Authority Athletics discussed yesterday the key prospects who were on display in the Regina Pats vs. Tri City Americans contest. The Americans were victorious 5-3 in a high paced and physical game. Here are my key takeaways from each of the prospects:
Tanner Howe: You can see the talent when you watch Howe play. I was very impressed with his backchecking. One instance in particular Howe was able to backcheck on an Americans defender trying to breakout of the zone, steal the puck, and create an odd man rush the other way. Howe also made a strong offensive move to the front of the net; he was able to lower his shoulder, gain position on the defender and create a quality scoring chance for the Pats. Now for the negative; Howe took an undiscipline boarding penalty in the offensive zone early in the game. The back of the Americans defender was clearly visible but that didn’t stop Howe from crushing him into the boards. Don’t get me wrong, I like the aggressiveness but that’s a penalty you can’t take. Grade: C+.
Lukas Dragicevic: Dragicevic ended the night with an assist in the Americans win. He definitely passed the eye test as an offensive defenseman. Dragicevic excelled all night with breakouts and was able to walk the blue line with ease when the Americans were on the man advantage. Dragicevic dangled around defenders in the offensive zone. On one occasion, Dragicevic made two full laps around the offensive zone looking for a scoring opportunity or pass. As mentioned yesterday, I tried to pay close attention to Dragicevic in the defensive zone. He definitely needs to improve his play in front of the net. There were several instances where Dragicevic was out bodied while battling in front of the goalie. Grade: B.
By the way, I was able to pick up a Dragicevic autograph puck for $10. Can’t beat that!
Deagen McMillan: The thing that stood out about McMillan is his steadiness on his skates. I saw a minimum of three occasions where a Pats defender tried to body McMillan off the puck. On two of these occasions, the Pats defender fell to the ground after the hit with McMillan able to bounce off the hit and continue the offensive attack. The rest of McMillan’s night was pretty uneventful with a couple shots on net. Grade: C.
I was also able to pick up a McMillan autograph puck. Can’t pass up an autographed puck of a potential NHL draft pick for only $10.
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