Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.roughridershockey.com
- Name: Phil Axtell
- Position: LW
- Shoots: Left
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 230 lbs
- Birthdate: 1986-08-13
- Eligible for Draft: 2004
- Drafted:
- Hometown: New Windsor, Maryland
- Acquired: Eligible for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft
- Playing In: Junior
Phil Axtell
Profile Contributed By: Kevin Wey
History
2002-03: A native of the Washington D.C. area and a product of the Washington Little Capitals organization, Axtell started the season by playing for Team Southeastern at the Select 16 Festival. Axtell then moved to relatives near Marquette, Mich., to play for the Marquette Electricians of the Midwest Elite Hockey League. In 59 games of Midget AAA hockey with Marquette, Axtell scored 14 goals and 26 assists, fourth in Electricians scoring. Axtell was named Marquette’s Most Improved Player.
2003-04: Team Southeastern called on Axtell to play at the Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud and he finished fifth in festival scoring with 5 goals and 1 assist in 6 games. Axtell returned to the Electricians and scored 25 goals and 39 assists in 66 games, placing him fourth in Marquette scoring again.
2004-05: Axtell came to Cedar Rapids Roughriders tryouts in late May and cracked the team after impressing. A couple practices into training camp, Axtell injured his knee. While Axtell was rehabbing his knee, Roughriders head coach put Axtell on a strict diet and conditioning regimen. Knee injuries limited Axtell to 26 games and caused him to miss the 2005 USHL Prospects/All-Star Game. He scored 6 goals and 5 assists and also racked up 57 penalty minutes. Axtell scored 2 goals in 11 games in Cedar Rapids’ drive to the Clark Cup.
2005-06: Undrafted in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Axtell returned to Cedar Rapids and established himself as a premier power forward by scoring 22 goals and 15 assists in 47 games. Axtell was second in USHL power play goals with 14 and also second in USHL penalty minutes with 192. In February Axtell played in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and won the Hardest Shot Competition with a 98 mile-per-hour blast. He finished tied for second in Cedar Rapids playoff scoring with 4 goals and 3 assists in 8 games. Axtell maintained his aggressive physical play by racking up 31 penalty minutes. His experience in northern Michigan also convinced Axtell to play college hockey for Michigan Tech in the WCHA starting in 2006-07.
Read HF's interview with Phil Axtell.
Talent Analysis
Axtell is the definition of power forward. He’s lost 35 pounds since arriving in Cedar Rapids, and he’s better for it. His feet are quicker and he now has the endurance to skate hard an entire shift. Axtell has decent power in his stride, but he has even more power in his shot. His slap shot could put him in contention for the NHL Hardest Shot Competition, but his wrist shot and snap shot are also extremely powerful. Axtell also has soft hands to score around the net and finish chances off the rebounds he creates from screening the goaltender. Defensively, Axtell is a feared hitter and feared even more as a fighter. Axtell’s reach, strength, and toughness make him difficult to defeat when the gloves are dropped.
Future
Axtell is nearly as big as hockey player get, but he also is a decent skater with good speed and has soft enough hands to make plays around the net. His shot power makes him extremely dangerous and he’s very effective on the power play as the big man in front of net screening the goalie, deflect the puck, and creating havoc in the crease. His skating and size also makes him a strong checker along the boards. Axtell has the combination of fighting prowess and skill to succeed in the new NHL. He’ll also be focusing on skill while playing college hockey at Michigan Tech, where he be ejected and disqualified from games for fighting.
Stats
| Phil Axtell - LW | ||||||||||||
| Seas | Team | Leag. | GP |
G |
A |
TP |
+/- |
PIM |
PG |
SG |
GW |
SH |
| 02-03 | Marquette | Mid. AAA | 59 |
14 |
26 |
40 |
- |
61 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
| 03-04 | Southeastern | Select 17 | 6 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
- |
14 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
- |
| 03-04 | Marquette | Mid. AAA | 66 |
25 |
39 |
64 |
- |
213 |
9 |
1 |
7 |
- |
| 04-05 | Cedar Rapids | USHL | 26 |
6 |
5 |
11 |
+7 |
58 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
| 04-05* | Cedar Rapids | USHL | 11 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
+4 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
| 05-06 | Cedar Rapids | USHL | 47 |
22 |
15 |
37 |
+6 |
192 |
14 |
0 |
2 |
123 |
| 05-06* | Cedar Rapids | USHL | 8 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
-3 |
31 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
| 06-07 | Michigan Tech | NCAA | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Profile Last Updated: July, 28th 2006
HF Quick Navigation
