We’ve seen both Nico and Michael play quite a bit recently and have been coming away more impressed each time. Here are our thoughts from a November 16th game versus The Saginaw Spirit;
Nico Daws (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Goaltender
A late birthday 2000 goaltender, Daws started both games for the Storm this weekend and was their best player. Neutral Zone scouts were at both games and continue to view Daws as an elite draft eligible goaltender. Daws won his seventh straight game this evening and continues to build his case as one of the top goaltenders in the Ontario Hockey League. He entered the game as a league leader in GAA and save percentage and stopped 27 of 28 in this game. He stopped everything thrown at him early in a game where Saginaw carried the play early. Daws continued to excel covering the bottom half of the net with his quick feet and explosive lateral movement in the crease. He challenged shooters and with his size and quick first step out of the crease took away space in the net from oncoming shooters. Daws was beat once on a laser shot through a double screen on a Saginaw power play, but for the rest of the game it looked like no direct shot was going to beat him. Daws is a C prospect on our list, but is continuing to play at a consistent elite level. He was the first star of the game tonight and was the key contributor to the Guelph win. Game Grade: A
Michael Bianconi (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
No change in Bianconi’s game from our November 15 viewing in this back to back home stand for Guelph. Bianconi played another steady game in back to back evenings and is starting to show consistent steady play with each viewing. We didn’t see many differences in Bianconi’s game in the two viewings this weekend. He continues to skate well and continues to be effective in breaking down fore-checks. We were interested to see how he reacted in his second game in less than 24 hours and there was no fall off in his level of play. The young defender played big minutes on Friday evening as Guelph lost two defenders in the game vs Owen Sound and followed the Friday evening game up with another efficient game on Saturday afternoon vs Saginaw. Bianconi continued to use good body positioning and mobility in his defensive zone coverage and managed his gap well. He is a lanky slight defender and as he continues to add strength to his frame he will be more effective in the finish and contain game. He hasn’t yet developed as a two way threat for Guelph yet but we are interested to see if the offensive side of his game improves as his confidence grows with his increased playing time in Guelph. Game Grade: C+
Comment’s on Michael’s play following his trade to Guelph;
Michael was recently traded to Guelph and has since seen playing time in a top 4 defender role with the Storm. A mobile defender who manages pucks well, he spends little time in his zone under pressure. He plays a simple offensive game with crisp effective passes to start the breakout. Michael’s key asset is his skating which he uses to be first on pucks in the defensive zone and create a quick transition. He uses body positioning well in all 3 zones and manages his gap very well on opposing players. As a new player to the Storm, Michael has the all round game to grow into his new top 4 role effectively and quite possibly be a top pairing guy in the near future. He is a player we will be watching closely as the season progresses. (10/16/19)