RED DEER REBELS:
| Jayden Grubbe | Calgary Buffaloes Midget | AMHL | R | F | 6’3″ | 201 | Red Deer Rebels | Calgary, AB | 2003 | 2020-2021: C+ |
A powerful two hundred foot player who makes plays at both ends of the ice. His
big frame allows him to be a physical presence on the ice. He doesn’t waste an opportunity for a good hit,
and in the corners he uses his strength to protect the puck and keep opponents away. There are times in
games where Grubbe seemingly takes over a shift in the offensive zone by using his puck protection
skills, and strong hands to keep the puck moving. He has a decent stride; it’s long and smooth. He has a
wide base. He doesn’t play much of an East-West game, Grubbe is going to drive hard to the net with or
without the puck, or engage in the cycle where he can best utilize his natural advantages. He has a quick
release, and knows how to get to the dirty areas. But he isn’t an overly creative player. He’s more of a
hammer than a scalpel. Defensively Jayden plays a strong positional game. He does well to read off of
opponents and take away passing lanes with a good stick and active feet. When the puck is near him, he
engages with strong physical plays and is adept at separating opponents from the puck. Jayden also has
had success in the face off circle. We are curious to see if he has quick enough feet to continue to play
the centre position at the next level, but he certainly has all the hallmarks of a solid two way forward.
Grade: B+
| Kyle Masters | OHA Edmonton | CSSHL U16 | R | D | 6’0″ | 174 | Red Deer Rebels | Edmonton, AB | 2003 | 2020-2021: C+ |
Masters is a defender who brings a calmness to the back end that we love here at
Neutral Zone. Everything he does seems to be done with a sense of maturity and ease that we see
usually in players much older. He has a smooth stride, he gallops out of his zone with the puck, and
scans the ice constantly for streaking teammates. While he doesn’t have a ton of explosion in his stride,
he does a good job of anticipating plays and keeping good gaps. Even when under pressure, he isn’t
afraid to turn back into his zone and reassess his options, while shaking off forecheckers. Defensively he
plays with effort. We think he still has some muscle to gain, but he still is able to box out opponents in the
slot fairly well. Along the boards he finishes his checks, and can blow up a cycle. When the play starts to
move away from him, Kyle can become a bit of a flat footed defender, and he can be caught off guard at
times by quick transitions. On offense, that’s where we get to see his quick feet, and quick hands in tight
areas. He isn’t afraid to dance along the blue line and shake off defenders with a quick feint. From the
point he is an intelligent shooter. He will wait for screens to set up, or shooting lanes to open up. He will
suck defenders in the middle by walking the blue line and dish out to the half board teammate for
dangerous scoring chances. He shows patience and poise with he puck. Grade: B
| Ben King | Pursuit of Excellence Prep | CSSHL U16 | R | F | 6’1″ | 187 | Red Deer Rebels | 2018 | Vernon, BC | 2002 | 2019-2020: B- |
King is a fleet footed forward who makes quick decisive decisions on the ice with the
puck. He has soft hands, and sends really nice passes all over the ice. He plays with a cleverness that
keeps opponents guessing. Especially in the counter attack in the neutral zone, King is excellent at
making quick touch passes that can turn a three on three suddenly into a two on one. King has good
acceleration, and nice low stride. His shiftiness in tight areas allows him to make plays for teammates in
the corners and on the boards. He is a persistent forechecker, and creates good back pressure with his
pursuit of the puck. We would love to see King continue to add mass to his body so that he can better
compete in those battle areas on the ice. He can often times be resolved to stay on the outside of the play
and rendered less of a threat. He can be a streaky player as well. He can string together two or three
dominant shifts in a row, just as easily as he can disappear at times. Grade: B
| Kalan Lind | Swift Current Legionnaires | Midget | L | F | 6’0″ | 157 | Red Deer Rebels | Shaunavon, SK | 2005 | Not yet rated |
The youngster made his debut over the weekend, and to us, he seemed to make a
very good first impression. Despite the limited playing time, he was noticeable almost every shift he was
on the ice. And while his past indicates that he is a prolific scorer, what really stood out to us was Lind’s
physicality. He played hard every shift, and he had some pretty heavy hits. He is still a smaller player, so
sometimes those hits didn’t necessarily land with the ferociousness you’d expect, but nevertheless, Lind
kept hammering away on the forecheck. He has quick feet, and he can change direction almost
instantaneously. He reads the play in front of him well, and reacts lightning fast. His play resulted in a lot
of turn overs for opponents. In the offensive zone he never seemed very far away from the net or the slot,
he definitely had a mindset of keeping the game simple, and playing hard every shift. In transition he
showed good hands, and was a solid passer. He moved pucks quickly and made smart decisions under
duress. While he didn’t see a ton of ice, and didn’t get to play on the power play, he certainly proved that
he is a player to watch out for in the very near future. Grade: B
| Chase Leslie | Sherwood Park Kings | Midget | L | D | 6’1″ | 190 | Red Deer Rebels | 2018 | Camrose, AB | 2002 | Not yet rated |
All weekend Leslie was a consistent positive force for his team. He competes hard
below the goal line, and plays like he has a chip on his shoulder. He has a heavy stick, and uses his body
well to push opponents off pucks. On the penalty kill he plays a discipline game. He stays in shooting
lanes, uses his stick well to take away passing lanes, and is quick to jump on opponents when the
moment is right. In the neutral zone as well, we see Leslie often jump passes with good reads and great
interceptions, turning defense into instant offense. He reads plays well, and makes smart decisions. In the
offensive zone, he plays with quick feet, and has some poise, though for the most part, he likes to get his
heavy slap shot off whenever possible. Would we like to see a little more patience from him, and more
playmaking ability from the point? Sure, but he also doesn’t create a ton of turnovers with his play either.
He keeps it safe, even if it is predictable. Grade: B
| Arshdeep Bains | Delta Hockey Academy | CSSHL U16 | L | F | 6’2″ | 190 | Red Deer Rebels | Surrey, BC | 2001 | Not yet rated |
Bains can overwhelm defenders with his straight line speed and outright
determination to get to the net. He has a heavy shot. The puck explodes off of his stick. He likes to fire off
his shot at full speed coming in off the rush. He doesn’t show a ton of deception when entering the zone,
he’s looking to get the puck on net and drive hard after it. He has a acceleration, and can create
separation quickly from opponents. He also creates good back pressure with his speed while back
checking. As a defender he likes to be aggressive and take away time and space by using his feet and
active stick to force opponents into rushed decisions or outright turnovers. He plays an effort based
game. He can get lost in his coverage at times by being overly aggressive, but his mistakes seem to
always be made with aggression. Grade: B-