On Tuesday February 12th Barrie Traveled to Erie to take on the Otters. In a back and forth contest that ended with Barrie winning in a shootout here are our thoughts on The Colts’ NHL Prospects.
Tyson Foerster (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A-) Forward
Tyson was noticeable all game and involved in every aspect. Physically he controlled wall play and was a force during offensive zone cycling showing high levels of both poise and strength. He looked quick off of contact below the goal line showing bursts that allowed him to attack the net and make plays. First and foremost Tyson is a shooter. He has a rocket and he knows it. His one timer on the power play is a threat to score every time he shoots it. He also shows good poise along the mid-wall finding both the bumper or the cross seem pass. Tyson was a threat to score all game and had a positive impact on the win.
Evan Vierling (4.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Forward
He was so smooth and poised with the puck that there were times when it seemed as if he was playing a different game than everyone else. There wasn’t a situation all night where he looked overwhelmed or surprised all night. He has phenomenal touch on his passes and even his rockets through tight seems were easy for his teammates to handle. Evan is slippery in 1 on 1 situations and his edge work allows him to evade attacking players with ease. He has been a special player since his trade to Barrie.
Anthony Tabak (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Anthony is a massive kid (6’4″ 216lbs) who was effective tonight. He fought through contact and traffic to get to the scoring areas and was a very good net front presence. In defensive situations he showed very good awareness and anticipation by getting his stick on a number of cross zone passes and he maintained shooting lanes at all times. It looks like his skating and stride are starting to catch up to his body as he showed separation speed while driving wide on line rushes and he was a consistent winner of 50-50 pucks on dump-ins. He showed some elusiveness on a 1 on 1 and made a lunging defender miss. There is a ton to like about the late 2001’s upside.
Nathan Allensen (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
We really liked Nathan’s game tonight. He was poised with the puck when under attack and consistently made quick tape to tape outlet passes. He showed that he could generate passing lanes by moving his feet and making the forecheckers lean and begin to chase him. Nathan was an asset on either power play unit, but worked very well with Vierling and Foerster. He moved the puck quickly, his passes were flat and his sauce landed softly. Nathan has a good first touch in transition and generally made the game look easy tonight.
Brandt Clarke (4.75 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — A) Defense
Brandt has ice water in his veins. He was exceptional all night. He played the entire game with his head up and showed real offensive skill from the back end. His retrievals were quick and with a purpose, consistently showing poise beyond his years by looking off forecheckers and taking the open ice. His regroups were clean and he activated when appropriate. He topped off an excellent night by burying the game winner on the final shot of the shootout.
2021 NHL Draft hopefuls to keep an eye on;
Jacob Frasca (4 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — B) Forward
Quick thoughts, Jacob is a long lanky 2003. He needs to add strength and become more powerful, but there was a lot to like about his game. He protected the puck well and was effective in both offensive and defensive 1 on 1 situations. He also drove wide and attacked the far post on line rushes.
Connor Punnett (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Defense
Connor is another 2021 eligible prospect who we’ll be watching closely. He has very good size, is athletic and was very good at pinching line rushes off early. He’s never been a defender who puts up big points, but his mobility is something that intrigues us.