A few observations from Saturday's games:
- Great goaltending from all four netminders, especially Fazio, Turnbull and Johnson (who rebounded nicely after Team Carter scored on the first shot after coming in cold off the bench)
- Konecny showed his usually flashes of brilliance but without being able to be overly physical (usually the downfall of most AllStar games), he lacked that usual dominance factor
- Dede Cato (Chatham-Kent) is a player that I am starting to really like. He was among the best defensemen out there. Great skater with good offensive instincts.
- Colton White (LJK Gold) was outstanding again. So poised, smart and confident at both ends of the rink.
- Ethan Syzpula (LJK Gold)...I am not sure where most "experts" have him ranked in their draft lists but for me, he's extremely high. Besides Konecny, he is probably the most skilled forward available in the Alliance. He's able to make high end plays and understands the game extremely well. Love him.
- Noah Bushnell (Sun County) was one of the standouts on forward for me. His ability to play as a skilled physical forward is an attractive package. I know that one OHL team absolutely loves him (I was sitting nearby and overheard their conversation of praise). I can't blame them either as he's got great upside.
Lawson Crouse (Elgin-Middlesex) was probably team Doughty's most consistent player throughout the game. It was nice to see him thrive without Konecny. i feel as though his size, skill and work ethic will earn him a higher draft spot than most people are projecting.
Jamie Huber and Ted Nichol (Huron Perth) had good games and showed that they were among the better offensive players from the Alliance.
Greg Hansford (Huron Perth) was very steady on the backend. He displayed his simple shutdown approach and I think has the potential to be a steady OHL defenseman.
I was slightly disappointed in a few players, as I was expecting to see more from them including Sun County's Brett Primeau and Elgin-Middlesex's Cole Mayo. I have seen both of these players play at higher levels.
Good game for the kids!
- Other players who had good showings: Nay (Kitchener), Marlatt (CKC),