Scouts and General Managers from all 30 NHL Teams flocked to Prospera Place in Kelowna British Columbia to witness the lowest scoring game in the 17 year history of the event - a 2-1 victory for Team Orr.
Tom Wilson of the Plymouth Whalers (Team Cherry) showed why he's one of the top power forwards available for the draft when on his first shift he threw two big hits on Gianluca Curcuruto of the Soo Greyhounds. He continued to throw the body all night and was sure to draw the attention of scouts. He had a pretty good bout with Dalton Thrower of the Saskatoon Blades in the second period.
As for Curcuruto, he played a solid, physical, defensive game. He showed flashes of his puck carrying abilities, going end to end in the second period. He took the body when he could without going out of his way looking for the hit. He was left almost defenseless on Team Cherry's only goal as Thrower went out of his way to make a hit and missed leaving a virtual 2 on 1. Dillon Fournier scored on the rebound.
Gemel Smith of the Owen Sound Attack (Team Cherry) was his typical self. Tenacious on the puck despite his size, he fought battles along the wall and usually came away with the puck. His speed was evident throughout the night especially on the backcheck where he broke up a couple of Team Orr rushes.
Belleville Bulls teammates Daniil Zharkov and Brendan Gaunce (Team Cherry) played on a line together and created a couple of chances. The best chance came halfway through the second right after teams switched goaltenders when Zharkov picked the puck up at center and went in on defenseman Matt Finn (Guelph Storm). He pulled the puck between his legs and went around Finn and put a shot on Francois Tremblay.
Adam Pelech of the Erie Otters (Team Orr) was almost unbeatable defensively. He took his opponents out of the play at every opportunity, was positionally sound and took away shooting and passing lanes. It's no wonder he's only a minus 4 on a team where you find a roster full of minus 20 and 30.
Matt Murray of the Soo Greyhounds (Team Cherry) was nothing short of spectacular in goal coming in halfway through the second. His best two saves back to back were when they were on the penalty kill and he made a big save on Scott Kosmachuk (Guelph Storm) and then on Raphael Bussieres, who along with Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers), were buzzing.
No one really hurt their value in the game. The Finn's, Faksa's and Laughton's and such played okay games but weren't their usual dominant players that they show they could be at times. They should all be proud of the way they played and rest assured, no one hurt their value.
The one thing we learned from this game, or at least confirmed: This is the year of the defenseman.
Showing posts with label Brendan Gaunce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brendan Gaunce. Show all posts
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Ceci Surpasses Yakupov As The OHL's Draft Eligible Assists Leader
Ottawa 67's defenseman Cody Ceci has surpassed the Sarnia Stings' Nail Yakupov as the assists leader among the OHL's draft eligible players. Ceci now has 10 goals and 34 assists for 44 points in 44 games to lead all draft eligible defensemen in goals, assists and points. His 44 points is second behind Yakupov among all draft eligible skaters and his 34 assists are tops among all skaters, 2 more than Yakupov.
Despite having only played in 26 games because of injuries, Yakupov continues to lead with 53 points and tied for tops in goals at 21 with Brendan Gaunce of the Belleville Bulls. Gaunce's teammate Malcolm Subban, who is also out with an injury, continues to lead all goaltenders in goals against average and save percentage. And that's not just draft eligible goaltenders but all goaltenders.
The Kitchener Rangers' Radek Faksa continues his climb. He now has 20 goals and 22 assists in 38 games played.
To view the leaders, click the stats tab at the top of the page.
Despite having only played in 26 games because of injuries, Yakupov continues to lead with 53 points and tied for tops in goals at 21 with Brendan Gaunce of the Belleville Bulls. Gaunce's teammate Malcolm Subban, who is also out with an injury, continues to lead all goaltenders in goals against average and save percentage. And that's not just draft eligible goaltenders but all goaltenders.
The Kitchener Rangers' Radek Faksa continues his climb. He now has 20 goals and 22 assists in 38 games played.
To view the leaders, click the stats tab at the top of the page.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Gaunce, Subban, O'Connor and Laughton Interviews
Our friends at In The O Radio have posted interviews from this weekend with Brendan Gaunce, Malcolm Subban, Ryan O'Connor and Scott Laughton as well as Andrew Aggozino.
You can listen to the interviews here
You can listen to the interviews here
Monday, January 9, 2012
Yakupov and Subban Continue To Lead Draft Eligible Players
Despite a couple of injuries this season both to Nail Yakupov and Malcolm Subban, who are both out with injuries yet again. they continue to lead skaters and goaltenders respectively in stats among draft eligible players.
Yakupov has 21 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in just 26 games. He has scored one more goal than Brendan Gaunce who has played in 39 games and also leads him by 12 points. Yakupov leads Cody Ceci, who continues to lead all defensemen, in assists by a margin of 32-28 with Ceci having played 13 more games.
Subban leads not only draft eligible goaltenders, but all goaltenders with an amazing 1.93 goals against average and a remarkable .928 save percentage. Daniel Altshuller is second in both categories with a 3.38 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
To see the top players in each category, click on the stats tab at the top of the page.
Yakupov has 21 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in just 26 games. He has scored one more goal than Brendan Gaunce who has played in 39 games and also leads him by 12 points. Yakupov leads Cody Ceci, who continues to lead all defensemen, in assists by a margin of 32-28 with Ceci having played 13 more games.
Subban leads not only draft eligible goaltenders, but all goaltenders with an amazing 1.93 goals against average and a remarkable .928 save percentage. Daniel Altshuller is second in both categories with a 3.38 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
To see the top players in each category, click on the stats tab at the top of the page.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
My OHL Player Rankings For December
When you look at rankings of players for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, you'll pretty much see the same players on every list, just not in the same order. And of course, my list is no different. Sure there will be the odd player that someone has on their list that no one else has on theirs. Again, no different here. It's not an exact science and never will be.
This year, with the number of injuries to key players, is more difficult to set in stone than any other year. About the only injuries that haven't affected a players ranking so far are Nail Yakupov, who remains at the top of just about every list you come across and Malcolm Subban who remains at the top of the goaltending ranks on those same lists.
Then of course there is Alex Galchenyuk's injury. He may make a comeback come playoff time but that remains to be seen. He had such a terrific rookie season that it's hard to drop him, yet on some lists he has and others he remains just behind Yakupov. Slater Koekkoek has dropped a spot or two to the benefit of the Matt Finn's and Olli Maatta's of the hockey world. Adam Pelech was on almost everyone's list at the beginning of the season and only just returning a couple of weeks ago since going down in the first week has dropped off most lists.
Matia Marcantuoni was projected by many to be a top 10 pick and has just returned from his second injury. Artur Gavrus was making a name for himself and attracting attention until he was sidelined with an injury. Daniil Zharkov came from Russia with loads of talent but didn't play until November. He has 15 goals in 19 games just 6 behind Yakupov and 5 behind Brendan Gaunce who have played 7 and 17 more games respectively.
Then you have players that have talent and have shown it in the past that are having bad seasons in terms of what was expected or what they should be capable of. Nick Ebert and Andreas Athanasiou come to mind right away. Add in the players that you knew had some talent and ability but have taken it even one step further like the above mentioned Matt Finn, Dylan Blujus or Gemel Smith.
So how do you take this all into consideration? Hard to do but that's why personally I try to rank them monthly on what has happened in that month. Some players move up at the expense of those that have missed time. But you can't just brush a player aside because he's injured or at the World Junior Championships. A lot of lists will change between now and June, and this one is no different.
Here's a look at the top 5 players in my rankings :
Nail Yakupov : Quite simply the most talented player available in this draft.
Cody Ceci : Has taken his offense to a higher level than expected while still improving his defensive game. In 5 years we could look at him and say he was the best two way defenseman available in the draft.
Olli Maatta : Keeps on getting better as he gains more experience in North America. Good at both ends but won't put up the offensive numbers as some of the others.
Alex Galchenyuk : If not for the injury that knocked him out for the season, he'd probably be right behind Yakupov. Based on last year, hard to drop him any lower.
Brendan Gaunce : Gaunce may come as a surprise to some here. Already possesses an NHL caliber shot and his defensive game is as close to NHL ready as it can come. Has very good size brings a physical aspect to his game. He has all the attributes scouts salivate over.
For the complete list of my top 20 skaters and top 5 goaltenders, click the "My Rankings" tab at the top of this page.
This year, with the number of injuries to key players, is more difficult to set in stone than any other year. About the only injuries that haven't affected a players ranking so far are Nail Yakupov, who remains at the top of just about every list you come across and Malcolm Subban who remains at the top of the goaltending ranks on those same lists.
Then of course there is Alex Galchenyuk's injury. He may make a comeback come playoff time but that remains to be seen. He had such a terrific rookie season that it's hard to drop him, yet on some lists he has and others he remains just behind Yakupov. Slater Koekkoek has dropped a spot or two to the benefit of the Matt Finn's and Olli Maatta's of the hockey world. Adam Pelech was on almost everyone's list at the beginning of the season and only just returning a couple of weeks ago since going down in the first week has dropped off most lists.
Matia Marcantuoni was projected by many to be a top 10 pick and has just returned from his second injury. Artur Gavrus was making a name for himself and attracting attention until he was sidelined with an injury. Daniil Zharkov came from Russia with loads of talent but didn't play until November. He has 15 goals in 19 games just 6 behind Yakupov and 5 behind Brendan Gaunce who have played 7 and 17 more games respectively.
Then you have players that have talent and have shown it in the past that are having bad seasons in terms of what was expected or what they should be capable of. Nick Ebert and Andreas Athanasiou come to mind right away. Add in the players that you knew had some talent and ability but have taken it even one step further like the above mentioned Matt Finn, Dylan Blujus or Gemel Smith.
So how do you take this all into consideration? Hard to do but that's why personally I try to rank them monthly on what has happened in that month. Some players move up at the expense of those that have missed time. But you can't just brush a player aside because he's injured or at the World Junior Championships. A lot of lists will change between now and June, and this one is no different.
Here's a look at the top 5 players in my rankings :
Nail Yakupov : Quite simply the most talented player available in this draft.
Cody Ceci : Has taken his offense to a higher level than expected while still improving his defensive game. In 5 years we could look at him and say he was the best two way defenseman available in the draft.
Olli Maatta : Keeps on getting better as he gains more experience in North America. Good at both ends but won't put up the offensive numbers as some of the others.
Alex Galchenyuk : If not for the injury that knocked him out for the season, he'd probably be right behind Yakupov. Based on last year, hard to drop him any lower.
Brendan Gaunce : Gaunce may come as a surprise to some here. Already possesses an NHL caliber shot and his defensive game is as close to NHL ready as it can come. Has very good size brings a physical aspect to his game. He has all the attributes scouts salivate over.
For the complete list of my top 20 skaters and top 5 goaltenders, click the "My Rankings" tab at the top of this page.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Draft Eligible Statistical Update
With the season back underway after the holiday break and another OHL week completed, we have updated the statistical leaders for first time draft eligible players in the Ontario Hockey League. (Click the Stats tab at the top of this page).
Guelph's Matt Finn and Brampton's Dylan Blujus continue to climb up the scoring ranks for defensemen while still playing solid defensive games and are starting to draw a lot of attention from NHL scouts. Cody Ceci still leads all defensemen in goals, assists and points but has stumbled lately, possibly a let down from being cut from Team Canada ?
Despite only playing 26 games, Nail Yakupov of Sarnia still leads all players in goals, assists and points but Belleville's Brendan Gaunce only trails Yakupov by 1 goal as of Sunday, although he has played in 36 games. Owen Sound's Gemel Smith continues to create chances every time he's on the ice but the finish hasn't been there for he and his teammates.
Despite missing the last three games, Malcolm Subban of the Bulls leads all goaltenders in save percentage and goals against average.
Coming up tomorrow, we'll have the three stars for the week now that the season is back in full swing. On Wednesday we'll release my rankings for the top 20 skaters and top 5 goaltenders as of the end of December 2011, and we'll take a brief look at what's going on at the World Junior Championships. And later on in the week, we'll continue profiling players we haven't as of yet.
Guelph's Matt Finn and Brampton's Dylan Blujus continue to climb up the scoring ranks for defensemen while still playing solid defensive games and are starting to draw a lot of attention from NHL scouts. Cody Ceci still leads all defensemen in goals, assists and points but has stumbled lately, possibly a let down from being cut from Team Canada ?
Despite only playing 26 games, Nail Yakupov of Sarnia still leads all players in goals, assists and points but Belleville's Brendan Gaunce only trails Yakupov by 1 goal as of Sunday, although he has played in 36 games. Owen Sound's Gemel Smith continues to create chances every time he's on the ice but the finish hasn't been there for he and his teammates.
Despite missing the last three games, Malcolm Subban of the Bulls leads all goaltenders in save percentage and goals against average.
Coming up tomorrow, we'll have the three stars for the week now that the season is back in full swing. On Wednesday we'll release my rankings for the top 20 skaters and top 5 goaltenders as of the end of December 2011, and we'll take a brief look at what's going on at the World Junior Championships. And later on in the week, we'll continue profiling players we haven't as of yet.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
3 Stars For Week Ending November 27, 2011
The closest voting for the draft eligible OHL 3 stars for the week is in. The 3 players selected were almost unanimous but the order wasn't. You could reverse the order and not go wrong. So here are your three stars :
1st Star - Malcolm Subban - Belleville Bulls : Since returning from injury, Subban has been the first star for 3 out of the 4 weeks in November. In 3 games last week, all Bulls victories, Subban stopped 87 of 89 shots he faced and had a shut out on the road against the Guelph Storm.
2nd Star - Brendan Gaunce - Belleville Bulls : Gaunce was named OHL player of the week yesterday and in most of our eyes, was only outplayed by his team mate Malcolm Subban. He led the Bulls offensively with 5 goals and 1 assists in three games. Gaunce now sits third in points and second in goals among draft eligible players in the OHL.
3rd Star - Radek Faksa - Kitchener Rangers : Faksa's game just keeps getting better and better. He posted 4 goals and 2 assists in 3 games and was a plus 6. Faksa now sits in the top 5 in goals, assists and points among draft eligible players.
1st Star - Malcolm Subban - Belleville Bulls : Since returning from injury, Subban has been the first star for 3 out of the 4 weeks in November. In 3 games last week, all Bulls victories, Subban stopped 87 of 89 shots he faced and had a shut out on the road against the Guelph Storm.
2nd Star - Brendan Gaunce - Belleville Bulls : Gaunce was named OHL player of the week yesterday and in most of our eyes, was only outplayed by his team mate Malcolm Subban. He led the Bulls offensively with 5 goals and 1 assists in three games. Gaunce now sits third in points and second in goals among draft eligible players in the OHL.
3rd Star - Radek Faksa - Kitchener Rangers : Faksa's game just keeps getting better and better. He posted 4 goals and 2 assists in 3 games and was a plus 6. Faksa now sits in the top 5 in goals, assists and points among draft eligible players.
Brendan Gaunce named OHL player of the Week
Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Brendan Gaunce of the Belleville Bulls is the OHL Player of the Week for the week ending November 27 after scoring five goals and one assist for six points in three games with a plus-minus rating of plus-5.
Gaunce helped lift the Bulls to three straight wins while recording three straight multi-point games for the first time in his career beginning Thursday night in a 3-1 victory over the Erie Otters where he scored two goals as first star of the contest. He also scored two goals on Friday night as part of a 6-0 win over the Guelph Storm before finishing the week with another first star performance scoring a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Oshawa Generals on Sunday.
Gaunce, a 17-year-old from Markham, ON, is playing in just his second OHL season with the Bulls where he currently leads the club with 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 25 games. The former second overall OHL Priority Selection pick is now eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft where he was recently ranked seventh among OHL skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Also considered for the award this week was fellow 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect Radek Faksa who scored four goals and two assists for six points in three wins for the Kitchener Rangers. Vancouver Canucks prospect Alex Friesen also helped the Niagara IceDogs to three straight wins recording six points including three goals and three assists. In goal, the Bulls’ Malcolm Subban went 3-0-0-0 posting one shutout victory with a goals-against-average of 0.67 with a save percentage of .978.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
3 Stars For Week Ending November 6, 2011
1st Star - Malcolm Subban - Belleville Bulls : Malcolm Subban made his return from injury and is poised to retake his position as the top draft eligible goaltender in the OHL. Subban led his team to two straight victories. First came a 2-1 victory over the Owen Sound Attack in which he stopped 29 of 30 shots. He followed that up with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Mississauga St Mikes Majors in which he made 25 saves for the shutout.
2nd Star - Brendan Gaunce - Belleville Bulls : Gaunce and his Bulls went 3-0 during the week. First up was a 6-5 overtime victory over the Ottawa 67's in which Gaunce scored twice including the overtime winner. Then came a 2-1 victory over Owen Sound in which he was in on both goals with a goal and an assist. He went pointless in a 1-0 overtime victory over Mississauga but was his solid self creating chances.
3rd Star - Radek Faksa - Kitchener Rangers : Can't say enough about how Faksa's game is coming along. He opened the week with a 2 goal performance over the Niagara Ice Dogs including the shorthanded game winning goal. He had an assist in the Rangers lone goal in the rematch with Niagara, a 3-1 loss. He closed the week out pointless in a 3-1 victory over the Oshawa Generals but gets credit for his penalty killing duties.
For the complete list of weekly winners and the voters involved, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
2nd Star - Brendan Gaunce - Belleville Bulls : Gaunce and his Bulls went 3-0 during the week. First up was a 6-5 overtime victory over the Ottawa 67's in which Gaunce scored twice including the overtime winner. Then came a 2-1 victory over Owen Sound in which he was in on both goals with a goal and an assist. He went pointless in a 1-0 overtime victory over Mississauga but was his solid self creating chances.
3rd Star - Radek Faksa - Kitchener Rangers : Can't say enough about how Faksa's game is coming along. He opened the week with a 2 goal performance over the Niagara Ice Dogs including the shorthanded game winning goal. He had an assist in the Rangers lone goal in the rematch with Niagara, a 3-1 loss. He closed the week out pointless in a 3-1 victory over the Oshawa Generals but gets credit for his penalty killing duties.
For the complete list of weekly winners and the voters involved, click the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
3 Stars For Week Ending October 9, 2011
The votes are in for a very tight week of voting for last weeks Draft Eligible OHL 3 stars of the week.
1st Star - Luke Cairns, Erie Otters : The Otters were off to a terrible start at 0-4 and Cairns, playing in his second game of the week, led Erie to their first victory of the season - a 7-5 victory over defending champ Owen Sound - where he tallied 2 goals and 3 assists. In a rematch the following night, he was a bright spot for the Otters in a 6-3 defeat where he tallied another goal.
2nd Star - Matt Finn, Guelph Storm : The Storm are off to a surprising start and the biggest surprise has to be the play of Finn. Finn registered a goal and an assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Brampton and followed that up with a 2 assist victory over Saginaw 6-3. Finn sits near the top of all statistical leaders of draft eligible players.
3rd Star - Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls : Gaunce led his Bulls to 4-2 victory over Oshawa and 3-0 victory over Kingston where he registered 1 goal and 1 assist in each contest. The Bulls Alternate Captain now has 4 goals and 4 assists in 7 games and has been a model of consistency from the get go.
Honorable Mentions : Radek Faksa (Kitchener), Nail Yakupov (Sarnia) Michael Clarke (Windsor)
For the season long winners and a list of voters, click on the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
1st Star - Luke Cairns, Erie Otters : The Otters were off to a terrible start at 0-4 and Cairns, playing in his second game of the week, led Erie to their first victory of the season - a 7-5 victory over defending champ Owen Sound - where he tallied 2 goals and 3 assists. In a rematch the following night, he was a bright spot for the Otters in a 6-3 defeat where he tallied another goal.
2nd Star - Matt Finn, Guelph Storm : The Storm are off to a surprising start and the biggest surprise has to be the play of Finn. Finn registered a goal and an assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Brampton and followed that up with a 2 assist victory over Saginaw 6-3. Finn sits near the top of all statistical leaders of draft eligible players.
3rd Star - Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls : Gaunce led his Bulls to 4-2 victory over Oshawa and 3-0 victory over Kingston where he registered 1 goal and 1 assist in each contest. The Bulls Alternate Captain now has 4 goals and 4 assists in 7 games and has been a model of consistency from the get go.
Honorable Mentions : Radek Faksa (Kitchener), Nail Yakupov (Sarnia) Michael Clarke (Windsor)
For the season long winners and a list of voters, click on the 3 stars tab at the top of the page.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Brendan Gaunce
6'2" - 210 LBS
DOB March 25, 1994
At 6'2 and 210 pounds, Gaunce already has the size to have a successful start at the next level. He all ready has an NHL caliber shot and is an excellent skater which all bodes well for the Markham Ontario native.
Gaunce has very good on ice vision and many believe he spews leadership qualities and will one day be a captain of his squad.
Selected with the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Draft behind Alex Galchenyuk, Gaunce recorded 55 goals and 93 assists in 86 games for the AAA Minor Midget Markham Waxers which made him the highest scoring minor midget in Ontario.
Prior to Minor Midget, he was named a Toronto High School first team all star where he notched 4 goals and 17 assists in 17 games playing predominantly on defence.
In his rookie season with the Bulls he scored 11 times and added 25 assists in 65 games. His minus 31 may raise some eyebrows, but as is the case sometimes, it is the product of the team.
Gaunce played for Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial in August where he scored once and added an assist in helping beat Sweden in the gold medal game. Gaunce also won gold at the World Under 17 in Winnipeg where he had 3 goals and an assist in 6 games. Upon his return from the Ivan Hlinka, Gaunce took part in the NHL Research and Development Camp in Toronto.
Gaunce is a team first guy with winning being the ultimate goal. His personal stats are secondary. He says all the right things as witnessed by this story in the Toronto Star.
Gaunce is also on the NHL players to watch list for 2011-2012. His brother Cameron is a Colorado Avalanche prospect.
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