Prior to the beginning of the 2010 World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, International Scouting Services selected five players from each of the six competing teams that it believes are 'WJAC Players to Watch'. Each team's list appears below with scout's comments on each player:
CANADA EAST
Maxime Dumond: high-energy player … competes every shift … loves to play physical … good offensive abilities … plays a good, honest two-way game … can play power play or penalty kill … good skater … hard to knock off the puck … solid on his feet.
Zach Hyman: elite level forward … major offensive threat … powerful along the boards … dangerous in front of the net … accelerates quickly … drives hard to the net … tenacious on the puck … tremendous leader … can dominate … 2010 NHL selection of Florida (123rd).
Matthew Peca: speedy forward … reads the play well … excellent anticipation … works hard every shift … always moving and hustling … quick release … accurate shot … creates goal-scoring opportunities … responsible in his own end … huge heart … hard worker.
Evan Rodrigues: reliable forward … great hands … tremendous speed … can score from almost anywhere … very good shot … reads the play well … attacks hard … unselfish player … great on-ice vision … not afraid to play in the corners … tremendous offensive skills.
Brennan Serville: responsible in own end … plays positional hockey … good vision … uses size to his advantage … keeps things simple and gets the job done … makes smart decisions when pressured … always has head up, looking for pass … defensive defenceman.
CANADA WEST
Craig Bokenfohr: raw talent … great size … physically strong … good skater … good mobility for size … can be intimidating shutdown defenceman … does not rush decisions … does not panic under pressure … makes a good breakout pass … hard shot.
Clarke Breitkreuz: physically strong … brings energy and intensity to every shift … plays tough … enjoys physical aspect of game … finds the puck well around net … scores opportunistic goals … has skill set to succeed in all situations.
Ben Gallacher: offensive-minded defenceman … takes care of defensive end … excellent puck mover … very good weak side offensive support away from puck … reliable positional play … physical when necessary … 2010 NHL selection of Florida (93rd).
Rhett Holland: very good skater … excellent foot speed … well-rounded defenceman … plays hard in all three zones … offensive upside continues to improve … plays with energy … plays with intensity … not afraid to be physical … accurate shot.
Mark MacMillan: gifted playmaker … tremendous vision … high-level passer … smooth skater … strong acceleration … can make plays off rush or slow things down and set it up … uses his linemates well … 2010 NHL selection of Montreal (113th).
RUSSIA
Mikhail Grigorenko: strong power forward … great size … excellent hockey IQ … offensive abilities as good as they come … explosive quickness in feet and hands … can be dominant … compared to Evgeni Malkin … potential top-five pick for 2012 NHL draft.
Nikita Kucherov: great quickness and overall speed … shows flashes of brilliance with the puck … anticipates offensive plays well … handles the puck extremely well … finds holes when shooting the puck … tremendous offensive skill set.
Nikita Nesterov: makes a great first pass … well-rounded defenceman … plays hard in all three zones … hard, low shot … has power play quarterbacking abilities … does not panic in his own zone … finds teammates well … good vision on the ice.
Maxim Shalunov: power forward in the making … skates extremely well for his size … hands keep up with speed … complete player … excellent shot … offensive hockey sense … drives the net hard … good work ethic … top NHL prospect for 2011.
Konstantin Vorshev: makes a great first pass … well-rounded two-way defenceman … thinks the game well … good power play quarterbacking abilities … reliable lane control against the rush … good skater … decent mobility … hard, accurate shot.
SWEDEN
Mattias Backman: good size … good balance … strong on skates … uses size very well to deny space in defensive end … smart player … makes good plays under pressure … always improving … not afraid to get physical … makes good first pass.
Eddie Larsson: makes a great first pass … well-rounded two-way defenceman … thinks the game very well … reliable lane control against the rush … very good at breaking up 2-on-1s … can get the puck out of dangerous areas … doesn’t panic under pressure.
Daniel Mannberg: very quick … tremendous speed … intelligent … good two-way player … likes to lead transitional rushes … very good at stripping players on backcheck … hard, accurate wrist shot … smooth puck handler … good passer.
Pontus Netterberg: gifted goal scorer … explosive offensive talent … very exciting with the puck … likes to handle the puck in the offensive zone … sets up very well away from the puck … accurate wrist shot … turns heads with the puck on his stick.
Pathrik Vesterholm: underrated offensive talent … energetic … very good off the cycle … dangerous passer from the perimeter … extremely good puck handler … finds holes when shooting … sees the ice very well … good decision maker on the ice..
SWITZERLAND
Samuel Guerra: good positioning in defensive zone … uses his stick well to block passes … limited offensive upside, but has a hard, accurate shot … workhorse … forces offensive players to the outside well … sees the ice well … makes a good first pass.
Gregory Hofmann: opportunistic offensive player … track record of scoring big goals … not overly flashy, but makes impact felt when necessary … seems to be in the right spot to make a play … tough to beat in face-off circle … good knowledge of the game.
Dean Kukan: good two-way defenceman … strong work ethic … very good size … uses size to his advantage … not afraid to play physical … good skater … good shot … lots of room to build on frame … has shown tremendous development.
Lukas Meili: good quickness … shows poise and composure even when pressured … stands his ground against crease crashers and hard net drives … competes hard … very good puck focus … smart goaltender … reads the play well … good glove.
Reto Schappi: reliable two-way forward … good leadership capabilities … shows flashes of brilliance with the puck … anticipates offensive play well … can find the puck in scrambles in slot and crease … excellent penalty killer … good hockey sense.
UNITED STATES
Seth Ambroz: big and powerful … knows how to score goals … plays a rough and rugged style … protects the puck extremely well … loves to compete … has a cannon of a shot … sees the ice well … potential top-10 pick for 2011 NHL draft.
Cason Hohmann: dynamic player … explosive offensive talent … great playmaking instincts … excellent work ethic … plays bigger than his size … accurate wrist shot … tremendous passer … works hard in all three zones … sees the ice well.
Jordan Schmaltz: great skater … uses size extremely well … intelligent and calculated with the puck … tremendous power play quarterbacking abilities … uses his teammates well … very good vision on the ice … potential top-10 pick for 2012 NHL draft.
Colten St. Clair: ultra energetic … empties the tank on every shift … prot
