| Dru Krebs | Okotoks Oilers Bantam | Bantam | L | D | 6’0″ | 181 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Okotoks, AB | 2003 | 2020-2021: C |
Dru saw quite a few minutes this weekend against the Calgary Hitmen, and we were able to get some good looks on some of his abilities. Dru is an intelligent player and he reads opposition attacks well, there were multiple times he was set back in the neutral zone but jumped up out of nowhere and picked off breakout passes. Dru has decent backward skating ability and he made good decisions on when to pinch off players trying to go wide and when to transition from backward to forward in order in maintain the 1 on 1 pace and force the attacker into the corner where he could be better supported. In the defensive zone he could make better decisions, however, as there were a few occasions where the Hitmen lost control of the puck but when the puck got on Dru’s tape, he was unable to find an outlet pass or make the easy decision to find the glass or boards and chip the puck out. This is a case where Dru needs to be more confident in his abilities as when he was on rushes coming through the neutral zone, he displayed soft hands and made several nice moves in order to gain the offensive zone. Dru is a good skater with soft hands, and if he can utilize his time and space better to make better decisions with the puck, he will be one of the best D-Men on this Tigers team. Grade: B
| Rhett Parsons | Airdrie Xtreme U14 | AMBHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 190 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2018 | Cremona, AB | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Rhett is another of Medicine Hat’s draft-eligible defensemen, and this right shot rearguard saw limited minutes on the third pairing. Rhett is a big body that doesn’t hold on to the puck too long when breaking the puck out, making smart first passes. From his limited offensive opportunities that we did see, Rhett showed off his heavy shot that he should be able to hone and find sticks and gaps as he grows in this league. As is common with many big, young defencemen, Rhett needs to work on his skating ability as there were a few times he was burned wide both off the rush and out of the corner. Once Rhett is able to recognize the play developing in front of him and get his feet moving to keep pace, he should be an effective defender as his body positioning is generally good. Grade: C
| Ashton Ferster | Tisdale Trojans | Midget | R | F | 6’4″ | 194 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Prince Albert, SK | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Another of Medicine Hat’s crop of large 17 year-olds, Ashton was a player who made the most of his limited minutes that he saw on the fourth line. While not the speediest player on the ice, Ashton went all out on the forecheck, taking good angles on the regrouping opposing defenders, forcing the puck away from the middle of the ice. When his line got the puck deep, Ashton was the first one on the forecheck, using his large frame to try and bang out a turnover with a hit. Along the half-wall in the offensive zone Ashton also displayed a knack for finding loose pucks and using his size to protect the puck and work it to his teammates in quieter areas of the ice. Defensively, Ashton often finds himself looking over his shoulder trying to find his marker and he seems unsure at times of where he should be on the ice, but this should improve as he is playing under the tutelage of one of the best coaches in the league in Willie Desjardins. Ashton should be a thorn in the side of his opposition in the future as he thrives on grinding it out in front of the net and in the corners. Grade: C+
LOGO CREDIT: The Western Hockey League