Hockey Prospects, NHL Draft, Hockey Scouting,OHL Draft

Matia Marcantuoni is a well rounded player heading into the 2012 NHL entry draft.  Marcantuoni is a versatile forward that can play on the wing and down the middle where he relentlessly tries to use his biggest asset; that being his powerful skating ability.  Marcantuoni uses his explosive skating style and speed to help position himself at both ends of the rink where he can become a major threat to any defenseman in transition, or back-check to eliminate a scoring opportunity.  At 6'0” and 189 pounds, Marcantuoni doesn't shy away from the physical play, especially when on the offensive attack.  Marcantuoni has shown that he's more than willing to use his solid frame in making a genuine effort to drive to the net all while working hard to establish a net front presence upon arrival.  All of these skills help Marcantuoni make himself a threat every time he's on the ice, where he not only is a great finisher, but he can also deliver the puck very well.  For a 17 year old, Marcantuoni possesses a high level of maturity which translates into strong leadership qualities on and off the ice.  The former first round selection (18th overall) of the Kitchener Rangers, Marcantuoni captained Team Ontario to a gold medal at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge earlier this year where he tallied 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) and 4 penalty minutes in 6 games with one of his goals being a game winner.  With his performance at this tournament coupled with a good rookie season, Marcantuoni has been invited to attend Team Canada's Under-18 selection camp this summer in Calgary Alberta where he will try and earn a spot on the team where they will compete in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August.

Going into this season, Marcantuoni will seek to keep improving his defensive game and if he can continue to advance his faceoff ability, he would become even more appealing to NHL scouts. In midget hockey with the Toronto Marlies, Matia had a bad habit of skating himself to deepinto the zone with the puck. He made good strides in all areas of his game this year in Kitchener, including his puck possession game.  Missing a prolonged period of time with an ankle injury (which kept him out for the latter 2 months of the season), Marcantuoni will have to take all the precautions necessary to stay healthy because he will be given a greater opportunity to contribute for Kitchener this season as they will undoubtedly try to utilize him more due to the possible departure of Gabriel Landeskog.  With all of the tools Marcantuoni already holds, and still with room for improvement, there's no reason why Marcantuoni can't become a future captain in the OHl and possibly the NHL where he has a chance to be selected in first round in next summer's NHL Entry Draft.

Slater Koekkoek had an impressive rookie season while playing on a last place team in Peterborough.  Although the team success wasn't there, this may have actually been a blessing in disguise for the 16 year old defenseman as he was able to get ample ice time and play in every situation.  By logging over 25 minutes a night, Koekkoek was pushed to play defensively against opposing teams top lines, as well as given free range to use his creativity when it comes to his offensive game.  Koekkoek is a smooth skating defenseman that uses his frame and strength to his advantage.  He loves to join the rush and can be counted on to use his hockey IQ in knowing when to jump up or stay back.  His shot is quick and accurate which makes him even more of a threat when he decides to wheel with the puck.
If Koekkoek continues to improve his footwork and outlet passing, he will be that much more of a threat as opposition will begin to think twice about dumping the puck into his corner.  One of the underrated areas of Koekkoek's game is the fact that he has experience not only playing in high pressure games but excelling in these games; a quality that a lot of players in the 2012 draft don't have.  Off the ice, Koekkoek is a laid back individual who is keen to listen which makes him very coachable; something that NHL teams view as extremely important if a prospect wants to make the jump to the next level sooner rather than later.  By maintaining a great work ethic, there's no reason why Koekkoek won't be a high selection in the 2012 draft which is very deep when it comes to defensemen.

Career Highlights

Slater Koekkoek has witnessed the highs and lows during his young career which serves as an important learning lesson for any young prospect.  Beginning with winning the Telus Cup as the National Midget Championship with Notre Dame in 2010, Koekkoek captured the title of MVP in the final game tacking up a goal and an assist.  This capped off a season where the 15 year old collected 43 points (16 Goals and 27 Assists) and 91 penalty minutes in 44 games.  Koekkoek's play led to the Peterborough Petes selecting him 7th overall in the 2010 OHL priority draft.  Early in 2011, Koekkoek was named to Team Ontario to play in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he collected 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists) and 8 penalty minutes in 5 games on the way to winning the gold medal in a game where he assisted on the game winning goal.  After the Pete's season came to an end, Koekkoek's season didn't, as he was picked as an underage player for Team Canada at the IIHF U-18 Tournament where he recorded 2 points (1 goal and 1 assist) in 7 games while just finishing out of the medal round.