Played on April 2, 2024
WHL Playoffs: Portland at Victoria
Braden Holt (G, L, 6’1″, 160, Victoria Royals, 07/30/2003)
Game Grade: C
Standing at 6’1″and born in 2003, Holt is a below average sized left catching goalie who has gone undrafted by NHL teams in his years of draft eligibility. Tonight he stopped 26 of 32 shots for a 0.810 sv%. Twenty-four of the shots were from inside of the house. He showed excellent lateral explosiveness but often times that inside edge thrust made him slide outside of his post. Four goals beat him to the glove side and two went five hole.
Hudson Bjornson (D, L, 6’1″, 166, Victoria Royals, 02/24/2006)
Injured. Has not played since 12/28/23
Seth Fryer (D, R, 6’7″, 197, Victoria Royals, 06/23/2006)
Fryer, a towering 6’7″, 197-pound right-handed defenseman, possesses raw physical tools with room for development. Despite a limited showing (8:02 TOI), he dominated puck battles (100% win rate). However, he is still developing the core and hip strength required to have a consistent skating base and stride length. His passing accuracy requires improvement (73%, 5th lowest on the team) and his defensive awareness was exposed on a goal against (failed to cover a streaking forward). While limited power play and penalty kill usage suggests his development is ongoing, his size and puck control warrant monitoring.
Matthew keller (D, L, 6’2″, 190, Victoria Royals, 02/10/2006)
Did not dress.
Keaton Verhoeff (D, R, 6’3″, 200, Victoria Royals, 06/19/2008)
Game Grade: B
Keaton Verhoeff is a right-handed defenseman born in 2008. At 6’3″ and 200 lbs, he boasts an impressive size for his age. Verhoeff skates with a strong posture and surprising agility, demonstrating smooth pivots. He contributes offensively with good puck poise along the blueline, generating shots and completing his passes with deception. Furthermore, he excels in puck battles, winning half of them today (winning 58% for the season) and adding a physical presence with 2 hits. However, his defensive awareness requires work. He was caught flat-footed on a couple of occasions, leading to odd-man rushes against that led to two goals. While limited power play experience is understandable, his development in defensive positioning and special teams will be key. Overall, Verhoeff’s size, mobility, and offensive instincts project him as a potential middle-pairing defenseman.
Escalus Burlock (RW, R, 6’2″, 206, Victoria Royals, 04/11/2006)
Game Grade: C+
Burlock, a 6’2″ 205 lb right wing, has the potential to be a physically dominant right shot power forward prospect. He earned 12:14 in total ice time (8th among forwards) and did not contribute to the the special teams units. His ability to win puck battles, 5/11 tonight and 43% for the season, will improve with a dedicated off season of conditioning and strength training. His skating shows good straight-line speed but lacks agility due to developing core strength and a lack of hip flexibility. A strong work ethic is evident in his willingness to fight for the puck, and his size, strength, and net presence are valuable assets. He’s a project with upside, but development in skating, explosiveness and power are essential for a chance to play professionally. We would consider him in the later rounds as a power forward project who could potentially play a hard heavy grinding that can wear an opponent out during the playoffs.
Deegan Kinniburgh (LW, L, 6’0″, 171, Victoria Royals, 04/30/2006)
Game Grade: C
Kinniburgh is a below average sized left shot forward who centered the fourth line. He showed good straight line speed and agility but he earned only 2:16 in ice time which is well below his 8:08 of ice time during the regular season. He finished +1.
Logan Pickford (RW, R, 5’9″, 165, Victoria Royals, 01/08/2006)
Game Grade: C+
Logan Pickford is an undersized 5’9″ 165 pound right shot forward who played wing and center. While at center he won 3 of 5 face-offs. He is a balanced skater with above average straight line speed and agility. He showed explosiveness coming out of hard hockey stops. Offensively his mindset is to get the puck to the net as often as possible and then use his puck anticipation and speed to beat his opponent for the rebound or loose puck. He won only 29% of his 50/50 puck battles in this game and won only 43% of his 50/50 puck battles during the the regular season so strength training will be invaluable for him this off season. He did not contribute to the power play or penalty kill units. He completed only 75% of his passes so adding deception to his passing will increase his overall value to his coaching staff. We do not view him as a potential 2024 NHL draft pick but we do feel he can be a very impactful WHL player with leadership skills.
Cole Reschny (C, L, 5’10”, 179, Victoria Royals, 04/04/2007)
Game Grade: B
Cole Reschny is a below average sized 5’10”, 170 pound 2007 born left shot center who played second line. He must add strength as he won on 44% of his face-offs (8/18) and 48% of his 50/50 puck battles (11/23). He showed good puck anticipation as he had 2 loose puck retrievals that led directly to his three shots on net. He was a key member to the top power play unit (5:18 of power play ice time). He was also used on the penalty kill (1:04 of ice time). He completed only 71% of his passes simply because he tried to make plays in the slot. Reschny is a high end highly skilled NHL prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images