On February 12th Neutral Zone watched Oshawa travel to Erie to take on the Otters. Here are our thoughts on the Generals NHL prospects.
Lleyton Moore (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Lleyton might not have gotten credit for any assists tonight, but he should of had two primary helpers in this one. In both instances the puck was on his stick for only a split second and I view this as a positive in his development. On the first play a tight gap forced an Erie turnover just inside the General’s defensive blueline, and after looking over his shoulder he found an open forward and gave a quick up off his backhand that resulted in Tomasino scoring on a 1 on 1 beauty. The second play showed high game recognition and situational awareness, as well as was an asset his feet are to his overall game. The play started in the offensive zone Lleyton where had crashed the net, but upon seeing that the play was dead he began to retreat. By doing a smooth open faced pivot he was able to keep his eye on the play recognizing an Erie turnover and he quickly headed to the high slot where he became an instant scoring threat. His quick cross body one-timer resulted in slot chaos and a goal by Brett Harrison. In general I felt Lleyton was a maximum effort player who used his fluid stride and pace to be a real asset in this one. He drew a penalty, took quick decisive actions in defensive situations and showed consistent vision and poise while breaking out. Game Grade: B+
Oliver Suni (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
Oliver is a really steady hockey player and every game I see I know exactly what I’m going to get. As usual, he kept it simple and was very dependable. Oliver consistently makes smart decisions with and without the puck, and although there are times that I wish he was more of a physical presence, very rarely do I ever say that he put the Generals in compromising positions. His style has to be very reassuring for the General’s coaching staff and team management. Tonight was more of the same. He showed the puck skills to make plays in all three zones, but when it comes right down to it Oliver makes the right hockey play. There were a number of times late in shifts where Oliver used his quick feet and puck protection skills to get the red line and get it deep for a clean line change. It might not be very sexy, but a simple play like allowing his teammates to change and get fresh legs on the ice are the little details that matter in the NHL. Offensively Oliver was in the paint all game causing chaos and blocking clear sight lines for the Otter’s goalie. Late in the third he was rewarded for his consistency when he was a middle drive on a power play line rush. His timing was excellent allowing him to be able to redirect a pass into the net. Another game where Oliver showed his high hockey IQ and reliability. Game Grade: B
Tyler Tullio (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B+) Forward
I liked Tyler’s game tonight. He was very multidimensional and was doing the things that will make him a valuable National Hockey League player. He showed his poise and vision with the puck and was a steady threat to score all night. He was very good at slowing the pace down, finding an open line mate and then darting into the open ice for a scoring opportunity. I’ve seen him regularly do this, but again Tyler opened up to improve his shooting angle and fired one-timers that forced the Otter goalie to make saves. He showed excellent hand eye by getting his stick on a number of point shots and almost redirected a waist height cross slot pass into the back of the net. Tonight I was especially impressed with Tyler’s grit and jam. He finished his checks and I loved that he had three blocked shots. Tyler continues to impress as an overall hockey player. Game Grade: B
David Jesus (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
Another steady impressive game for the big righty. He defended lines rushes with a very tight gap forcing poor dumps and allowing for clean General breakouts. Tonight I was watching his feet and they continue to improve. He didn’t cross over while pivoting and he did an excellent job keeping his hips low to generate more power and improved balance. He made quick outlets in transition that put his forwards in positions to make plays and when there were no open forwards David showed the foot speed to lug the puck out of trouble. It was the kid of game that gets 6’3″righties drafted. Game Grade: B
Mitchell Brewer (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
Mitchell had a nice game. He showed his skating ability in a variety of ways. Defensively he quickly took away time and space and was in opposing forward’s faces all night. He was also able to alleviate forechecking pressure by lugging the puck to the tops of the defensive zone circles and making clean outlets to his forwards. I though Mitchell was strong along the walls playing stick on puck and eliminating the cycle very quickly. He also showed nice mental toughness after an unfortunate bounce led to Erie’s forth goal. Game Grade: C+
Philip Tomasino (4.75 Star Amateur Rating, 2019 round 1 #24 overall by Nashville Predators, NHL Grade — A) Forward
Philip is incredibly talented and he showed it tonight. He opened the scoring with a foolish 1 on 1 fake spin-o-rama that left everyone in the building shaking their head. He was dangerous with and without the puck and his speed was noticeable every shift. On line rushes he was very unpredictable and his subtle change of pace manipulated gaps into his favor all game. It was easy to see why Nashville selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft. Game Grade: A-
Brett Harrison (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — B) Forward
There is a lot to like about Brett in this game. The 2003 was confident showing poise and determination all over the ice. He won 50-50 battles along the wall and never quit. Brett had 2 goals in this one that were dramatically different and showed his versatility. On the first he showed his straight line speed by beating his back-checker up the ice generating a quick clean break in receiving a pass and pulling the puck forehand, backhand shelf. It was a beauty and a goal scorer’s goal. On the second Brett would not be denied showing a complete effort and hockey play. He won a battle, attacked the net from the mid-wall, his vision allowed him to find the weakside defenseman in the high slot and then he drove the net looking for a loose puck and was able to bury it after a poised pull to his backhand. There is no doubt that Brett will be a focus for NHL eyes during the 2020-21 season. Game Grade: B+
Brett Neumann (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Brett was everywhere. The ’99 dominated puck possession and was a steady threat all night to score. He has high level 1 on 1 skill that allows him to generate scoring chances out of thin air. His offensive ability and scoring consistency make him a player NHL teams should consider to a minor league free agent deal. Game Grade: B
Kyle MacLean (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Kyle is a 1999 who provided consistency and leadership all game. He was strong in his end ending Erie’s cycle quickly and communicating well with the defensemen. His quick stick allowed him to dominate the face-off circle. On Suni’s power play goal he made a poise play while on the attacking line rush, changing speeds and puck angle before finding a streaking middle drive. Game Grade: C+