Development Camp Notes

I was able to attend Blue Jackets development camp on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. In camps like this it is very difficult to really get a read on a player as a whole. What you can see is various individual skills, what players need to work on, and a frame of reference for comparison between players who play in different leagues. Practices like this are not the time to make snap judgments on someone, more to flesh out prior opinions, or provide the framework for what they could possibly bring to a game situation. So after the jump, check out my notes on all 25 players who skated in the Blue Jackets development camp (Tynan & Blomqvist were in attendance but not on-ice).

13 – Cam Atkinson:

• Shot release looks quicker.

19 – Ryan Johansen:

• Looks much stronger.
• Cut corners on post-drill skates.
• Looked better on Friday than on Wednesday, looked better on Saturday than on Friday.
• Finally learning to use his size to his advantage on smaller defensemen.

37 – Dalton Smith:

• Agility has improved from last time I saw him.

38 – Boone Jenner:

• Puck skills and shot look vastly superior to training camp last year.
• Was a little more aggressive defending than I would like.
• May be skilled enough to be an RJ Umberger or Brooks Laich-type top six forward (I originally had him pegged as a very good third liner).

43 – Sean Collins:

• Did not stand out in any way during any of the three days.

44 – Will Weber:

• Rangy.
• Could still add weight.
• Takes up a lot of space on the rush.
• Better with the puck then expected.
• Needs to work on using his strength to his advantage more, relies more on his reach than muscle.

45 – Ryan Murray:

• Smooth.
• Incredibly quick decisions.
• Solid shot – low and hard.
• Had better hands and more offensive skill than I was expecting.

46 – Oliver Gabriel:

• Shot has improved over the last year.
• Has a good frame that he needs to fill out to play his physical brand of hockey in the pro’s.

47 – Dalton Prout:

• Probably the worst player on the ice with the puck, probably the best player on the ice without it.

53 – Josh Anderson:

• Good frame, good skater.
• Needs to go back home this summer and shoot about 1,000 pucks a day in his garage.
• I like that he was the last guy off the ice Friday (along with Murray, Jenner, Atkinson and Johansen).

54 – Austin Madaisky:

• Has really filled out, good shot from the point, needs to work on gap control in a big way.

56 – Kevin Lynch:

• More skilled than I was anticipating, but was less sound defensively than I was expecting.
• Not sure he has top six skill and really needs to put in some work in the weight room and on his defensive game to make it as a bottom six player.

57 – Gianluca Curcuruto:

• Probably the best shot of any defenseman in camp.

59 – Jake Hansen:

• Showed some flashes of puck skills but mostly invisible.

60 – Oscar Dansk:

• Constantly working in practice – plays every shot as if it is live, always tracking rebounds.
• He plays too shallow in his net once he allows a quick goal or two and then they start to pile up.

63 – Daniel Zaar:

• Quick, hard, accurate shot.
• Very good in space.
• He struggled once that space was taken away — so he needs to put on muscle and learn how to use it to create for himself.

70 – Joonas Korpisalo:

• Very very athletic.
• Gets across the net incredibly quick, has insane flexibility.
• Needs to work on his fundamentals.
• Seems like much more of a project than Dansk.

74 – Mike Reilly:

• Very good with the puck.
• Needs to improve his footwork on his pivots –  feet stay too close together, so he gets no power and will get walked.
• Obviously, needs to get a lot bigger.

75 – Joel Hanley:

• Everything he does is soft, hesitates before every decision.
• He’s a good skater but needs to put on some more weight and play at a quicker pace.

76 – Trent Vogelhuber:

• Doesn’t appear to have the size, skating or skill to really be an NHL prospect.
• Seems to play a top six game but does not have anywhere near NHL top six skill.

77 – Seth Ambroz:

• Looked terrible in open ice but really came alive during more physical drills.
• Very comfortable operating in tight areas.
• Powerful skating stride.
• Good shot.
• Needs to work on his shot release.
• Needs to get stronger, could turn out to be a very solid 3rd-4th line player.

80 – Martin Ouellette:

• Not athletic enough to make up for his poor form.
• Really struggles moving post-to-post.

84 – Alex Aleardi:

• Has a very wide stance when skating which limits his acceleration.
• Probably not fast or strong enough for his size and skill.
• Overall an agile skater with good puck-handling ability.

85 – Lukas Sedlak:

• Has a decent amount of skill, needs to work on his skating.

90 – Anton Forsberg:

• Very technically sound goalie, but not the quickest post to post.
• Still maintains very good form when moving around.
• A battler, who fights for every rebound.
• Has quick pads on reaction saves.
• Needs to continue to work on his side to side movement.
• technically proficient, but needs to move across quicker.