Om Tuesday February 4th we watched the Storm play host to the Erie Otters. It was a 4-2 road win for the Otters, but we felt Guelph had a few NHL prospects who stood. Please see the reports below;
Guelph Storm Draft Eligible
8 Michael Bianconi (played, was not a factor)
11 Andrei Bakanov (played, was not a factor)
17 Pavel Gogolev free agent forward (was a factor, see report)
22 Ben McFarlane (played, was not a factor)
23 Zack Terry (did not play)
24 Matthew Papais (played, was not a factor)
25 Clark Hiebert (did not play)
26 Luka Profaca (was a factor, see report)
28 Cooper Walker (did not play)
31 Owen Bennett (did not play)
35 Nico Daws (was a factor, see report)
Pavel Gogolev (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Forward
It’s time to write this player up!! We are generally focused on first year draft eligible players in our 2020 draft analysis reports, but Gogolev just continues to put up good numbers this season. He is a 2000 birth year player who has been passed over in previous drafts, but he has scored in every game we have viewed this season and has been in the top 10 in league scoring all season. Gogolev is coming off a sub par season where he was injured and traded mid season to Guelph. Coming into the game Gogolev had 74 points in 47 games and has been Guelph’s top offensive performer all season long. He is a big bodied, strong skating winger with a heavy wrist shot and excellent vision. He is a very effective player on the power play, the Guelph power play unit keys off Gogolev with his ability to shoot or find wingers with open looks in good shooting areas. Gogolev scored an elite goal in the first set up by a great burst of speed and set up another with a crafty backdoor pass to an open winger on the power play. Game Grade: B+
Luka Profaca (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
A lanky right shot defensive defender who continues to improve with each viewing. Profaca was platooning on the Guelph defense earlier in the year, but has continued to develop and earn his ice time as the season is progressing. We see good development in his game as his confidence is growing. He is slowly but surely developing into a full time top 6 defender for the Storm in his first full season in the OHL. Profaca is confident and proficient with the puck and is reading forechecks more effectively in February than he was in October. His improved foot speed is allowing him to close on offensive players well and time his body checks better. He is a defender who likes to play a physical in your face game in his zone and as the season progresses he has become more effective as his overall pace improves. Game Grade: B-
Nico Daws (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B+) Goalie
|Nico^Daws^#35| – Daws has emerged as the top goalie prospect in the Ontario Hockey League this season. The 6’4” goaltender is mobile and confident. He covers the net well, controls his rebounds well, and has been Guelph’s top player all season. He gives the Storm a chance to win most games with his steady play in the net. His great play in the first half of the season earned him an invite to Canada’s World Junior team, the only undrafted goalie invited. Daws won the starting job for Canada but was shelled in pool play and has gone through a bit of rough patch since then. Daws had a few rough starts after Christmas and an injury in the Top prospects game in January. He looks to be back in form now. Daws leads the OHL in GAA, Save percentage and shutouts and has shown the ability to steal games for the Storm all season. He was very effective early in the game tonight. The game was tight checking but there were a handful of breakdowns early and Daws kept his team in the lead with good reflexes and quick hands. He stopped breakaways and a handful of in close saves where he showed excellent lateral movement. Game Grade: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Game Evaluation: Paul O’Hagan