I got my first live look at the Greyhounds this season last night in Barrie. While it was against a struggling Barrie Colts squad, it was a good opportunity to see some of the younger players take on an added role this year as the team has taken on a much younger appearance. Unfortunately captain Brock Beukeboom, a third round pick of Tampa Bay last season, was scratched from the lineup with illness and 17 year old left winger Justin Thomas was also out of the lineup with an injury. Here are my reports on the players who were in action.

#7 LC Daniel Catenacci | 5.10 | 185lbs | 03/09/93 | 2011 Eligible

2010/11 – 26GP 15G 16A 31P -1 38PIM

After an inconsistent rookie year where he only managed 30 points, Catenacci has already surpassed his point totals from a year ago. I saw a lot of positives in his game last night that show that he’s taken some steps forward from his freshman campaign which were positives. He’s always been a good skater, but he seemed to be a lot more engaged in the offense and was willing to take a lot more shots. Last season I watched him several times as he always seemed hesitant to shoot the puck and left me questioning his goal scoring ability. He’s still a pretty creative player and he had a couple of nice rushes with the puck where he was able to generate some offense off the rush.

He also had a good night in the faceoff circle and competed hard on the back check making it a pretty good showing for the #1 pick in the 2009 OHL Draft. I’m looking forward to seeing him some more this season against some stiffer competition to get a better feel for his game, but I do have some optimism for him. Thus far in the OHL he’s managed to avoid the injuries that plagued him in minor hockey and hopefully that continues this season. Right now I would likely slot Catenacci somehwere in the 40-60 range. He’s got a lot of positive qualities to his game, but his offensive ability isn’t quite elite and given his stature, it’s difficult to gauge what type of role he could have in the NHL.

#14 RW Trevor Morbeck | 6.02 | 186lbs | 11/21/93 | 2012 Eligible

2010/11 – 19GP 4G 5A 9P +2 11PIM

I was a big fan of Morbeck a season ago as he’s a pretty big guy that plays a solid north-south game and is effective on the boards. Last season he saw very limited ice-time, but this year he’s been seeing more time in a Top 9 role, last night riding shotgun to Nick Cousins where he manged a goal and an assist. I wasn’t too impressed with him in the game, however, as I only noted him finishing a couple of checks on the night and was fairly quiet. I thought he would have taken some steps ahead in his game in that regard to become more of a power forward, but I didn’t see any of that last night. From watching them on television a few times, I doubt Morbeck would be drafted this season, but since he is a late birthday, he still has another season to elevate his game and he’ll be worth monitoring this season before being focused on next year.

#27 LC Nick Cousins | 5.11 | 170lbs | 07/20/93 | 2011 Eligible

2010/11 – 26GP 11G 12A 23P -3 18PIM

Cousins was the 21st pick in the 2009 OHL Draft and the diminutive center is an integral part of the Greyhounds’ core moving forward. There is no doubting that Cousins has the offensive ability to be a gamebreaker at the OHL level. He’s got deceptive moves in traffic and very good vision on the ice. He’s also got a bit of grit to his game and isn’t afraid to shy away from the difficult areas on the ice despite being undersized. As an NHL prospect, however, I’m not sure he’s going to amount to much. His skating is improving but it’s still only slightly above average. His defensive game also isn’t anything to write home about and detracts from his value as an NHL prospect. If he can put up 60-70 points this season an NHL team might snap him up with a late round pick, because he does have good skill and has some of those pesty qualities that can get under another team’s skin, but I don’t expect him to go in the Top 5 rounds and wouldn’t be shocked if he winds up going undrafted either.

#3 RD Brandon Archibald | 6.04 | 197lbs | 03/31/92 | CBJ 10′ (4/94)

2010/11 – 23GP 1G 13A 14P +2 28PIM

A fourth round pick a year ago, Archibald is a guy who will be relied on to be an anchor for a very young defensive group this season. He’s a tall, lanky defenseman that is pretty rangy and an above average skater, especially for his size. While he is mobile, his puck moving skills are average and he always seems to be a little indecisive, making some poor decisions. Offensively, he has a wicked shot, but he isn’t a true PP quarterback as he also struggles to move the puck as a PP defenseman needs to. I would also like to see him be a lot more physical then he is as he does have the frame to really engage forwards a lot more in that regard but elects to use his stick more instead. At this point I have a difficult time envisioning what type of role Archibald could have as an NHLer as he doesn’t really have any defining traits to his game. While you can get by on that at the OHL level, he’s going to need to play a more physical and safer game to be a successful pro.

#24 LD Gianluca Curcuruto | 6.01 | 187lbs | 02/25/94 | 2012 Eligible

2010/11 – 26GP 0G 9A 9P E 18PIM

Sault Ste. Marie’s first round pick from a year ago, Curcuruto has transitioned very well to the OHL only a third of the way through the season. Logging some pretty hefty minutes for a 16 year old blueliner, Curcuruto has played effectively due in large part to his ability to keep things simple and pick his spots to rush the puck. He’s a bit of an awkward skater and he has a very wide stride, but once he gets going he had a couple of very nice rushes to move the puck. His first few steps will be a point of improvement for him, however. I thought he handled himself pretty well in the Greyhounds zone, only making a couple of poor decisions, but he handled the forecheck well and displayed some good escapability. He also showed good ability to know when to make a seam pass on the breakout, and when to use the boards. He’ll be a definite player to watch next season as he will certainly be on the NHL’s radar.

Nobody was quite sure what to expect out of the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds this season. A year ago, the team struggled through a dismal 42 point season, which put the illustrious OHL team at the bottom of the league’s cellar. Following an off-season of change, and the progression of several core players, the Greyhounds have reinvented themselves this year, and are already closing in on last year’s point totals only 27 games into the 2009/2010 Regular Season.

Currently sitting in fifth place in the OHL’s Western Conference with a 14-11-1-1 record, the Greyhounds were actually one of the bigger stories in junior hockey early this season as they exploded out of the gates with seven consecutive wins. After battling through some small losing streaks, the team has rebounded well in the last couple of weeks, and are currently riding a four game win streak, including most recently, a 3-2 overtime win on the road in Sudbury last Tuesday.

Looking at the Greyhounds roster, it’s clear to see that a lot of their success is being catalyzed from their star goaltender, Robin Lehner (1991). The 18 year old Swede was a 2^nd round pick of the Ottawa Senators in last summer’s NHL Entry Draft, and was picked up by the Greyhounds with the 9^th pick in this past summer’s CHL Import Draft. Lehner has been one of the top goaltenders in the OHL this season, and has the sixth best GAA and third best SV% in the OHL thus far. Lehner has terrific size at 6’4”, 224lbs, and takes up a lot of net when he’s in his butterfly. He’s a bit unorthodox, but when he’s hot, he can be extremely hard to score on. His rebound control will need some work, but he moves very well laterally for a big goalie, and has terrific recovery, which are all good signs for a young goalie.

Robin Lehner (Guelph Mercury)

Greyhounds backup Bryce O’Hagan (1991L) will also be getting a lot of attention this season, as it is expected that he will hear his name called at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He’s a big goalie with a lot of raw ability, but his mental game hasn’t quite come around yet. O’Hagan will likely be a mid to late round pick based off his potential, but his game needs a lot of refinement over the next few seasons.

The other forte of the team is on the backend. Overage captain Jake Muzzin (1989) has been a force on the blue-line this season after being unsigned by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s taken some major steps forward offensively, and is a controlling force at both ends of the ice. Muzzin currently leads the team in scoring with 6 goals and 27 points in 24 games. Fellow overager Michael Quesnele (1989) has also been a very reliable defenseman for the team, using his vision and puck moving skills to help run the team’s powerplay. Quesnele has been a major factor offensively as well, currently sitting third in team scoring with 6 goals and 23 points in 27 games.

Draft eligibles Blake Beukeboom (1992) and Brandon Archibald (1992) will garner a lot of attention from NHL scouts this season, and rightfully so. Beukeboom (25GP 2-10-12 +5), the son of former NHL defenseman Jeff Beukeboom, has taken some major steps forward this season. He’s a smooth skating defenseman who makes smart decisions at both ends of the ice, keeping things simple. He isn’t overly physical, but he’s strong positionally. He also has some untapped offensive potential that could develop later on. He’s likely projecting as a late second rounder or early third round pick at this point, and should be a lock for the top four rounds at this rate. Archibald (27GP 0-12-12 -6) is more of a shut-down defenseman who logs a lot of ice-time against the other team’s top offensive unit. He skates very well for his size and is very effective with his long reach and ability to compete hard in the corners. Lacking natural offensive instincts, Archibald’s ceiling will be somewhat limited, but he should be selected around the third or fourth round.

Brock Beukeboom (The Hockey News)

Up front, the Greyhounds have been an offense by committee team with several players making contributions offensively. Vern Cooper (1990) is the team’s top scoring forward (27GP 10-15-25 E), with Soo native Brett Thompson (1991) right behind him (27GP 14-7-21 +1). St. Louis prospect James Livingston (1990) (22GP 10-8-18 +8) has been more consistent in his fourth season in the league, which should help him get a professional contract next year. Despite having a lot of raw ability, Livingston’s offensive production has never come around to where many felt he should be. He does have a lot of power forward qualities that should help him play any type of role at the next level, however. Meanwhile, LA Kings prospect Jordan Nolan (1989) has been a force since returning from suspension (10GP 5-7-12 -5). While the numbers are impressive, it should be noted that Nolan is an overager, and these numbers are expected from him. His skating will likely hold him back at the next level, but he should get a shot with Manchester next year.

Finally, the player that everyone wants to hear about is the first pick from the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, Daniel Catenacci (1993).  The 16 year old forward has had a bit of a rough transition to the OHL, as his numbers are probably below a lot of people’s expectations at this point (27GP 3-8-11 -6). Catenacci is a very good skater and has a lot of lower body strength for only being 5’10”, 180lbs. He competes very hard and doesn’t back down in the corners and actually is willing to lay the body when he has the opportunity. Offensively, he has a lot of raw skill, but it hasn’t quite translated to the OHL level, and it might not to the extent that some people expect. He’s definitely more of a playmaker, but he lacks the natural creativity of high end players which limits what he can do. Next season will go a long way towards indicating where Catenacci might go in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, but at this point he could be anywhere from the late first to the middle rounds.

Daniel Catenacci (North Bay Nugget)

The Greyhounds also have a pair of other 16 year old forwards who have seen quite a bit of ice-time this season. Most notably, Nick Cousins (1993), the 21^st overall pick in last summer’s OHL Priority Selection, has been one of the more effective 1993 forwards in the OHL this season (27GP 5-9-14 -4). While his skating needs some work, he’s a very crafty offensive player and is a threat to create a good scoring chance when he’s on the ice. While his skating and small size (5’9”, 155lbs) could hamper the perceptions that NHL scouts have of him, he has all the makings of being a terrific junior scorer when he matures over the next couple of years. Lastly, Trevor Morbeck (1993L) (21GP 2-2-4 -2) has bounced in and out of the lineup, but doesn’t look out of place on the ice. He has good size (6’1”, 180lbs) and isn’t afraid to drive the net. He’ll be given a greater role with the team next season, and it will be interesting to see how he takes the increased ice-time as a sophomore.

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