Patience is a virtue for Vaclav Karabacek, Alexis Pepin

McKeen's Staff — Sun, 25 May 2014 11:45:37 +0000

Projecting the Gatineau Olympiques’ wingers means patience may become an overriding theme for the NHL teams that draft them.

Vaclav Karabacek was like a fine wine, getting better as the season progressed, culminating with a memorable playoffs. The Czech forward makes up for his skating drawbacks with an admirable work ethic and compete level.

The Olympiques made a big splash acquiring the second overall pick from the 2012 draft, Alexis Pepin, from the Charlottetown Islanders at the trade deadline. Ironically, the player heading back to Charlottetown will be Karabacek once the deal is finalized this summer.

Pepin can be maddeningly inconsistent. He has the size, can occasionally play with a mean streak and has the hands to find the back of the net in tight quarters. However, his work ethic is a huge concern for NHL teams, particularly since he came into training camp overweight and out of shape and was behind the eight ball all season.

There’s potential with Pepin, but he will need guidance and a renewed work ethic if he’s going to make good on his physical and athletic gifts.

Vaclav Karabacek (2014), RW

Karabacek saw steady progression this year as he got acclimatized with North American play culminating in a highly productive postseason .. was a stand-out against Halifax in the second round before joining Team Czech Republic and helping them capture a silver medal at the World U18 Championships .. modest in size at 6’0, 180 pounds but is an extremely powerful player whose strength is showcased in his loose puck battles .. would aggressively engage along the boards and make solid offensive plays after winning the puck .. agile in his turns and has better than average balance - his straight ahead speed lacks explosiveness and doesn’t win loose puck races .. among the league’s best in terms of puck control as he constantly has his head up to survey options .. passes are generally kept short, as he elects for the safe percentage play .. does an excellent job of sneaking into open areas to utilize his most potent weapon - a quick wrist shot which he can fire with little to no warning .. his defensive game is still a work in progress but he made strides throughout the year .. could surprise at the NHL level with his offensive contributions if upgrades to his skating and consistency come along.

Alexis Pepin (2014), LW

A change of scenery proved to be advantageous for the former second overall pick from the 2012 QMJHL draft .. dealt to Gatineau where he played with a better supporting cast .. Pepin oozes potential but too often he fails to play up to both his skill or size capabilities .. did a slightly better job in terms of conditioning this season but he still showed signs that he was carrying too much weight, which directly affected his skating .. sluggish and rigid, needs time to hit top speed .. massive winger has good overall strength and excels when playing a punishing style by bulldozing towards the goal .. however, too often he would stray and attempt to make skilled plays on the half boards .. vision and creativity are subpar - he does have a hard, heavy shot and was used on the second unit PP with the Olympiques .. struggles in the defensive zone due to his speed and lack of anticipation - reacts and responds far too slowly .. Pepin’s game lacks consistency but in his fairness he played with a banged up shoulder all year which will require surgery in the off-season forcing him to miss the first six months of the 2014-15 season.

McKeens Hockey releases its preliminary 2014 NHL Draft list

McKeen's Staff — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 14:09:03 +0000

Fresh off the heels of an exciting 2013 NHL Draft, McKeens Hockey releases its first look at the top names for the 2014 NHL Draft in our preliminary list. This will change and come into focus as the season gets underway in September and our first official ranking will follow once we have had a chance to do more scouting.

Unlike the 2013 draft, where the focus was on Seth Jones and Nathan MacKinnon, there are a 5 or 6 names to consider for the 1st overall ranking. Players like William Nylander and Jakub Vrana will make the push from overseas, while the CHL will have a significant impact as well, with players like Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekbald and Leon Draisaitl also in the mix for the first overall slot. The OHL has the potential to be one of the heaviest scouted areas in 2014, with 10 players in McKeens players in the initial rankings, which puts them tops among all development leagues.

The 2014 NHL Draft scouting season starts early for scouts, with the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament and U20 camps starting up in Lake Placid next week, scouts are already preparing to get early looks at the top names available.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB
1	William Nylander Altelius	C	Sodertalje (Swe)	5-10/170	01-May-96
2	Sam Reinhart	C	Kootenay (WHL)	6-0/185	06-Nov-95
3	Nick Ritchie	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/210	05-Dec-95
4	Leon Draisaitl	C	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-1/195	27-Oct-95
5	Roland McKeown	D	Kingston (OHL)	6-1/185	20-Jan-96
6	Ryan MacInnis	C	NTDP (USA)	6-3/170	14-Feb-96
7	Aaron Ekblad	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-3/210	07-Feb-96
8	Jakub Vrana	RW	Linkopings (Swe)	6-0/180	28-Feb-96
9	Haydn Fleury	D	Red Deer (WHL)	6-3/205	08-Jul-96
10	Anton Karlsson	LW	Frolunda (Swe)	6-1/190	03-Aug-96
11	Jared McCann	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-0/175	31-May-96
12	Michael Dal Colle	LW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-2/175	20-Jun-96
13	Brycen Martin	D	Swift Current (WHL)	6-1/180	09-May-96
14	Nick Schmaltz	C	Green Bay (USHL)	5-11/170	23-Feb-96
15	Jake Virtanen	LW	Calgary (WHL)	6-0/190	17-Aug-96
16	Alexis Pepin	C	PEI (QMJHL)	6-2/195	24-Apr-96
17	Sam Bennett	C	Kingston (OHL)	6-0/170	20-Jun-96
18	Jack Glover	D	NTDP (USA)	6-3/185	17-May-96
19	Joshua Jacobs	D	Indiana (USHL)	6-2/195	15-Feb-96
20	Blake Clarke	LW	Brampton (OHL)	6-1/190	24-Jan-96
21	Kaapo Kahkonen	G	Blues (Fin)	6-1/195	16-Aug-96
22	Sonny Milano	C	NTDP (USA)	5-10/170	12-May-96
23	Adrian Kempe	C	MoDo (Swe)	6-1/170	13-Sep-96
24	Alex Tuch	C	NTDP (USA)	6-3/225	10-May-96
25	Mason McDonald	G	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-3/175	23-Apr-96
26	Jacob Middleton	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-3/195	02-Jan-96
27	Oskar Lindblom	RW	Brynas (Swe)	6-0/185	15-Aug-96
28	Kasperi Kapanen	LW	KalPa (Fin)	5-10/165	23-Jul-96
29	Joshua Ho-Sang	C	Windsor (OHL)	5-11/160	22-Jan-96
30	Matt Schmalz	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-5/190	21-Mar-96

Alexis Pepin – McKeen's Hockey

Patience is a virtue for Vaclav Karabacek, Alexis Pepin

McKeens Hockey releases its preliminary 2014 NHL Draft list