Played on Apr 4, 2025
Western Hockey League
Game Played in Toyota Center
General Game Notes: The Royals were able to close out the Americans with a seven to zero win that really put an emphasis on the series as a whole. With their backs up against the wall, Tri-City came out of the gates strong, jumping out to a quick four shot advantage in the opening minutes but ultimately could not solve the scoring situation.
Jaxen Adam (D, L, 6’4″, 214, Tri-City Americans, 08/19/2007)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Adam was able to show that his elite size allows him to play a physical game and win board battles, but he lacks the puck skills to be an impact defender in transition and struggles to make the most of the puck on his stick once he wins that board battle. Similarly, his size allows him to tie opponents up in front of the net and clear the crease, but his lack of foot speed causes him to sometimes get beat by faster, smaller forwards. Getting beaten on the rush causes him to give up more high quality chances than average, which nullifies any value his size might have in the slot. One part of his game that works is when he does make contact, he is able to close on players effectively.
Jake Sloan (RW, R, 6’3″, 200, Tri-City Americans, 02/17/2004, Bowling Green)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Despite getting scored on couple times, you could tell that Sloan’s defense is his strong suit, and he uses his unrelenting work ethic, stick skills, and hockey IQ to be a valuable defensive presence. On the penalty kill he was a real asset and can be trusted with tough matchups, even if he is not a true shutdown forward. He is a tremendous skater, has great playmaking instincts, and possesses a lethal shot. He is truly a threat to create scoring chances whenever he is on the ice, and his ability to get the puck to the net whether that means him carrying it himself or finding an open teammate is one of the more skilled visions on the ice.
Kainoah Brankovic (D, R, 6’1″, 201, Tri-City Americans, 03/12/2007)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Brankovic was able to show tonight that while he could stand to get better at his overall positioning, he for sure has got the frame to make a defensive impact and is never one to avoid physical play, even if he is not exactly a physical player himself, he has the size and showed glimpses of being able to close guys off on the wall. Where he was at his best was on the rush matching smaller forwards speed and taking them deep into the zone, looking not to get beat. As a defensive defenseman, he does a good job eliminating players looking to make a move on him, he stays stable with his feet and stays square to the player looking to beat him.
Carter Savage (D, L, 6’3″, 202, Tri-City Americans, 02/05/2005)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Savage was able to show tonight that he plays a physical game and has the size and strength to back up his aggressive style with force. He has decent puck moving abilities and is not a liability in transition. Despite that, though, he lacks overall offensive skill and should be a marginal offensive contributor at best. His defensive positioning can be erratic, but his physical play makes him a slight positive contributor to his team’s five on five defensive efforts. Savage does a good job at getting back to pucks first by using his size to block out forwards forechecking him and makes a solid first pass to start a breakout.
Justin Kipkie (D, L, 6’3″, 210, Victoria Royals, 07/28/2005)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Kipkie was able to show tonight that he is a capable puck moving defenseman, with above average wheels and decent puck skills. He can help establish the offense and break out of the defensive zone, and he can be an asset in transition. His ability to be mobile while also one of the bigger defenseman on the ice is what sets him a part. He is still mistake prone, and doe not always use proper judgement about when to join the rush but at the minimum he creates a push almost every shift. Whether it is a play down the wall in the offensive zone, or skating the puck up the ice by himself, he does a good job at pushing the pace with offense in mind.
Seth Fryer (D, R, 6’7″, 197, Victoria Royals, 06/23/2006)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: While Fryer is not overwhelmingly skilled, instead uses his mobility and intelligence to bring value to his team, along with his towering size. He can cover a lot of ground thanks to his skating, and while his puck skills are not exactly incredible, he can help out his teams transition game. Fryer struggles in the tough areas of the ice, and is not nearly as physical as you would like. That being said, he can still manage to kill penalties thanks to his reach and awareness, making him a plus defensive defenseman. With his size though, he needs to do a better job at the physical side of his game, that does not mean destroy players at all times, but more of an influence of rushes and in front of the net.
Cole Reschny (C, L, 5’11”, 183, Victoria Royals, 04/04/2007)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Reschny was able to show that his blend of size and speed is unique, and few forwards are like him. He can blaze his way past defensemen and get to the net quickly just as easily as he can outmuscle defenders for pucks and grit and grind his way through tough shifts. That being said, his hockey IQ and overall awareness needs some work. For all the natural talent he has, his mind sometimes processes the game a step behind his wheels. This can result in wasted chances, missed opportunities, and general frustration on offense. defensively, he has shown himself to be a very inconsistent talent and he can sometimes just look lost in his own end. His speed and size gives him the skill he needs to be an effective winger, this was shown with the four assists he was able to gather in tonight’s game.
Keaton Verhoeff (D, R, 6’4″, 207, Victoria Royals, 06/19/2008)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Verhoeff was able to show that he is a calm, natural player, and anchors his teams defense and is able to contribute at the highest level in every situation. He is an asset on the penalty kill, power play, five on five, and his biggest strength is how well rounded he is. He is an asset in transition, a good playmaker, a decent shooter from the point, and a genuine minute muncher from the back end. He can match up against the strongest opposing forwards with ease, and can help shelter a younger defensive partner. Where he was at his best tonight was being able to see the play develop before it happened, he was able to secure three assists on the night simply making the play that was available.
Teydon Trembecky (LW, L, 5’11”, 182, Victoria Royals, 04/28/2005)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Despite being one of the better players on the ice, at times Trembecky showed that he is a liability on defense, lacking the willingness to back check relentlessly and lacking the defensive IQ to be an asset in his own zone. is not strong enough to consistently win fights for pucks, and as a result that lack of strength impacts his offense, as he is less able to create the time and space needed for his offensive talents to shine through. With all that being said, that is a harsh critique for one of the more skilled players on the ice. When he does have the time and space for his creativity to show, he is able to make one on one plays look easy on defenseman that are gapped up ready for the action. He can easily take his game to a different level is more shifts were consistent with the work effort to break pucks out rather than to put them in the back of the net.
Kenta Isogai (LW, L, 5’9″, 175, Victoria Royals, 08/28/2004)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Isogai has a rare combination of agility and speed to dominate younger, smaller players. Sometimes he will still plant his skate in the neutral zone, taking his time to look for a pass, or try to power his way to the net instead of using his teammates to work around a defender. He takes a lot on his own where he could use his vision that he had shown through times to make plays to other players. This is a distinctive critique to a player that has all the skill to dominate, as he did we three points on the night. Where he was at his best was when he was using his defining speed to beat defenseman in small areas that forced them to guard him in small areas of the ice.
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images