Scouting Report: Brian Lee

by Evan Rawal.


From the second Brian Lee was drafted, people have questioned his selection. Taken 9th overall in 2005, with the Sens earliest draft pick in 4 years, Lee was an unknown to many in Ottawa at the time. Not only did he have the pressure of being selected before Canadian junior stars Marc Staal and Luc Bourdon, but he had to watch then GM John Muckler declare that he better be ready for the NHL in two years. Anyone that looked at Lee when he was drafted probably considered him crazy.





Lee's draft year put him on the map. While he was a high school hockey star in Minnesota, very few knew about him. That was, until Team USA surprised everyone and selected the tall and lanky Lee to their World Junior team, ahead of the highly touted Jack Johnson. Although Lee rarely saw ice time during the tournament, it put him on the map, and afterwards, went back to the Minnesota high school league and was named Mr. Hockey as the top senior high school hockey player in the state. Over the course of his draft year, he also played 12 games in the USHL, putting up just 3 assists, but adding 5 points in 4 playoff games.

Lee's post-draft development has not been ideal for a top 10 selection, but the strides are there. The most noticeable flaw from just looking at Lee when he was drafted was his lack of strength. While listed at 6'2"/6'3", Lee weighed in the 170's when he was drafted, and looked even smaller. 4 years after being selected, he now sits at 203 pounds, and while he is getting stronger, it will be a few more years before we see the finished product with Lee.

The University of North Dakota was Brian Lee's destination after being drafted. While Lee was labeled as an offensive defenseman from the moment he was drafted, his all-around game developed probably a bit faster than people expected, and remains the underrated part in his game. Even as a freshman, Lee was playing big time minutes in all situations, including 1st unit penalty kill time. While his offensive numbers his first year weren't staggering, for a freshman campaign, it was considered a great success. It was his sophomore year of college that put some doubt in the minds of many Sens fans, who were skeptical to begin with. His offensive numbers didn't progress as much as many had hoped, and his all-around game appeared to have taken a hit. Both of these years, he played for Team USA in the World Junior Championships, but while his role was bigger than the first time, he was still stuck behind the far more hyped Erik Johnson and Jack Johnson and didn't get a ton of ice time.

It was the summer after his sophomore campaign when he surprised many and signed a professional contract with Ottawa. Would John Muckler's forecast of Lee being ready in two years actually come true?

Well, it didn't, but it did come as a pleasant surprise to Sens fans that Lee was eager to accelerate his development. While he went into training camp with very slim chances of actually making the team, he did impress and show the skills, and was sent to AHL affiliate Binghamton to start the year. Perhaps benefitting Lee the most in the AHL was playing with veteran Lawrence Nycholat, and Lee flourished his first year down there, being named to the AHL All-Star team and registering 25 points in 55 games and playing in every situation.

When an ankle injury sidelined Lee for over a month in February, many figured his chance to make a jump to Ottawa very small. However, after playing only 1 AHL game after missing a month plus of hockey, Lee got the call when Wade Redden was injured. Lee didn't waste any time impressing the brass. His first game was stellar, displaying perfect one on one defensive ability, an ability to jump into the rush, and even playing a little goalie by saving a sure goal. The next day, Murray declared Lee an NHL'er, and he finished the year off in Ottawa, playing 6 regular season games and 4 playoff games while racking up 1 assist.

Lee came into this season with high expectations, but with new coach Craig Hartsburg unwilling to give him a lot of chances, or let him play with the partner he excelled with at the end of the previous year (Chris Phillips), Lee struggled, and was sent down abruptly after only 5 games. He went to Binghamton, and if you listen to their fans, didn't exactly look good. Many wondered if he would get another chance this season, but when injuries to Filip Kuba and Anton Volchenkov hit the Sens, Lee was recalled, and given a bigger role. He excelled. Playing 20+ minutes a night, often leading the team in ice time, Lee looked far more confident and was initiating instead of reacting. Because of this, he looks to have carved himself a full-time NHL gig. While he's currently in the AHL, it doesn't appear to be long-term, as it was done to clear roster space and Lee was just a casualty because of his two-way contract. Expect to see Lee called up post-trade deadline and play big minutes for the Sens, with perhaps a playoff run with Binghamton at the end of the year for experience.

Following his selection in 2005, John Muckler claimed that the Sens had Lee rated as the 5th best player in the draft. He doesn't have skills that jump out at you, but you can see why he was so highly thought of by the Sens. His hockey sense is through the roof, and is perhaps his greatest attribute. He reads the play well, he understands what to do with and without the puck, and is just an incredibly intelligent player in general. For a big guy at 6'3", Lee is a terrific skater, perhaps the best skating defenseman the Sens currently have (although he doesn't have much competition). He's a real good puck mover, and is starting to skate more with the puck, which will only help make him more dangerous. On the other hand, he still has his flaws, the most obvious being his lack of strength. He still gets outmuscled in the corners, which isn't surprising at his age, but it will continue to improve. His lack of strength also limits his offensive game, as his shot is below average, at best. He'll need to continue to fill out in order to reach his full potential.

The future looks bright for Lee. At only 21, he's already shown he can play 20+ minutes a night in the NHL, and he will only continue to get better. He looks like a sure bet to be a top 4 blueliner in this league, but the question is, what is his top end potential? I personally believe he can be a top pairing guy. Probably not a #1 defenseman, but he has all the makings of a good #2. He's got the size, he's got the skating ability, he can move the puck, he can jump into the play, and he can play in any situation. If he fills out even more, you've added yet another element to his game.

Nearly 4 years after his draft, Sens fans have good reason to be excited about the 9th pick in the 2005 draft.

Scouting Report: Jesse Winchester

by Stephen McLean.



Almost a full season into his career, Jesse Winchester has yet to hit the anniversary mark whence most Sens fans learned who he was. He did not take the typical route to the NHL, going through … the Winchester Hawks of the Eastern Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League (one can only assume the team was named after him) the Cornwall Colts of the Central Junior Hockey League and then went to well known hockey factory Colgate University. The only award or recognition Jesse Winchester received on his way to the NHL was being named to the ECAC - Third All-Star Team for 2007-2008. Winchester was more of a defensive player even in college where he played an intelligent, responsible game. Despite putting up 33 points in 32 games for Colgate in 05-06, Winchester was signed March 24th 2008 for his defence, intelligence, and puck control abilities.

The 6'1, 215 pound native of Long Sault, Ontario was an unknown to most. He came without the hype of other college players such as Chris Kunitz, Dustin Penner and Blake Wheeler or last year's signing of Swedish forward Fabian Brunnstrom. Despite this lack of apparent pedigree, when Winchester came into camp last fall the organization thought highly of him. Uncomfirmed reports have suggested that many teams were in the running for Winchester. Murray signed Winchester to an entry level contract in the spring that expired a few months later, and also arranged for him to play a single game at the NHL level. Due to Winchester's 25th birthday in early October and some peculiarities of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, that meant Wichester could be signed last summer to a one-way deal, and would have to go through waivers before being sent down to the AHL. Murray was confident enough of Winchester's potential to offer a one way contract and create a situation in which the Senators can't send him down without risking losing him on waivers. He started training camp on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley and while he didn't last on the top line, he has justified management's assessment and found himself a productive role for the Senators.

Winchester will never put up big numbers in the NHL, but where he will shine is along the boards. He plays an intelligent puck control game along the boards, skilled at putting the puck in his skates and angling toward the boards to roll off of a defenceman. While only a rookie, Winchester has shown flashes of potential which should see him have a long and successful NHL career. He broke into the Senators lineup without a problem, in a year with little competition in the forward ranks but has shown that he deserved the spot from the beginning. It is much easier to integrate a defensively responsible player and Winchester can be trusted to go out and not hurt the team. Solid in his own end, Winchester excels along the boards. He is very adept at laying the puck to an empty spot in the corner or behind the net to keep possession.

If he continues to improve he should be able to dominate play along the boards. He also has shown a willingness to battle much bigger and stronger opponents (some may remember him getting greeted by Chara in the corner, personally I thought he was a keeper the moment he got up from that collision. Winchester is a surprisingly physically player for his size, and his ability to deliver solid hits aids him with puck retrieval. Especially notable is his body control and anticipation when receiving a hit. More than a few players of similar size have bounced off of Winchester when attempting to hit him.

As a very smart hockey player, he is excellent at maintaining angles which is also why he is able to play physically strong game without spending a lot of time in the penalty box. For a “grinding” forward to have only 20 penalty minutes this far into the season speaks volumes about his intelligence and why he should be able to become a mainstay in Ottawa.

Winchester could use some added strength but his skating is NHL caliber and his ability to control play behind the opponents net, along the boards, and strong cycle game mean that he should be a relatively cheap contributor to the Senators for the next few years. His offensive skills need polishing (which should help keep his contract down), but it is pretty clear he will never be a potent offensive force, which may render him a permanent bottom 6 player. However, it is his ability to control the flow of the play which could potentially make him a dangerous setup man in the future. As Winchester has the ability to maintain possession for long periods of time below the opponents goal line, if teammates can get themselves to the front of the net and if the Winchester can hit them, we may see a patented J.W. Play develop over time if he improves manages to find and establish an office behind the net. If he never gets the pass from the boards completely down, he will at worst be a defensively responsible player who you can slot into almost any situation and is strong on the puck and body. Look for this intelligent man to eventually become a leader in the Senators dressing room, with consistently smart and hard working play.

Scouting Report: Brian Elliott

by Peter Drake (with contributions from Amanda Murray)

2008-09 Binghamton Senators AHL 30GP 18W 2.31GAA 0.926sv% 2SO
2008-09 Ottawa Senators NHL 17GP 7W 2.84GAA 0.905sv%

Following a terrific first half of the season with the Ottawa Senators' AHL affiliate in Binghamton, Brian Elliott was recalled to the NHL in mid-January in attempt to kick-start a struggling hockey team. While Senators General Manager Bryan Murray alluded to plans for such a mid-season call-up on multiple occasions since the off-season, it was the young netminder's strong AHL play which made such a call up inevitable. Elliott won December Player of the Month honours, placed among the AHL's best goaltenders in every statistical category, and even earned a starting slot on the AHL All-Star team. Seventeen games into Brian Elliott's first extended stretch at the NHL level, it seems a reasonable time to evaluate his play up to this point, which has so far been a mixed blessing.

As with many good prospects, he excelled at the start and was the team's best player on some nights. He quickly gained the confidence and respect of his teammates. This was especially noticeable during new coach Cory Clouston's transition to an aggressive game, as there were more than a few instances where mistakes by forwards and defensemen lead to scoring chances that Elliott handled calmly and proficiently. While the Senators recent stretch of comparatively competent play has been most often attributed to Clouston's influence, the boost is similarly attributable to the arrival of Elliott.

Through this stretch his mental game and technical skills seemed up to the challenge. He has proven himself to be a mature, confident player who welcomes a challenge. He shows intense motivation and demands perfection of his own performance, and even after poor outings he relishes the opportunity to get back in the net. Primarily, he knows his weaknesses and works tirelessly to improve upon them. Prominent areas for improvement are rebound control, consistency, and anticipation, but the latter comes with learning the shooters at the NHL level. Given Elliott's reputation for focus and preparation, both of those issues should see improvement over time.

More recently, Elliott has given up a significant number of goals early in games, to the point where he has been replaced by the coach three times, in outings against Washington, Minnesota and Montreal. Although each goal in isolation has appeared to be justifiable, and mostly due to poor team play in front of him, the coach has challenged Elliott to keep his team in the game as they weather some rough early patches. The technical faults, if any, have been minor. A slight hesitancy here or there, failure to challenge a shooter as much as he could, losing a shooter in traffic, perhaps a failure to anticipate a shot.

If there has been a moderate drop in performance it is hard to assign it to any one cause. Could it be fatigue near the end of a long season with lots of difficult AHL travel, topped off by a Senators road trip that was brutal by NHL standards? Could it be a loss of mental focus now that the initial rush of games is past? Or is it primarily attributable to poor team play in front of him?

If Elliott had to be graded on his NHL performance so far this season, he would earn a solid B. He demonstrated poise and talent, and a few rough edges. How Elliott addresses those areas for improvement will be critical to his next year or two with the Senators. At this point Elliott has demonstrated enough to pencil him in as an NHL backup, with NHL starter upside. Just exactly how high that upside goes is unknown, but the Senators would probably count themselves lucky if they could get proficient, reliable goaltending of a 10th-15th ranked goalie, considering Elliott was drafted 291st out of 292 in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Most people agree that Elliott is the most promising goaltending prospect ever drafted by the Ottawa Senators, but on a list that includes Ray Emery and not much else, this isn't much of a flattering consideration. Still, he has excelled at the NCAA and AHL level despite odds against him, and while his starts in both leagues were slow, he graduated both ranks as a star at each level. His NHL development has been on track with educated expectations.

Looking ahead, the Senators have a few decisions to make. Do they keep Elliott up with the NHL club and see how he works through the challenge immediately in front of him, or do they send him back to Binghamton in hopes of a long and successful AHL playoff run?

The Senators also need to sign Elliott to a new contract over the summer. He will be a Restricted Free Agent, without arbitration rights, which means he could be the target of an offer sheet from another team. That gives the Senators an incentive to sign him relatively quickly. Elliott might reasonably expect to sign a one or two year deal in the range of $900,000 to $1.3 million. Based on the scarcity of significant or desirable goalie upgrades this summer, the Senators may decide to start next season with a tandem of Alex Auld and Elliott, a situation that provides an interesting mix of challenge and opportunity for both goaltenders.

The key point is that Elliott's future is entirely in his hands. The Senators would love nothing more than to see him step up and take the reigns of an organization in dire need of a consistent force between the pipes, and will give him every opportunity to succeed. If Elliott shows the determination and commitment to betterment espoused by his play at other levels, he will be a valuable asset to the Ottawa Senators franchise.

Scouting Report: Patrick Wiercioch

Ottawa's 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft, Patrick Wiercioch, was originally scheduled to play another year in the USHL, where he was coming off a dominant showing in the USHL playoffs for the Omaha Lancers. He had verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin to begin playing in the fall of 2009, but with the unfortunate ending to David Carle's hockey career due to medical issues, he was able to jump on an opportunity to play at Denver University. Thus far, he's taken full advantage of it.

When Wiercioch was drafted, he was listed at 6'2", but over the summer added a couple of inches and is now listed at 6'4", and looks every bit of it. At only 185 pounds, it could be several years before he actually fills out. At the moment, he looks like a player who still doesn't know how to handle this growth spurt. For someone so big, his physical game is almost non-existent. This is something that could certainly develop over the years, once he learns how to play with this body.

Wiercioch's skating may be one of his weaknesses. Even before the draft his skating was criticized, and it doesn't look like this growth spurt has helped him a whole lot. He's got a long stride, but it's not very powerful. For a man his size, his skating could be considered average, but there is room for improvement and as long as he continues to get stronger, his skating should improve.

You only have to watch Wiercioch once to recognize how well he thinks the game in the offensive zone. As a teenager, he's running their first power play unit, and is excelling while doing so. The one thing you notice with Wiercioch on the power play is that he's never static. He's always moving around, which is a key to why he's been so successful. He's willing to roam all over the ice if he has to, something that perhaps the Ottawa Senators could use on their PP right now. His overall hockey IQ and offensive ability have been the biggest reasons why he's had no issues playing at the NCAA level.

At the same time, while he's a roamer in the offensive zone, he also has a tendency to roam in his own end. He plays in all situations, and has had no problem adjusting to them, but you will often notice him trying to leave the zone a bit early trying to lead an offensive rush. At this stage, it's nothing to worry about, as good coaching can certainly fix this (and DU has good coaching). And, as mentioned earlier, an improved physical game would add an entirely different dimension to his game. His added size really helps him on the PK, where his long reach makes him very effective.

Overall, his adjustment to the college level has been a tremendous surprise. While Ottawa GM Bryan Murray recently said he may be closer to the NHL level than 1st round pick Erik Karlsson, it looks as though a few more years at the college level would be very beneficial for him, so he can continue to develop his all-around game and gain strength. As long as he continues developing, he should have a good chance to make Team Canada in next years World Junior Championships, which would be great for someone like Wiercioch, who wasn't even on Team Canada's radar earlier this year.

DU will be televised on the NHL Network on February 6th (US Only) and February 20th (US and Canada) so Sens fans will have the chance to watch him on TV in the near future.