DJ Kreuzberg

Here is his goal and hit.

As some requested. I've included a couple of good passing plays, a hit and some shots, along with the goal. He started the game on the RW of Reinhart and Klimchuk. After he returned from the Scherbak hit, he was then lined up on the LW of Quenneville and Hawryluk. On this line, he really began to shine. I thought that line as a whole was the best for Team WHL; generated a lot of chances, forechecked hard and played the body hard.

Due to many ppl on other boards asking for the hit, I uploaded it last night. http://youtu.be/uyZVwKVlH90

Wildcard on defense? That is simply not what i saw. He was very steady and played it very safe. Tryamkin is not a wildcard on defense... Subban is a wildcard on defense.

Just finished He does not jump into the play too often. More often, he is the guy furthest back because he prefers the safe play. From the games i have watched, his defensive game (next to his size) is his biggest strength. This is a very smart player defensively, always in position, active stick, plays the body when necessary, and as you will see in the video, he makes players pay in front of the net. His reach knocks away a lot of pucks and thwarts many entrances into his zone. He is nearly impossible to move once he has body position on the opponent. Also from what i can see, his shots get blocked a lot, which may also be what Benning is referring to when he commented on the lack of frequency the puck reaches the net. I'd say its edler-esque in the frequency of blocked shots. Something to work on for him. The wrister from what i can see has a higher probability of making it through and is quite deceiving.

I am working on a video for his play during the WJC, maybe Tuesday night? ------------- I have watched a couple of games so far, here's my takeaway: I never thought someone could make Zadorov look like rather small. But Tryamkin does. I don't believe he is 265, if so, i do wonder where weight has gone. He is not scrawny like Chara or Zadorov, but he isn't a really thick man like Big Buff is either. The 240lb listing seems much more accurate based on what i've seen. He moves fairly well for his size. Average accelerating, straight line speed is actually good. Mobility is good, but there are some times when i notice some balance issues. He'll have to work on that. Tranisitons and backwards skating is good for his size. He is a defensive D man, but saw some time on the 2nd PP as the point man and trigger man. Not a PP QB at all, not that its surprising. He has very good positioning and is always the guy who is hanging back to cover his partner. What i liked about Tryamkin is how he was always the first guy to the puck to gain body position and once he has that body position, he is hard to move and he boxes out very well. He actively uses his stick, and with that size/reach he is fairly effective. His first pass... is not that great. On numerous occasions, he has made a hard pass out of the zone, missing its target and has led to icing. He is not what i would call a physical defender. As i said, he uses his body well in terms of positioning and boxing out. But not a guy going for hits. I don't see this "mean" people are talking about. I am indifferent/somewhat optimistic on this pick. I can see what they like about this guy, have to wait and see how he develops and whether or not he comes over.

At even strength, MDC only played with Cassels and Laughton for a brief period of time, a month and half. MDC spent most of his time with Smith and Sterk, or Latour and Cassels. In fact, he had more success and chemistry with Sterk and Cassels than he did with Laughton. I think anyone who actively watched MDC would say he made those around him much better instead of leaching off of them. IMO, MDC is a better hockey player than Ehlers.

Nope, it is true. He confirms it and TSN has footage of it. But what does that ultimately mean? Pretty much nothing.

Goalies for the most part are always an uncertainty in the draft; partly due to a riskier development path and seasoned NHL goaltenders nowadays don't carry a terribly high value. I can see him at 36 and i can see him taken in the top 20. In any case, i think he has the mentality and pedigree to become a very solid starter.

I think the risk lies in the the uncertainty of how the injury has affected his play. Can he return to pre-injury form? The U18s are a small sample so something the scouts will have to assess and see if the injury is still lingering. All i've seen confirmed is an upper body injury. Yes, the injury may have affected his play in the U18s. Which as discussed above is the risk teams will have to assess - how much did the injury affect his play there and will it affect his play in the future. Rodin who was also reckless at times, suffered injuries that seemed to really hinder his play in NA; the similarities to me are not lost. I think at #36, he makes a very good case to be picked. First round talent. I was just pointing out why he may have slipped on a few rankings and pointing out some other issues with his game.

The 6'4" 205lbs for Sanheim is correct, as far as I am concerned. Sanheim participated at the U18s and under iihf, they have to take measurements prior to the tournament. That measurement matches what the iihf released.

Pastrnak is generally ranked in the 1st round. The reason why he is slipping a bit is not due to CHL players rising, its due to his season ending injury sustained in February. He got absolutely blown up and sustained a pretty bad upper body injury and i've heard rumours of a possible concussion. Then he comes back for the U18s and he simply did not look like the same player. He was truly a frustrating player to watch at the tournament. He was reckless with the puck, so many turnovers. I'm not sure he is seeing the ice very well, so many shots blocked, passes intercepted. But he had some dangerous rushes and a few of those shots made it to the net. Poor performance, IMO. Vrana has also been a very mixed bag. I don't think i was impressed by him even once in any viewing of him prior to the 2014 U18s. Didn't impress much in the SHL. Then exploded and surprised me at the U18s. Plays a very mature game, was dynamic off the wing, showed some great speed. Good understanding of the game. A stark contrast to what Pastrnak brought who was wild with his decisions with the puck. Was it just a few good games or is he wildly inconsistent? Its such a small sample size so its tough to tell.

Another reason this might be a continuing trend is the restructuring Gillis did with the scouting staff last year. The scouts are now focusing on WHL/Ontario/USA. Can't say i disagree, the OHL and NCAA are our strengths.

Personally, I feel Ho-Sang has made enough strides throughout the year to dispel some of those concerns. He showed the ability to be coachable and to lead his team when they were without a leader. He has also worked hard to improve his game from what it was last season. As someone who values attitude higher than most, I do find Ho-Sang cocky, but i haven't heard it rubbing teammates the wrong way or any other issues this season. Ho-Sang is cocky in the same way Domi is; in many ways, it feeds into their game and helps them play the way they do. I still think if he is there at 36, i would take him without hesitation. His ability to adapt showed that there is definitely more here and couple that with his skill, which is top 10-15, i think he would be a great pick, although with some risk (same risk as i see in Nylander TBH). He is ranked seemingly between our 2nd and 3rd. Not sure if i'd reach a tiny bit on him for our 2nd. But i'd be ecstatic if he's there at our 3rd.

How can you be so sure though? Boston drafted Khoklachev at #40 and they are actually very similar players, except HoSang is perhaps even more skilled. Koko probably isn't the best or most shining example of success, but it does show that Boston (perhaps Benning) doesn't shy away from these kind of players.