Sarnia was in town Thursday taking on the Petes. The Sting
was one of the teams I identified as a must see this season. They are a scouts
dream with the amount of NHL talent on the roster. They have six draft eligible
players including potential top 10 pick Pavel Zacha and potential first rounder
Nikita Korostelev. Also on the roster is the OHL first overall pick, and
potential top five player for the 2016 draft; Jakob Chychrun. Not to mention
Tampa Bay Lighting first rounder Anthony DeAngelo.
The game was never close with Sarnia pulling ahead 5-1 in the second before allowing a couple score effects goals in the third. They controlled the play for the majority of the close situations.
Sarnia
Vladislav Kodola, C
DOB: 10/30/96
STD: 8GP | 2G | 2A | 4P
Looked to be playing on the third line at 5 on 5 and played
on the second power play unit. His line with Daniel Nikandrov and Hayden
Hodgson created some pressure and seemed to tilt the ice when they were out
there. Granted the Petes are not a good possession team and they were going
against some of the weaker players on the team. Kodola the 29th
overall pick in the 2013 CHL import draft has had a decent start to the season
putting up 4 points in 8 games.
Brandon Lindberg, C
DOB: 09/24/96
STD: 8GP | 1G | 1A | 2P
Lindberg was centering the top line for the Sting. Is a
clear defensive forward having just 29 points in 124 career OHL games. He was
the top penalty killer used by the Sting. Did a good job limiting the Petes
lethal power play to just one goal in five tries. For a defensive player he
scored a really nice goal shorthanded where he was able to chip the puck past
the defencemen and get a breakaway.
Pavel Zacha, C
DOB: 04/06/97
STD: 8GP | 2G | 5A | 7P
Zacha was one the big standouts in the game. Only had the
one assist on the score sheet but impacted the game in so many other ways. He
has an incredible set of hands which he used to deke defenders to get chances
and to deke players to get controlled zone entries. He played well in the defensive
zone blocking passing lanes. Is a quick skater and was able to beat a couple
defenders one-on-one by simply out skating them. He has good size at 6’3 and
uses that to shield the puck from defenders and maintain possession. The one
issue I had in this game was penalties. Of the five minor penalties taken by
Sarnia three where Zacha’s.
Nikita Korostelev, RW
DOB: 02/08/97
STD: 8GP | 5G | 6A | 11P
Played on a line with Zacha. The two worked well together
and both seemed very reluctant to dump the puck in. Even with a defender right
in his face he still tried to make a move to gain entry with the puck. Created
a bunch of chances as he always seemed to be around the slot. He has a quick
shot which he showed on his goal which was set up by a beautiful play by
DeAngelo. Korostelev played well without the puck in this game as he created a
few turnovers and was physical; knocking over Ritchie in the first period with
a big hit.
Jakob Chychrun, D
DOB: 03/31/98
STD: 8GP | 3G | 4A | 7P
My first chance to see the aforementioned first overall
pick, Chychrun did not disappoint. The first thing I noticed was his usage.
Sarnia is not sheltering him at all. Only 8 games into his OHL career and he's already
carrying a heavy workload, playing on the top pair at 5 on 5, the top power
play and the second penalty kill unit. He's a great skater especially for a
bigger guy at 6’2. Numerous times he skated the puck out of the zone with
control even, even when pressured he still tried to skate with the puck rather
than make the “safe” chip off the glass. He defended the neutral zone well in
the game, never backing off a player, rather holding his ground at the blue line
and breaking up plays with his stick. Has a rocket of a shot! You couldn’t even
see the puck on his one timer it was going so fast. He scored a pretty goal on
the power play, carrying the puck into the zone and beating Petes goalie Dylan
Wells glove side on a hard accurate wrister.
Anthony DeAngelo, D
DOB: 10/24/95
STD: 4GP | 1G | 9A | 10P
Was Chychrun’s defence partner in every situation, 5 on 5,
power play and penalty kill. I don’t think there was a shift in which the two weren’t
paired together. What really impressed most me about DeAngelo’s game wasn’t his
tools which are clearly elite, but rather the leadership he showed on the ice.
Sarnia did not have anyone wearing the C instead had just two assistants in
DeAngelo and Nikandrov. DeAngelo was the one who was directing traffic on the
ice. Very vocal in telling players where they should be. Had a lot of
discussions when players were lining up helping his teammates set up in the
right spots. He also fulfilled the captain duties for the Sting like taking the
ceremonial face-off and talking to the refs.
Shot Count: 47-32
Sarnia
Final Score: 5-3 Sarnia
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