With the 2016-17 Bantam hockey season under way, head Bantam scout Brayden Sullivan (Follow on Twitter @SullyDraftGeek) continues his series on DubNetwork. With the help of DraftGeek scouts, every month several draft reports will be posted on highly touted players in the WHL bantam draft. This will give fans a way to get a decent understanding of local players before they become mainstream, as well as a gateway for players and parents to understand what they do right and what they can work on. Also, bantam draft rankings will be out soon. This month’s reports highlight players in the AMBHL, CSSHL, and SBAAHL.
AMBHL (By Brayden Sully : @SullyDraftGeek)
Ethan Rowland – Calgary Northstars
One of the most dynamic players I have gotten to see in this year’s draft, Rowland has been a dominant force for the Northstars early in the years. A player who attacks the zone with speed and enjoys carrying the puck end to end with speed, Rowland plays an up tempo game. He’s relentless on the forecheck and uses his quick hands and foot speed to create space for himself. A player who’s relentless on the forecheck and uses his speed to get to the puck first, he’s constantly setting up his teams and creating opportunities around the net. A highly skilled player, I was impressed by his excellent play making abilities and his ability to read where the puck is going to be. Rowland is definitely a player to watch going forward this year.
Brett Hyland – CAC Lehigh Cement
The only ’03 on this AMBHL list, Brett Hyland is currently the leading scorer on the CAC bantam AAA team. A two way forward who plays a smart 200-ft game with a lot of promise offensively. The thing that caught my eye with Hyland was how defensively aware he was in his own zone and how well he supports his defenders. He has a great hockey sense and reads plays extremely well. Offensively he is highly skilled and has a solid offensive tool set. He uses his quick hands in tight to elude defenders and create space for himself. A real reliable player with the puck entering the offensive zone, when he does loose it he is a workhorse to get the puck back. Brett isn’t eligible for this year’s WHL bantam draft but has put himself into a top 15 player in his draft class.
Alex Thacker – Fort Saskatchewan Rangers
This season Alex has chosen to play for a top Western Canada team in Fort Saskatchewan, he is not only leading the team in scoring but is also the captain of the squad. A smaller player with outstanding play making abilities, Thacker has been one half of the dominant duo (With Noah Boyko) who have put on a tear through the AMBHL North. Thacker reads the ice well and has a pass first mentality. A complete player, Thacker has solid defensive coverage in his own zone and does a good job recognizing the defensive aspects of the game. Offensively he does a lot of things right, he has an accurate shot and a solid stride when moving up ice. The part of his game that stuck out to me was his puck distribution, he has good vision and does a great job moving the puck across to the open man. While it is early, Thacker is looking like a player a lot of team will be interested come d-day.
Ryley Morgan – St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres
Coming into his second season with St. Albert bantam AAA, Morgan is off to an impressive start on the AMBHL’s top team. An outstanding skater, Ryley is heavily elusive through the neutral zone with the puck and does a great job maintaining speed entering the zone. A real smart and up tempo player, Morgan is at times the most dominant player on the ice. Defensively I would like to see him be more supportive as a center for his defenders, but he does a good job being aware and covering his man. Offensively he uses his speed to put defenders on their toes and consistently beats them wide/down the middle. He possesses quick hands and uses them well when attacking down the wings. Going forward Morgan should continue to produce at an outstanding rate and has started to solidify himself as a top AMBHL player in this year’s draft.
Ronan Seeley – Red Deer Rebels
The captain of the Red Deer Rebels bantam AAA team, Ronan is a player who plays big minutes in all areas of the game for his squad. A mobile two-way defender who is always looking up ice with the puck. He excels in defensive one on one situations where he reads the forward coming down well and suffocates them to the wall. His awareness and coverage in front of the net is extremely good and he rarely gets caught allowing opportunities in front. All in all, he has a pretty well rounded defensive game with an alright puck moving game offensively. Going forward I’d like to see him work on his shot from the puck and getting it on net more often. Seeley is a player to watch going forward and has been arguably the most impressive player on his Red Deer squad.
Logan Dowhaniuk – Camrose Red Wings
Arguably a top defender in the AMBHL, Dowhaniuk is a complete defender and often makes the game look too easy for him. The thing that stuck out for me with Dowhaniuk was how he was constantly on the body and was rarely beat one on one by forward. He makes very good decisions with the puck and does an excellent job finding lanes to make a first pass. He has a heavy shot and accurate shot from the point that at times he doesn’t use to its full extent. In his own zone he has outstanding awareness and uses his stick well to break up passing lanes. He also does a good job jumping up in the rush at times and making himself a passing option for his forward. In one of the games I got to see Logan he was used as the primary option in a must score situation and put up not one, but two goals in 17 seconds with two deadly shots from the point. Going forward I would like to see him utilize his shot more and try to change the pace of play to where his is most comfortable.
SBAAHL (By Chris Penner : @SaskScoutCP)
Reid Jacobson – Swift Current Broncos
Jacobson is showing early off that he can play consistently in the bantam AA level in dominant fashion. He plays very smart and doesn’t let many turnovers occur. His offensive awareness works well with his passing skill to be able to set up his teammates for insane opportunities, which came up twice tonight on two of Bronco teammate Riley Dekowny’s goals. He has great creativity with his plays, sees the entire ice surface very well, makes hits when needed, and has a very large, strong stride to help him do all this making him a very dominant player at the AA level. There are a few things he could work on however. The first main thing that was noticed is he almost seems a little lazy when he doesn’t have the puck and needs to do more fore and back checking. He also gets frustrated quite easily, and as a result caused a few unnecessary penalties in crucial moments. Overall however, he’s a very talented playmaker who can do many unpredictable things in strong fashion.
Mac Gross – Swift Current Broncos
Gross has proved early off this season that he can lead a young group of defenders to being very successful defensively. He plays large amounts of minutes, including on the power play and penalty kill, and he is also an assistant captain for the team this season. He shows significant skill with the puck making some pro- like passes, and making sure to keep his own end on lock down to give his team the best opportunity to win. He’s a strong skater with good vision which only helps his game excel even more. He also displayed a bomb of a shot for his age group. His skating could use some work, as he does seem to occasionally trip up while back skating, and his breakout passes could use some more thought. Overall, he’s a solid defender leading a young Bronco team, with lots of untouched potential.
CSSHL (By Jeff McCarthy : @JeffMcCarthy)
Ethan Ernst – Notre Dame Bantam Prep
Powerful skater who can control the play, reads the play well and creates space. Playing big minutes, Ernst has great hands and an understanding of the game, although a bit of a puck hog on some occasions, you can tell he wants to be a game breaker and help win games. Relies mostly on his offensive abilities as he can lack the pressure when the puck isn’t on his stick. Currently sitting at over a point-per-game pace, Ernst could be a high end forward if plays a simple game and uses his teammates.
Justin Sourdif – Delta Bantam Prep
On the edge, Sourdif displays great qualities to become a premier power forward at the junior level. High intensity is prevalent, along with a high end skill set. Seeing the ice well, Sourdif uses his frame and tenacity to enter the offensive zone with force, head always up trying to find the open man or cut into the middle to create a scoring opportunity for his line-mates, has good edge work and quick feet, can be a bit undisciplined. Sitting 3rd in CSSHL scoring with 24 points in 11 games played, Sourdif is a looking like the making of a top pick in the WHL bantam draft.
Owen Pederson – OHA Edmonton Bantam Prep
A lengthy forward who showcases some decent puck handling abilities. Pederson has long legs and uses them well to get out of pressured situations. A shifty player who’s good on his edges, Pederson can work on his foot speed in order to get to that next level. Pederson is a big presence on this ice who plays hard on the puck and consistently creates scoring opportunities. For a bigger kid he isn’t overly physical but does a good job winning one on one battles. Pederson reads the ice extremely well and does an excellent job cutting off the wall to create turnovers. Currently sitting 3rd on his team in scoring, Pederson is a highly touted talent at this year’s WHL bantam draft.
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