In this edition, I've polled many WHL director of PPL staff and my scouts all over Western Canada and USA to adjust the rankings once again on all fronts.
I had a chance to speak with one of the scoring leaders from the SSBHL hockey league who patterns his game after Shaun Horcoff. We will see this player selected in the top few rounds of the draft. I also spoke with perhaps the top goalie available who eyes Carey Price and Cam Ward as his role models. I speak with a small skilled forward from Saskatoon who is flying under the radar, but for how long? Finally, I had a chance to speak with one of the top scoring dynamo's from Alberta who could be the next Brayden Point from the province!
And a special in depth preview on the AMBHL league playoffs which get underway tomorrow. It includes the a look at the head to head matchups in all series and also I include the top 8 scorers in the head to head season series and goaltender stats in the head to head games.
62 comments:
I have a question, in Saskatchewan there is only AA Bantam, and it gets scouted pretty heavy. In BC and AB there are AAA Bantam leagues, but from reading thru the blogs, the AA leagues in BC and AB do not get scouted. I have asked around, and there are no clear answers for this, some say there are no prospects in AA in BC and AB, but it is a development league for 1st year bantams so that they can compete against older kids who are behind the AAA kids. None of it is clear to me though.
In short, the highest level of hockey in Saskatchewan is "AA" hockey. There is no "AAA" league in the province.
As for the "AA" leagues in the other provinces....We do keep an eye on those leagues but for the most part many of the top players have all made their respective AAA leagues which makes for a bit easier one spot shopping if you will. However, there are a few late bloomers, even at this age that have to be looked at in the AA league's.
Another exception is Manitoba to an extent in that after the Winnipeg "AAA" league. There are a couple competitive "AA" in the Eastman Bantam AA league and the Parkisimo Bantam AA league. Those leagues have some very good players but aren't scout like they should be either.
Thank you for that clarification, and thank you for providing this service.
what is your opinion on some of the playoff matchups in PCAHA, such as surrey and abby or sefair and langley, cloverdale and hollyburn.
Abby v. Sry will be close
Seaf will win in 2
Clov will win in 2
Bwc will win in 2
honestly i predict the upset..Surrey takes it in 4 games.
uhm...i heard cloverdale is in tough tonight in their single knckout cuz their missing players due to injuries/sickness
In B.C It is dependent on wear you reside,some top kids cannot play play tier 1 because there is no team for them to play on,eg Hickmont from mission Tier 2 assoc but clearly a top prospect
Totally agree because they're is some hidden talent that would wow "Alberta People". Goaltenders playing Tier 2 are Nic Bruyere and Coquitlam AAA' goalie who has a last name Macdonald. On all but maybe 1 or 2 Flight 1 teams, these guys would be the #1 goalie.
Winnipeg AA is not even close to their AAA counterparts. People who think that is so should have their kids try out for AAA and come to some AAA games to really see what the difference is.
I'm sure that scouts are aware of talent regardless of association size if they are good they will get noticed,Its easy to pick the top ten! it's been done over a hundred times on this site,how about some under the radar talent,
this is where scouts get to show some worth!
Went out and watched Braylon Shmyr last Saturday, wow wat a talent. The Rangers goalie #31 was absolutely phenomenal. Both these kids are 97's. There was a kid #4from the Canucks, who a guy there told me was a 97 as well. That kid is ready for midget. Looks to me like he is 6'2" and maybe 175 pounds. Outside of Shmyr and the Rangers goalie, that kid physically dominated that game, looks like he is growing into his body. You want a diamond in the rough, check that unit out.
Back to Shmyr, he is so slippery, nobody can get a good shot at him, and his vision is unbelievable. Bisons have a dominant player coming there next year if he stays in Calgary. The goalie I have seen a few times this year, don't know his name either. But he was the only reason that the Rangers won that game.
Do you B.C parents ever take a break. LMAO
What does a kid playing in Calgary (or a game played there for that matter) have to do with BC parents?
Big difference between facing tier 2 vs tier 1 shooters.huge
To February 16, 2011 8:42 AM
My apologies, I am a Calgary hockey fan. I had heard of the Shmyr kid, and yes, I was aware that his family had moved here from BC. However, all things being equal, wherever he is from, he is a fantastic hockey player who makes things happen.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of other kids that are very good as well, and that may be in time even better than some of the other 97 prospects on lists I have seen. My assumptions were that when we see other players that it would be a good thing to mention them as well. After all, this forum was provided to give us a chance to discuss not just the top 10 forwards or 10 D or goalies, but any kid that is up and coming.
Thanks for clearing that up. I'm not familiar with the young guy. I do think it's good when somebody will give any decent player they have seen a pat on the back. That's almost a lost art!
But what got me was why the necessity of taking a swipe at BC parents in general over a pat on the back given to a player (currently) from Calgary. Guy must of had a bad time on our roads or something.
I think that because the Bisons maybe had quite a good lineup already, and they already had Merkely as a 97 already, there may have not been enough room on that team. But, make no mistake he is a prospect and he will be turning heads everywhere next year at the AAA level.
the kid has some skills, but he was not physically ready for the combination of size and speed of the AAA game.
Leduc beat SSAC 6-3 on last regular season game, and Lloyd last nite in playoffs 9-4. Looked good doin so. Leduc is playing its best hockey at the right time.
shmyr played a game with the Bisons this year and spent the game giving up the puck and trying not to get plastered...he is very good and will be very good next year wherever he plays but in the tryout 5 game tournament against other AMBHL AAA teams he wasn't noticeable at all He spent more of his ice time trying not to get hit than playing hockey
Shmyr is talented problem is when he plays against other skilled kids he is too individual to succeed. Better players dont get beat 1 on 1 and he has yet to figure out how to play when he cant skate circles around the opposition. His talent is obvious though.
Lloyd's goalies let in 9 on 36 shots and Leduc 4 on 18 shots, that's not great hockey in playofs!
12.54! I am assuming you were at the game last nite, 5 on 5 Leduc dominated in all aspects, Lloyd got 2 powerplay goals and 2 cheap goals when the game was out of reach at the End. So ya Leduc played well!
4-2 Langley over South Delta and 4-1 Cloverdale over Ridge Meadows. Round 3: BWC vs NSWC, Abby vs Surrey, Seafair vs Langley, Hollyburn vs Cloverdale. Winners go to Final 4 Championship to see who gets in provincials. 2 of 4 go to provincials plus Abby as they are hosting.
I think the first game is tomorrow night at 8 PM at MSA Abbotsford. Abbotsford vs. Surrey......We'll see how "The drafties" Play tomorrow considering it is a huge game.
Sounds like a British expression for a virus: "Ee's got the drafties"
Leduc will not make out of the North>>>
Shmyr blew his tryout the Bisons coaches played him with Point who is very easy to play with and Shmyr decided that he was the show and was quickly sent packing. If Shmyr would have played with Point in tryouts instead of trying to danggle everyone he would have played with the most poductive line in the ambhl. Hope he figures it out.
Just watched the Calgary NE Sabres beat the Calgary Royals in OT 3 - 2. Can't say the Royals played badly, the Sabres just seemed to hang around.
The Sabres coaching staff have done their homework and have found ways to beat the top teams. They could be a spoiler in the south.
The Sabres have won 1 game! The Royals goaltending has been very poor at best all season long. If the Royals had average goaltending last night they win that game.
So moving into this weekend the sabres do have ggod chance to win, this series goes 3 games. Royals win by 3 on the Saturday game and will win by 1 on Sunday.
Well if that is all done, 3 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday, mark it up on the website, tell the Sabres to stay home and move the Royals onto the series. Why play then?
Shmyr is "the show" wherever he goes. ;)
7:58am - Hey Mr.Sensitive, just one person's opinion! Relax!
WOW, talk about throwing your "team"mates under a bus... but of course your kid was a star and it is everyone else's fault the team lost... The royals are probably the most talented team on paper in the ambhl, but it is this individualism that has them imploding in key games. Sabres will win in 2...
8:22 am - easy on " the show" had a very good year in a bad league.
8:33am - you are right the Royals team game needs to improve, same w/ the coaching. But if you think the Royals goaltending has been anything but very bad then you know little about hockey and less about goaltending.To take a step farther most people know that the wrong goalies were picked for that team, there is 1997 kid that should be there and 1 other 1996.
Just an outside observer, but watched that winning goal last night, the D went for the big hit, 14 slipped the puck between his legs and ducked the hit, and had a free shot and the puck dribbled in. A scorer will score when he has that time. In the third, there were 2 penalties taken by an unnamed player and both times there were PP goals. A power play can be practiced and if an odd man situation is created, they should be able to score. Not sure what the goalie did wrong in this game. I would not blame him. What I would say is that I agree that the Royals are an extremely talented group, but the Sabres kept hanging around, and in hockey we have seen when a team that may not have the stars on it hangs around, the unexpected can happen. The only thing I know for sure is that which ever team wins 2 games in this series, will win the series. Can't critique a win, and have to give the Sabres credit for coming out to play and not falling for the "we are the inferior team" mindset. Game on now boys.
Don't kid yourself - the Northstars have top notch talent. They have underacheived all year struggling with consistency. They have finally started bringing it together and will challenge any team in this playoffs.
As a team I have questioned the Royals' leadership on the ice all season long and now it may be what will kill them when you need it. Not trying to knock any particular kids so don't jump on me but they really lack in leadership on the ice all season long but have so much talent it has rarely been an issue.
Would that be the coaching then? Or are you saying the kids on the ice?
Sorry, i heard from someone the other day,and i do not know if it is true, but apparently Schmyr played for BWC. FACT OR FALSE?
the simplest way to stop BC - alberta pparent whining is to stop it simply. Saskatchewan paretnsa re never yelled at on this site. Lets just talk about the hockey we see, regardless AAA or AA or A.
Do ALberta parent ever shut their yyaps. LMAO
leadership on the ice...the coach is never on the ice--just what i see--if your son is one of the leaders it is just an observation--no one nameing names here
Not a parent, just curious about the perspective.
The royals are one of the worst coached teams in the league, that much talent with minimal success?
a) given the number of shots they take should score more, that has not really improved,
b) the goaltending is suspect, take a look at the save %,
c) defense is respectable, one of the lowest shots against in the league,
d) problems with leadership on/or off the ice, from 14 yr olds, that falls squarely on the coaches
The Sabres beat them when they needed to!
Sabres Win this series only to get nipped by Bisons. I keep hearing about the Royals talent after 2 Forwards and 3 dman where is all this talent. ooohh they all played poor because of the coach .... I see... Guess again Sw Calgary has never won anything in minor hockey alot of the Sabres have won multiple championship in minor hockey Sabres no how to win royal only know how to fold
those royals won provincials in bantam aa last year with the same coaches - i wouldn't count out the royals so fast
I have to correct the blogger who thinks that BC Tier 2 teams do not get noticed. I have personally seen Scouts at the rinks looking at the kids(provincials.)I personally know kids that have been drafted last year that play at the Tier 3 level. In BC Skill doesnt dictate what level you play at. Tier 1 has more kids registered and tier 4 for the smaller communities. There are great Bantams at all levels. Tier 1 has more exposure due to the fact that the larger centers have more kids to choose from.
To expand a bit on the above comment; anywhere outside of the lower mainland, throughout the province many associations simply don't have enough registered players to qualify the association as anything above tier 4, 3 or 2. We are bound up by the HC residency requirement also. So a kid living near say Clearwater, no matter how talented, has no choice but to play tier 4. Just to enlighten - Vancouver Island has 4 tier 1 bantam teams, up north there is only Prince George, I don't think there are any left in the Kootenays - maybe Cranbrook? In the interior there are 3, Kamloops, Kelowna and Vernon with Vernon being just in under the wire size-wise. Two others opted to play up a tier this year, Penticton and Westside. One academy (POE) played league games at tier 1, OHA at tier 2. So, unless you put your player in an academy, if you aren't lucky enough to live within the boundaries of a tier 1 association, your player plays at whatever your local association can offer - maybe tier 3, even if the skill potential is there to develope to tier 1. The residency rule in BC, especially rural BC actually serves to hold a certain number of kids back from full developement potential.
Wow, to the parent who wrote the note February 17, 2011 10:10 PM. I would never provide an opponent the stuff you provided for motivation. We are talking 13, 14 & 15 year old kids for goodness sakes. There are people who work for a living that have done it for years that we cannot get a consistent effort out of that get paid. These kids, no matter what teams we talk about, what province or country they come from are still kids. You have kids who are starting to wonder if this is for them, you have kids who struggle with confidence. All the while, we know that none of these kids can be signed to pro contracts yet. But, I know I would use those comments and I would be saying that in the locker room. I would say that they don't respect you, I would use that all the way. And, the nice thing is, I can say this as an outside observer with no vested interest in either the Royals or whoever they are playing.
Yes the Royals coaches havent fully utilized the potential, but the leadership of their players who played last year in the AAA league has been average at best. All seem to be entitled to things on a silver platter and was told recently by parent on the Royals team that all 4 involved with bullying for long time within team. Yes falls on coaches, but true leaders on a championship team? I dont think so!
I just don't know how you overcome the bullying. Walk down the Junior High School hallways and watch the garbage that happens there. There are kids who will bully because that is what they like to do, there are kids who fall victim to bullies because they whether we like it or not, don't yet have the confidence to not be bullied. Is that the coaches fault? I don't think so, because kids will do what they do, behind the backs of the coaches. Parents who have kids that bully quite often are bullies, so are not going to be part of the solution. So, this is part of the development stream for these kids. Those that can survive and become stronger will excel, those that may be more talented but get caught up in the "stuff" in the dressing room, and listening to other parents criticize and condemn, often go away. Too bad, but the law of the jungle for some reason cannot be avoided no matter how hard we try and manage these kids lives. Those are my thoughts on the bully issue. Some will disagree, and I respect that.
well put
Bullying??? That's hilarious. Sounds like someone's little Johnny can't take the normal locker room banter. I bet though that there one of those kids who can really dish it out, just can't take it.
to 9:26 this is your comment "Bullying??? That's hilarious. Sounds like someone's little Johnny can't take the normal locker room banter. I bet though that there one of those kids who can really dish it out, just can't take it."
another parent who thinks bullying is ok and defends it as appropriate behavior in the dressing room, just a part of life he/she has no idea and you are definitely in the minority....quite sad, really---bullying in the dressing room just breeds a gang mentality and allows those that would not normally be a part of such behavior to participate because they are just happy it is not them being targeted
I don't think that anyone condones bullying. What I think that a previous poster was trying to say was that it is difficult to stop it. Part of the problem is that someone may be joking around and the other person does not know how to take it, so they take it seriously. The other did not mean it that way, and then find outs that the other(person who believes they are a victim) always takes things the wrong way. Perceptions are reality. Then when someone gets accused of something that they did not feel was bullying, they up the ante. The moment the bullier (perceived or not) gets punished, they will strike back. How does one teach another to act like a duck and let it run off of their back? I don't know.
All I know it big problem within Royals team. Shows in their team play!
back to hockey there is a 97 born kid in Manitoba playing AAA Bantam tier 1 who is one of the top players in wpg. 5.11 195 lbs. blazing speed and also can put the puck in the net...
good for him!
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