Tyrel Bauer (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Bauer has worn the “A” for his Seattle Thunderbirds team as a 2002 birth year which is quite impressive. He is a solid defenseman who has good gap control and uses his body to separate the opposition from the puck. He will also carry the puck with his head on a swivel showing confidence in himself. He is on the first power play and plays the role of the quarterback on the breakout – showcasing his strong and smooth stride. He has a high IQ and gets physical in the hard spots. He has a knack for knocking attacking forwards off of their feet on 1v1 situations with a hard powerful step as they move in on the net. Tyrel has a rocket one-timer from the point and also a quick, hard wrister. He is calm under pressure, has an active stick all over the ice, and keeps his team grounded defensively. He has some meanness to his game and will block shots on the penalty kill. He can go 1v1 with anyone, he has a quick, hard one timer from the wall, and is solid play maker. His edges are strong and his passes are crisp and on the tape.
(1) Brain – He plays an aggressive game that is on the edge. He is not reckless and does not take himself out of position looking for the big hit, but he is aware of who he is on the ice against and is very difficult on the opposition’s top players.
(2) Vision & Poise – Tyrel plays on the power play and is in control of the breakout. He looks forecheckers off and can put the puck through tight passing lanes. His head is on a swivel and he reads the ice before receiving a pass.
(3) Feet – He has very good knee bend and low hips which help him pivot quickly for retrieving pucks or shutting down the attack. Carrying the does not interfere with his posture allowing him to have an explosive first step and create passing lanes with his feet.
(4) Compete & Effort – Love his.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Very strong and powerful. He eliminates opponents from the puck and does so with authority. He initiates contact in front of his net, clears shooting lanes and does not give up rebound opportunities.
(6) Release – Tyrel shoots the puck with authority while walking the blueline, avoids oncoming shinpads and creates rebounds.
(7) One Timer Ability – He has a rocket, he hits the net and does not need a perfect pass for it to be effective.
(8) Body Language – He is an 2002 in the Western Hockey League and he is an Assistant Captain.
(9) Special Teams Potential – Although Tyrel sees considerable power play time in Seattle and is often a quarterback, we feel he has second power play professional upside. We do feel he has the mentality, feet and team first attitude to be a regular penalty killer in the National Hockey League.
(10) Intangibles – He is a 6’3″ 205lbs tough as nails right shot defenseman who is an assistant captain as an ’02 in the Western Hockey League. That pretty much tells you what type of player and person you will have on your depth chart after he joins your organization in June.
Dawson Butt (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade – Free Agent) Forward, Everett Silvertips
NHL Evaluation: FREE AGENT WATCH -Dawson is a hard nosed winger who sticks up for his teammates and battles every shift. He has better puck skills than his statistics show because he plays a team first game. Dawson does the little things that help teams win.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images