Game recap – 5-1 final, London. Shots 37-26, London. All round dominant effort from London who carried the majority of the play 5 on 5.
Cole Perfetti (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A, NZ NHL Draft Rank – 6) Forward
After a rookie season where Perfetti recorded 74 points in 63 games he has already established himself as one of the OHL’s top offensive threats in his second season. Perfetti entered this game top 5 in league scoring with 24 points in 12 games. An elite offensive winger/center and strong power play player, a lot of the Spirit offense runs through Perfetti. He manages pucks well and is a key leader on the Spirit power play. Perfetti operates as a pass or shooting threat with the extra man – he found guys with open looks and also had a handful of shooting chances that were blocked or saved by the London net-minder. 5 on 5, Perfetti plays in all key situations for Saginaw – he has excellent hands and vision and distributes pucks well in transition. He handles pucks so well and plays a heads up offensive game. Perfetti’s key attribute is his puck movement and give and go game. A high IQ offensive player, who makes the players around him better with his touch and ability to get pucks into the correct areas. Perfetti had a quiet game relative to his season so far (entered the game at 2pts per game) and was held off the score sheet with some tight London checking. Most of the offensive chances for Perfetti came with the extra attacker. Game Grade: B+
Luke Evangelista (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-) Forward
An impressive outing for Evangelista right off the hop with an assist on a clever play 30 seconds into the game. A high skilled, high IQ right winger Evangelista is operating very well on the wing on London’s top line. Evangelista showed strong board play in transition and was clean finding pucks along the wall in hitting teammates with pace. Offensively, he was excellent on the cycle, he uses his body positioning and footwork well to win pucks and finds good angles to the net. He creates space for himself with a pass first and give and go approach game. We really liked his patience and willingness to hang on for an extra second to let the passing play develop. Defensively, Evangelista showed very well this game with a number of solid back checks to break up plays in transition. Most of what you will see from Evangelista early this season will be 5 on 5 on a deep London team but his high IQ game on both sides of the puck will keep him playing on the top lines. As he develops his overall strength down low on the cycle game he will generate more offense. Game Grade: B+
Kirill Steklov (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C-) Defense
A lanky defender playing out of position vs older offensive players. Steklov plays as a top 4 defender on a deep London defensive unit with 3 NHL draft picks. Steklov has an abundance of raw talent and has size, decent speed. He has a willingness to try new things and makes a few mistakes here and there – this makes him a fun player to watch develop as he adjusts to the North American game. At times he looked a bit lanky and uncoordinated but he always recovered and used his reach and size very well. A player with a great attitude, he showed no fear to make plays, push the pace, and engage offensively as a secondary option in transition. Steklov competed hard defensively, he showed speed to close gaps and breaks up plays every shift with his long reach and smart body positioning. As a rookie on a deep team his sees penalty killing and power play time and will develop playing with better players. An early season surprise name on our watch list, this player has the attitude, energy and size to develop as he finds his way in the North American game. Game Grade: B
Antonio Stranges (4.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B+) Forward
Stranges has consistent, noticeable speed in open space on nearly every shift. A young player who early in his Jr career has shown he can create space offensively with his first few steps. He presents challenges to defenders in the transition game. Stranges excels with the puck on his stick or in transition where he showed the ability to beat defenders wide. He can generate pace out of tight spots, with his edge work and elite speed. Stranges is a crafty checker and better than you would think from an offensively focused player. His speed and effort on puck pursuit help him close gaps well on defenders. He set up the second goal of the game from behind the net with a good read and quick step to win a loose puck. A real positive offensive game for Stranges vs Saginaw. The scores heet did not reflect the number of chances and positive situations he had around the net. Game Grade: B+
Brett Brochu (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C-) Goalie
An athletic goaltender with good mobility and an aggressive posture to get out and challenge shooters. Brochu made 25 out of 26 saves to win his 5th game early in the season. Brochu challenged shooters effectively and made a number of saves outside of the blue paint. His aggressive play is a key attribute for him but left him out of position a few times in this game where he had to rely on defenders to bail him out on the weak side. Brochu played pucks well around the boards and showed confidence handling pucks and distributing them to his defenders. Brochu was third star in this game and deserved it particularly on the penalty kill where he competed hard and held a strong Saginaw power play off the scores heet. Game Grade: B