WHL – The shots were even at 35 a piece but Saskatoon scored late in the third period to force overtime before eventually beating Medicine Hat 3-2 in the last minute of Overtime. Neutral Zone focused on players in their first year of NHL draft eligibility.
| Cayden Lindstrom | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 6’3″ | 205 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Chetwynd, BC | 2006 | 2022-2023: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Lindstrom is tall long legged strong left shot center with a shoulder width skating base and a return leg that lands on it’s flat edge. He might not be a full ice burner but showed a fluid stride ended with a toe snap that we feel will lead to him being faster and more explosive as he gains lower body strength / power. All night long he showed the professional details by stopping on pucks, protecting the puck with his body and looking to extend Medicine Hat’s puck possession through quick accurate 5′ to 10′ passes and then using his strength to get to the net front for rebounds. In the offensive zone we liked how he felt where the defensive pressure was coming from and rather than try to jam the puck through bodies he used his defensemen as outlets at the point. In the offensive zone Lindstrom constantly planted himself inside the lower royal road looking for rebounds or quick stick one-timer opportunities. On the night he finished third among the Tiger’s forwards with 19:43 in total ice time including being second on the team with 4:44 of power play time and with the exception of 0:06 of penalty kill time he was not used as a killer. He went 12/17 on face-offs including 4/5 on defensive zone face-offs. Overall he finished even with 0 points, 3 shots, 4 grade ‘A’ opportunities, 2 hits, 3 giveaways, 7 takeaways and on the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles. Lindstrom currently has a ‘B-‘ 2024 draft grade from Neutral Zone.
| Matt Paranych | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | D | 5’7″ | 150 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2022 | Edmonton, AB | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Paranych is an undersized smooth skating left shot defenseman who is still gaining strength and power but his edge work is excellent. He defended by using his four-way agility to maintain body positioning and his quick first step to win races to loose pucks or the valuable ice. In the defensive zone and while gapping up in the neutral zone Paranych played with his stick on the ice taking away time and space while trying to dictate / influence the direction of the play. Offensively he worked t be an outlet for his partner by sprinting into open ice or through the forechecker’s skating lane to buy his partner more time. His passes were flat and generally where his teammates wanted them, meaning they did not have to adjust their routes to receive his passes. We liked how after his passes Paranych moved his feet to join the play. On the night he totaled 10:12 of total ice time which was sixth among Medicine Hat’s defensive core. He did not play special teams. He finished +1, with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 giveaways and 4 takeaways. On the season he is winning 42% of his puck battles.
| Tomas Mrsic | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 5’11” | 160 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Surrey, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Mrsic is an undersized left shot forward who showed the skating ability to change gears into top speed as he was receiving a pass. He has a long powerful stride with a return leg that lands smoothly on it’s flat edge. He has the pace to be able to catch opposing defenders looking flat footed when in reality he just used a single explosive thrust to change speeds and manipulate their gap into his favor. Defensively he used his legs to be a disruptive element who charged towards his opponent looking to create turnovers and we liked how he finished his checks a good long second after his target had made the pass. Offensively he finished with a team high six shots on net with them coming off a backhand on a line rush, digging for net front rebounds, a quick stick one-timer from the slot on the power play and a bullet of a snapshot that beat the goalie for a high blocker goal that popped the water bottle. We liked how he was involved in post whistle scrums and seemed to be quite the conversationalist. On the night he finished -1 with 1 goal, 6 shots, 4 grade ‘A’ opportunities, 4/11 on face-offs, had 2 hits, 2 PIMs for crosschecking, 9 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 38% of his 50/50 puck battles. Mrsic currently has a ‘B-‘ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone but with continued efforts like tonight we can see that grade moving higher.
| Andrew Basha | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 5’11” | 164 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2005 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: The November 2005 Basha is a below average sized left shot left wing with an upright skating posture. There were times when he was gliding that he would straighten his legs but when his knees were bent and his feet were moving he showed good straight line speed and a quick first step when coming out of hard hockey stops. In the defensive zone he showed good awareness by playing with his head on a swivel, using an active stick and maintaining shooting lanes so his point man could not get shots through. We also noted that he communicated with his center to sort out who had which defensive zone responsibility after backchecking into the low slot. Basha showed a soft first touch on both his forehand and backhand which allowed him to play top power play minutes from the left mid-wall on the top unit. On the night he was second among Medicine Hat’s forwards with 21:17 in total ice time including 3:33 on the power play and 1:58 while shorthanded. He had two grade ‘A’ opportunities with first coming on a 2 on 1 where he was coming down his off-wing right side. On the play he noticed the defender was shading to the far post so Basha cut to the middle attempting a quick release snapshot to the short side that missed wide. His only shot on net came on the power play where he rolled high into the offensive left dot-lane for curl and release snapshot through the penalty killer’s legs to the high short side. The shot generated a rebound but not a secondary shot from the net front presence. For the game he finished even with 0 points, 1 shot, 2 grade ‘A’ opportunities, 0/1 on face-offs, had one shot blocked, 6 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles. Basha currently has a ‘B’ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone.
| Zach Moore | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | R | RW | 5’11” | 171 | Saskatoon Blades | 2021 | Saskatoon, SK | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Moore is a below average sized right shot forward who played forth line minutes. He showed a deep knee’s skating base with a return leg that lands on his inside edge. On the night he total 5:38 in ice time including 0:08 on the penalty kill. On the night he finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, had 1 shot blocked, 4 giveaways, 1 takeaway and on the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
| Smyth Rebman | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | R | C | 5’11” | 180 | Saskatoon Blades | 2021 | Prince George, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Rebman is a below average sized right shot forward who took shifts at all three forward positions including starting the game on his off left wing. He showed a deep knee’d skating base with a high stride rate and his skating base seemed to be outside of his shoulders. We feel that he is quick but that his overall pace will improve as he gains core strength and begins to bring his return leg underneath him to complete his stride. Unfortunately for him he earned a 10 minute misconduct so his night was altered but he finished with 7:52 in total ice time including 0:16 on the power play and 0:53 while shorthanded. Overall he was even with 0 points, 0 shots, 1/1 on face-offs, had 1 giveaway, 0 takeaways and on the season he’s winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles. Rebman currently has a ‘C’ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone.
| Morgan Tastad | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 188 | Saskatoon Blades | 2021 | Loreburn, SK | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Tastad is a long left shot defender with a shoulder width skating base. There is no denying his strong but at this point he plays with his left hand approximately half way down the shaft of his stick and we feel this limits his mobility and quickness to loose pucks. He saw little action earning 4:34 in total ice time and he did not participate in the special team’s game. On the night he finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 giveaways, 1 takeaway and on the season he is winning 51% of his 50/50 puck battles.
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