February 2, 2024
Ben Wilmott (C, L, 6’0″, 166, Chicago Steel, 08/30/2006, Northeastern) 2023-2024 NHL Draft Grade: C
Game Grade: C+
Wilmott earned 11:30 in ice time (9th among fwds) including 3:03 on the PK (3rd among fwds). He did not play PP. He finished -1 with 1 shot, 2/2 on face-offs, 1 hit, 9 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 48% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Wilmott had a good defensive effort tonight. He brought a ton of energy and battled hard in all three zones. His work on the penalty kill was the most impressive part of his game. He worked hard to shut down lanes and keep play to the outside. He used his body/stick positioning in combination with his quick feet to keep the puck from being passed into the slot and applied tight pressure on his opponents. He showed good effort on the forecheck as well, chasing hard after loose pucks and fighting in the corners. Not much offense from him tonight but his defensive play was impressive. Good compete and energy brought to the ice tonight.
Michael Hage (C, R, 6’1″, 190, Chicago Steel, 04/14/2006, Michigan) 2023-2024 NHL Draft Grade: A-
Game Grade: B-
Hage earned 19:15 in ice time (3rd among fwds) including 1:04 on the PP (8th among fwds) and 0:29 on the PK (6th among fwds). He finished +3 with 2 goals, 4 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs, 6/16 on face-offs, 2 hits, received 1 hit, 7 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Hage is a skilled center who scored two nice goals tonight. He prefers to slow the game down when the puck is on his stick. He moves around the offensive zone on his inside edges, searching for passing options. He has smooth hands and was able to pull off a couple of clean dekes to slip around opponents but has a tendency to over handle the puck, forcing play into the defenseman in an attempt to pull off highlight dekes. He showed off a great delay game on zone entries to become an option and made nice reads to pick up the pace and crash the net when he saw the opportunity. His first goal was a great view of his heavy wrist shot. He walked the puck down from the blue line on a power play and fired a great wrist shot under the goalie’s glove from the top of the circle. His second goal showed off his hands and timing, beating multiple opponents with smooth fakes on his way towards the net before walking around the goalie and sliding it home. We would like to see Hage put a bit more effort in defensively. He coasts around a bit, staring at the puck and does not get very involved on the forecheck or in battles in his own zone. He did show off a bit of edge, checking an opponent after a dirty hit and getting involved in the post whistle scrum. Good hands, good shot, needs to bring more energy without the puck.
Colin Frank (RW, R, 5’7″, 159, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 03/22/2006, Connecticut) 2023-2024 NHL Draft Grade: Potential college free agent
Game Grade: C
Frank earned 6:41 in ice time (team low). He did not play special teams. He finished even with 4 giveaways and for the season he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Frank is an undersized forward who has brought good energy in all of our viewings so far. He applies harassing pressure on the forecheck and does not give up on plays. He fights hard along the wall and digs pucks out of scrums. He was able to generate decent speed in transition tonight, but his hands need work. He had a lot of trouble controlling the puck tonight and was unable to beat opponents in transition with speed or dekes. Good energy performance from Frank but his lack of offensive ability holds him back.
James Reeder (C, R, 5’10”, 168, Dubuque Fighting Saints, 10/06/2005, Denver) 2023-2024 NHL Draft Grade: C
Game Grade: B
Reeder earned 21:03 in ice time (1st among fwds) including 4:22 on the PP (4th among fwds) and 2:10 on the PK (team high). He finished -1 with 1 assist, 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 3/10 on face-offs, received 1 hit, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 53% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Reeder had a very impressive two-way game and was able to pick up a nice assist. He is a smooth skating forward able to generate decent speed in transition and carry pucks into the offensive zone with control. He has smooth hands and was able to slip past opponents with well-timed cuts. He gets time on the top power play unit where he does an excellent job of working the puck around quickly. He has good vision and makes smart, patient passes to set up chances around the net. His assist came on a pretty power play chance where he walked down towards the net, stickhandling to get the goalie to fully commit to him, then slid a perfect pass without selling his target to the far post for an easy tap in finish. Reeder was a good net front presence as well. He carved out space and pounced on every loose puck to create extra opportunities for his team. He showed some great effort without the puck. He gets time on the penalty kill where he stays active and shuts down plays by staying in passing lanes and forcing turnovers with harassing pressure. He is good on the forecheck and was able to slow play on the backcheck multiple times. Reeder’s play was impressive on both ends of the ice tonight.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence