OHL Prospect Report: London Knights vs. Barrie Colts

Photo courtesy of the London Free Press

By Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell)

I haven’t done a prospect report on an OHL game for quite some time, and as the lead OHL writer here at TheHockeyGuys I feel that they are necessary, at least occasionally, so you all can keep up with top 2012 draft eligible players and already drafted NHL prospects in the OHL. With that said, I took in the London Knights / Barrie Colts game tonight which showcased some of the best draft eligible and already drafted prospects in the world. The London Knights managed to hang on for a 3-2 win in a very close game.

Here are some notes on some of the most notable players from both teams.

Barrie Colts

Notable scratches: Gregg Sutch – BUF (concussion), Ivan Telegin – WPG (upper-body injury)

C – Mark Scheifele (0G, 1A), WPG – He wasn’t as dominant offensively as he usually is, but he was still pretty good.  For the most part he made good reads with the puck. Scheifele created a few chances for his teammates and himself and was very good on the penalty kill. Scheifele finished the game with an apple and an even plus/minus rating.

LW – Tanner Pearson (0G, 0A), 2012 – Pearson showed occasional flashes of the player he was before he left for the World Juniors in the first period, but looked a little drained. He picked it up offensively in the second and third and was solid defensively throughout the game, but he wasn’t quite as good as usual and did not get on the score sheet; which certainly is out of the ordinary for the OHL’s leading point getter. I expect his game will pick up over the next few games as he re-adepts himself to OHL play.

LW – Anthony Camara (1G, 0A), Bruins – In my opinion Camara played a fantastic game vs London and his best as a Colt since being acquired from the Saginaw Spirit. He was extremely physical, and it seemed as though he hit everything that moved. He was very dominant down low and along the boards. Oh, and he scored too.

D – Reid McNeill (0G, 0A), Penguins – McNeill was steady on the Colts blue line as per usual. He was physical, and very good in his own zone. McNeill, once again, seemed to be making the correct reads with and without the puck all night long.

London Knights

Notable scratches: Jared Knight – BOS, N/A, Olli Maatta – 12 (concussion), Scott Harrington – PIT (upper-body injury)

C – Greg McKegg (1G, 1A), TOR – This was the first time I’ve seen McKegg all season, and he left a very good impression on me. He displayed good vision, hockey sense and speed. He basically took the game over for the Knights in the second period when they looked flat by scoring a breakaway goal and tallying an apple. He certainly showed me why the London Knights just paid quite a big price to acquire him.

C – Vladimir Namestnikov (0G, 2A), TB – I also really liked what I saw from Namestnikov. He has a ton of skill and he definitely knows how to use it. He’s fast, he sees the ice well, knows where to be and when and played a solid two-way game. I know he didn’t have a great camp but after seeing him tonight I can’t believe he didn’t make Team Russia.

LW – Andreas Athanasiou (0G, 0), 2012 – I was really looking forward to watching him and he let me down. He didn’t really create anything offensively, and just floated around almost every shift. Occasionally he showed flashes of his talent level and why he’s so highly sought of but I didn’t see it near enough to be impressed. He needs to work on his consistency and put more effort into making a difference. It’s his draft year, and he’s not doing himself any favors by slacking off.

RW – Seth Griffith (1G, 1A), 2012 – I loved what I saw from Griffith tonight. He did a fantastic job of agitating Colts players (like Scheifele) and getting them off their game. He was also good in his own zone, and chipped in big time offensively with a geno and an apple. Impressive showing.

D – Jarred Tinordi (0G, 0A), MTL – What can I say about Tinordi? He is a stud on the back end. He uses his size so well and his positioning is fantastic. He’s physical, he’s mean, he’s tough and he doesn’t give you an inch. He did a fantastic job at shutting down Scheifele as he held him to just one assist on a powerplay goal in the first period. I was extremely impressed with Tinordi.

Hopefully you all took some valuable information away from this report. I hope to do these much more frequently than I have as of late.

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