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Many SMJHL scouts were left scratching their heads at Chase Byron's play during the S35 Prospects Tournament which concluded this weekend. "We really wanted to see how he did against elite competition, " said Johnny McScribbles of SMJHL scouting. "He is touted for being an offensive dynamo but this entire tournament his offense was absent. He was just completely invisible. Three points is not enough production from someone who is touted as an offensive dynamo." Byron finished the tournament with 3 assists and 12 shots in 10 games.

When asked about his lackluster offensive showing, Byron responded, "I believe the Blazers were the highest scoring team leading into the playoffs and since the team had no problems scoring I felt that I could focus more on my defense and let the scouts see how much I have improved in that aspect. I can go back to clapping bombs and doing stuff to moms in the regular season."

It was this defensive showing that might have saved Byron's draft stock from falling any further. "He's not known for his defense but he was surprisingly very well-rounded from what I saw. He was top 3 in the entire tournament in block shots all while not playing top minutes," said one scout. "My only complaint is that we didn't get to see him in odd man situations like on the PK. How he handles those high pressure situations would have been very telling."

Did Byron gamble his way out of being an early round pick? We will find out soon enough.