| Colton Roberts | Vancouver Giants | WHL | R | D | 6’4″ | 198 | Vancouver Giants | 2021 | Ridge Meadows, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Roberts finished third among Giant defensemen with 25:12 in total ice time including 2:49 on the power play and 1:36 while shorthanded. Offensively he scored a power play goal off of a broken line rush where he one-timed an indirect pass short side shelf. The shot was a bullet that the goalie did not expect. He finished tied for a game high six shots and pretty much anything that hit his stick in the offensive zone was headed to the net. Skating posture wise he is bit upright and but he did show a fluid stride that should gain explosiveness as the 6’4′ righty matures. For the game he finished even with 1 goal, 6 shots, 0 hits, had 2 additional shots blocked, 3 giveaways, 15 takeaways and for the season he is winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles. At 6’4′ this 50/50 puck battle winning percentage is very important to us as we feel if Roberts is willing to put the time into off-ice training he has a chance to be a later round draft pick with upside.
| Adam Titlbach | Vancouver Giants | WHL | L | C | 5’9″ | 164 | Vancouver Giants | 2023 | Litvinov, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Titlbach finished forth among Giant forwards with 17:50 in total ice time including 1:06 on the power play. He did not play on the penalty kill unit. The undersized left shot forward was elusive and crafty in 1on1 situations and showed the ability to create space for himself off the wall but we would like to see him be more of a give and go player so he and his teammates could utilize his 10′ quickness more often. For the game he finished even with 0 points, 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 12/19 on face-offs, had 2 shots blocked with 1 coming on the power play and the other coming seconds after a power play had ended, 6 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles. This 50/50 puck battle winning percentage is concerning for us as he is an undersized forward so if he is not winning his 50/50s in the WHL he will not be winning his 50/50s in professional hockey.
| Marek Howell | Vancouver Giants | WHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 200 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2006 | 2022-2023: C+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Howell finished 4th among Giant defenders with 23:35 in total ice time including 0:40 on the power play and 1:36 while shorthanded. Offensively he kept things simple finishing with 2 shots with one coming on a 6′ snapshot from the left point and the other coming on a one-timer from the right point on a royal road feed from below the goal line. Defensively his size makes him a very intriguing prospect but he is not a banger and he finished the game with one hit. He is very long but he showed a skating posture with his shoulders way out over his toes and we feel that NHL players will take advantage of that and get him to lean when in corner battles or 1on1s in open ice. On the night he finished even with 0 points, 2 shots, 1 hit, received 1 hit, 9 giveaways, 7 takeaways and for the season he is winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles. This 50/50 puck battle winning percentage only makes him more intriguing so we will continue to track him.
| Mazden Leslie | Vancouver Giants | WHL | R | D | 6’0″ | 201 | Vancouver Giants | 2020 | Lloydminster, AB | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Leslie played a game high 29:06 including 2:47 on the power play and 4:20 out of a possible 4:40 while the Giants were shorthanded. In past viewings he has been a total run and gunner but in this one he was more patient. Yes he was still active but he did not jump into every rush even when his teammates were dealing with low percentage pucks. He finished tied for a game high 6 shots on goal with three coming when he joined the rush and three coming from the top of the umbrella on the power play. He finished the game +1 with 0 points, 6 shots, 1 grade ‘A’ opportunity, 1 hit, had 2 shots blocked, 9 giveaways, 18 takeaways and for the season he is winning 58% of his 50/50 puck battles.