Login

treant · 02-08-2018, 09:57 AM

<center>This article has been taken from EdmontonBlizzard.com. For more interviews, highlights and Blizzard news, visit the website in full,

The excitement surrounding the Edmonton Blizzard this season is very clear for all to see as the team makes its first real push for the playoffs in many season. Currently positioned in a playoff berth as the fourth best team in the Western Conference, the Blizzard are reaping the rewards of the youth-first strategy that saw them bring in franchise faces like Tigole Bitties, Teddy Cuddles and Chippy Chiclets over the last handful of seasons to name just a few, and it certainly bodes well for their long term success that so many of their key contributors are still yet to reach what you might call their prime. Something that further strengthens the Blizzard's chances of long term success is the healthy state of their prospect pipeline, with some of the best players in the SMJHL being a part of the system in Edmonton. We saw the addition of some very promising players in the past S39 SHL Draft, and we will be looking at the progress these young stars and those from previous drafts still waiting for the chance to force their way on to the Blizzard's roster are faring in the junior league, and what we might be able to garner about how they will fare in the SHL when the time comes that they receive the long awaited call up.

CONNOR BLACKWELL
[Image: 5258803.jpg?size=640x420]

Connor Blackwell is the most developed and most heralded part of the Blizzard's prospect core by some distance. A former first overall pick from the S38 Draft, Blackwell is regarded to be something of a generational talent and someone who is going to be the face of the Blizzard for a long time. Blackwell is playing his third season in the SMJHL with the Detroit Falcons, but this has probably not been the start that Connor or the Falcons would be looking for. Connor has been a little slow out of the blocks, scoring 12 points in 18 games, and the changes that have happened in Detroit since the conclusion of last season have obviously had some kind of effect as the team currently resides in seventh place in the standings and out of the playoff picture. The Falcons are a team with notable depth and quality however so do not expect this low standing to last indefinitely, and likewise, Connor's talent and potential will surely win out soon and a much stronger second half of the season will follow for the young forward. And although things haven't gone quite as well as he would have liked when it comes to putting up points, Connor has certainly been able to play the kind of physical hockey that he likes with 41 hits and 2 fights in less than 20 games. This tough edge to Connor's game is what sets him apart from other top prospects in the league and it will be very exciting to see how this is going to translate to the SHL when the time comes for him to join the league.

BRADY MCINTYRE
[Image: DennisCholowski2.jpg]

Defenseman Brady McIntyre is close on the heels of Connor Blackwell as the brightest star of the Blizzard's prospect pool, and the young defenseman certainly carries a weight of expectation as a future leader on the blueline in Edmonton. Playing his second season in the SMJHL with the St. Louis Scarecrows, his first as a send-down, McIntyre has also not been able to quite demonstrate exactly how good he can be quite yet, but he certainly hasn't played badly. 4 goals and 6 assists, summing up to 10 points through his first 18 games is not a bad rate of return for a defenseman playing against the opposition's best players while still learning the ropes of working alongside a new defensive partner. McIntyre's Scarecrows are looking like a strong team in the SMJHL, standing in third place and challenging for one of the top places in the league and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. McIntyre has been a serious part of the team's success, logging big minutes, putting up good point totals and being able to match up against some of the finest players in the SMJHL. It will be exciting to see this play and development translate into a complete SHL defenseman in the near future!

YANNICK BERGER
[Image: cut.jpg]

Forward Yannick Berger was considered by many to be one of the biggest steals of the S39 Draft, being selected by the Blizzard in the third round with the 39th overall pick. Berger was one of the best rookie players in the SMJHL last season and why exactly GMs were hesitant to pick him is unknown but the Blizzard will be very happy with the incredible value this pick has brought them and the knowledge of what Berger just might be able to bring to the table in the future. Playing with the struggling Halifax Raiders, Berger's point totals are not perhaps among the SMJHL's best but when the situation his team finds itself is in is taken into account, Berger has played very well this season. Second on the Raiders scoring list with 10 points in 17 games, including 4 goals, Berger has looked like a very dependable and talented part of the Raiders player group so far this season and if he can maintain the level of play he has shown on occasion during the season's first half more frequently, the points to match it will surely come through the remainder of the season. Berger is a very bright prospect for the Blizzard with a lot of potential, which makes his place of selection during the draft a very happy outcome for the Blizzard.

CÃ‰DRIC MOREAU
[Image: cut.jpg]

Goaltender prospect CÃ©dric Moreau was another late draft selection in the S39 Draft for the Blizzard, like Berger, being picked up in the 3rd round, this time with the 32nd overall pick. Moreau had been considered to be arguably the top goaltender prospect in the draft before the night and so his fall to being the fifth goaltender taken and in such a late position overall in the draft began to raise a lot of questions about the young man and his development. Its important to understand that Moreau's selection by the Blizzard doesn't mean that he is ever likely to play there, somewhat uniquely out of all the prospects in the Blizzards current pool. The Blizzard currently boast Michael McFadden in net, one of the league's very best and someone who will be playing for a very long time into the future by all accounts, leaving the answer of the question to whether Moreau will ever get a chance in Edmonton or if he will need to leave to find the starting goaltender position he so desperately wants in the future remains unclear. In the SMJHL this season, Moreau is back playing with the Montreal Militia as their starting goaltender, and although he has displayed some of the quality of play that led to him being such a heralded prospect prior to the draft, he has struggled to maintain it and has had some games where he looks far from a top prospect. CÃ©dric currently has a save percentage of 0.895, which although being the best in the league as of present, is considerably worse than the stat he had at this point last year, and although leading the league with a goals against average of 2.47, it doesn't show a lot of development from what he was able to do last season. It's fair to say that CÃ©dric has had a fairly strong start to S39, but it isn't quite the Tom Corcoran securing performance he will be looking for after being nominated for the trophy and losing out last season.

JIM ELLIOT
[Image: ap-nolan-patrick-flyers.jpg?itok=RfooZXk6]

[Image: ap-nolan-patrick-flyers.jpg?itok=RfooZXk6]

The last player in the Blizzard pipeline is a curious case indeed, joining not through draft but as a free agent pickup after he was released by the SHL team that held his rights earlier this week. Jim Elliot is a controversial figure around the league, being handed a suspension for half the season and being cut from the New England Wolfpack organisation after breaking league rules this week, he is something of a reformation project for the Blizzard as they look to get him back on the right track and able to fulfill his potential. His development having already been hurt by a scandal earlier this season that set him back significantly and left him with a lot of ground to make up, Elliot needs to prove to himself and to the Blizzard that taking a chance on him was a good decision and that he can be a productive player and respected member of the league. Elliot is a part of the Montreal Militia and a teammate of CÃ©dric Moreau, although his actions have seen him miss the SMJHL season so far and the Militia have had to struggle on without him, Elliot is still a player of talent who can have an impact and be a serious part of a team in the SHL one day. It's going to be a long road for Elliot to make it to where both he and the Blizzard want him to be, but if he takes the journey ahead one step and one day at a time, he might just make it there.

It's fair to say that the Blizzard prospect pool is in very rude health, and although things may not have got off to the quickest start for all of them so far this season, the underlying talent and SHL potential that exists there is something for fans to be very excited about! It will certainly be interesting to follow their progress throughout the rest of the season, with a view to observing their development and the demonstration of the type of qualities that bode well for a great career in the SHL! Thank you for reading and showing an interest in the players that make up the future of the Edmonton Blizzard, we'll be sure to check in with them again and hope you're here to see it!