| Grayden Siepmann | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | R | D | 5’10” | 185 | Calgary Hitmen | 2019 | Kamloops, BC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
In today’s professional hockey Siepmann will be viewed as a transition machine. He is poised with the puck, makes quick accurate passes and rarely forces pucks into poor decisions. As the weakside defenseman while in defensive zone coverage he scans the ice looking for opposing players slipping into the high slot or defensemen crashing backdoor. We love the awareness he shows when his partner is engaged in a corner scrum and Siepmann falls to a near soft chip so he can wheel the net for a clean breakout. Although he might not have pure speed when skating forwards we feel that he skates just as fast as a puck carrier and his edgework is excellent while evading hard charging forwards. We do not view him as a number 1 power play option in professional hockey, but he has the passing skills and first touch to run the top of the umbrella or be a back door option on power play number 2. We do feel that his attention to detail and anticipation will make him an excellent penalty killer.
WHL: Calgary Hitmen as of December 27, 2021 Season stats: Games played 26, Goals 3 Assists 3, Points 6, plus/minus 7, Penalty Minutes 14, Penalties Drawn 6, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 21:48, Power play time 2:06, Short-handed time 2:44, Shots 3.8, %Shots on goal 56%, Puck battles 13, %Puck battles won 53%, Hits 0.23, Hits against 0.85
WHL: Calgary Hitmen NHL Prospects, May 5, 2021: A young talented mobile defenseman, who brings a nice balance to the big, stout defense core that makes up the Calgary Hitmen. Grayden has quick feet and good acceleration. He shows real poise under pressure, and not only shows his ability to elude pressure with quick feet, but also with strong edge work and quick turns. He moves the puck well out of his own zone, skating confidently with the puck, and with good speed. He has solid hand skills, demonstrates good puck control, and nice crisp passing. Offensively he is still finding his confidence, but he does have a cannon of a shot from the point, even if it can be a bit wild in terms of accuracy. Defensively, Grayden plays strong positionally. A few times he did seem to get a little floaty in his zone, losing his positioning by following players away from the play, but for the most part, this undersized defenseman has a good understanding of angles, and how to take away options. He will need to continue to put on weight to be able to be a complete defender, but the athleticism Grayden has is abundant, and his future looks exciting to us. Grade: B-
WHL Calgary Hitmen NHL Prospects, April 1, 2021: Siepmann, like most first year WHL defenders found himself getting caught out of position by doing too much puck watching. He did look a little smaller on the back-end, however playing alongside Galloway, Prokop and Jackson Van De Leest, most would look undersized. His frame is solid and for a positive he didn’t get outmuscled in 1-on-1 battles. He understands how to position himself properly to give him the best advantage to contain forwards trying to get to the net out of the corner. His puck moving was fairly non-existent as a majority of his plays were glass-and-out.
CSSHL Midget Showcase, February 16 2020: Grayden is a smart, smooth-skating defenceman with strong puck-moving capabilities. He makes crisp first passes out of the defensive zone and he was quick to move the puck to his forwards in the offensive zone. He did well to choose when to shoot or pass based on traffic and he always keeps his head on a swivel. The ’04 has really good awareness in all three zones and he showed off good stick positioning in the defensive zone while on the penalty kill. We liked his ability to hold the offensive blueline. He was effective at stopping pucks shot off the boards or glass and he was quick to get the puck from his skates to his stick. Grayden has a strong hockey IQ to along with his strong skating abilities and we liked how he performed this weekend. Grade: A-
U16: WHL Cup (Calgary), November 10, 2019: Grayden is a very solid, very steady defensemen. He is a strong defender with his body, and while he isn’t an overtly physical player, he battles hard and wins those board battles consistently. In front of the net he does well to protect the goalie. His initial steps are very strong and allow him to cut down players quickly, but he doesn’t necessarily have the best agility on his edges without the puck, but when Grayden starts skating with the puck, we see a more athletic stride, more pop in his stride, and a defensemen who is more then capable of generating offense from the back end with strong passing. Sometimes Grayden will try to force the homerun play, but he seems to learn quickly from his mistakes and adjusts accordingly to what the opposition is giving him. Grade: B+
U15: Rocky Mountain Classic (Calgary), December 8, 2018: The all-around defense man played well for Yale through the weekend and was a reliable presence in his own end. Siepmann is a physical defender who plays a heads up game and makes smart reads in his end and defending off transition. Has a good active stick that he uses to break up passes In his own end. He showed good outlets coming out of his end and can stretch the ice out with his passing ability. He can escape pressure using his skating ability to free up space for himself. He has some skill in the offensive end, jumping into the high circle/slot area to see if he can open for a shot. On the line he uses lateral movement to try and find shooting lanes to get pucks on net. He can be prone to turning the puck over in the neutral zone with some sloppy passes that he could look to improve on as well as being more consistent through shifts as he can make errors with the puck at times. Grade: B
2004s: North American Hockey Classic (Winnipeg), June 27, 2018: Grayden plays with a lot of grit and physicality. He isn’t afraid to mix things up and doesn’t back down from anyone. He’s got a smooth stride and above average mobility. The 2004 makes quick decisions in his own end and played time on the PP. Grade: B
| Blake Heward | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | R | D | 6’0″ | 172 | Swift Current Broncos | 2018 | Regina, SK | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Heward is an an average sized two-way defenseman who passes the puck with authority while looking to add offense in the second wave of the attack. He has the passing skills to hit the stretch man in stride and the touch to feather a pass to a low swinging center. While walking laterally along the blueline or attacking the net from the point Heward has a hard deceptive release that seems to get on goalies before they are ready. As Heward continues his hockey career we feel he will need to focus on his footspeed to really add value to his two-way game.
WHL: Calgary Hitmen / Edmonton Oil Kings as of December 27, 2021 Season stats: Games played 25, Goals 2, Assists 5, Points 7, plus/minus 2, Penalty Minutes 24, Penalties Drawn 35, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 16:13, Power play time 0:42, Short-handed time 2:16, Shots 2.2, %Shots on goal 48%, Puck battles 9, %Puck battles won 63%, Hits 0.24, Hits against 0.68
U15s: Rocky Mountain Classic Bantam, November 27, 2017: Blake is a solid two-way defenseman who is a very competent forward and backward skater. He showed that he has good hockey intelligence with his decision making when making breakout passes deep in his zone. He knew when to zip a hard pass and when to feather a soft one. He follows up the play quickly to help out the forwards. Defensively his good skating allowed him to play very tight gap against opponents, and a quick stick often allowed him to break up plays in the neutral zone. In his end, he plays very sound positioned defensive zone coverage and boxes opponents out quite will. Grade: B+
Western Prospects Bantams Showcase (Regina, Saskatchewan), July 26, 2017: Blake’s biggest asset is that he is a very smart, very well positioned, defensive defenseman. He always ensures he is taking care of his end first, positions himself well with gap when facing the rush, has good separation skills and is quick to move pucks to his forwards.
| Anton Astashevich | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | R | F | 6’0″ | 161 | Calgary Hitmen | 2021 | Minsk, BLR | 2004 | Not yet rated |
After putting up good offensive numbers in his native Belarus, the smooth skating Astashevich is still adjusting to life in the Western Hockey League. The righty has a deceptively long reach and uses it in one on one situations to make opposing defenders lean and then he has an explosive cross-under to create open ice for himself after quickly pulling the puck with him. Astashevich has shown nice hand eye coordination and has the ability to redirect point shots when he is positioned as the net-front presence. We have seen glimpses of the creativity and puck skills that made Calgary draft him #92 in the CHL Import Draft, but to have the same outcome with National League teams Astashevich will need to show the game awareness and consistency every shift.
WHL: Calgary Hitmen as of December 27, 2021 Season stats: Games played 16, Goals 1, Assists 1, Points 2, plus/minus -2, Penalty Minutes 4, Penalties Drawn 7, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 13:39, Power play time 1:59, Short-handed time 0:06, Shots 3.4, %Shots on goal 57%, Puck battles 12, %Puck battles won 45%, Hits 0.74, Hits against 0.89
| Zack Funk | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | R | RW | 6’0″ | 194 | Calgary Hitmen | 2018 | Vernon, BC | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
After having only 5 points in 21 games last year, Funk has had a great start to his season by having 9 goals and 17 points through the first quarter of the season. Funk is hard charging forward who is at his best when he is annoying his opponents and totally distracting them from their responsibilities. The inside edge skater has quick feet and has the skating ability to generate speed while driving defenseman wide and bringing the puck to the far post. We view him as an energy forward who has the mentality to put the team first and do whatever it takes to win.
WHL: Calgary Hitmen as of December 27, 2021 Season stats: Games played 26, Goals 9, Assists 8, Points 17, plus/minus 2, Penalty Minutes 16, Penalties Drawn 7, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 15:20, Power play time 2:55, Short-handed time 0:01, Shots 4.7, %Shots on goal 66%, Puck battles 10, %Puck battles won 49%, Hits 0.88, Hits against 0.54
WHL: Calgary Hitmen NHL Prospects, April 1, 2021: Funk could quite possibly be a coach’s dream player, but a scout’s worst nightmare. He was barely noticeable all night. We watched him closely all evening, with the puck he made simple, yet smart plays. Dumping, forechecking, backchecking, it was all fine – but nothing that stood out. His skating is okay, not explosive, not slow, just okay. He didn’t look out of place on any shift. His forechecking wasn’t overly aggressive which didn’t lead to any turnovers and then again didn’t get him caught out of position. He did show some patience and skill with a toe-drag on a laid out defender but lacked the scoring touch with a weak shot on net. Overall it was a mediocre game from Funk.
Mac’s AAA, Midget Tournament April 8, 2020: Plays a very heavy game. He also played all over the ice seemingly splitting time between defense and forward. He has a powerful stride, and plays with good speed, but he can play on his edges a bit too much, and be a little floaty at both ends of the ice. He is strong on the pucks. Has a heavy shot that he uses smartly. He is physically bigger and stronger then his opponents and dominates along the boards and around the net. He plays with a confidence, and does everything with aggression and power. Grade: B+
Mac’s AAA Midget Tournament, March 13, 2019: Funk is a smart player and likes to get under the skin of his opponents in all three zones. The hard-nosed player is tough to play against and battles for every puck and won’t give an inch to his opponents in board battles for the puck. He can skate the puck up ice and often takes the defenders to the outside using his powerful stride to pick up speed and his frame to power his way past the defenders. Funk finds his chances in around the net as it’s his favorite spot to be in the offensive zone. He likes driving the puck to the net using his puck protection ability and looks to find a teammate in support at the net or fire a shot away. He could improve his hands in tight as he has a hard time creating space for himself and missed the net on a few chances in prime scoring areas. Grade: B
| Riley Fiddler-Schultz | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | L | F | 6’0″ | 194 | Calgary Hitmen | 2017 | Edmonton, AB | 2002 | Free Agent Watch |
Free Agent Watch – Maximum effort player who survives on will and guts. It’s obvious that he is getting stronger and more powerful. He is a player to watch over the long haul.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Donald Godreau, May 2020: An effort based player who wills his way around the ice, and uses his solid hockey IQ to put himself in good positions both defensively and offensively. Riley drives hard to the net and with purpose. His stick is never off the ice, and he doesn’t fly by the net. He stops right around the crease ready for re-directions or rebounds to pounce on. His shot is just okay. It has quite a bit of heft to it, but he doesn’t have the slickest of releases and it’s a pretty easy to anticipate a shot from him. Likes to use his speed to drive from the outside in towards the net. He has good knee bend in his stride and generates lots of straight line speed, but isn’t the most agile of skaters. He doesn’t play with much deception; Riley is more of an opportunistic offensive contributor then someone who is going to create for himself or others. Plays well on the forecheck, if he isn’t F1 crashing in on the puck carrier, he does a good job of reading off of his teammates and taking away options as F2. He creates good back pressure on the back check, and doesn’t make it easy on opponents to play against him. Grade: Free Agent
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, March 2020: Riley is a very noticeable and impactful player. He is a high effort player who understands that to be effective his job is to take away time and space while being a punishing physical player. Riley is on Neutral Zone’s free agent watch list and as a scouting department we feel it is for very good reason. He is a smart player who reads his linemates well and consistently does the little things that help teams win. Riley is willing to block shots, take hits to make plays and he will play hard against the other team’s top players. These are all keys to a successful team, but why I really want to keep an eye on him is because he’s still growing. He started the season at 5’10” 179 pounds and finished the year at 5’11” 190 pounds. I think he has the frame to carry 205 pounds and with his direct style of play Riley could turn into a great option as a 20 year old free agent.
CSSHL E15, November 2017: Loves to play physical and be involved in every scrum. Gets around well but has a sloppy skating stride that is quite wide and choppy. Can be improved. Doesn’t slow him down at all as he is probably their most physical player. Shoots the puck hard and has touch around the net. He had two glorious scoring chances but hit a post and missed the net on the other.
| Maxim Muranov | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | L | LW/RW | 6’2″ | 168 | Calgary Hitmen | 2021 | Moscow | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
Muranov is a lanky, but strong 6’2″ 165 pound rookie forward from Moscow. He has a sneaky wide dribble that he uses to open passing lanes or to get defenders leaning before he subtly slides the puck to open teammate. He has a bowlegged skating style that adds to his elusiveness in one on one situations especially when escaping from contact below the goal line. As a puck carrier there are times when Muranov tries to do too much, but we feel that a steady diet of hardnosed defenders in the Western League will get him to utilize give and goes more often. Right now he is only averaging about 11 minutes of playing time per-game, but we feel that as he learns to play a North American style he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive weapon for the Hitmen.
| Brandon Whynott | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | L | LW | 6’1″ | 185 | Calgary Hitmen | 2019 | Langley, BC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
There is little doubt that Whynot sees himself as a power forward and that mentality is how he impacts the game. He is honest and direct, choosing to go to the net or through contact whenever possible. We feel he has the has the first touch to be impactful in the offensive zone, especially when attacking the net from the mid-wall or behind the net when cycling. Although he does not have a lot of penalty minutes, Whynot seems to be learning that intimidation is part of the game and that he is suited to use it. He is a player that we will be watching closely as we enter the second half of the season and expect him to continue gaining momentum heading towards the 2022 NHL Draft.
WHL: Calgary Hitmen NHL Prospects, April 1, 2021: Whynott, a very big body winger could be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. He shows a level of confidence that is beyond his years. Unafraid to attack defenders in 1-on-1 situations and letting the puck fly toward the net anytime he finds himself in a scoring area. His shot is solid, but needs to be quicker and more accurate. His skating is quite good for his size. Whynott needs to understand he’s as big and as strong as the other players on the ice, and that he can use his body and skill to be a handful for any WHL defenceman.
CSSHL Midget Showcase, February 16, 2020: Brandon is a big winger with a north-south playing style. He heads straight up the wall when he breaks out of the defensive zone and he can bully his way around the ice with his big frame. He consistently finished his checks in the offensive zone and he brought a big presence to the front of the net on the man advantage as well as at even strength. The ’04 provided solid screens and he was able to get his stick on some point shots as well. He is not afraid to go hard to the net with or without the puck and he thrives off contact and grit. His first step is quick and he can reach top speed in a hurry. He is playing at a point-per-game pace this season but he was unable to register a point in this event. Grade: B
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