NHL Draft Watch: Bean, Twarynski playoff standouts for Hitmen

Grant McCagg — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 07:49:42 +0000

Watched the Red Deer-Calgary playoff game the other night. Here are my observations on the top prospects eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Jake Bean (Calgary) - Bean is a quarterback out there....very smart..sees the ice very well, smart passer...makes a crisp accurate two-line pass with ease...knows how to lead the player so he can be moving when he gets the pass. Competes okay.. not a bruiser but finishes his checks.. He has improved defensively in large part because of his intelligence.. reads the play well. In comparison to McAvoy...not as good all-around, won't be as strong or rugged.. not as competitive but has more offensive upside...better offensive instincts and shot. Take your pick...both would be nice adds to any team.

Jakob Stukel (Calgary) - bit of a one-way guy.. not always involved... would like to see him compete and skate harder at times. Has some offensive instincts though and a good shot....4th round perhaps? Considering he's a 97....would like to see a bit more from him beside power play goals.

Beck Malenstyn (Calgary) - looks awfully good out there at times...big kid, smooth skater, decent speed....even scored a nice goal last night with a well-placed shot. One night he looks like someone you/d never draft, the next he looks like a top 90 guy. Not the smartest player, his compete can be in and out but last night he worked fairly hard and played well. He doesn't have very good hands or vision...if you can teach him to compete every night perhaps there is some bottom line center upside. 4th-5th round you are considering him.. he keeps producing in the playoffs - his stock may rise.

Carsen Twarynski (Calgary) - he's my favourite after Bean.. plays a hard rugged style, not a pretty, agile skater but moves okay north south. Hits hard and often, has some smarts and not without some offensive skills...should have had one last night but was robbed on a great save.. has decent shot and vision. He looks like a third or fourth line NHLer down the road. 3rd round pick for me.

Jordy Stallard (Calgary) - played on the wing with Matteo Gennaro and Twarynski ....got a little more involved physically than he did at center because he has no choice on the boards. Not rugged by any means, but was willing to take a hit to make a play last night, and throw a couple of hits even if they were soft. Scored nice goal and set up Carsen nicely for what could have been another. It was a fast-paced game last night and he had trouble keeping up at times.. not overly quick off the hop.. needs to get stronger. 4th round guy...not sure what he is - a winger or a center.. Can he play a bottom line role? Tough to define him at this point.

Josh Mahura (Red Deer) - he thinks he's the new King Clancy... only problem is they eliminated the rover from the game in the 1920's. Up ice constantly.. rarely in his defensive position. He didn't play much the first half of the game.. played a bit more as time went on.. but doesn't look like he's a Sutter type with his mindset. Not very big or physical...not seeing much from a defensive standpoint yet. Skates okay and can move the puck...but also tries to make risky plays.. bit of a riverboat gambler type. Need to see more of him, but first impression is mid-round guy at best.

Brandon Hagel (Red Deer) - Has good chemistry with Jake Debrusk...looks for him often and sets him up frequently.. Very good vision and a smart passer. Skating is okay good competitiveness, there are things to like. May have third-line NHL upside...3rd round likely..4th at the latest.

Jeff de Wit (Red Deer) - He was pretty invisible in this game. instincts and compete aren't great...not an especially good skater. Behind the play quite a bit. Played less and less as the game went on. Late draft perhaps.

2014 NHL Draft: Rebel Haydn Fleury number two with a bullet

Andy Levangie — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:00:57 +0000

Towering Haydn Fleury is fourth in team scoring on the offensively challenged Red Deer Rebels, leading all defensemen (63-7-35-42, 9^th in the league). The Rebels are the seventh worst team in goal scoring (189) in the WHL and have won only four of the last 15 games, dropping them to a .500 record (30-30-1-4) and a battle for a playoff spot. Fleury has struggled along with the rest of Brent Sutter’s squad in February with a disappointing minus eight on the month (13-1-6-7, - 8), after posting a plus 19 the prior four months. He has cooled offensively since turn of the calendar in January with only two goals (26-2-12-14, -1). He marked an impressive pace to begin the year with a 0.75 points per game on the quiet offensive team (37-5-23-28, +18) with an intriguing package of hockey smarts and size.

The Rebels assistant captain is currently ranked second among defensemen, tenth overall, in McKeen’s Hockey’s 2014 NHL Draft midterm report in January. Fleury played for Team Canada and won gold at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka tournament contributing one goal in five games (5-1-0-1). In a surprisingly slim defensive pool in this years NHL Draft he will draw much scrutiny in the early picks of the first round. Clearly the consensus second choice to highly touted defense prospect, Aaron Eklund, in most expert rankings, edging slightly ahead of fellow WHL defenseman Julius Honka at #12 according to McKeen’s. Notable this season is the clear separation of these top three prospects from the rest of the defensive pack with the fourth ranked defenseman, Brycen Martin, not appearing until the 26^th pick overall according to McKeen’s. The dearth of quality high end rearguards may prompt some teams to move more quickly on draft day than anticipated.

Andy Levangie provides a scouting report:

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Photo by Rob Wallator

Haydn Fleury, D, 2014, Red Deer Rebels

Already a towering presence at 6, 3”, 200 lbs and quickly becoming a minute eating top pair rearguard for Brent Sutter’s Rebels squad .. a rare opportunity for a 17 year old in the WHL, noted for developing many top NHL defenseman .. rarely found out of position, constantly shifting small distances to cut down angles and disrupt passing plays, especially close to the crease .. intelligent instincts clearly evident .. possesses the physical ability to lean on opposing players and a long reach to protect the puck allowing him to create turnovers and disrupt the oppositions forecheck .. creates calm around his goaltender intelligently chipping pucks or making a short pass to relieve pressure and put a teammate in position to quickly clear the zone .. uses size well in front of the net to control opponents.. always looking to drive the play away from the middle of the ice in his own end .. a punishing force along the wall in his own zone .. .. strong gap control, but can get caught tracking the puck and not the body .. a fluid skater with a strong stride that drives forward and has length to it, quickness needs improvement as do most big young defenseman growing into their frame .. adequate top speed with notable reverse skating evident when tracking attacking offensive players .. rarely beaten to the outside or forced onto his heels .. needs continued work on speed and explosiveness to reach an NHL level .. above average offensive instincts with a quick deceptive wrist shot from the point which springs from his stick with surprising force, rising off the ice, making it elusive to blockers, and finding the top of the net .. a quick wind up creates a strong slap shot .. guards his blueline well on the power play, keeping puck in, rarely remaining static and constantly looking to push pucks low .. stays open and makes himself an option for his teammates, choosing his pinches wisely .. smart instincts provide a good balance between growing offensive skills and his already solid defensive play.

Red Deer Rebels – McKeen's Hockey

NHL Draft Watch: Bean, Twarynski playoff standouts for Hitmen

2014 NHL Draft: Rebel Haydn Fleury number two with a bullet