2004 Prospects: Four top prospects square off in Kitchener

On Sunday, February 15^th four of the best prospects in the OHL for the 2004 NHL draft competed on the same ice in a game featuring the London Knights and the Kitchener Rangers. It was a game that was heavily scouted and had a playoff atmosphere as these teams could possibly see each other in the second round of the OHL playoffs. The Rangers are the defending OHL and Memorial Cup champions and they gave London a taste of what they will have to contend with if they want to make the same claim.

London has a pair of elite forwards who have vastly different styles of play but are both probable first round picks. Rob Schremp joined the Knights after a trade early in the season with the Mississauga IceDogs. Schremp had been the first pick overall in the 2002 OHL draft and showed why as he racked up 74 points in 65 games as a rookie and won the OHL rookie of the year award.

Schremp surprised a few people when he asked for a trade from the IceDogs, who have turned the corner as an organization after spending several years as the laughing stocks of the OHL. Why he did it will be a question he will be asked during interviews with NHL teams. Will the move enhance his draft status is a question that will not be answered until the draft.

The Knights have a high scoring team but Schremp is on pace to basically match last season’s numbers. His ice time is down a few minutes with the deep Knights and he doesn’t kill penalties. The Knights generally tweak their line combinations game in and game out and Schremp has not found anyone on the team that he has a real chemistry with. The New York native has brought a lot of flash and swagger to the team as he has the confidence of a Jeremy Roenick and most nights he shows he has the talent to go with it.

Schremp is a center who stands 6’0” and weighs 180 pounds. His speed is just average but he can carry the puck at full speed and stickhandle through traffic with the best of them. One rare trait he has is the ability to change speeds while carrying the puck, which makes it tough for defensemen to get a bead on him. He has a quick first step, which allows him to explode out of the corner when the Knights are cycling the puck and it makes him very dangerous on the power play where he has scored 14 goals this year.

When it comes to handling the puck he is among the best of his draft class. He is an excellent passer and is very good at curling with the puck away from the net and finding an open teammate with an accurate pass. He prefers to stay on his forehand and likes to spend most of his time in the offensive zone on the right hand side of the ice which keeps him on his forehand and gives him a number of options with the puck. He has a wicked wrist shot and is very good at picking corners or going top shelf with the puck.

Schremp will have to work hard on his strength and fitness. The Knights have a full time fitness coach who has paid huge dividends in the play of several of the Knights. A summer of working out on his program will make Schremp that much more dangerous next season. Like most scorers in the OHL he will need to work on his defensive zone coverage when he moves onto the professional ranks. He doesn’t enjoy the dump and chase game, as he loves to handle the puck. How he performs in the playoffs when open ice is a rarity might effect his draft position. But for every question or flaw that can be found in Schremp there is that very impressive upside and those quick hands to answer back. He has the ability to be a first line center in the NHL.

Dave Bolland is enjoying an excellent second season with the Knights. Their first round pick from the 2002 draft saw limited ice time in his rookie season, getting only four or five shifts a game more often than not. Bolland came back this season much stronger and several pounds heavier and got off to a great start and he has not looked back. After tallying only 17 points as a rookie, Bolland has 34 goals and 24 assists in 55 games this year. He plays some center and some left wing and is usually used in a checking role. Despite his 14 powerplay goals he is not even on the first unit. He is a key member of the penalty-killing unit and has been a big factor in the team having the best penalty-killing record this season and is a threat to score short handed.

Bolland stands at 6’0” and weighs 175 pounds. Concerns over his size may hurt his chances of going high in the draft, but his skills and spirited play should keep him in the first round. Some teams may see Bolland more as a checker and agitator than a scorer or power forward type at the professional level and that may lead to a diverse book on where he should be selected in the draft. Bolland, from Mimico, Ontario, plays a very gritty game and loves to hit and isn’t afraid to use his stick to give opponents the odd chop. Unlike several of his teammates he understands the difference between aggressive penalties and stupid penalties and has spent only 56 minutes in the box, six of which were against Kitchener on Sunday in the very chippy affair. Bolland has no fear of taking the puck to the net and will stand in front and take a beating if asked to. He has above average speed and is capable of beating opponents to the outside. He has a very heavy shot and when he has a full head of speed is capable of overpowering a goalie with it. He tends to go down the left side with the puck, which as a right shot gives him a lot of options. Bolland tied the game at three on Sunday by beating the goalie between the legs on a shot down the left wing from about fifty feet out. Bolland has a lot of hockey sense and tends to be in the right spot a lot of the time. His style is reminiscent of Kevin Dineen or Mike Peca.

Like Schremp, Bolland will be watched very closely in the playoffs by scouts and opposing teams. A strong playoff performance and a deep run into the playoffs should cement his first round status. Scouts will want to see how much he fills out over the next few years. He could learn a few lessons from Schremp on how to change speeds when carrying the puck, which would make him even more dangerous. His handling of the puck is average and that is an area that he could improve on especially at high speeds and in traffic.

Evan McGrath is a 6’1”, 175-pound center who is developing quite nicely into a possible first round NHL pick. McGrath was the Kitchener Rangers first round pick in the 2002 OHL draft. He had a good rookie season on a strong Rangers team and had 47 points in 64 games. He centered the third or fourth line for most of the year but did get some action on left wing on the first line and when team captain Derek Roy was at the Buffalo Sabres camp or at the World Junior tournament, he saw a lot of ice time on the second line and on the power play and didn’t look out of place. He scored six goals in helping Kitchener win the OHL playoff title and had two goals in the Memorial Cup final showing his quick release of his shot on one highlight reel goal.

The native of Oakville, Ontario plays a well-rounded, smart game. He is more of a playmaker than scorer and handles the puck with a lot of confidence. He is strong on faceoffs and won several key ones against London on Sunday. McGrath is not overly physical but he will finish his checks and will definitely take a hit to make a play. He has made modest improvement in his scoring statistics as he has 15 goals and 34 assists this year in 56 games on the Rangers second line.

McGrath needs to get physically stronger and will fill out more over time. Could be a bit more selfish with the puck and take a few more shots rather than look for the perfect pass. Can be inconsistent at times, some nights he is one of the best players on the ice, others he seems to blend in. Tends to play his best when challenged, has to get that mentality on a daily basis. He could fill the role as a second line or third line center in the NHL.

Boris Valabik is a mountain of a man standing at 6’6” and 206 pounds and he just turned 18 on Saturday. The Slovakian defenseman could fill out to be one of the biggest players in the NHL if he continues to improve. Valabik has been a great addition for the Rangers and helped fill some huge holes on their defense corps due to graduation. Valabik plays a very physical game and is probably the meanest, toughest European to ever come over to the OHL.

Valabik has modest skills with the puck, he tends to keep things very simple as he knows his role is to defend in his own zone. Valabik has 12 points this season and a whopping 232 penalty minutes. With his wing span, he can generate quite a shot and that is an area that he will have to work on as far as getting in the position to use it more often and getting it away quickly and on net. Valabik makes opposing forwards pay a price when they stand in front of his net. He is hard to beat to the outside due to his respectable skating and long reach. Valabik played his usual physical game on Sunday against the Knights but surprisingly turned down a challenge to fight Brandon Prust. When on the ice against the Knights top scorer Corey Perry (Anaheim first round pick in 2003) he gave Perry very little room to skate with the puck and gave him several shots during and after the play.

Scouts will want to see Valabik to get even stronger and probably project him to play at over 230 pounds when he makes the NHL. He can spend some time on his basic puck skills, right now he is just asked to make the simple plays but it wouldn’t hurt for him to improve those areas. His skating could be improved. He could try to move up on the play more and use his shot more. Valabik should be a first round pick who can be projected to be a top four defenseman who will be used in a defensive role.