Pair of Storm Prospects Among Rookie Leaders
For Guelph Storm prospects Zane Neily and Denver Manderson, the comparisons are inevitable. Both play centre, both were drafted by Guelph in the 5th round of the 2005 OHL Priority Selection and both have been terrific in their rookie seasons in the Midwestern Jr. B league.
While Neily and Manderson both stand only 5-10, the pair have stood tall at every level of hockey. After dominating Minor Midget AAA with 90 points in 66 games, plus 4 points in 3 OHL Cup games, Neily has played well with his hometown Brantford Golden Eagles. Now listed at 5-10 and 175 lbs, Neily has bulked up since being drafted by the Storm and it appears that the added pounds have not slowed him down a bit. With 28 points (13/15) in 31 games, Neily ranks 4th on the Golden Eagles, 29th overall in the league, 4th among rookies and 2nd among 1989 born players in the entire Midwestern Junior B League. Zane’s 13 goals tie him for 19th in the league in that category.
The only 1989 born player with more points than Neily happens to be the Storm’s other 5th round pick – Denver Manderson. After leading the Guelph Jr. Storm Minor Midget AAA’s with 84 points in 50 games, Manderson has graduated to Junior B. Playing for the Guelph Dominators, Manderson has also added some pounds since the OHL Priority Selection. The Fergus, Ontario native is listed at 5-10 and 160 lbs, 15 pounds heavier than his draft day weight. In his rookie season, Manderson’s 31 points (7/24) in 32 games ranks 1st among 1989 born players. Also noteworthy, Manderson ranks 2nd on the Dominators in points, 24th in the league and 3rd among rookies. Most impressively, Denver’s playmaking abilities rank him 8th in the Midwester Junior B League in assists (24).
The two forwards will go head-to-head during the regular season only one more time when the Dominators travel to the Brantford Civic Centre to face the Golden Eagles on Thursday, February 16th. By the end of the regular season, the two young centremen will have squared off 6 times and should know each other well. To date, Manderson has held the individual edge in head-to-head play with 1 goal and 7 assists, compared to 4 assists for Neily. However, Neily and the Golden Hawks lead the season series 3-2 after 5 contests.
The pair will renew rivalries again next September when they battle for a spot on the Storm roster during the 2006 Training Camp.
