Prospect update: 93s

Published 10:47 am Thursday, March 5, 2009

OK, now for the end-of-midget-season information on Everett’s 15-year-old prospects. I’m not sure there’s the same type of depth in this group as there is among Everett’s 92s. However, there appears a greater chance of a star emerging from this group than from the 16-year-olds. Nevertheless, it may be a couple years before we figure that out because there’s a lot of little guys in this group, and it’s unlikely those guys are going to be physically ready for this league as 16-year-olds.

– Ryan Murray, defenseman, first round 2008. In 41 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors he had 12 goals, 26 assists and 12 penalty minutes. He exploded offensively during the second half of the season and was named the SMAAAHL Player of the Month for January. He’s the crown jewel in Everett’s system, a player unlike anyone the Tips have ever had in that he’s defenseman who can initiate the offense. There’s a good chance he’ll be the only 16-year-old on the team next season.

– Tyler Giebel, center, second round 2008. In 42 games with the Regina Pat Canadians he had seven goals, 16 assists and 10 penalty minutes. The Tips essentially spent second and third rounders to acquire Giebel to be their playmaking center of the future. However, he struggled a bit during training camp (apparently he was sick) and it appears he’s still trying to make his mark at the midget level.

– Josh Winquist, left wing, third round 2008. In 34 games with the St. Albert Raiders he had 16 goals, 24 assists and 24 penalty minutes. It was an excellent season for Winquist, who as a 15-year-old was the leading scorer for a pretty good team. Like Murray and Giebel he’s another smaller guy who has skill.

– Michael Berry, defenseman, fourth round 2008. I haven’t found his stats as the AMHL only lists the leaders and his team, the CAC Canadians, doesn’t have the stats updated. What I do know is he was on the AMHL leaderboard for about half the season, scoring at about a point-per-game clip with as many goals as assists. With his booming slap shot from the point, I’m not surprised he finds the net often from the blue line.

– Kole Harvery, right wing, sixth round 2008. In 40 games with the Southwest Cougars he had 11 goals, eight assists and four penalty minutes. He’s the only forward in this group with any real size. Most of his points came late in the season, so perhaps something clicked.

– Evan Morden, defenseman, seventh round 2008. In 42 games with the Parkland Rangers he had two goals, 14 assists and eight penalty minutes. He’s the biggest d-man from this class. Although his numbers aren’t large, they tied for the most points by a defenseman on his team.

– Ryan Cadieux, goaltender, eighth round 2008. In 19 games with the Maple Leaf Athletic Club he went 0-11-4 with a .875 save percentage. There’s no goals against average listed, but it equals out to about 4.26. His team didn’t win a game this season so it’s hard to determine how well he played, though his numbers are significantly better than the other goalie on the team with whom he split time.

– Matthew Lumsden, right wing, ninth round 2008. In 36 games with the Winnipeg Sharks he had 21 goals, 31 assists and 20 penalty minutes. He played in what is essentially a AA league, where everyone else played in a AAA league, so I don’t know how these numbers translate.

– Manraj Hayer, left wing, listed. In 40 games with the Greater Vancouver Canadians he had 23 goals, 31 assists and 18 penalty minutes. He was the revelation of training camp and he followed that up with an outstanding season. Like Winquist he was the leading scorer of a good team as a 15-year-old. He also may be the lightest player (listed at 141 pounds) in Everett’s system.

– Brett Mulcahy, center, listed. In 40 games for the Okanagan Rockets he had 12 goals, 18 assists and 10 penalty minutes. He’s the one player on this list I haven’t seen play yet. After a pedestrian first half to the season he averaged a point per game during the second half. He’s also another little guy (how many small, skilled forwards does one team need in a single age group?).