Young Stars Tournament: Penticton BC

Been fortunate enough to watch two of the young star games being held in Penticton BC. I have seen prospects from the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and the Calgary Flames. At first glance, it appears that the Oilers have the deepest collection of prospects in this tournament. I would just like to make a few observations on the Oiler prospects that I found particularly interesting. Obviously, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, has tremendous upside and is the marquee attraction. However, in this game Anton Lander displayed the skill level and confidence to show me that he is a top-level prospect. Lander doesn't have explosive speed or a smooth skating style. It's a cliché, but this young Swede place a "North American" style game. A good two-way player, who appears to be very strong on the puck. Generally speaking, Anton is the type of player who coaches appreciate because they are responsible in all three zones.

It was also interesting to see former Regina Pat Colten Teubert skate for the Oilers prospects team. He was wearing the captain "C”, and the Sportsnet commentators said that the Oiler organization was happy with his leadership skills. Overall, he played a quiet game and did not make mistakes -- something that he has been prone to in the past. When his team had a large lead in the third period, he got in a fight and took a direct hit -- it looked to me like his nose was broken, and I hope that he didn't suffer a concussion. Why NHL teams allow fighting in these games is a complete mystery to me. This is a very important time in the development for Colten, an injury would be a major setback.