News & Notes from the Flyers/Maple Leafs Pre-season Tilt

Here's my take on some of the more notable prospects who took part in the Flyers/Maple Leafs pre-season contest tonight.

Nazem Kadri (TOR) - The slick center was very impressive tonight. Playing on a line with Niklas Hagman and Lee Stempniak, Kadri was able to show off all the tools in his offensive arsenal. It's clear the kid has great hands, vision, wheels, and offensive instincts - all of which were on display as he scored his first goal of the pre-season. After taking a pass from Tomas Kaberle in his own zone, Kadri was able to skate with speed through the neutral zone, dish the puck over to Hagman, cut behind him, receieve a drop pass, and then rip a shot in off of the far post. What I liked most about Kadri was his compete level - he fought hard for 50%-50% pucks all night against older, stronger players. I don't think he's quite NHL ready just yet, but he should be ready in '10'-11

Tyler Bozak (TOR) - Coming off scoring what has to be the goal of the pre-season last night versus the B's, the young two-way pivot continued to show his ability to play in all three zones tonight. The most likeable part of Bozak's game is his poise - he's a very "weighty" player with the puck, a great sign for a young player playing at a new level. He was pretty solid playing on the point with Tomas Kaberle on the power-play, aside from one turnover to Mike Richards (who it should be noted, made a play to intercept a Bozak pass that very few other players would be able to make). The guy has the wheels and smarts to be an excellent third line center with some second line potential. I'm confident he could play in the NHL this year.

Viktor Stahlberg (TOR) - Although he wasn't able to make his mark offensively tonight, I also liked what I saw out of Viktor Stahlberg. The Vermont alum has a nice combination of size, skill, and speed - man this guy can skate. I liked his effort on the forecheck, and he proved he is a serviceable defensive player, fairing well on the penalty kill. Will he make the team? I'm not sure. The Leafs have a log-jam up front, and unless he earns a top six spot, I think he might be better served logging big minutes with the Marlies.

Christian Hanson (TOR) - Hanson, too, had a solid outing. I really liked the way Hanson was able to utilize his size, which was illustrated when he went to the net, stopped, and banged home his own rebound in the third period. He also seems to have good wheels for a big guy. I saw some Eric Fehr in Hanson, although he definitely doesn't have the same offensive upside. If he continues to use his size like he did tonight, he could be a useful third line winger who can spot in on one of the top two lines.

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) - Philly's top prospect, playing on a line with Jeff Carter and Aaron Asham, had a fairly uneventful outing. He made a few nifty passes in the offensive zone, but didn't have a really good scoring chance. I took a lot away from his performance tonight, though. I've seen JVR play a lot, and one thing I can say is his positional play and board play is much improved - great news for Flyer fans. I wouldn't be too concerned with seeing JVR's offensive exploits in the pre-season, since he's a talented enough player where you know he'll get his chances. We know the kid has the offensive skills, but the real question he needs to answer is is he strong enough, both mentally and physically, to play at the NHL level and win 50%-50% puck battles? From what I saw tonight, I think he's improved significantly, but he still has a ways to go. On Kadri's goal, he was caught flat-footed in the neutral zone and wasn't able to slow Kadri down at all. I've heard through the grapevine he's looking good to make the Flyers out of camp, but I wonder if he wouldn't be better served going the Claude Giroux route - let him strut his stuff at the AHL level and then call him up later in the season. The main thing I'll take away from JVR's performance tonight is that he is working hard on his strength, board, and positional play. If he does that, and focuses on constantly competing hard, he's skilled enough where the rest should fall into place.