OJHL: A high scoring pre-season game that saw Brantford out shoot Niagara 47 to 30 and come away with a 7-6 road win. Neutral zone focused on 2024 first year draft eligible players.
| Hudson Gill | Brantford 99ers | OJHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 172 | Burlington, ON | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Gill is a long 6’1′ right shot defenseman who played a solid two-way game. He showed a bit of a forward leaning skating posture while moving forwards with his hands away from his body ready to make the play. His defensive skating posture was a bit more upright and we like how he did not cross his feet while pivoting or while setting his gap surfing. He finished the game with three assists (two secondary assist & a primary assist on the 99ers late game tying goal) and although we are not sure if those assists would be points college hockey or beyond, we do like the fact that he moved the puck quickly with needing to over handle the puck before moving it. In all game situations Gill was relied on heavily as he totaled a team high of 26:55 of total ice time, a team high 4:08 on the power play and forth in penalty kill ice time with 2:07 TOI. He finished the +5, with 3 points, 5 shots on goal, 3 PP shots, 5 giveaways and 7 takeaways. At this point Gill has a ‘C’ rated 2024 NHL draft grade but if he continues to play 25 plus minutes per night he is player who at his size will need to be watched very closely.
| Spencer Gendall | Brantford 99ers | OJHL | R | RW | 6’0″ | 150 | Carlisle, ON | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Gendall is an average sized right shot forward who played primarily center. He showed a bit of a bow legged skating posture with feet that were always in constant motion. He is a high energy high compete forward with a long slight frame who will be an effective 200′ forward once his frame fills out. Tonight he used his speed to be an effective F1 on the forecheck who took away time and space from the opposing defenders and then used his aggressiveness to beat his opponents to the front of their net. Over the course of the game there were times when we wished he would punish his man after they made the pass but we do feel this something that he will add to his game as he earned a charging penalty mid-way through the first period that we felt was a good hard check on an opponent who looked down to gather bouncing puck in their feet. He finished the game -2 with the first coming on a backfoot snap shot from outside the dot-lane that he had very little to do with but on the second minus Gendall was a passenger on the backcheck who stopped skating once he got over his defensive blueline. Again with feel this is something that will be corrected through film work and consistent coaching. On the night he was 9/13 on face-offs, had 3 giveaways and 3 takeaways. At this point Gendall does not have a Neutral Zone 2024 NHL draft grade but we liked his compete and energy so when his frame fills out to 185lbs we feel he will be a player to watch for.
| Kyle Ferguson | Brantford 99ers | OJHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 176 | Burlington, ON | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Ferguson is a thickly built left shot center who played a high effort 200′ game who wore #19. He showed a knees over toes skating posture with a quick three quarter length stride. Physically he was strong on the puck and kept his feet moving through contact often times initiating contact as the puck carrier. We liked how he backchecked through the middle of the ice with his stick down and his eyes up which allowed him to break-up royal road passing attempts high in his defensive slot. He scored on a rip of a snap shot from just below the left face-off dot that beat the goalie high to the wide side. The play originated on a nicely executed neutral zone forecheck where Ferguson anticipated a loose puck and won the race to it. He finished the game even with 1 goal, 10/20 on face-offs, with 6 giveaways and 3 takeaways. At this point he does not have a Neutral Zone 2024 NHL draft grade.
| Dominic DiFrancesco | Niagara Falls Canucks | OJHL | L | C | 5’8″ | 155 | St. Catharines, ON | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Di Francesco is an undersized left shot left wing who wore #14. He showed an upright skating posture keeping his chest high and shoulders back which allowed him to keep his hands free from his upper body so his stick was always prepared and ready to make a play. He used his posture and inside edges to spin off contact and then accelerate into the open ice. He finished the game with 2 goals and 1 primary assist. The first goal after he won a 5′ race to a loose puck behind the net and the showed the awareness to use a ten & two skating technique to spin the net and wrap the puck past the goalie to the far side. The second goal came off a line rush where Di Francesco recognized that two Brantford defenders chased the puck so he could slide into the quiet area for a quick stick one-timer. The assist came off a face-off where he spun off contact to win a race to a loose puck and then gave a perfect pass to a teammate in the slot who fired a one-timer passed the goalie. Di Francesco played 13:24 of even strength ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished the game +3 with 2 Grade ‘A’ opportunities, 7 giveaways and 6 takeaways. At this point he does not have a 2024 NHL draft grade but there was no denying the impact he had on this game.
| Parker Forlin | Niagara Falls Canucks | GOJHL | R | F | 5’8″ | 154 | Niagara Falls, ON | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Forlin is an undersized right shot forward who wore #71 and primarily played right wing. Although there were times that he lined up on left wing and stayed there for long stretches of a shift, to our eye it looked like he and his linemates were running face-off plays. We view him staying on the off wing as a sign a good game awareness and understanding the flow of a game to stay in a ‘position’ rather than blindly running back to his right wing. During offensive transition he scanned the ice locating his opponents and continually faced the puck so he was ready to make the next play. His first touches were clean and he showed the puck skills to one-touch passes to his swinging center or to smoothly settle a bouncing puck while locating his activating weakside defenseman. On line rushes he used mismatches in speed to create open ice for himself and his linemates. This awareness led to a secondary assist on the Canuck’s fifth goal of the game where he carried puck down the right wing and used a hard cut back to the middle which allowed him to find the left dot-lane option. He also had a quick stick one-timer goal off a face-off where he felt the net front coverage and settled into the quiet area on the left portion of the royal road. Defensively Forlin was a bit of a drifter and there were times when he turned his back to the puck. We feel these traits will be corrected quickly through video work and consistent coaching. He finished the game +3 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 grade ‘A’ opportunities, 1/2 on face-offs, 4 giveaways and 2 takeaways. At this point he does not have a Neutral Zone NHL 2024 draft grade, but his quick game processing, smooth hands and ability to create space for himself and his linemates make Forlin a player we feel should be getting NCCA looks.
| Philip Roberto | Niagara Falls Canucks | GOJHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 196 | Mississauga, ON | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Roberto is a thickly built 6’1′, 200lbs defensive minded right shot defenseman who wore #20 and played a hard sandpaper like game. During his first shift of the game he was immediately noticeable as he chased down an opposing forward on a partial breakaway and threw him wide of the net ending the scoring chance. He was a valuable member to the penalty kill unit where his attention to detail and quick recognition of when the power play was shifting from overload to umbrella back to overload made him a real quarterback for unit. During defensive zone 5 on 5 play he cleared shooting lanes by using his inside edges to drive opposing forwards clear from the lane and he quickly sorted out the cycle by pinning opposing forwards to the wall before picks or scissor plays could even happen. We love how he earned a 2 minute penalty for cross checking an opposing forward who was digging a little too long after the whistle. On the play he threw the opponent to the ice and when another 99er came into help he threw two quick right hands to the opponent’s chin. We see absolutely nothing wrong with this. Roberto also earned a secondary assist on the Canuck’s first goal of the game. On the play he made an indirect pass to his right winger who tapped it to a slash supporting left wing. The play may seem harmless, but we liked Roberto’s quick decision to use an undirect pass rather than forcing a play through an opponent’s body. At this point he does not have a Neutral Zone 2024 NHL draft grade, but his no-nonsense attitude combined his willingness to protect his goalie and teammates make him a right shot defender to keep an eye on long term.
| Justin Pavese | Niagara Falls Canucks | GOJHL | L | C | 5’10” | 172 | Toronto, ON | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Pavese is an under sized left shot center who wore #7. He showed a shoulder width skating base and a full length stride that allowed him to play all situations with pace. In the defensive zone he showed patience as the low support but we noted there were times when he followed the pass rather than staying on the defensive side of his man. On the night he finished even with zero points, went 7/16 on face-offs, had 2 hits, 5 giveaways and 0 takeaways.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Average player size by league;
U14 – 5’5” , 127lbs
U15 – 5’7” , 136lbs
U16 – 5’8” , 149lbs
U18 – 5’11” , 168lbs
NCDC – 6’0” , 183lbs (Tier 3)
BCHL – 5’11” , 179lbs (Tier 2)
AJHL – 5’11” , 176lbs (Tier 2)
NAHL – 5’11” , 173lbs (Tier 2)
USHL – 5’11” , 174lbs (Tier 1)
NCAA D3 – 5’10” , 170lbs
NCAA D1 – 6’0” , 190lbs
WHL – 6’0” , 188lbs
OHL – 6’0” , 185lbs
QMJHL – 5’11” , 179lbs
ECHL – 5’11” , 183lbs
AHL – 6’0” , 194lbs
NHL – 6’1.5” , 206lbs
NHL All-Star – 6’1” , 201lbs
Player Size Data compiled by ChatGPT