OHL Feature: Owen Sound Attack @ Guelph Storm
TSR Features | 30 Oct 2009SLEEMAN CENTRE
OCTOBER 25, 2009
I had the opportunity last weekend to watch the Guelph Storm face off against the Owen Sound Attack. The Storm were coming off a three game weekend, while the Attack faced the Kitchener Rangers the night before. There was some solid potential in the game despite the faltering record of the Attack. There is not much to report about this season’s draft crop when analyzing the Storm, but the Attack have a few players that may hear their name called come June. Here is the link to the game summary: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=16116
GUELPH STORM
LD #7 Ben Chiarot (ATL)
2009 4/120 ATL
GUE | 6.03 | 222 lbs. | May 9, 1991
Ben Chiarot received a lot of ice time in this game and is a work horse for the Storm. Standing at 6.03, 222 pounds, Chairot is a player who already has NHL size at this point. He has limited offensive upside, especially at the next level, but looks to create momentum with his body. The weakest part to Chairot’s game is his skating ability, and having to compensate for his lack of natural speed. One of the two penalties he received in the game was because he was burned in a one on one, which forced him to take a hooking penalty. Chairot finished the game with a +1 rating and four penalty minutes.
LC #13 Peter Holland (ANA)
2009 1/15 ANA
GUE | 6.02 | 195 lbs. | Jan. 14, 1991
Holland was easily the player with the most pro potential on the ice. His above average speed, and top tier wrist shot make him a threat any time he’s on the ice. Holland is a player who can play the penalty kill and the power play and can be equally effective on both. His vision on the ice translated to multiple chances for the Storm, but on one particular play, his fake slap shot, to saucer pass resulted in a brilliant chance for Michael Latta. Holland has the build for a power forward, but does not play an overly physical game. He grinds in the corners when needed and his soft hands allowed for excellent board play. Holland finished up the game with two assists, a +4 rating and four penalty minutes.
RC #17 Michael Latta (NAS)
2009 3/72 NAS
GUE | 5.11 | 205 lbs. | May 25, 1991
Michael Latta played out of position in this game, playing the right wing with Taylor Beck and centered by Peter Holland. Latta played an exceptional game as he was named the first star of the contest. When Latta is on his game, he can be a very effective player, but at times attempts to do too much on his own and ends up as a turn over. He also needs to work on his skating if he wants to be successful at the NHL level. Latta can be a pest for the opposing player, and it is the role he should be expected to play in the NHL. Latta tallied one goal and two assists, with a +4 rating and four penalty minutes.
LW #19 Taylor Beck (NAS)
2009 3/70 NAS
GUE | 6.01 | 202 lbs. | May 13, 1991
Taylor Beck is a player who has improve significantly from last season. His offensive vision is decent and compares closely with Phoenix Coyotes’ forward Brett MacLean. Beck attempts a lot of moves beginning at the top of the circle in order to beat the defender, but can often become predictable in the offensive zone. Beck is beginning to adapt to a team game and is sacrificing his body and back checking, pieces that were absent from his game last season. Beck was named the game’s third star and finished with two goals and two assists with a +4 rating.
RW #22 Cody McNaughton (’10)
Eligible 2011
GUE | 5.09 | 173 lbs. | Oct. 16, 1992
Cody McNaughton was the Guelph’s first round selection from last season, but he’s always had to compensate for his lack of size. He is a player that is dedicated to a defense first system, but has limited offensive upside. While he is considered a small player, even at the OHL level, McNaughton plays big and does not shy away from a physical game. His potential is slight at the pro level as his skating is fairly average for his size, which leaves him vulnerable at the next level. He is not eligible until the 2011 NHL Draft due to a late 1992 birthdate, but will need a strong season this year and next to be considered for the draft. McNaughton was held off of the score sheet and was a -1.
RW #23 Zack Mitchell (’11)
Eligible 2011
GUE | 5.11 | 158 lbs. | Jan. 7, 1993
Zack Mitchell is an interesting player. He was considered to have some of the top hands from the ’93 OHL draft class, but has had limited success this season. He has decent size for a forward, but needs to add a lot of muscle in order to play his game at this level, as his lack of strength has been a big problem thus far. Another problem, which was shown against Owen Sound, is his lack of confidence with the puck. He went from being a go to guy, to a third or fourth liner with the Storm, and it appears as though he is afraid to make a mistake. If Mitchell gains the necessary muscle he may receive some consideration for the 2011 draft in the mid rounds.
LD #24 Adam Comrie (FLA)
2008 3/80 FLA
GUE | 6.04 | 213 lbs. | July 31, 1990
Adam Comrie was acquired in the off-season by the Storm to be the team’s number one defenseman. He has been superb offensively with his heads up plays and bullet of a slap shot, but shows no urgency in his game. He continually causes turnovers and is often out of position on the opposition’s counter attack. At the end of the game, against Owen Sound, Comrie potted the empty netter on a selfish play. He shot the puck from Guelph’s blue line, which luckily went in. Had the shot missed, the face off would have been in Guelph’s zone, and may have caused a game-tying goal.
OWEN SOUND ATTACK
RD #12 Jesse Blacker (TOR)
2009 2/58 TOR
OS | 6.02 | 185 lbs. | Apr. 19, 1991
Jesse Blacker was a very talented defenseman on the ice for the Attack, and was no question their best player in this game, which was highlighted with a beautiful slap shot goal that beat Matt Hoyle. Blacker is a gifted skater, who makes heads up passes and is reliable in his own end. After being traded from the Windsor Spitfires only a week ago, he’ll be given a very good opportunity to further his development with more ice-time in Owen Sound.
LW #17 Garrett Wilson (LA)
2009 4/107 FLA
OS | 6.02 | 205 lbs. | May 30, 1991
Garrett Wilson is developing into a very good forward in his second full year in the OHL. He plays a gritty, high tempo game, while having decent offensive talent. Wilson competes hard in the corners for lose pucks and often wins those battles. At the NHL level, Wilson’s role will not involve him putting up huge points, but playing in the bottom six and being a momentum builder for his team. In the game Wilson scored one goal on an awkward shot that beat the Guelph net minder.
LC #19 Steven Shipley (’10)
Eligible 2010
OS | 6.02 | 204 lbs. | Apr. 22, 1992
Steven Shipley is a player that seems to be building some hype around him moving into the NHL Draft. In this game, he was in on two tallies, one on a broken play and the other was from crisp passing on the power play. Shipley uses his size to his advantage as was driving the net on numerous occasions. He was able to make room for himself in the offensive zone, which allowed him to make smart decisions with the puck, but was by no means a dominating force in this game. With Joey Hishon out, the Attack will depend on Shipley even more to supply offense, which will call for Shipley to be a consistent point producer.
RD #26 Geoffrey Schemitsch (’10)
Eligible 2010
OS | 6.01 | 180 lbs. | Apr. 1, 1992
Geoffrey Schemitsch is a rookie to the OHL after being undrafted in the 2008 Priority Selection due to an injury in his draft year. He played a fair amount in the second and third periods and displayed good vision at both ends of the ice. His first pass out of the zone was crisp and accurate, and he was rewarded with a lot of power play time. His skating could use a bit of work, but he uses his high hockey IQ to compensate against faster skaters. This is the first time I have watched Schemitsch, but he should be a mid rounder right now, with the potential to rise throughout the season.
G #40 Scott Stajcer (NYR)
2009 5/140 NYR
OS| 6.02 | 195 lbs. | June 15, 1991
Scott Stajcer was less than impressive in this game. He let in two goals on his first two shots faced, and was pulled out of the game to mentally regroup before being put in shortly after. Two of the four goals scored on him in the game were particularly poor, as he misplayed a weak shot, and left a huge rebound which was deposited. The other goal was a shot from behind the net, which banked off Stajcer and then went in. Despite the weak start, he definitely has some legitimate upside to his game, but he’ll need to work on his rebound control if he wants to be successful at the next level.
Overall the game was an intriguing one, as the Storm were able to pull away with just minutes left on a great play by Michael Latta, beating out Owen Sound defenseman Mike McGurk and sending it to Mathew Sisca for a tap in. Unfortunately, Matt Kennedy (GUE), Joey Hishon (OS) and Roman Berdnikov (OS), were left off the roster due to injuries.
All images are the property of their respective team/website. These logos and photographs are used soley for factual purposes, and TSR in no way claims these logos to be their own. All rights remain with the owners of the logos and images. Special thanks to Blitzen Photography.
Tags: Adam Comrie, Ben Chiarot, Cody McNaughton, Garrett Wilson, Geoffrey Schmetisch, Jesse Blacker, Michael Latta, Peter Holland, Scott Stajcer, Steven Shipley, Taylor Beck, Zack Mitchell
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