Game played 11/09/2024.
Adrian Misaljevic (C, L, 5’11”, 168, Kitchener Rangers, 01/01/2004)
Grade: B+
Comments: Misaljevic is a long, average-sized athletic left-shot winger that is light on his feet. The July 2004 has 35 points in the first 26 games for Kitchener. He scored a goal in the opening minute of the game by taking a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone, beating the defender wide with speed and then snapping the puck by the goalie from the circles. He has a fluid stride and a powerful first step to separate and gain speed easily. He is light on his feet and gets downhill on defenders through the neutral zone. He has a slick set of hands and can make plays in tight spots. He draws coverage and then slides passes on both the forehand and backhand to the open teammate. Effective on the powerplay and showed some creativity with cross-ice passes to change attack angles. He has a quick release on his shot and does not need much space to thread pucks to the net. He needs to compete on the defensive side of the ice and be harder on the puck. At times he avoided contact and did not stop on pucks. Skilled offensive player that is a threat to create offense each time out on the ice.
Trent Swick (LW, L, 6’6″, 225, Kitchener Rangers, 04/25/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: Swick is a massive, heavy left-shot winger that plays a north south style. The April 2004 has 28 points in 22 games for the Rangers. He is long and has a strong base and a fluid stride. He is still improving his footwork and agility but he moves fairly well once he gets to top speed. He has a massive wingspan and reach and handles the puck well in tight areas. He is used on both the powerplay and penalty kill and uses his skillset to create in all situations. He is confident handling the puck and does not rush reads or force decisions. He has some touch on his passing and can layer and thread pucks into tight spots. Made some nice one-touch reads on the half-wall to get pucks to his center. He used his body well around the net and protected the puck from defenders. He slides around pressure and has the ability to slip around coverage and pull pucks into good spots. He will need to be more aggressive and harder to play against below the dots in the offensive zone. At times was knocked off the puck by smaller players.
Konnor Smith (D, L, 6’6″, 215, Owen Sound Attack, 11/06/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: Smith is a big, long, strong left-shot defender that competes hard for pucks at both ends of the ice. Has dressed in eight games for the Attack and has eight points. The Ducks 4th round pick has heavy feet and is still improving his speed and agility. He has a wide, strong base and is fairly fluid once he gets to pace. He relies on his reach and positioning to cut down space and scoring chances in his end. He is calm and confident with the puck on his stick and was efficient on the breakout. He identifies passing lanes and snaps passes tape-to-tape. He was always supporting his D-partner and kept good gaps through the middle of the ice. Makes forwards make decisions before zone entries. He is rugged and plays physical in the corners and around his net. Makes it tough on opponents to get to the blue paint. At times struggled with smaller forwards that were quick and slipped in-and-out of coverage. He quickly gets pucks to his wingers for easy zone exits. Has a strong base to build on but will need to sure-up some skill and pace areas.
Landen Hookey (RW, R, 6’4″, 222, Owen Sound Attack, 01/29/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: Hookey is a big, strong right-shot winger that has 28 points in 26 games for the Attack. The January 2004 uses his body well net-front and has the ability to jump on loose pucks in tight areas. He plays in front of the net on the powerplay and is tough to move away from the goalie. He made some nice plays in tight areas to chip and sauce pucks into areas for teammates to operate with space. He needs to improve his straight line speed and lateral mobility as he moves to the next level. Takes him a bit to get to top speed. He was effective along the walls and below the dots. Slides around coverage and does not panic making plays low-to-high into the slot. He rolls out of the corners well and used his reach to keep the puck wide as he wheeled the zone. He gets pucks to the net and looks to create second chance opportunities. He has a quick release on his shot and did well to slip to soft areas just out of the reach of coverage. Slides into shooting position just before the puck gets to him. Smart player that has a strong base to build on.
Alec Leonard (D, R, 5’11”, 180, Owen Sound Attack, 05/13/2004)
Grade: B-
Comments: Leonard has split time between London and Owen Sound in 24-25. The right-shot is balanced and athletic and has a fluid skating stride. He is not flashy but plays a detailed, confident style. Used on the powerplay and efficiently starts the breakout. Head-up to identify options before snapping tape-to-tape reads. He has good touch on his passing and is able to attack seams through the neutral zone. He plays a defense-first style in his own zone and made several smart area passes to his partner to escape pressure. His gap control needs some work and at times was on his heels on the line-rush. Allowed forwards too much space to operate on zone entries. He is athletic and aggressive and used an active stick to get in lanes and breakup passes. He makes the high percentage play and does not try and do too much with the puck. Still needs to improve his puck and stick skills which would allow him to be more effective in tight spots under pressure and not constantly defer to his partner.
Bruce McDonald (C, L, 6’0″, 180, Owen Sound Attack, 12/18/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: McDonald is an athletic, quick left-shot center that plays with pace. The December 2004 has 12 points in 25 games for the Attack. He is light on his feet and has an explosive first step. He has a quick and active stick and used it to strip pucks and win battles in tight. He does not overcommit to lanes on the breakout and has the speed to survey the play and then hit lanes with speed. He pushes the pace through the middle of the ice and drew coverage before snapping passes tape-to-tape. He is not overly physical and at times was knocked off the puck and played on the perimeter. He spins away from pressure easily and has the balance and edges to make defenders miss in space. He created chances with his speed and pressured defenders into turnovers and bad decisions. Always at top speed. At times, plays too fast in the offensive zone and tried to force plays into tight areas. He is used on the power play and is creative moving the puck around the zone. Got several scoring chances but had trouble finishing.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images