Hi! This will be my first installment of the CBJ Prospect Watch. I’ll be attending Mississauga Steelheads games throughout the year, with an eye on their draft eligible players, as well as eyes on current Columbus Blue Jackets-owned players throughout the OHL. My first assignment was to check out Saginaw Spirit forward and CBJ 4th round pick from 2013, Nick Moutrey.
Nick Moutrey plays a “jack-of-all-trades”-style game for Saginaw. He’s used as a second line right winger, plays on the second units of both the powerplay and penalty kill, and is occasionally double-shifted, as he was twice in the third period of Sunday’s game against Mississauga. In his fourth season with Saginaw, Moutrey is now seen as a leader, and wears an “A” for the Spirit. On the whole, while Moutrey has an impressive physique and has, on paper, all the tools to be successful, he didn’t have much of a standout game against Mississauga.
Moutrey’s game on Sunday saw him carry the puck remarkably little. He was more of a passenger, attempting to create chaos to allow his linemates Jimmy Lodge (a Jets 3rd rounder in the 2013 draft) and Mitchell Stephens (a 2014 draft eligible) to generate most of the offense. At 5v5, Moutrey’s game was to streak in as a secondary option, often rushing towards the net off the wing. He was quick to forecheck, burning Mississauga defender Sean Day twice with offensive zone takeaways on lone-man forechecks, one of which lead to a scoring chance for the Spirit. He was also a protector for his teammates, as his 6’3″ 200 pound frame dwarfed those of Lodge (6’1″, 170) and Stephens (5’11” 182). Moutrey fought 6’4″, 215 pound defender Nick Zottl when Zottl went after Stephens following a goalmouth scrum. Later, Moutrey engaged Mississauga dman Brandon Devlin while defending Stephens after another scrum, ending in matching roughing minors.
Moutrey was on the ice for a Spirit goal for, but did not factor into it. He was also on the ice for three goals against: one shorthanded, a 5v5 goal which proved to be the game-winner, and an empty net goal. Moutrey was used during the extra man situation late in the game but did not generate any shots on goal and eventually ended with the aforementioned Mississauga empty netter. He finished the game with a 45% offensive zone start rate at 5v5, all of which came during the third period with the game tied or the Spirit down a goal.
Moutrey did not get a clean shot on net during the game, but did tip two shots on goal. He finished the day a +9/-10 in Corsi attempts, for a 47.3% CF. He had one excellent pass, on a three-on-two rush, passing back to a trailing forward for a clean shot. He did make a notable defensive gaffe as well, as a puck came up the boards to him in the defensive zone, and he fumbled it in his skates, which allowed a Steelheads forward to pickpocket him. This giveaway lead to two scoring chances against.
On the penalty kill, Moutrey played the role of high forward, checking the point men. He was largely passive, working mostly with his stick to prevent passes rather than to aggressively rush towards the opposition. When he did receive the puck, he would avoid clearing it as a snap reaction, instead looking to skate the puck out or pass out of the zone. He very nearly sprang his penalty kill partner Mitchell Stephens on a breakaway in the first, with a Steelheads defender barely breaking it up.
Moutrey’s powerplay role shifted during the game. He played half-wall and along the icing line on the right wing during the first period, but switched to playing in the high slot on later powerplays. He was ineffective on the powerplay, generating no shots and rarely even touching the puck.
Other notes from the game:
Dylan Sadowy, the Sharks 3rd round pick from 2013, was very impressive for Saginaw. Created a lot of opportunites for his linemates and had a couple shots on goal.
Mississauga defender Sean Day, a 2016 draft eligible, was very aggressive from the blueline. He has eight points in ten games so far, and plays on the Steelheads’ first pairing as well on the powerplay. He challenges opposing skaters quite a bit, but was often beat wide with speed, perhaps a sign that either he is a bit too aggressive against the rush, or that he just doesn’t have the ability to transition from backward to forward at a top level yet. He is patient with the puck, arguably too much at times, as he was responsible for at least four giveaways in the defensive zone after spending too much time waiting for a perfect outlet pass.
Steelheads forward Nathan Bastian, a 2016 eligible centre, is a monster. At just under 17 years old, Bastian is already 6’3″ and 195 pounds. He’s got a heavy shot, and is relatively mobile for a body of his size at his age. He had a polarizing game, with stretches of time being both invisible and impossible to miss. His line had a couple of dominant shifts, including one where they put six shot attempts at Spirit goalie Jake Paterson in the span of about 45 seconds. But there were large spurts where he was barely noticeable. Bastian was given the responsibility of defending the lead late in the game, and scored the empty net goal that sealed the Mississauga win, after earlier notching a “who, me?” assist when a failed pass of his bounced to teammate Mike McLeod, who dangled a defender and scored a highlight reel dangle goal – his first of his OHL career.
Overage, undrafted Russian import Sam Babintsev had a very strong two-way game for Mississauga. He’s a fast, shifty winger with a good shot who played all situations, and scored a beautiful shorthanded goal.
My next game will be November 7th, where I’ll be checking out these same Steelheads as they face off against Columbus prospect Blake Sibenaler and the Niagara Icedogs. Cory Bell and our new hire, junior hockey specialist Paul Berthelot, will also be checking in with prospect reports throughout the season.
Previous Reports:
Blake Siebenaler, by Cory Bell
Julien Pelletier, by Cory Bell
– Jeremy
Follow me on twitter, @307x
(Apologies for the awful picture. Rookie mistake: I forgot to bring my camera. It won’t happen again!)
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