Western Elite Hockey Camp Report

In depth report of the Western Elite Hockey camp that took place last week. Quite a few players really stood out and cemented themselves as future stars in major junior or junior A down the road. Here is a brief look at a couple players who impressed, the rest will be in the newsletter.

Jake Virtanen:

At 5’8” and 140Lbs, Jake was one of the quickest 96s at the camp. He has incredible 2step speed and gave all of the defence headaches when driving wide. He has a very quick release to go with his hard and accurate shot. In Jake you will find the perfect combination of speed size and skill, but the icing on the cake is his physical side. When carrying the puck, on the fore-check or in his defensive zone Virtanen was willing to throw his weight around and do so effectively against some of the best bantam defensemen in the west. If his development continues at current rate, Virtanen can potentially be a top 15 pick in the 2011 draft and a future 70 point man in major junior.

Jared Steinbach:

Sleeper of the camp. To most people’s eye Steinbach does nothing flashy. He doesn’t have the hardest shot, isn’t going to leave you breathless with high-light reel dangles. To those that see and understand the little things that need to happen for a player to be successful, Steinbach is a “diamond in the rough”. His sense of timing is incredible, his lateral movement is silk-like and he sees the ice on a different level than his peers. It is rumoured that Jared is moving from Whitehorse to Alberta this summer to play in the AMBHL. If the coach that is lucky enough to get him knows what he has and develops his unique gifts, look for Steinbach to be a solid WHLer in just a few years.

For the rest of the camp review, please refer to the newsletter.