| Ben Hemmerling | Everett Silvertips | WHL | R | C/RW | 5’10” | 159 | Everett Silvertips | 2019 | Sherwood Park, AB | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Hemmerling is an average sized forward who plays a full 200′ game. He can make skillful offensive passing plays while his feet are moving. He is very good at reading a defender’s gap, attacking that defender directly and then outwaiting the defender while the defender is forced to make a decision. Hemmerling plays with his eyes up having his stick prepared to make a pass. We like how he has the ability to under handle the puck while in traffic, choosing rather to subtly adjust his stick blade to make the goalie or opponent move. We have seen Hemmerling one-time pucks with authority while on the line rush, but we feel as his game heads towards the professional level he will need to continue to work on his shot so he can be less predictable while in the offensive zone.
WHL: Everett Silvertips as of December 31, 2021 Season stats: Games played 28, Goals 4, Assists 22, Points 26, plus/minus 12, Penalty Minutes 35, Penalties Drawn 11, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 15:34, Power play time 1:33, Short-handed time 01:08, Shots 2.4, %Shots on goal 55%, Face-off % 76%, Puck battles 14, %Puck battles won 49%, Hits 0.67, Hits against 0.9
U15: Rocky Mountain Classic (Calgary), December 8, 2018: Hemmerling is a smaller sized player but can create off the rush for teammates and shows good read and react ability through the neutral and offensive zone. Not the biggest player at all but will go the net for chances and can find rebounds to get extra chances. Has the ability to escape pressure, though not consistent. His best quality is his vision in the offensive end, where he can set up teammates off the perimeter. He’s got limitations due to size and strength as he can win board battles and gets knocked off the puck so easily. His skating isn’t great for his size which is an area he’s going to need to improve if he wants to play at the next level. Grade: B
| Austin Roest | Everett Silvertips | WHL | R | C/RW | 5’10” | 170 | Everett Silvertips | 2019 | Coldstream, BC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Roest is a an average sized forward who we feel is most effective when hunting pucks while on the forecheck and then moving his feet to create space after creating the turnover. He has a knack for pulling pucks off the wall and then attacking the seam off the cycle. The right shot is especially dangerous when rolling off the left mid-wall while crossing his feet over and firing snap shots through partial screens. Roest is an effective F1 on the forecheck showing the quickness and anticipation to get his stick on on opposing defensemen’s passes or clearing attempts.
WHL: Everett Silvertips as of December 31, 2021 Season stats: Games played 26, Goals 6, Assists 10, Points 16, plus/minus -1, Penalty Minutes 8, Penalties Drawn 6, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 16:13, Power play time 1:06, Short-handed time 01:43, Shots 2.6, %Shots on goal 64%, Face-off % 49%, Puck battles 16, %Puck battles won 47%, Hits 0.29, Hits against 0.86
Kamloops International Bantam Tournament (KIBIHT), January 18, 2018: Austin is a quick and shifty forward with nice vision and puck distribution. He anticipates the play well and makes nice reads in the offensive zone. He’s got a lot of great playmaking abilities and makes nice tape-to-tape passes. The 13 year old was very effective on the power play and moved the puck quickly and efficiently leading to his team high 4 assists on the tournament. The 2004 also added 1 goal for 5 points through 5 games. He skates well but lacks that extra gear needed to separate him from the pack. Grade: B+
| Braden Holt | Everett Silvertips | WHL | L | G | 6’1″ | 161 | Everett Silvertips | 2018 | Bozeman, MT | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
WHL: Everett Silvertips as of December 31, 2021 Season stats: Games played 20, Shutouts 4, Goals Against 46, Shootouts 4, Shootout Save% 50%, Game Averages: Goals Against 2.3, Penalty Kill Goals Against 0.7, Saves Per-game 24, Save% 91%, Scoring Area Saves 10, Scoring Area Save% 85%, Brilliant Saves 1.9, Breakaways 0.25, Breakaway Save% 100%
U20: 2022 NHL Draft Eligible Goalie Report, December 8, 2021: Last 5 game snapshot- Holt’s last five games have dictated how the Silvertips results have been. He has struggled in two of the games where he did not see many shots and it led to losses for his team, but otherwise he has put up stellar numbers in the team’s wins. Overall he has had an impressive season so far with a record of 9-1-2 and a GAA of 2.09. Holt is a very technically sound goaltender who finds himself in great positions to make saves. He is able to present himself well to the shooter with big, active hands that build his coverage. He is very mobile around the crease and can make big rebound saves when needed, while also relying on great post integration techniques to seal the posts on plays that generate behind and to the sides of the net. A few areas he needs to improve are his awareness of where potential threats are while plays are developing and his tracking ability, as he has let up some soft goals that are shot from a long distance. Overall, Holt will continue to draw a lot of positive attention to himself if he keeps putting up the solid numbers he has so far this season, as he shows that he can find a way to win games in many different scenarios.
Select 16’s USA Hockey National Camp, July 31, 2019: Holt is a tall, smooth, athletic netminder out of Honeybaked. He is long, he was tough to score against down low and maintained good angling and positioning while under pressure. He stopped 73 of 82 shots and while he struggled with consistency, when he was on he was on. He sees through traffic, he is quick to pop up after going down to make a save and he recovers well to stop rebound and second chance opportunities. The late round WHL pick has solid upside and will play for Little Caesars next season. Grade: B
| Dexter Whittle | Everett Silvertips | WHL | R | D | 5’8″ | 168 | Everett Silvertips | 2019 | Virden, MB | 2004 | Not yet rated |
Whittle is an undersized two-way defenseman who processes the game very quickly and cleanly. He has excellent balance and packs a pop when stepping up on unsuspecting opponents in the neutral zone. His passes are hard flat and easy to handle. After playing only eight games in 2020-21 Whittle is averaging 11:49 of ice time during his rookie year in the Western Hockey League. We feel Whittle is unlikely to be drafted because National League teams will question his size, but we do feel that he will earn development camp invites.
2020 MJHL Prospect Development Camp, August 3, 2020: Dexter is an excellent, two-way defenseman with strong skating abilities. He moves the puck well out of the defensive zone and he boasts a strong, heavy shot from the point. The ’04 made a big open-ice hit in 5-on-5 scrimmage play that caught people’s attention. He is a versatile defender who can contribute on the power play or the penalty kill and he plays great at 5-on-5. We also like that he plays a tight gap in the neutral zone and he is willing to go into the tough areas to battle for pucks and positioning. Grade: A
2018 Winnipeg Jets AAA Bantam Classic, December 4, 2018: Dexter had another good weekend of hockey. He made smart passes and was aggressive with his defensive zone attacking. The second a forward bobbled the puck on the PK he was on them and cleared the puck out of the zone. He saw some time on the PP as well and did well to pick when to shoot or when to pass instead. The strong hockey IQ is evident on the ’04 defenseman; he thinks the game well and anticipates the play in all three zones. He finished with 3 assists in 5 games played. Grade: B+
Manitoba Bantam AAA Showcase, October 17, 2018: Dexter is a smooth skating defenseman with a lot of smarts and anticipation. He is quick and agile and does well to evade oncoming forecheckers. We liked his efforts in the tough areas on the ice; he battled for pucks and often came away with them and quickly transitioned into offense. The ‘04 was noticeable on every shift; he made a lot of nice plays and was effective on the PP and PK. He finished with 1 goal and 1 assist. Grade: A-
| Beau Courtney | Everett Silvertips | WHL | R | F | 5’10” | 161 | Everett Silvertips | 2019 | Parker, CO | 2004 | Not yet rated |
After a dominant season of U16 hockey with the Colorado Thunderbirds, Courtney is still adjusting to life in major junior. He has high end straight line speed and agility, a very quick release from the slot and excellent compete. Courtney is averaging 9:29 of ice time during his rookie season and we feel that as he gains strength and power his straight forward style will be suited well for the WHL.
U16: USA Hockey Nationals, May 12, 2021: Beau is a smart, playmaking right-shot that plays a prepared game and gets to the right spots. He is skilled with the puck in possession and knows where he is going with it before it gets to him. He is unselfish and does a lot of little things that help his team win. He is always on the right side of the puck and manages the puck well in the high-pressure areas of the rink. He plays in all situations and doesn’t hesitate the shoot. He scored a nice goal on a quick release and had several other chances on the Power Play from the half-wall. He can be counted on in the last minutes of the game and has the awareness and strength to make the right plays. Grade: B+
U15: USHL Showcase, October 25, 2019: Beau is a solid, defensively-minded forward that plays a responsible game in each zone. He is always below the puck and supports his teammates in the defensive zone. He is skilled with the puck on his stick and made some nice reads to create scoring chances. Touch on his passes and made several small-area chip plays. He is tough on the puck and fights through traffic. He takes good angles pressuring the puck and uses an active stick to cut down time and angles. Strong weekend for the right-shot. Grade: B-
U15: Tier 1 Showcase (Lewis Center, OH), October 8, 2019: Courtney has a sneaky ability to get open and find open looks with the puck. Very smart and reads the play and coverage well. He has a very quick shot he utilizes with these looks and had a lot of scoring chances. We will look for him to finish a lot of those chances as this season progresses. Sneaky offensive weapon who plays well defensively, in addition. Grade: B-
| Jackson Berezowski | Everett Silvertips | WHL | R | RW | 5’10” | 192 | Everett Silvertips | 2017 | Yorkton, SK | 2002 | Free Agent Signing |
WHL: Everett Silvertips as of December 31, 2021 Season stats: Games played 28, Goals 21, Assists 15, Points 36, plus/minus 16, Penalty Minutes 4, Penalties Drawn 14, 2021 Game Averages: Time on ice per-game 20:54, Power play time 4:20, Short-handed time 01:53, Shots 4.8, %Shots on goal 74%, Face-off % 41%, Puck battles 12, %Puck battles won 49%, Hits 0.47, Hits against 0.67
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran’s comments, June 28, 2020: Jackson is a 5’10” 174 pound ball of energy. As an F1, he causes chaos on the forecheck. He attacks at full speed and his sole intention is to separate the defenseman from the puck. He hits hard and he has the lower body power to knock players on their backsides. As an F2, he is patient on the strong side wall and shows the awareness to judge his initial depth off the opponent’s strong side winger. He waits for the loose puck and jumps on it when the turnover is created. He shows the similar patience / awareness as an F3 and, again, attacks on a D to D pass or a “wheel route” taken by the opposition’s defenseman. Jackson is very effective on the cycle, showing the strength to hold off players while keeping his head up looking to make plays. We’ve noticed that Jackson fights for net front ice and is very good at getting his stick on point shots. He jams the net for rebounds and continues digging until there is a whistle (and then some). Jackson is willing to block shots and has a very high compete level. He has very quick feet and has high end top speed. Jackson is a long shot to get drafted this year, but there are a few things that NHL teams will know. He has the third most goals on Everett for forwards (18 goals as of 3/11/20) and those goals are more than the point total he had last season in 65 games played (15 points 2018-19). And, 2 seasons ago Jackson had 32 points playing for the Yorkton Maulers of the SMHL in 40 games. So in essence, he’s getting better and better as he approaches his twenties. Jackson is a player that a team may take a shot on in the later rounds because of his high compete level and skating ability, but realistically we feel he will be an NHL Development Camp invite who has a chance to open eyes while battling against his peers.
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