The Owen Sound Attack stunned the favored Mississauga St. Michaels Majors to capture the OHL's Robertson Cup as league champions last week, going the distance with an overtime win in Game 7.
The Attack have some Bruins ties- co-owner Paul MacDermid is B's prospect Lane MacDermid's dad and a former Adams Division rival with the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques.
Assistant coach Terry Virtue was a journeyman AHL defenseman and longtime Worcester IceCat who played for the Bruins in the late 90's and was a member of Providence's 1999 Calder Cup-winning team.
The Attack are keyed offensively by Colorado 2010 first-rounder Joey Hishon, a guy who one NHL scout told B2011DW was tremendous in his interview with them a year ago at the Combine, and then proved his selection with a 37-goal, 87-point season in just 50 games. He's not only skilled, but a heart-and-soul guy who is as much of a winner as you can ask for. Captain Garrett Wilson scored 40 goals to lead the Attack and is an '09 fourth-rounder for Florida.
Overager and undrafted free agent Bobby Mignardi won the Wayne Gretzky99 Trophy as OHL playoff MVP with his 15 goals in the postseason. He has 30 and 32 goals in each of the past two seasons, and should get an NHL deal given his big-game play and solid production in junior. 1991-born center Andrew Shaw also found ways to get it done in the playoffs, scoring 10 goals in 20 games- almost half of his total (22) for the whole season.
On defense, Leafs prospect Jesse Blacker is an effective two-way presence who anchors a solid, yet unheralded blue line corps.
The Attack don't have much in the way of draft eligibles for talent, but goaltender Jordan Binnington, who came into a do-or-die situation in Game 6 is raising his stock in dramatic fashion after flaming out in the first round against London. Forward Andrew Fritsch is another player to watch for the 2011 draft. He scored nearly 30 goals this season after coming over from Niagara at the beginning of the season. Keevin Cutting doesn't get much ink on the blue line, but has some potential as an organizational depth guy.
This is an underrated club who surprised the powerhouse Majors with their resiliency and ability to cheat death several times over. The Memorial Cup is a completely different animal than a best-of-seven series format, so it will be interesting to see what these guys can accomplish.
Owen Sound Attack 2011 Draft Eligibles
Jordan Binnington, G
Born: July 11, 1993 in Richmond Hill, Ontario
6-2, 160 Catches: Left
Nice height and long limbs. Light frame- needs to add weight to better handle traffic and opponents who will crash the net. Strong net presence; is good on his angles and can butterfly effectively. Needs to keep working on his consistency in pad movements; will open the five-hole too long or have his stick off the ice, giving shooters a target to hit. Has an effective glove hand. Blocker is so-so; punches at the puck instead of smoothly deflecting shots out of danger areas in and around his net and crease area. Uneven concentration and focus; tough to beat when dialed in, but gives up back-breaking soft goals at times. His mediocre showing against London destroyed coaches and team's trust in him, and if not for Scott Stajcer's health and Michael Zador's ineffectiveness against Mississauga, would have been the end of his 2011 season. Instead, Binnington became a hero, making 41 saves in a Game 6 home win and then getting the series-clinching victory in Missy. Showed tremendous mental toughness with back up against the wall; even more impressive was that his last action had been in late March. Kept himself sharp, focused and prepared, then when the window of opportunity presented itself, jumped through.
NHL upside: Starter on a lower-tier NHL club; solid backup
Andrew Fritsch, RW
Born March 24, 1993 in Brantford, Ontario
6-0, 187 Shoots: Right
A stealth prospect if ever there was one- this guy tends to get lost in the shuffle with so many big names in the OHL and even on his own Attack squad. That said, 27 goals in 58 games after coming to Owen Sound via trade early (he scored once in two games with Niagara) gives you a glimpse into his potential. We're told that he's a very fluid skater, with a long, smooth stride. He'll get better when he gets stronger. He's got both speed and elusiveness. What makes Fritsch an interesting player is that he's got real good hockey sense in terms of knowing where he needs to go and finding those soft areas in a defense. He's a bit of a ghost in that regard- he'll slide over from his defender just enough to open that lane and then is able to get the puck on net. A lower-body injury forced him out of the first few rounds of the playoffs and he wasn't himself when he returned, but the Memorial Cup could be a nice breakout for him. He's got to work on his strength and conditioning, plus learning the defensive aspects/play in his own end. Good, solid late-second to early-fourth-rounder we're being told.
Upside: Lower-end 2nd-line forward on a good team, Solid 3rd liner with goal-scoring punch
Keevin Cutting, D
Born: September 22, 1992 in Bracebridge, Ontario
6-1, 181 Shoots: Right
Non-flashy, stay-at-home guy with some good skills to move the puck out of trouble and a willingness to sacrifice the body for possession and control. Decent skater with good short-area closing skills and solid gap control. Doesn't have ideal or prototypical size, but understands angling, body leverage and doesn't put himself in position to lose physical battles or get beaten in open ice. Smart, efficient blue liner who simply does his job and you don't notice much because he doesn't make many mistakes. Won't give you much offense, but can hammer the puck pretty well. Played it simple and conservative this season, but also brings an edge and will defend teammates when needed. Character guy that all winning teams have in the defensive grouping. Missed the 2010 NHL draft 15 September 1992 cutoff date by exactly one week.
Upside: Bottom-pairing defender and "glue" guy
Other eligibles: Andrew Shaw, Mike Halmo (1991), Matt Petgrave (1992), Cameron Brace (1993)
*(Not affiliated with the Boston Bruins or the New England Hockey Journal)
Showing posts with label Keevin Cutting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keevin Cutting. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
OHL update: Owen Sound wins Robertson Cup
The Owen Sound Attack beat the odds to defeat the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors in overtime today to take the OHL championship.
It's a tremendous accomplishment for the team from one of the smaller markets in junior hockey, getting an overtime goal from Jarrod Maidens to take a 3-2 OT win in the Hershey Centre (Mississauga) for Game 7.
2011 draft eligible goalie Jordan Binnington, who came into action for Game 6, making 41 saves, may have raised his draft stock considerably after looking dead in the water going into the series. He faltered in the opening round against London and was relegated to third goalie status. However, when Michael Zador couldn't get it done and Scott Stajcer's health didn't permit him to be an option, Owen Sound head coach and OHL coach of the year Mark Reeds made a gutsy call to go with Binnington. The 18-year-old made 25 saves for his fourth win of the OHL postseason. He's got a lot of physical prowess, but uneven performances are what have kept him from rising to the top of the draft class to be in the same conversations with John Gibson. When dialed in, he can be very good, but you're not always sure which Binnington you'll get, and he let the Knights into the first round series with a 2-2 deadlock after four until Zador closed them out. Give him credit for staying sharp, biding his time, and making 66 saves to go 2-0 to clinch the OHL title.
Keevin Cutting is another 2011 draft-eligible player who isn't all that heralded as a September 1992 birthdate who missed the 2010 draft cutoff by exactly a week. A solid skater, smart positional player and able to take the body effectively, Cutting is one of those middle-to-late rounders who has a chance to develop into a potential bottom pairing guy one day. He had two goals and 16 points with 61 penalty minutes during the regular season. He added two goals in 22 playoff games this spring. Nothing spectacular, just solid according to reports from scouts we've talked to.
Andrew Fristch did not play much in the postseason, registering two assists in seven games with the Attack after a 28-goal regular season (27 tallies with the Attack). Fritsch has good hands and scoring instincts, and is a project player for whomever takes him.
Undrafted free agent Robby Mignardi (1990 birthdate) won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as OHL playoff MVP, scoring 15 goals and 24 points in 22 games. He followed up a solid 30-goal, 61-point season for the Attack. You wonder if he'll get any interest now. Guy's a gamer and even though he may not have the NHL-caliber skating and puck skills, you wonder if there's a team who might value his consistency and clutch play as a role player on their lower lines.
Majors defenseman Stuart Percy scored in the loss to finish the postseason with two goals and 12 points in 20 games. He's a solid all-around guy who doesn't have a ton of upside, but plays a smart, safe defensive game. He could be one of those later-developing puck movers with some offensive chops, even if his numbers haven't been much to write home about. One NHL scout really liked him as a guy with offensive upside at the summer evaluation camp for the Eight Nations/Ivan Hlinka, so he's shown some tools at times. It will be interesting to see if he can put it together.
For more on some of the better OHL prospects for the 2011 NHL Draft, Brock Otten has started publishing his annual top-50 list, starting with with 50-30. You can read the first post here. Most are guys you should be familiar with, as the Bruins have had a heavy presence in Ontario over the past few years. There's a good chance we will see more than one Boston pick coming out of the OHL in 2011.
It's a tremendous accomplishment for the team from one of the smaller markets in junior hockey, getting an overtime goal from Jarrod Maidens to take a 3-2 OT win in the Hershey Centre (Mississauga) for Game 7.
2011 draft eligible goalie Jordan Binnington, who came into action for Game 6, making 41 saves, may have raised his draft stock considerably after looking dead in the water going into the series. He faltered in the opening round against London and was relegated to third goalie status. However, when Michael Zador couldn't get it done and Scott Stajcer's health didn't permit him to be an option, Owen Sound head coach and OHL coach of the year Mark Reeds made a gutsy call to go with Binnington. The 18-year-old made 25 saves for his fourth win of the OHL postseason. He's got a lot of physical prowess, but uneven performances are what have kept him from rising to the top of the draft class to be in the same conversations with John Gibson. When dialed in, he can be very good, but you're not always sure which Binnington you'll get, and he let the Knights into the first round series with a 2-2 deadlock after four until Zador closed them out. Give him credit for staying sharp, biding his time, and making 66 saves to go 2-0 to clinch the OHL title.
Keevin Cutting is another 2011 draft-eligible player who isn't all that heralded as a September 1992 birthdate who missed the 2010 draft cutoff by exactly a week. A solid skater, smart positional player and able to take the body effectively, Cutting is one of those middle-to-late rounders who has a chance to develop into a potential bottom pairing guy one day. He had two goals and 16 points with 61 penalty minutes during the regular season. He added two goals in 22 playoff games this spring. Nothing spectacular, just solid according to reports from scouts we've talked to.
Andrew Fristch did not play much in the postseason, registering two assists in seven games with the Attack after a 28-goal regular season (27 tallies with the Attack). Fritsch has good hands and scoring instincts, and is a project player for whomever takes him.
Undrafted free agent Robby Mignardi (1990 birthdate) won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as OHL playoff MVP, scoring 15 goals and 24 points in 22 games. He followed up a solid 30-goal, 61-point season for the Attack. You wonder if he'll get any interest now. Guy's a gamer and even though he may not have the NHL-caliber skating and puck skills, you wonder if there's a team who might value his consistency and clutch play as a role player on their lower lines.
Majors defenseman Stuart Percy scored in the loss to finish the postseason with two goals and 12 points in 20 games. He's a solid all-around guy who doesn't have a ton of upside, but plays a smart, safe defensive game. He could be one of those later-developing puck movers with some offensive chops, even if his numbers haven't been much to write home about. One NHL scout really liked him as a guy with offensive upside at the summer evaluation camp for the Eight Nations/Ivan Hlinka, so he's shown some tools at times. It will be interesting to see if he can put it together.
For more on some of the better OHL prospects for the 2011 NHL Draft, Brock Otten has started publishing his annual top-50 list, starting with with 50-30. You can read the first post here. Most are guys you should be familiar with, as the Bruins have had a heavy presence in Ontario over the past few years. There's a good chance we will see more than one Boston pick coming out of the OHL in 2011.
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