OHL scouting notes, part two

Welcome back!

We’re continuing to look at some of the assorted prospects I’ve viewed this year.

SAULT STE MARIE GREYHOUNDS

Blake Speers, a forward ranked 49th in North American skaters in the upcoming draft, is used mainly as a secondary offensive weapon on an absolutely stacked Greyhounds team. Speers is a very good offensive threat, potting 24 goals and 67 points in 57 games this season, largely on the team’s second line and top powerplay unit.

Defenseman Gustav Bouramman, the 75th ranked North American skater by Central Scouting, put up a solid 44 points in his OHL rookie season after coming over from the Swedish junior leagues. He played a lot on the team’s top powerplay unit, but took a step back once the team acquired Tampa Bay 1st rounder Anthony DeAngelo (who put up a whopping 51 points in 26 games for the Soo). Bouramman is a pass-first defender who has done very well learning the Canadian junior game. He’s another who will be profiled more in-depth in the Draft Target series.

NIAGARA ICEDOGS

Draft eligible Vince Dunn is on my shortlist of guys who I enjoyed watching the most this season. He’s incredibly fast, with elite puck possession skills and a great shot. He put up 18 goals – tops among draft eligible dmen – and also had the second highest points-per-game rate among eligible blueliners in the second half of the season. Dunn put up six goals and 10 points in eight play-off games. Sadly, Dunn was suspended and injured during the IceDogs play-off games I covered, so I wasn’t able to see him there. I’ll have more on Dunn during our Draft Targets series.

Islanders 2014 first round pick Josh Ho-Sang was traded from Windsor early in the year to Niagara. He put up 19 points in 11 games with Windsor, and 62 points in 49 games for Niagara, but managed just 17 goals – a drop of 15 goals from his draft season. Ho-Sang has some of the wackiest, shiftiest moves I’ve ever seen, almost like he’s a video game. He is capable of going end-to-end while cutting past five defenders, and doing a couple of dipsy-doo dangles just for fun. The concern with Ho-Sang is that he does this A LOT, a maddening amount. I had anticipated that a guy with 64 assists in 60 games would be creative with his passing, but far too often I saw him absolutely refuse to give up possession to a teammate, instead skating directly into multiple defenders and losing the puck. Ho-Sang was also guilty of being a bit too animated on the ice; his body language after failed rushes or failed plays by teammates is entirely indicative of the attitude problems that many associate with him. I am not much of a believer in off-ice or mental make-up being problems if a player can overcome them with skill, but Ho-Sang might be one of those guys that makes me question it.

NORTH BAY BATTALION

Sens prospect Nick Paul, acquired from Dallas in the Jason Spezza trade, was THE guy during the Battalion games I viewed. He plays on the first line, plus the first unit PK and PP, and is a real force at even strength, with good offensive awareness and the willingness to drive to the net whenever necessary. He dropped 37 goals this season, and is likely headed to the AHL next year. He has put up 13 points in nine play-off games this year, and has been a massive part of the Battalion’s berth in the OHL Conference Finals match vs Oshawa.

Ryan Kujawinski, a Devils 2013 3rd rounder, was traded from Kingston to North Bay near the trade deadline, and posted 21 goals in 34 games for the Battalion. He centres the team’s second line, and plays a lot of his 5v5 minutes with CBJ prospect Nick Moutrey. Kujawinski does not have high-end talent at any one point of the game, but is very solid at almost every aspect. Good skating, good shot, decent passer, and decent enough on-ice awareness to be effective at both ends of the rink.

MISSISSAUGA STEELHEADS

2016 draft eligible Sean Day, potentially a top ten pick, was my main focus during Steelheads games. I had a chance to track him through four and a half games, and though his Corsi totals did not come out favourably (+58/-86, 40.3%), it can partially be attributed to the team’s very conservative style of play, and the general lack of talent surrounding him. He put up some nice point totals in what, for most players, would be their rookie seasons. For Day, who was granted Exceptional Status and drafted a year early into the league, it was his sophomore season, and he notched 10 goals and 26 assists in 61 games. The 6’2″, 225 pound Day carries his size well, with a long, smooth stride. He doesn’t possess an explosive first step, but has enough acceleration and speed to carry pucks through the neutral zone with ease. Day has a good shot, and is a slick passer. His offensive zone game is solid, and he’s a natural when in control of the puck. He does not use his size as well as you’d presume, rarely outmuscling opponents. He can be physical, but often times plays a more passive defense. Day occasionally panics in the defensive zone, rushing passes and clears when he doesn’t have to. He does not defend zone entries well, leaving large gaps for opposing rushers to carry-in – I had him targeted 45 times by opponents, with 29 of those targets being successful carry-in attempts. For a guy with a large reach, good size and decent speed, that’s not good.

Jets prospect Jimmy Lodge is a guy I enjoyed watching all season. I first got to see him while he was with Saginaw, on a line with CBJ prospect Nick Moutrey, and I came away impressed with his speed and ferocious puck hunting. He was traded to the Steelheads shortly after, where he became their biggest offensive weapon. Lodge put up 28 total goals for the season, and signed with the Jets near the end of the year, reporting to the St John’s AHL squad. His scoring game is based around driving to the net, but he also has a good wrister. He’s got the height (6’2″) but plays at around 175 pounds, and it shows, as he can be easily muscled off of pucks and knocked around against the boards and in open ice. It would surprise me to see his scoring touch (75 goals and 176 points in 181 OHL games over the past three seasons) translate to the next level of hockey unless he can bulk up a bit to face the more physical nature of the pro game.

The Steelheads are also home to 2014 OHL draft 1st over-all pick Michael McLeod, and centre Nathan Bastian, both projected to be top 60 picks in the 2016 draft. I’ll confess that I didn’t track them too closely, especially McLeod, but both will be prime targets for me throughout next season.

WINDSOR SPITFIRES

Windsor Spitfires forward Logan Brown, an OHL rookie and 2016 draft eligible, stood out as easily the most impactful player on the Spitfires during the game I viewed. He is a whopping 6’6″, 215 pounds as a 17 year old, and already has very high-end speed and skating ability and one of the best shots in the league. Despite his size, he’s not a physically threatening player, but plays a style more associated with smaller offensive forwards. His defensive presence is lacking, but his size and offensive skill alone should have him as a top 60 pick in the 2016 draft. Brown had 17 goals and 43 points in his rookie season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring.

JEREMY’S MOST ENJOYABLE TO WATCH, 2014/15

1) Jimmy Lodge, MIS
2) Alex DeBrincat, ERI
3) Sonny Milano, PLY
4) Vince Dunn, NIA
5) Spencer Watson, KNG

All in all, I’ve been given a tremendous opportunity with Buckeye State Hockey to bring you this kind of coverage. In the next few weeks, the Buckeye State staff will be going more in-depth on many of these prospects, with a specific focus on draft eligible defenders for the upcoming draft.

In 2015/16, we hope to continue to be a source of prospect coverage for both Blue Jackets-owned players as well as upcoming draft eligibles.

– Jeremy
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