On New Year’s Eve we watched the Capitals take on the Black Hawks in Waterloo in a high scoring affair.
Simon Latkoczy (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Goalie
It’s tough to think a goalie had a good night when he gave up 6 goals, but Simon battled and was ready to play from the moment the puck was dropped facing 25 shots in the first period and another 20 in the second. He tracked pucks well making a number of high quality saves on pucks that were tipped late or on second and even third opportunities. He is not the prototypical NHL goalie, but he is a competitor who kept Madison in the game for 2 periods.
Carson Bantle (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A-) Forward
Carson was held off the score sheet, but his presence was felt in all three zones. He continues to impress us with his sound decisions with puck, his soft hands and his ever growing confidence. He attacks the offensive blue line with his head up reading the defender’s gap and changes pace accordingly. When the defender is in his face Carson will put his shoulder down and drive the play deep into the zone. On a loose gap he is showing the poise to cut to the middle for a high quality shot or he shows the vision to delay and find the late attacker. He is a bull below the goal line and yet has the soft hands to make high skill plays while charging the net. It is easy to see why Carson is our 31st ranked 2020 NHL Draft prospect.
Reid Pabich (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Reid is a guy we would love to have as a teammate. His energy and compete are evident on every shift and it is obvious that Madison looks for him to set the tone. He has three assists in tonight’s match, but he was making a positive impact on the game whether he was getting points or not. Reid blocks shots, plays the body and creates chaos as an ultra quick F1. He back checks with purpose and has his head on a swivel. His attention to detail makes him a very effective penalty killer. After a few seasons of not being able to get on the score sheet very often it is nice to see his hard work being rewarded by having 22 points in 28 games. Reid remains uncommitted, but we feel that situation will be changing soon.
Patrick Schmiedlin (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Patrick will always open eyes with his skating, high end speed and agility. We feel he is at his best when he keeps it simple. He is beginning to recognize zone entry gaps and will makes plays according to what / where the defenders are on the ice. Patrick was using a change of pace and was able to keep defenders guessing. His skating and high level of compete will always be his biggest asset, but we are seeing his situational awareness improve since his trade to Madison.
Ryan Kirwan (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
Ryan got better as the game went on. He finished the night with a goal and 4 shots on net, but we were watching to see how he would respond after a defensive zone blunder lead to a goal. Well, Ryan responded 51 seconds later with a goal of his own. We loved seeing it. He could have responded by hanging his head, but he did not. Off of an offensive zone face-off Ryan showed situational awareness and put the puck in the net. Ryan has a chance to move himself much higher on NHL Team’s draft boards with a strong second half.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/ Hickling Images