Watched the scrimmage so I'll be doing a write-up on a bunch of players that interested me.
Overall Game: High intensity, fast, very physical (more so than any wings game I've seen recently, we've got some mean kids in the system), and really nobody looked like they didn't belong. Great game.
Now to the players
Forwards
Sadowy: The guy is all around a great player and stood out with both his play and his facial hair. Probably the best player tonight and it showed with the hat trick. Had a ton of breakaway chances and rushes, really likes to get moving and open up the ice. Definitely had some speed which was a welcome surprise. He looked closer to he NHL than anyone else tonight which is saying a lot for someone that just turned 20. Scored the best goal of the night, put the puck between defenders legs on the backhand 1 on 1 and then roofed the puck back over the goalies shoulder. I'm a fan.
Svechnikov: Physically missing during the first half. Figuratively missing during the second. Really disappointed to be completely honest. Not much else to say.
Ehn: I'm a huge fan of this guy. Loved him at last years camp and he was even better here. One of the best players on the ice definitely which I didn't expect. Guy is elusive, and has speed that allows him to break away from the pack. Scored a beauty breakaway goal using that speed plus his great hands, hands that laid a perfect sauce on Sadowy's stick for his first goal. The guy has NHL potential, which is a surprise from someone talked about so little around here. Definitely one of my favorites.
Bertuzzi: Very dissapointing first half. Second half wasn't much better for the most part besides him upping his effort level from 70% to 150%. Skates everywhere with his head down which makes him miss a lot of the play. Also didn't display he sandpaper I was expecting. All was forgiven however by his hilariously amazing goal. 1 on 1 against Sadowy, just completely forgets about the puck and skates at Sadowy, slashed his stick clean out of his hands, picks the puck back up and goes around Sadowy and score a nice breakaway goal. That was great, other than that however ehhhh. Definitely looked like more of a leader than usual however.
Nastasiuk: Obviously a leader out on the ice, talks a lot. Has some definite size but doesn't really use it. Overall a bit of a disappointment didn't really impress me at all.
Smith: We're going to love this kid. He is simply just mean. Mean, mean, mean. He was blowing up guys all over the place, probably had more hits than everyone else combined. Had some skill too, but not a lot of smarts. Probably turned over the puck more than anyone else. I'm definitely impressed though, he's going to be a wrecking ball.
Kirwan: Very big, very fast, plays like a train and his destination his the front of the net. I liked him.
Defensemen:
Hicketts: Still hilariously small but honestly it doesn't even matter. His size doesn't hinder his play, at least not to the point that it's the reason he won't make it to the NHL. Played a very safe game, played hard in the corners. Took on McKee at one point and absolutely dropped Malstrom I believe with just a forearm in the corner. I'm not entirely impressed by him but size isn't a problem.
Saarijarvi: Size is definitely a problem for him however, gets pushed around a lot. First hit of the game was him getting destroyed by Smith. Definitely needs to get stronger and more balanced even if he can't get bigger. Besides that however he's easily the most creative defenseman on the ice and isn't afraid to make plays. I definitely liked him more last year but I'm still a fan, especially if he can get stronger on his skates.
McKee: Big and mean. Flattened Nastasiuk in the corner and had quite a vicious battle with Holeay in front of the net (who looked taller than McKee by the way). Still unsure if he can play hockey however.
Cholowski: I'm in love. He's perfect. But seriously, he looks like a defenseman drafted in the first round. He plays such a perfect game, every pass he makes is right on the tape to the right guy on the ice. He plays smart, his head is never looking down. It's crazy, but when he gets the puck the first thing I look at is his head, okay yeah that sounds weird but that's just how smart of a player he is. The guy plays like a part time forward too, he tries to get into the play a lot which would get him caught a lot if he wasn't such a good skater too. Even with his skating however, he did get caught a few times playing a bit too offensively, that is my only complaint however. He simply plays a perfect game. Got a ton of ice time in the second half which makes you wonder if somebody higher up wanted to see a little bit more of him. I nominate that he is now called ChillOutski, because that is how he plays the game.
