Sunday's contest vs. Houston marked the halfway point of the 2010-2011 Rampage season. The Rampage sit in 3rd place, but are just 2 points out of 1st. The have compiled a record of 25-14-1-0. (51 pts)
It is now time to grade each individual player on their performance so far this year. For our purposes, anyone playing in 10 games or more, or 1/4 of the games played will have a grade. I will break them down by positions and each player will receive a grade for "offense" and a grade for "defense". I will average these scores together and possibly bump a bit one way or the other for "intangibles", i.e. leadership, PK ability, ability to stay healthy, etc.
The scale is 1-10. 10 being outstanding, 5 being average, and 1 being bad. First score listed is Offense, second is defense, 3rd is overall grade with additions/deductions. So, without further ado...the grades!
#9 Alexandre Picard (23 Games 13G-8A-21Pts -3 33PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 Pure goal scorer. Goes hard to the net and plays with an edge. Has above average hands around the net and is more than willing to get dirty. Close to a point per game producer with the Rampage.
-DEFENSE- 6 Lack of true hockey speed hurts him here. Often the last man back on defense. Plays hard though and never quits on a play.
-OVERALL- 7 I docked Alex 1/2 a point due to his inability to stay healthy this season. I know it comes with the territory when you play like he does, but we need him out there every night.
#11 Ryan Hollweg (36 Games 7G-4A-11Pts -3 50PIM)
-OFFENSE- 6 Not much of an offensive threat. Been forced into PP time due to injuries and callups. Works hard every single shift and can occasionally make things happen by being a pest in front of the goalie. Decent at tips and rebounds.
-DEFENSE- 6 Again, he busts his butt every shift. But his lack of size can hurt against bigger forwards. Fearless shot blocker and a huge asset on the PK.
-OVERALL - 6.5 I bumped up Ryan for his leadership and guts. He is a true leader both on and off the ice. He has also become more disciplined while still maintaining his edge. Good secondary player to have on the roster.
#14 Matt Watkins (24Games 7G-7A-14Pts -3 18PIM)
-OFFENSE- 6 Slow start for Matt after coming back from offseason surgery. The addition of Prucha seems to have helped, however, and he is starting to find some offense. Fast skater with average puck skills. Relies on his speed to get to open areas. Needs to work on passing. Good finisher around the net.
-DEFENSE- 6 Great speed and aggressiveness on the forecheck. His size hurts him though. Another hard worker.
-OVERALL- 6 Been a slow start, but I can see Watkins really picking up the pace and being an impact down the stretch.
#16 Bracken Kearns (32 Games 7G-14A-21Pts +3 51PIM)
-OFFENSE- 7 Good passer, good shot, and aggressive. Another player who has benefited from the addition of Prucha. Also one of the top face off guys on the team.
-DEFENSE- 7 Uses his size well. Good skater for a guy his size and will get in and mix it up. Solid on the forecheck and a very good backchecker.
-OVERALL- 7.5 Gets an extra .5 for his ability to do everything well, including faceoffs, PK, and PP. Also a good leader and sticks up for teammates.
#18 Ryan Weston (21 Games 0G-1A-1Pt -3 61PIM)
-OFFENSE- 2 Just not an offensive threat. One of the many "grinder" types on the team. Works hard. Just has very little offensive skill other than tenacity in the offensive zone.
-DEFENSE- 6 Plays a solid defensive game. Has a little bit of speed and backchecks well. Also tough as nails.
-OVERALL- 4 Typical 4th line energy guy. Good asset to the team, just don't count on much production.
#19 Andrew Ebbett (30 Games 9G-20A-29pts +5 10PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 Pure playmaker. Fast, great hands, and an excellent passer. Great skating ability and can finish when the shot is there. Really good on the PP and very good in the faceoff circle.
DEFENSE- 7 Solid but unspectacular. Which is all you could ask for from a guy with Ebbett's offensive ability.
OVERALL - 8.5 Another player who gets a bump for his overall ability. Really fun to watch.
#22 Eric Neilson (16 Games 0G-1A-1Pt E 63PIM)
-OFFENSE- 1 No threat at all. He's the enforcer. He has a job and he does it well.
-DEFENSE- 7 Plays aggressive, yet smart. Good forechecker. Doesn't really see the ice in crunch time.
OVERALL - 4.5 .5 bump for his ability to do his job as an enforcer very very well. I think he has a screw loose, but in a very good way.
#24 Peter MacArthur (21 Games 3G-1A-4Pts -2 15PIM)
-OFFENSE- 4 I expected a lot more from Peter. He has good speed and he plays hard. He's struggled with injuries this year and it's affected his offensive game.
-DEFENSE- 5 Decent forechecker. Utilizes his speed well. Typical middle of the road performance.
OVERALL- 4.5 Hard worker and heck of a nice guy. Hopefully, he can recover from his injuries and be a big contributor down the stretch.
#25 Petr Prucha (20 Games 8G-13A-21pts -2 2PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 In his time with the Rampage, Prucha has a consistent force offensively. He has skill, tenacity, speed, and finish. He is clearly an NHL caliber player playing in the AHL. Fun to watch.
-DEFENSE- 7 He hasn't been great, hasn't been terrible. His PK ability and lack of "quit" make his score go up.
-OVERALL- 8 Great addition to the team. Seems to have developed good chemistry with a couple of linemates. Hopefully, he doesn't bolt for Europe.
#26 Mathieu Beaudoin (27 Games 12G-15A-27Pts -1 8PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 Mathieu was enjoying a breakout season before breaking his foot blocking a shot. Exceptional speed and skating ability. Good passer and had really developed into a solid finisher with a deceptive shot.
-DEFENSE- 6 "Meh" best describes it. Another player who wasn't really good, but didn't embarrass himself either. Just doesn't have the size to knock anyone off the puck. Doesn't make any glaring mistakes though.
-OVERALL- 7.5 His return from injury in 2-3 weeks will be a huge addition if he is recovered. His speed is sorely missed right now.
#41 Viktor Tikhonov (28 Games 4G-13A-17Pts -2 10PIM)
-OFFENSE- 7 Big strong kid. Very smart with the puck. Lacks a scorers touch but plays a solid game. Works hard in the corners and more times than not, comes out with the puck. Losing him to the broken hand also really hurt the Rampage.
-DEFENSE- 7 Uses his size well. Good with the stick and positioning. Can occasionally lose track of the play getting caught out of position. Very good on the PK.
-OVERALL- 7 His return will be a huge boost. A very good 2 way AHL player.
#42 Matt Pope (22 Games 2G-3A-5Pts +2 16PIM)
-OFFENSE- 4 Another one of the energy guys. Works very hard and never quits. Suprisingly good speed but lacks touch. I have seen this guy simply dazzle in practice, but have yet to see it in games. IMO, he should be playing more.
-DEFENSE- 7 Hard worker and relentless in his own end. Uses his body well and is a decent forechecker.
OVERALL- 5.5 Seen a lot of time in the press box. Would like to see more of him, but the roster is pretty loaded with Vets and Phoenix prospects, so he is the odd man out most nights.
#48 Tyler Mosienko (16 Games 1G-1A-2Pts E 2PIM)
-OFFENSE- 3 Fast fast fast. However, he's small small small. Got a great motor and get make things happen occasionally with his speed. But he is knocked off the puck easily and hasn't shown much ability to get the puck on net.
-DEFENSE- 5 Uses his speed well on the forecheck. Good backchecker as well. His size just limits what he can do at this level defensively.
-Overall- 4 Came up from ECHL Las Vegas when Tikhonov and Beaudoin went down with injuries. Has played his role fairly well in that time frame. He does the job as a 4th line energy guy.
#49 David Brine (28 Games 0G-6A-6Pts -7 10PIM)
-OFFENSE- 6 Good speed and hands. Struggles to create chances on a consistent basis. Very good asset to have on an energy line.Has shown the ability to score in the past. With better linemates could possibly put up solid numbers.
-DEFENSE - 5 Speed can sometimes get him out of position. Decent forechecker.
-OVERALL- 5.5 Fun player to watch. He plays hard and gets the most out of his ice time. Good depth player that could probably produce more if given the opportunity. Just hasn't happened yet.
#79 Brett MacLean (38 Games 16G-20A-36Pts +12 22PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 Deadly shot. Soft hands and the innate ability to find the open area and get a stick on the puck. Has really developed his strength over previous seasons. Lack of speed or skating ability is overrated, but he does wear down quickly.
-DEFENSE- 7 Has really improved here. Gets his stick into passing lanes, plays sound positional hockey, and backchecks well when he has the energy. His biggest issue is how he plays when he's on a long shift and winded. He can sometimes quit and it can often lead to scoring chances for the opposition.
-OVERALL- 8.5 Gave him a 1/2 point bump for his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. Also, the guy is rarely ever hurt. That's a huge asset for a player of his ability.
#89 Mikkel Boedker (35 Games 10G-21A-31Pts +10 8PIM)
-OFFENSE- 9 Big time playmaker. Very good shot that he needs to use more. Gotten a lot better running the point on the PP. Speed and skating ability are unmatched. I would say there are very few in the league that can match up with Mikkel as far as skating goes.
-DEFENSE- 8 I wanted to go higher here, but not sure I can. He has improved ten fold over last season. I don't know if it was an attitude issue or not knowing the system issue last season, but this season is night and day. He backchecks like a madman. He's exceptional with the stick, often leaving offensive players wondering what just happened. In my opinion, if the AHL had a Selke trophy, he'd be a nominee.
-OVERALL- 9 I bumped him 1/2 a point because I feel he is the heart and soul of this Rampage team. And this is coming from his biggest detractor from last season. He's the best defensive forward on the team and a top 3 offensive forward on the team. The guy is just making it happen this season.
There you have it, your first half grades for the Forwards. Coming tomorrow, the goalies and defense. You will see some very high grades, and some not so good grades. Remember, I am no professional. I only pass along what I see with my very unskilled eyes, so please don't take these ratings as any kind of legitimate scouting report.
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