Played on April 7, 2024
|Samuel^Mayer|
Game Grade: A
Standing at 6’3″, 200 pounds Mayer is a big bodied left shot defenseman who can play both the right and left sides, but he uses a short stick that will limit his defensive effectiveness at higher levels. He was used in all situations leading the game in total ice time with 32:47 time on ice including 5:00 on the power play and 1:20 while shorthanded. Offensively his passing was excellent as he showed the accuracy to put passes into tight lanes or the touch to softly place passes into space where only his teammates could retrieve them. we also like that he did not draw opponents towards his intended passing target by skating towards them. He finished the night with two assists with the first coming on a well placed flip out of the zone that allowed his teammate to skate into it after Brantford had pulled their goalie. The second came on Ottawa’s sixth goal of the night. He had a game high seven shot attempts but he also had three of those attempts blocked. None of the blocks led to odd man rushes for Brantford but at the next level those blocks are the kind of thing that end professional careers.
Projection: Even though Mayer is literally playing half the game for Ottawa and has the size to play professionally, we do not feel Mayer is currently an NHL prospect. Yes he moves the puck well but we feel he lacks the explosiveness and lateral agility required to play the role he’d be asked to play on a National League D-core. We do feel he could earn a middle pairing role on a minor league team and work his way up the ladder with his consistency.
|Henry^Mews|
Game Grade: B+
Standing at 6’0″, 180 pounds Mews is an undersized right shot defenseman with a very smooth feet and high end ice awareness. Defensively he uses his easy glide to set his gaps early and then pinch line rushes off in the neutral zone. In the defensive zone he he uses his feet to maintain net side positioning during wall scrums but for a chance to have a real NHL career he will need to continue developing his strength, power and explosiveness as tonight he won only 33% of his 50/50 puck battles and during the regular season he won only 44% of his 50/50 battles. Offensively his skating is a real asset as he has the balance to absorb a hit to make a play and he is willing to do just that. He also has the puck poise to to beat the first forechecker and then attack the middle to his forwards have more time and space when they receive the outlet pass. He was key member of Ottawa’s defensive core as he totaled 24:28 in ice time including 4:48 on the power play. Mews was not used as a primary penalty killer.
Projection: As we feel he has the awareness and skating ability to play in the NHL it will all come down to strength and his off ice dedication to the weight room. We feel he has the skating posture to maintain his quickness and agility after he gains weight so the opportunity is in front of him as a middle pairing NHL defender.
|Frankie^Marrelli|
Game Grade: B+
Standing at 5’11”, 187 pounds Marrelli is an undersized left shot defender with high end game processing and anticipation. Although he won only 33% of his 50/50 battles tonight during the regular season he won 57% by staying strong through contact while keeping his hips low and then getting under his opponent’s hands to takeaway their leverage and strength. Tonight he earned 23:24 in total ice time while being a secondary option on the power play (1:01 TOI) and a primary penalty kill option with 1:48 in penalty kill ice time. As an undersized defenseman we like howe Marrelli scans the ice prior to the puck touching his stick so he is well prepared and does not get surprised by forechecker’s routes. His passes are on the money and it’s obvious that his forwards trust him to put them in a good spot during transition.
Projection: As an undersized defender with high game processing it will all come down to strength and quickness. At this point we feel he is a middle to late round selection who at some point earns an NHL contract and is a very reliable depth defender who gets NHL games and will exceed his GM’s expectations.
|Charlie^Hilton|
Did not play.
|Kimi^Korbler|
Game Grade: C+
Standing at 5’10”, 157 pounds Korbler is an below average sized speedy left shot forward who plays right wing and is not eligible until the 2025 NHL draft. At this point he is relied upon by his coaches to play primarily bottom six 5 on 5 minutes as he totaled 12:06 in ice time including 0:46 on the power play and 1:13 on the penalty kill.
Projection: At this point he is both light and undersized so he will need a huge summer in the weight room gaining mass and explosiveness to have a shot at a professional career in North America.
|Nicolas^Whitehead|
Did not play.
|Chase^Yanni|
Did not play
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images