an NHL Team, outside of camp invites Dylan Plouffe’s name … Read more
2019 WHL Draft Summary Not selecting until around the mid-way point of the second round, the Giants took risks on a few players while also mixing in a few safe picks in there as well. They opened up there 2019 draft class with two skilled players in Joshua Niedermayer and Bowden Singleton. Joshua, son of Scott Niedermayer, is a sturdy two-way defensemen that has the tool set and mental game … Read more
Name: Joshua Niedermayer Team: OHA Penticton (CSSHL) Position: Defense Hometown: Newport Beach, California Height/Weight: 5’11 197lbs Hand: Left WHL Draft: 30th Overall – Vancouver Giants DraftGeek Rank: 26th Areas of Strength All-Situations Player Suffocating Defensive Game Power Play Quarterback Qualities Areas of Weakness Over Committing Defensively Mobility Report: Son of NHL Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, Josh’s already possess the necessary frame work to play in the WHL. A … Read more
Name: Bowden Singleton Team: NAX Academy (CSSHL) Position: Forward Hometown: Calgary, Alberta Height/Weight: 5’7 150lbs Hand: Left WHL Draft: DraftGeek Rank: 10 Areas of Strength Elite Shooting Abilities Dexterity Deception Areas of Weakness Pace Size Consistency Report: Singleton elevated his game over the second half of the season. He came into NAX expected to carry the load offensively, something that he did not have to do with the Calgary … Read more
The crop of players eligible for the NHL Draft out of the Western Hockey League is particularly strong this year, with as many as four WHLers in contention for top 10 picks this year, and another four players in first round contention. For comparison, last year saw just two WHLers drafted in the top 31— none within the top 15 (to be fair though, Ty Smith deserved to go much … Read more
Name: Zack Ostapchuk Team: NAX Midget Prep (CSSHL) Position: Center Date of Birth: May 29th 2003 Home Town: St.Albert, Alberta Height/Weight: 6’3 174lbs Hand: Left WHL Draft: 12rd Overall in 2018 – Vancouver Giants (Signed) *Eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft* Areas of Strength Powerful Skater Versatility Acceleration Areas of Weakness Offensive Production Consistent Offensive Awareness Player Report: Going into the WHL Draft, we had Zack Ostapchuk pegged as our 10th ranked prospect … Read more
Name: Cole Shepard Team: Penticton Vee’s (BCHL) Position: Left Wing Date of Birth: January 2nd 2002 Hometown: West Vancouver, British Columbia Height/Weight: 5’10 152lbs Hand: Left WHL Draft: 33rd Overall in 2017 – Vancouver Giants *Committed to Harvard University* *Eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft* Areas of Strength Footwork Motor One on One Abilities Areas of Weakness Size Strength Overall Scoring Tools Player Report: Going into the 2017 WHL Draft we … Read more