General Game Notes: High scoring game tonight with some high scoring offenses. The Trail Smoke Eaters were able to get ten different players on the score sheet. The powerful Smoke Eaters continued their dominance tonight with four unanswered goals to start the second period and at the time the Spruce Kings could not climb their way back.
| Max Ranstrom | Prince George Spruce Kings | BCHL | L | D | 5’11” | 191 | Lake Superior | 2024 | Filipstad, SWE | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Ranstrom was second among Prince George defensemen with 22:39 in total ice including 2:49 on the power play and 0:38 while shorthanded. He finished even with 1 goal, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 1 hit, 3 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Ranstrom was able display tonight tremendous energy and work ethic when looking to break the puck and out and in puck battles. He has great hands in traffic and along the blue line where he can execute a high degree of difficult passes with his playmaking and his creativity. Couple times he would sprint the blue line looking to gain middle ice where he would throw it behind his back to the climbing winger. This play is risky but worked every time when he was able to read the defender reaching for the puck that he placed in a position where it could not be turned over.
| Tristan Taylor | Prince George Spruce Kings | BCHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 201 | Anmore, BC | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Taylor played a few shifts in the first period before being thrown out of the game for fighting. For the night he finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, 25 PIMs, 0 giveaways, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Taylor plays hard. Showed this tonight with his willingness to mix it up and set a standard for his team. Taylor will not necessarily wow you with his skill level for a player with his physical profile, but he made small area plays, little five to ten foot passes through feet and sticks under pressure, he always seems to be around the puck inside the offensive zone. His game is played well when he is being a disrupter but playing hard to bodies and pucks.
| Kilian McGregor-Bennett | Prince George Spruce Kings | BCHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 181 | Surrey, BC | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
McGregor-Bennett finished seventh among Spruce King forwards with 13:57 in total ice time including leading all Prince George forwards with 3:06 on the power play and as well as leading all forwards in the game in shorthanded minutes with 3:02. He finished even with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 0 hits, received 1 hit, 3 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Bennett plays with speed. He wants the puck on his stick and has the creativity to make things happens. One play he showed off really well was how comfortable he looked under pressure throughout the offensive zone. He does not panic with the puck rather, has the patience to hold on to it and find a player open. Without the puck, he creeps into dead space, reading the coverage and being in open ice available for his teammates. Like when he has the puck, he does not panic when the pass is sent to him in a scoring area, he attacks or shoots quickly.
| Ethan Warrener | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 161 | Calgary, AB | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Warner finished second among Trail defensemen with 23:28 in total ice time including 2:59 on the power play and leading the team in shorthanded minutes with 2:13. He finished +2 with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 PIMs for protecting his net on a hard middle drive, 1 hit, received 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, a team high 11 takeaways and for the season he is winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Warrener plays a hard role on the back end being able to clear out front of the net and step up on rushes using his body rather than relying on his stick. He has a physical presence in his game combined with being able to skate with the puck. He is a puck moving defenseman and that is really where his offense starts and ended in his game tonight. He makes a hard first pass and does a good job at reading the coverage and finding ways to break through it with that pass.
| Alec Whipple | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | R | D | 6’0″ | 181 | Far Hills, NJ | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B-
Whipple finished fifth among Trail defensemen with 11:54 in total ice time including being second among Trail players with 1:58 while shorthanded. With the exception 0:04 he did not play on the power play. He finished +2 with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 hits, 3 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Whipple has good feet and works hard for every loose pucks. At times, he wants to do too much with it causing needless turnovers in situations that do not help the collected group of five in their own end. When he has time and space, he shows that he can break the puck out of his own end by himself. He has the offensive instincts to create chances at the other end and his footwork and puck control allow him to walk blue lines, challenge defenders one on one, and create a cycle game. He needs to show patience in his own end and take care of the puck.
| Adam Barone | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 174 | Lake Superior | 2024 | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A
Barone led all Trail players with 24:17 in total ice time including leading the team’s defensemen with 3:08 on the power play and 1:46 while shorthanded. He finished +1 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, 0 hits, received 2 hits, had 1 shot blocked, 7 giveaways, 8 takeaways and for the season he is winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Barone is a great skating ability to get up and down the ice. He is able to keep tight gaps but also does a good job at surfing through the neutral zone to stay forward and close off rushes that way. He forces a lot of dumps and turnovers in the neutral zone this way. He shows of this mobility in the offensive zone as well. Whether he is diving into the slot from the point, or walking the blue line, he is constantly looking to stir up the offensive zone with creative ways to produce scoring chances.
| Adam Marshall | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | L | LW | 5’10” | 180 | Army | 2024 | Plymouth, MN | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A
Marshall finished seventh among Trail forwards with 16:41 in total ice time including being third with 3:19 in power play ice time and 0:26 while shorthanded. He finished +1 with 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 PIMs, 1/2 on face-offs, 0 hits, received 2 hits, 6 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Marshall was everywhere on the ice tonight. With two goals and two assists, he created offense from unlikely of spots. He showed that he is a threat from anywhere in the offensive zone with time and space. He likes to jump off the wall into scoring space and has a quick release that can catch both the goalie and defenders off guard. It was his compete level and willingness to get to hard areas that made him stick out tonight. He does not back down and wants the puck on his stick.
| Ridge Dawson | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | L | LW | 5’8″ | 150 | Kelowna, BC | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Dawson finished sixth among Trail forwards with 16:57 in total ice time including leading the team in power play ice time with 3:27 and 0:46 in shorthanded ice time. he finished +1 with 2 goals, 4 shots, 4 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs, 1 hit, received 2 hits, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Dawson showed tonight that he has the feet to get in behind the offense. Does a good job at constructing space below the goal line with the puck and looking for plays behind the net. He is always looking to create with the puck. His quick back and forth footwork can put defenders in a blender which ultimately creates space for him to work. He is fast an avoids contact with his speed but when bigger players get a body on him, he has a tendency to get separated, this is rare. Sees the ice well with his cross ice passes and dishes into the slot for grade A’s.
| Josh Schenk | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | R | RW | 6’2″ | 190 | Dartmouth | 2024 | Whitehourse, YT | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Schenk finished third among Trail forwards with 18:06 in total ice time including 2:38 on the power play and 1:02 while shorthanded. he finished +3 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 1/3 on face-offs, 0 hits, received an incredible 6 hits, 8 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Schenk owns the net front and loose pucks in the corner using his size to out position defenders. He wins clear battles by the way he is able to create space being under pressure. With his solid frame, he basically can box out smaller defenders and extend his possession at ease. With his size, comes a slower foot speed so he has to positionally stay sound. He needs the extra couple steps to get going but when he does, he is a full force.
| Adam Parsons | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 165 | Port Moody, BC | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Parsons led all Trail forwards with 19:52 in total ice time including 2:38 on the power play and 0:32 while shorthanded. He finished +2 with 1 goal, 2 assists, 5 shots, 4 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs, 2 hits, 5 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Parsons has skill and and an attack mentality that is complemented by sound decision-making. He showed this skill by beating defenders in tight with fancy moves and creative edge-work. He is mobile and hard to know off as he looks to absorbs hits rather than bounce off of them. He also protects the puck really well for his size which he really should and this allows him to make the most of his decisions to involve himself in the play around the offensive zone.
| Max Potvin | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | L | LW | 5’10” | 177 | Sudbury, ON | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Potvin finished seventh among Trail forwards with 14:21 in total ice time including 2:43 on the power play and 0:19 on the penalty kill. He finished +2 with 2 assists, 3 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 5/13 on face-offs, 1 hit, received 1 hit, had 2 shots blocked, 1 giveaway, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 36% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Potvin finishes his checks on the forecheck every time. He plays with grit in his game and makes it hard on defenseman to break the puck out clean. He was able to force turnovers tonight by taking great angles on the puck keeping his stick in the passing lanes. Has some skill to his game in the offensive zone being able to make little dish plays quickly under pressure. Was not able to show his possession game a ton given that he gets rid of the puck often. His game excels without the puck working to find space around the net and playing hard on the others teams top players.
| Christian Kim | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | R | RW | 5’6″ | 154 | Michigan State | 2024 | Torrance, CA | 2005 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: B
Kim finished fifth among Trail forwards with 17:02 in total ice time including being forth among Trail players in power play ice time with 3:17 and 0:20 seconds of shorthanded ice time. He finished +1 with 1 assist, 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 0/3 on face-offs, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Kim shows that even though he is one of the smaller guys on the ice, he has got a magnetic ability with the puck and because of his light, airy skating mechanics he is able to dart past defenders in transition, knife through coverage and quickly escape the boards out of won foot races in order to avoid having to engage in too many battles along the wall. The downside is it was hard for him to win battles along the wall, he needs open ice.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images