Kubota CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game – Meet Team White

 

Led by head coach Jamie McLennan, Team White for the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is headlined by Moose Jaw Warriors budding blue-liner Denton Mateychuk, an expected early selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. Here is a closer look at the full lineup:

Forwards

#92 | C | Owen Beck | Mississauga Steelheads

19th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Powerful skater that plays a highly effective two-way game … smart, versatile, and utilized in all key situations … has the ability and vision to create off the rush and the balance and strength on skates to operate and make plays in traffic … handles and controls the puck well in all situations with poise and patience when required … heavy shot that he can get off in top gear as well as in tight under pressure … excellent play without the puck with strict attention to detail … effective back-tracking and quickly sorts out defensive responsibilities … wins 50/50 battles with consistency … big asset on special teams … does a multitude of the little, often underappreciated parts of the game very well and with consistency.

#11 | C | Jagger Firkus | Moose Jaw Warriors

33rd ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Possesses a quick release and catches defenders off guard shooting on the fly … displays very good vision and soft hands … can be deceptive with his speed to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates … plays a 200-foot game and is a threat on the power play … hard on pucks in all three zones with his tenacious forechecking … can be a set-up man or a scoring threat … uses the half wall to be effective …creates his own time and space.

#91 | C | Nathan Gaucher | Quebec Remparts

16th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Good size centre who brings a solid two-way game … skilled player with good skating ability who can process the game well … good puck skill and vision … carries the puck well and dishes it out to open teammates … unselfish game … good compete level and brings a physical element … will finish every check possible … responsible/mature game with and without the puck … good mix of playmaking and scoring ability … good habits in his game that are transferable to the pro game … great at bringing pucks to the net using his size and physical strength … power move capability … solid all-around prospect.

#89 | RW | Ruslan Gazizov | London Knights

62nd ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Solid skater and a confident and skilled puck handler … excellent agility, lateral movement, and body control with the puck on his stick … does a good job protecting it and making nifty reads through traffic … good balance and strength on his skates and is difficult to contain in the offensive zone … short-area quickness to create space, crafty and elusive with the puck on his stick … can make difficult and creative reads in traffic and off the rush … good poise and patience with the ability to slow down the game and get the puck to teammates in scoring positions … heavy shot with a quick release, has the abilities to change angles and create his own opportunities.

#28 | C | Conor Geekie | Winnipeg ICE

4th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: A strong skater who plays with confidence … once in motion after a few steps, displays deceptive speed … hard to contain in all facets of the game … very shifty in tight quarters … excellent vision and playmaking abilities along with puck management … does not panic when pressured … can speed up or slow down a game … can play any style when need be … hard to contain with his high compete level … very poised in most situations.

#9 | C | Jake Karabela | Guelph Storm

61st ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Strong skater with the quickness to create separation and the dexterity to be elusive and dangerous in tight … versatile and deployed in all situations … effective on both special team units … handles and distributes the puck well … good creativity and vison … makes quick reads in tight spaces and difficult ones off the rush … good anticipation without the puck, jumps in lanes and creates steals and turnovers … strong penalty killer that generates short-handed opportunities … quickly jumps on loose offensive pucks and moves them to teammates in good spots.

#19 | C | Paul Ludwinski | Kingston Frontenacs

29th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: High-end skater that quickly creates separation with the puck … quick and agile with the ability to cut on a dime and rapidly shift directions … creates his own shots and opens options and space for teammates … demonstrates the ability beat defenders 1-on-1 with both nifty dangles under pressure and with speed off the rush … has the top gear to back off and challenge wide … slippery and difficult to contain in the offensive zone … handles the puck well in traffic and moving with pace … high motor player that plays a fearless style … plays physical and delivers big, clean hits … goes hard into contact areas and crashes the net … willing to pay the price … versatile player that can be used in all situations.

#18 | C | Bryce McConnell-Barker | Soo Greyhounds

28th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Plays a competitive and intelligent two-way game … powerful skater with the strength to protect the puck and fight through contact … has the speed to challenge wide with a strong and accurate shot off the rush … good use of stops, starts and quick cuts to create space while also maintaining puck control … goes hard to the net with and without the puck … good hands and body positioning in tight … can hold off defenders and make plays in traffic … reads play well without the puck, tracks and pressures it effectivity in all areas … plays physical and finishes hits … relentless forecheck to create turnovers and rushed plays … backtracks and defensive zone break-ups to negate chances against … smart defending angles … well rounded and can be used in all situations.

#23 | RW | Vinzenz Rohrer | Ottawa 67’s

46th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Impressive skater with great agility and edge work … has the quickness to create separation … confident and efficient puck carrier … consistently puts himself into scoring areas … good shot with one-timing ability … smart and creative puck movement in offensive zone play and off the rush … plays bigger than size … goes hard into battle areas … plays physical, finishes hits with purpose, and is willing to take hits to make plays … good anticipation without the puck … creates turnovers and quickly turns them into opportunities the other way … consistently provides energy and effort at both ends of the ice.

#24 | C | Matyas Sapovaliv | Saginaw Spirit

13th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Impressive combination of size, skating, and puck skills … fluid movement and body control in all directions … deceptive top-end speed … has a quick burst to create separation with the puck … excellent hands and puck control … ability to dice through traffic and make plays … uses his big frame and long reach to protect the puck and make plays through contact … demonstrates vison and creativity both moving with speed and in offensive zone traffic … makes difficult reads under pressure … plays a strong and impactful two-way game … equally effective on both special team units and can be inserted into any situation and perform.

#42 | LW | Reid Schaefer | Seattle Thunderbirds

85th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Big body type of winger that can play a power forward game … much improved this year and is playing with a great deal of confidence … showing that he can score in this league … plays in all key situations and is a player the coaches trust … can play both wings effectively … good playmaker that shows vision and a good touch.

#43 | LW | Antonin Verreault | Gatineau Olympiques

89th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Undersized player with good offensive instincts … very good puck skill and ability to find the open space for scoring opportunities … good skater that uses his quickness to generate offense … good mix of passing skill and scoring ability … smart and patient with the puck in the offensive zone … sees the ice well and is a very good player below the dots offensively … can be shifty and creative with the puck in the offensive zone.

Defence

#26 | D | Mats Lindgren | Kamloops Blazers

30th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Very good offensive defenceman … elite skating and puck handling skill … very elusive with the puck in all zones under pressure … the type of player that can exit the defensive zone with his feet or a pass … plays the top of the umbrella on one of the top power plays in the WHL and drives a lot of the offense for his team … very good passer with vision and creativity … good defender that uses his mobility and a good stick to take away time and space.

#8 | D | Tristan Luneau | Gatineau Olympiques

10th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Skilled, mobile defenceman with elite hockey sense … moves the puck with precision and authority … good vision, processes the game well, and shows elusiveness with the puck … smart puck game finding open options on zone exits … defends very well, takes time and space away from opponents with good angling skill and is quick to transition plays … can generate offense from the back end with smart activations … plays all game situations for Gatineau.

#5 | D | Denton Mateychuk | Moose Jaw Warriors

9th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Very strong skater who displays speed and agility along with quick feet … can find another gear when need be … a force from the back end … will often lead or join the rush for scoring opportunities … creates these chances with his ability to anticipate the play … has a quick transition game … likes to jump up in all areas and make a big hit … a very versatile player … solid on his skates … excellent balance … confident in his play … excellent balance … used in all situations.

#10 | D | Pavel Mintyukov | Saginaw Spirit

5th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: A strong skater and a confident puck carrier … can carry it up ice and out of defensive zone pressure, beating defenders with regularity … quickness to create space and top gear to pull away and/or back off defenders … puck control and high-end dangles to beat defenders 1-on-1 … difficult and creative puck distribution in all zones … active and always looking to push the pace, jumps into and often leads the attack … excellent movement and puck control along the offensive blue line … pinches down and makes plays in the offensive zone … excellent shot (all types) with a heavy one-timer … plays physical and is strong on his skates, steps up and delivers heavy and well-timed hits … separates man from puck … strength to win battles.

#27 | D | Owen Pickering | Swift Current Broncos

21st ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: A very good skater with skill and speed … uses his acceleration to provide offense through the middle of the ice … displays a calm demeanor when defending … quick feet to elude forecheckers … not overly physical but uses his stick and smarts when defending and will finish checks without putting himself out of position … picks his spots when playing at a high tempo … good stick-handling skill with quick hands … has developed into an offense threat during this season … has not reached his potential yet … drives the net well for a defenceman.

#6 | D | Noah Warren | Gatineau Olympiques

49th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Good size defenceman with impressive skating skill … smooth stride generating speed … good agility and mobility shown for a player of his size … physical presence … tough to play against … good defensive structure in his game … smart positioning and understanding of team systems … uses his stick reach to his advantage … good offensive blue line work … finds the shooting lanes and has a good shot from the point … effective two-way game.

Goaltenders

#30 | G | Mason Beaupit | Spokane Chiefs

7th ranked North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Huge presence in the net … when positioned properly, he does not leave many holes for shooters … he gets his body in front of shots … plays big even when in butterfly … very good butterfly coverage, sealing the ice and five hole … tough to beat in tight situations … decent overall quickness … does a good job of absorbing shots off the ice into his body … smart reads on pass across and one-time attempts … good strength in the crease (when players cut to the net and when players jam at the puck in the crease area) … has been durable and consistent this season … a lot to work with for a future pro career.

#31 | G | Tyler Brennan | Prince George Cougars

1st ranked North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterms

NHL Central Scouting: Very good pro size goalie … very calm and relaxed approach (very composed in the net) … smart reading pass across one-time plays … good lateral quickness … capable of making the big timely saves … very good butterfly (seals the ice and five hole quickly) … strong legs for lateral play … quick reactions and quick back to his feet … structure in his game is very sound … good feet and well balanced in stance and when moving throughout the crease … efficient post to post play … good overall quickness and athleticism … gets back to stop dump-ins well and moves the puck properly from behind his net area … very good pro potential.