Faceoff Factor

Part 8: New Faces In The CHL And NCAA

Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins

Sep 14, 12:23 AM | Hype this story!

CHL

Simon Despres – D – Saint John (QMJHL) (30th overall selection)

Despres fell to the Penguins with the last pick in the first round of the entry draft. The Penguins jumped on the opportunity to take the best player available on their list and Despres is now immediately one of the better defensemen in the system. Despres is a hulking defenseman with a physical edge. His skating ability is what sets him apart from other players of his size. His offensive ability is limited and his decision-making is also a bit suspect. However, Despres should improve. He played the majority of last year banged up and many believe that the pain and discomfort affected his game adversely. If that’s the case, it could benefit the Penguins, who watched Despres slide down the ladder right into their lap.

Andy Bathgate – C – Belleville (OHL) (151st overall selection)

Bathgate suffered through most of last year with a shoulder injury that kept him out of action and rendered him ineffective in many ways. The grandson of the former Penguin great of the same name, Bathgate is a young, skilled player that has yet to fill out his frame and gain confidence in physical situations. Bathgate had the opportunity to play with a full ride to NorthEastern of the NCAA, but bypassed that opportunity to jump straight to the OHL, a move that was controversial to say the least. Now, with his size impeding his ability to score, Bathgate finds himself needing to bulk up and stay healthy in order to gain as much experience as he possibly can.

NCAA

Philip Sameulsson – D – Boston College (61st overall selection)

The son of former Penguin bruiser Ulf Samuelsson plays a much different style of hockey than his father did. While Ulf was likely to be a physical presence with a nasty demeanor, Samuelsson plays a smart style of hockey, uses his stick and his reach to his advantage, and often showcases his understanding of the game with solid positioning and smart decision making. Samuelsson played behind John Moore for the duration of the season (#21 overall) and floated just outside the ISS top 30 at the start of the year. His no-frills style of play made it difficult for him to maintain that positioning and he eventually fell to the Penguins in the late second round. Samuelsson is a great defensive prospect who is responsible in his own end and should bolster an already strong core of Penguin defensemen.

Ben Hanowski – F – St. Cloud St. (63rd overall selection)

Hanowski screams offensive talent and will see an immediate top 6 workload at St. Cloud State. The Little Falls, MN produce has an absolute laser of a wrist-shot that he can place with pinpoint accuracy. A true sniper, Hanowski broke nearly every Minnesota high-school record this past season when he netted 73 goals in a mere 31 games for Little Falls. A grand total of 135 points in 31 games set him completely apart from the competition. Look for Hanowski to try and regain that scoring touch at the NCAA level, where bigger defensive competition and better goaltenders will test his natural goal scoring capability.

Alex Velischek – D – Providence College (123rd overall)

Velischek played an absolutely dominant style of defensive hockey at the Delbarton High School in New Jersey, and captained that team to their second straight state championship this past year. Velischek has solid skills, but is by and large a bit of a question mark because of the low level of competition he played at. Velischek is a solid two-way defenseman with good wheels and a great heads-up style of play. His defensive game is solid and his offensive game has been good, but only time will tell how that translates to the next level. Velischek is ahead of the curve in many categories, especially in the weight room .This youngster can get it done in terms of strength and it was that strength that set him apart from his peers in high school. Providence is a breeding ground for solid defensemen so watching Velischek develop should be a real treat.