October 21., 2023
General Game Notes: A tight checking game in Mississauga this afternoon between two of the top teams early in this OHL season. Mississauga won the game back stopped by some quality goaltending by NHL draft eligible – Ryerson Leenders – who stopped 35 of 36 in this one. Neutral Zone focused on undrafted players who showed well in this viewing.
Carson Campbell (D, R, 6’0″, 180, Kitchener Rangers, 06/08/2006)
Game Grade: C
Comments: A right shot defender who played good minutes for the Rangers and was trusted on their backend in key situations. He is a defensive defender with limited offensive upside at this point in his development. Tonight he played primarily in 5 on 5 and penalty kill situations. Campbell kept it simple in his zone with the puck relying on quick outs to his forward unit moving with pace. He worked well with his partner and managed pucks down low effectively rarely overhandling. He isn’t a confident puck handler yet and needs to keep the game simple in his zone. There were a few heavy forechecks where he got into trouble – with a mishandled puck. Overall, he played good minutes in this game and was most effective on the penalty kill – he used his pace to maintain quality gap and pressure the top forwards on the Mississauga team. At this point in his development Campbell is not an elite prospect in our view but he showed a number of positives with his attention to detail in his zone and commitment to defending.
Ryerson Leenders (G, L, 6’1″, 179, Mississauga Steelheads, 06/01/2006)
Game Grade: A
Comments: One of the top players on the ice tonight. He was calm in net with good rebound control and quick to get side to side in his net. Leenders made a number of quality reads in his net and was always set with a good angle for the next shot. He was the Steelheads top penalty killer – effective at finding the puck through traffic – he made a number of point blank saves in this one and kept the Rangers high rolling power play off the score sheet until late in the game. It looked like nothing was getting by him down low where he used the butterfly and quick feet to stop everything. He showed quick reflexes with his pads and with his glove and made a handful of first and second chance saves. He stopped 35 of 36 in this one and was the top player in our viewing. Most of the saves were routine with good body position but he did show excellent athleticism and made few highlight reel saves. Leenders also showed good focus in this one as there were periods of play where Mississauga dominated. The first half of the game Mississauga carried the play but tailed off late and he was still sharp. We would like to see Leenders continue to work on his puck handling. A few forechecks were extended when he couldn’t control the dump-in to help set up the play for his defenders.
Jakub Fibigr (D, L, 6’0″, 171, Mississauga Steelheads, 07/22/2006)
Game Grade: B
Comments: This left shot lanky defender showed the ability to get forward with the puck with pace. He was a confident puck handler and got to top speed quickly in transition. He has some offensive upside and was not afraid to get forward if he had time and space to carry it. He had a few quality rushes in this one when the opportunity came up. He reads the forecheck well, used his partner on the regroup and made a number of crisp passes in transition. Fibigr played in all key situations for the Steelheads and plays on both sides of the puck with pace. He has the potential to develop into a reliable two way defender for Mississauga. Defensively, he used good body position rather than tough physical play along the wall and was effective at slowing down opponents. He was most effective when he delayed on the offensive blueline and used his pace, tight gap management, and reach to slow down the attack before they gained entry into his defensive zone. He is fast enough to tighten his gap through the neutral zone but is not confident enough to do this consistently yet. This young defender could improve his defensive one on one play in transition with an improved gap management. A few scary reads at his blueline where he stepped up but missed the opposition forward and allowed a defensive breakdown. He should work to clean this up.
Parker VonRichter (D, R, 6’1″, 183, Mississauga Steelheads, 05/17/2006)
Game Grade: B-
Comments: A steady defender who makes good outlets with the puck and rarely over handles. He was committed on the defensive side of the puck and paid attention to detail in the scoring areas in his zone. He played a quality gap and took his one on one play seriously. He was not afraid to engage along the boards and worked hard to contain forwards along the wall. Von Richter is a key penalty killer for the Steelheads and worked hard to keep the front of the net clear – rarely backing down from a physical challenge. He isn’t a defender who will skate the puck forward every chance – he relied on simple short passes and tight turns to create space for himself to move pucks up ice. He played with his head up and when the opportunity presented he made a handful of quality stretch passes in this one to move pucks forward to forwards moving with pace.
Jack VanVolsen (C, L, 6’1″, 188, Mississauga Steelheads, 01/12/2006)
Game Grade:
Game Grade: C+
Comments: A quiet game for this big, lanky left shot center offensively. He had a few quality offensive shifts in the middle of the game on the cycle where he used his big frame to create space in the scoring area. He has an excellent shot and showed the ability to get pucks off his stick quickly. He had 3 quick chances in the middle of the second period, in close with quality looks but he misfired. If any of the pucks were on net they could have been converted to goals. After that he got very little going towards the offensive net and did not generate any sustained pressure in the offensive zone. On the defensive side of the puck, he played a smart game in his zone and used good body position down low to box out opposition forwards on their net drive. He showed attention to detail on the defensive side of the puck, tying up sticks and competing for defensive zone positioning. His size and strength are an advantage and he won a number of puck battles in his zone tonight. Overall, he has a big frame and used it well along the walls. He is a high potential player with his size, skill combo but didn’t scare anyone in this game with his pace in transition. He will need to develop his overall pace if he wants to create more space for himself on the attack and produce more offensively.
Mason Zebeski (LW, L, 6’1″, 186, Mississauga Steelheads, 10/04/2005)
Game Grade: C+
Comments: His pace and puck pursuit was noticeable on a number of shifts. He scored early with good net drive to open up a lane and he showed good reflexes in close where he received the pass and spun quickly in close to bury the goal. He handled pucks along the walls efficiently and was effective at moving pucks up quickly. No panic in his game under pressure against the pinch and he rarely got into trouble tonight in his zone. He pursued pucks well in the offensive zone and showed the ability to create turnovers on the forecheck. He created a handful of chances off the cycle. Defensively, he got back effectively with purpose and was a trusted penalty killer in key defensive situations for Mississauga today.
Luke Misa (C, R, 5’10”, 170, Mississauga Steelheads, 02/28/2005)
Game Grade: B-
Comments: A stocky left shot forward who was most noticeable in the offensive zone where he used his skill and quick passes to open up lanes on the attack. He showed good speed on the cycle with a quick first step and used his low center gravity to get to the net. Misa was able to win a number of pucks in the offensive zone using his speed. He was on the wrong end of a big hit early in the game that rattled him and sent him off the ice but he responded well after than with an aggressive game on the attack. He did not have a productive night on the scoresheet but was buzzing all game long and was difficult to defend. He was able to create off the rush, on the cycle and was a key player for Mississauga on their powerplay unit. He generated pace through the neutral zone and was able to back defenders off on the rush. Misa was snake bit in this one and with better finish could have scored on two or three of his clear cut chances. Overall, he was one of Mississauga’s top offensive players and but he will need to produce offensively when he has the chance. He created today in this game but lacked the finish he needs to have if he is going to score consistently at this level or the next.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Paul O’Hagan