Game played on 10/12/2024.
General Game Notes: Neutral Zone viewed the WHL matchup between the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Lethbridge, AB. Lethbridge got off to a hot start, overwhelming the Wheat Kings by scoring three straight goals in a variety of different ways. Brandon came back, cutting the lead to 1 after taking over for much of the second period but was unable to tie it up thanks to a few posts and solid goaltending. The Hurricanes finished the game strong, sealing the win with an empty netter to come away with the 5-3 victory. Each player below has been given a grade based solely on their performance at this event and not an overall indication of the players upside or ability.
Ethan Eskit (G, L, 5’11”, 184, Brandon Wheat Kings, 01/07/2006)
Grade: C+
Comments: Eskit had a first period that he would like to have back. He allowed 3 goals on 11 shots, including a soft one that he misjudged, sliding from a weak shot from the point between his legs along the ice. After the first, he got poised and looked much more comfortable in his crease. Being on the smaller end, he did well to be at the top of his crease, challenging shots from the outside and reading the puck through screens. With a better second and third period, he gave his team a chance to get back into the game, controlling his rebounds and keeping trouble away from his net. He stopped 22 of 23 shots in periods 2 and 3.
Jaxon Jacobson (LW, L, 5’10”, 178, Brandon Wheat Kings, 12/11/2008)
Grade: B+
Comments: Jacobson was highly impressive in this game as a still 15-year-old playing center. Where he will need to improve is his defensive play which should come with maturity and gaining strength. He made some risky passes from deep in his own end that were turned over and he can do better to use his speed to jump on loose pucks in his own zone. However, he is a true offensively skilled player who was dynamic for his team. He is very quick and shifty on his edges, changing direction in 1 on 1 situations to find the open skating lanes and gain controlled zone entries. He showed off his quick hands, stickhandling right in front of defensemen and not letting them poke check the puck away, reading their movements and taking advantage of any mistake. Jacobson showed his quick thinking after receiving a pass behind his back and without losing speed, moved the puck forward to give himself a breakaway chance where his shot was stopped. Jacobson also showed his hustle, backchecking hard on a delayed penalty and saved the puck just before his goal line from a pass that got deflected to the net.
Caleb Hadland (LW, R, 5’10”, 174, Brandon Wheat Kings, 03/06/2006)
Grade: B
Comments: Hadland stood out early in this game, flying around the offensive zone with quick feet and a great first three strides to create separation with the puck. He was able to receive a pass and immediately jump into open ice where he could get off his quick-release shot. He likes to pull the puck tight to his body and if available, use the defensemen as screens before ripping off a shot on net. While Hadland excelled at being creative in the offensive zone with agility and skill, he is also solid on his skates. Skating through the neutral zone with the puck, he dropped a defender who stepped up to check him. He kept his feet moving and lowered his shoulder, keeping possession for his team.
Nigel Boehm (D, L, 5’11”, 170, Brandon Wheat Kings, 09/22/2008)
Grade: B-
Comments: Boehm played a solid stay-at-home game. Nothing was overly flashy, but he was efficient and limited his mistakes, especially in his own end. Defending against dump-ins, he has a great transition when skating backward and turning to chase in the corner. He is able to keep a tight gap which forces dump-ins, and then could be first on the puck to move it to his D partner behind the net before the forechecker got to him. He continued to show his skating strength with his edge work, getting onto a loose puck and mohawking around a player to protect the puck with his body while maintaining his speed to keep moving forward into the offensive zone. As a player who just turned 16, there is lots to like about his game already and will continue to be as he matures and gets more comfortable in the WHL.
Joby Baumuller (RW, R, 5’11”, 190, Brandon Wheat Kings, 07/19/2007)
Grade: C+
Comments: Baumuller moves the puck quickly in the offensive zone. Whether finding a teammate for a pass or letting a quick snapshot go, he was ready at all times and knew where to go with the puck in the offensive zone. Late in the third period with his team down one, he got himself to the net front where he found a loose puck in the slot. He then toe-dragged around the defenseman in front of him and in one fluid motion, ripped a shot off the post.
Luke Shipley (D, R, 6’0″, 186, Brandon Wheat Kings, 08/08/2004)
Grade: B+
Comments: Shipley does a great job of controlling the play from the point. He walks the line nicely, finding shooting but more often passing lanes that he uses to set his teammates up for one-timers. He came up with a big assist with his team down 3-0 in the first when he skated to the high slot, made a head fake, and slid the puck to his teammate at the side of the net for an easy tap-in. He is a nice skater and was able to skate the puck up the ice and over the blue line with control, finding space in the middle of the ice so his teammates could get into their positions. His confidence with the puck was truly shown on the powerplay. He quarterbacks from the middle and takes advantage of every inch of space he is given. With the high slot open, he skated in, drew the winger to him, and passed the puck to the now open forward for a one-timer goal.
Brady Turko (RW, R, 5’11”, 167, Brandon Wheat Kings, 09/12/2007)
Grade: B
Comments: Turko has great straight-line speed that he uses to start rushes, including a few 2 on 1 chances. With a quick first three strides exiting his own zone, he was able to get around the first defender and fly down the wing, looking for his teammate across the ice or taking the space in the middle if the defender took the pass option which gave him two great shooting chances this game. He is dangerous in open ice in the offensive zone and recognizes that speed is his greatest asset. With a quick turn or stop-and-start, he creates separation and gives himself time to make a play. Turko also showed off his smooth hands after knocking down a puck in mid-air, gaining control and finding a teammate across the slot for a goal-scoring chance.
Marcus Nguyen (RW, R, 5’11”, 178, Brandon Wheat Kings, 08/02/2004)
Grade: B+
Comments: Nguyen creates lots of offensive opportunities by throwing himself into the dirty areas of the ice. Much like the rest of his team, after a slow first period, he came out flying for the second and third. Early in the second period, he crashed the net hard for a rebound which he found and scored to cut the lead in half and make it 3-2. He showed great strength along the boards, protecting the puck with his body and keeping possession despite taking on checkers. He also wasn’t afraid to give hits when forechecking either. He likes to enter the offensive zone when he has the puck along the wall and gets to the hash marks before looking to make a play or moving around the net to a teammate on the open side. The puck seemed to follow him around in the third period where he came up with numerous chances that he just wasn’t able to finish, many coming from getting the puck to the low slot by putting his shoulder down and driving the net front area.
Dominik Petr (C, L, 6’2″, 167, Brandon Wheat Kings, 04/30/2005)
Grade: B
Comments: Petr has a nose for the net, getting four shots on net this game. He used his size to sit himself in front of the net and found rebounds. On one of the rebounds he got, he found the puck on his backhand and hit the post after reaching around the goaltender which led to another scramble chance in front. On a 3 on 2 rush, he showed off his play-making ability, keeping himself between the boards and the middle of the ice, and made a nice pass behind the defenseman to his teammate’s tape who was crashing the net. Petr also plays well in his own end, getting into the corners to help his defensemen win battles and start the breakout by moving the puck up the wall to his wingers.
Nolan Flamand (LW, L, 5’10”, 190, Brandon Wheat Kings, 01/12/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: Flamand made the most of his opportunities when they came and was a big target for his teammate, #27 Shipley, to connect on one-timers on his off-wing. He scored the first goal of the game for Brandon by finding open ice with his feet below the goal line and stick just to the side of the post. After the pass came, he quickly tapped it towards the net and after it bounced off the goalie, he followed up by jamming the puck in. On his second goal of the game, he showed off his hard one-timer from the low circle. Once the pass came in, he got his knee low and fired off his shot that beat the goalie clean from a tough angle.
Koen Cleaver (G, 6’2″, 181, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 03/28/2007)
Grade: B+
Comments: Cleaver had a solid game overall and kept his team in the lead the whole game, even when his players in front of him were breaking down at different points in the game. He plays at the top of his crease and reacts quickly, showcasing his quick lateral movement post-to-post. He made a great full-stretch save with his pad after a cross-crease pass, getting his skate to glue to the far post to take away the entire bottom of the net. When his team is down a man and the puck moves quickly across the ice, he doesn’t overpush or lose his net despite playing farther out. He stayed square and took lots of shots into his chest, holding on for whistles. Late in the game with Brandon pressing for a tying goal, he was excellent. Cleaver covered every loose puck, kept the front of his net clear of rebounds, and made the big save when it was needed with a quick glove reaction on a point-blank shot.
Logan McCutcheon (D, R, 5’9″, 150, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 01/19/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: McCutchen is an undersized defenseman but uses his speed and quickness to make an impact on the ice. He started a number of breakouts by quickly crossing over to get out of the corner and up the wing, forcing the defensemen to give space to stay in position. After he made his pass to a forward, he would stick with the rush, acting as the third or fourth man, both up high or skating to the far side of the net as a passing option. He made a nice play after picking off a stretch pass where he flew down the wing, jumped to the inside and ripped a shot from a dangerous location. McCutchen was trusted with being on the ice in a 6 on 5 situation and sealed the win for his team after he fired the puck into the empty net.
Noah Chadwick (D, L, 6’4″, 202, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 05/10/2005)
Grade: B+
Comments: Chadwick plays a solid game all around, nothing overly flashy but the more you watch, the more you see his ability to be a driving force for his team with his puck smarts. He is physically imposing on the ice and uses his size very well, using the long reach to break up plays or driving puck carriers into the boards with heavy hits. He holds the line extremely well at the blue line, reading the breakout and timing his pinches to ensure he keeps the puck in. He had a ton of shots from the point, making sure to avoid shin pads. He can improve on finding the net with his shots, but they still were close to the target could have been put in for tips in tight.
Shane Smith (C, L, 6’0″, 194, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 01/14/2005)
Grade: B
Comments: Smith worked hard in the corners and wasn’t afraid to be the first man in. He comes with a heavy forecheck and won lots of puck battles throughout the game. Getting into the corner first on one play, he quickly got his body to face the middle and instantly fired the puck onto his teammate’s tape who was moving down and into the slot which was scored on. Smith also made a huge hit on the boards, lining his player up perfectly and left going the other way with the puck.
Kooper Gizowski (F, L, 5’9″, 168, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 05/05/2005)
Grade: B
Comments: Gizowski gets himself involved in the game by checking hard and finding ways to get the puck on the net. He battles in the corners and as soon as the puck comes loose, he’s able to burst into open ice and get his team set up. In the first period, he scored a nice goal after receiving a puck on the half wall, he walked in just above the dot and ripped a wrist shot over the goalie’s far shoulder. He continued to show off this quick wrist shot when he jumped on a loose puck in front of the net but was stopped the second time by the goalie’s glove. Gizowski showed off his hustle when he backchecked hard to catch up to an odd-man rush, forcing the puck carrier to hesitate which put the play offside as they came over the blue line.
Will Sharpe (D, L, 6’1″, 190, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 03/07/2007)
Grade: B+
Comments: Sharpe is a skilled offensive defenseman who pushes the pace from his own end but can also play a shutdown role when needed. Early in the game, he made an incredible block. The puck went to the low circle after a scramble in front of the net where the opposing team had an empty net to shoot in but Sharpe threw his body in the way, making the great desperation block to keep the puck out of his team’s net. Moving the puck out of his zone, he looks calm being the last man back, taking the time to find a forward getting open at the far blue line or making the easy pass to his winger. He can be too aggressive on his breakout attempts as he got caught turning the puck over which led to him taking a bad penalty to stop an odd-man chance. This player really stands out in the offensive zone. He walks the line very well, quickly getting to the middle of the ice or stopping hard and cutting down low when the opportunity is there. After taking the puck to the middle, he quickly stopped to create a shooting lane and fired the puck on the net where the rebound was banged in for a goal. His second assist of the game came on the powerplay. At the top, he facilitates the play and with the defender’s back turned to him, he jumped into the high slot, received a pass, and where everyone expected him to shoot, he slid the puck to an open forward down low for an easy goal.
Logan Wormald (F, L, 5’10”, 165, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 08/12/2005)
Grade: A-
Comments: Wormald was all over the ice this game, picking up two goals including the game-winner, and received first-star honors. He controlled the powerplay from the half-wall, constantly moving with the puck and firing cross-seam passes to his teammates on the far side of the ice. He has great speed and flew up and down the ice all game long, gaining controlled zone entries and keeping control of the puck while his team set up. His first goal came when he received a pass as he was skating towards the net. His teammate in the corner found his tape and Wormad quickly released his shot before the goalie could get across his crease. His second came after he was battling in front of the net. He picked up the rebound by kicking the puck to his stick and tucked it in behind the goalie’s stretched-out pad. With the puck on his stick, Wormald was able to get close to defenders and still keep control thanks to his speed and stick-handling skill. He would skate almost right into the defenseman and then use him as a screen for his shots on the rush. In his own zone, he helps his team out on his side of the ice and moved pucks out quickly by starting a rush or finding the player with speed for an outlet pass.
Hayden Pakkala (RW, R, 6’1″, 200, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 01/28/2004)
Grade: B-
Comments: Pakkala played a power-forward style game. He battled in front of the net and was causing difficulties for the goalie by getting his big frame in front of his sight lines. When there was a loose puck in front of the net, he came in like a wrecking ball and knocked the defenseman down just by trying to get to the puck. He showed a nice skill play when entering the offensive zone. He sidestepped the first defenseman who tried to step up with a check and took a hard shot from just inside the high slot.
Gavin Lesiuk (F, L, 6’4″, 218, Lethbridge Hurricanes, 01/14/2008)
Grade: B-
Comments: Lesiuk was most dangerous and creative on the rush. On one chance, he was skating without the puck on the outside and moved into the slot where he received a pass. While moving to the right as a left-handed shot, he quickly adjusted his body and let go of a high-quality shot on the net. On another rush, while carrying the puck 2 on 2, he waited for his teammate to get behind their defenseman and found his tape with a perfect chip/saucer pass over 2 sticks right in front of the goalie.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images