Sunday WHL watch: Myles Bell

Regina Pats defender Myles Bell is another one of those intriguing offensive upside-but- defensively shady-type prospects to keep an eye on. You can read more about him in my WHL preseason watch list post from August, but I got this via email from one of my contacts out in Western Canada this evening:

"Bell looks like he's going to score 20+ goals this year, maybe more. He's shooting the puck with authority and jumping into the play/leading the rush at the right time. Defense is still rough, but offensively, I think he's one of the better players coming out of the WHL this year. Will be interesting to see what he's looking like in January."

Bell isn't tall at 6-feet, but is stocky and has a strong lower body. You can see how strong he is on his skates when he fights and there are videos out there on YouTube available. And, he's a right shot, which is also appealing, especially if he can boost his offensive numbers from the 4 goals and 18 points he got last season. Right-shooting offensive 'D' are rarer commodities than their left-shot counterparts, so in Bell's case as our friends north of the border would say, "Bonus, eh?!"

Bell has two goals and three points in two games for the Pats this season. He tallied the lone Regina goal in their 3-1 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings today.

Here's a look at his first WHL goal last season, also scored incidentally, against the Wheaties: