August 3, 2015

by Brendan Savage - mlive.com
_________________________________

Tyler Bertuzzi has established himself as one of the Detroit Red Wings top prospects after a breakout season for the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm as well as a strong showing in the AHL playoffs with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

So it was no surprise to see Bertuzzi atop the list of the Red Wings' prospects coming out of the OHL, according to OHL Prospects, which is taking a look at all 30 NHL teams and their most promising youngsters.

Bertuzzi, who the Red Wings selected in the second round (58th overall) of the 2013 NHL draft, is atop a three-player list that also includes forward Zach Nastasiuk and goaltender Jake Paterson.

Bertuzzi erupted for 43 goals last season – 15 more than he has scored in the previous three OHL seasons combined. He also had 55 assists to finish 10th in the OHL scoring race. His 98 points were 21 more than his previous three seasons combined.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound nephew of former Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi also scored his first pro goal during a two-game regular-season stint with Grand Rapids before bagging six goals and two assists in nine playoff games for the Griffins.

Nastasiuk, the Red Wings second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2013 draft, capped his OHL career with 35 goals and 42 assists in 64 games for the Owen Sound attack last season before joining Grand Rapids.

The 6-2, 202-pound Nastasiuk finished his OHL career with 89 goals and 98 assists in four seasons. In the last two seasons, he appeared in 22 games with Grand Rapids – 11 in the regular season and 11 more in the playoffs.

Paterson, the Red Wings third-round pick (80th overall) in the 2012 draft, split last season between the OHL's Saginaw Spirit and Kitchener Rangers before finishing the year with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

In 24 games for Saginaw, where he played the previous four seasons, Paterson had a 12-11-1 record, 3.48 goals-against average and .901 save percentage before he was dealt to Kitchener during a youth movement.

In 26 games with the Rangers, he had a 14-10-2 record, 2.37 GAA and .929 save percentage. His 2.90 overall GAA ranked seventh in the OHL, his 32 victories were fifth-best in the league and his .918 save percentage ranked third among the league's top netminders.

The 6-1, 183-pound Paterson had a 1-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .951 save percentage in two appearances for Toledo.

Bertuzzi and Nastasiuk are slated to start the season in Grand Rapids. OHL Prospects thinks Bertuzzi could be contributing in Detroit in another year while saying Nastasiuk is a potential third or fourth-line player for the Red Wings "in the near, and not distant future."

That seems rather optimistic given the depth the Red Wings have at forward both in Detroit and Grand Rapids, where the likes of prospects Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Mitch Callahan are more experienced and more likely to make the jump to the NHL before they do.

Paterson will almost certainly start the season in Toledo given that Tom McCollum and Jared Coureau are ahead of him on the depth chart in Grand Rapids.

Here's a quick look at some of the things OHL Prospects said about all three players:

• "Bertuzzi really took a massive step forward this year with the puck on his stick. He's always excelled without the puck, as a complimentary player who knows where to be and how to fight through contact. But this year he showcased skill and patience with the puck that he had not yet displayed in his OHL career. Bertuzzi was effective off the rush, but also coming off the wall, shaking off checks to create scoring chances in the slot and near the crease. His hands in close are great and he doesn't need much time to get a great wrist shot off. This is key, because he's still not the world's greatest skater. Another aspect of his game that was better was his discipline. Way less stupid penalties, and did more of the agitating, as opposed to being the one agitated."

• "Nastasiuk looked quicker this year, and even though he never developed into a dominant force off the rush, he was more successful creating with speed and using his size to drive the net. Nastasiuk has a good shot and has done well to improve his overall puck protection ability in the open ice to give him the opportunity to use it. But it's in other areas that Nastasiuk's game is most valuable. He's so smart away from the puck, creating turnovers in the middle of the ice by forcing the opposition into defenders and by using an active stick. He's a physical player, even though the penalty minute numbers wouldn't suggest it. That's because he's smart about it and does a great job of using his size to his advantage without being reckless. And as captain of the Attack, his leadership qualities can not go understated."

• "Paterson was consistently one of the better goaltenders in the league. When Kitchener made the trade for Paterson, it brought a lot of backlash from some fans, but it was ultimately the right choice because his play elevated them to the playoffs. And even though the team (and Paterson to some extent) struggled in the first round, it gave their younger players valuable experience. Paterson was able to correct some of the issues he had with his positioning and reads in 2013/2014, regaining his form. And while he's not a huge goaltender, he does a good job of staying up as long as he can and being aggressive in challenging shooters to make himself big. He's also athletic enough to make 2nd/3rd saves and has long been one of the toughest goaltenders to beat in the shootout."

August 3, 2015

by Brendan Savage - mlive.com
_________________________________

Tyler Bertuzzi has established himself as one of the Detroit Red Wings top prospects after a breakout season for the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm as well as a strong showing in the AHL playoffs with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

So it was no surprise to see Bertuzzi atop the list of the Red Wings' prospects coming out of the OHL, according to OHL Prospects, which is taking a look at all 30 NHL teams and their most promising youngsters.

Bertuzzi, who the Red Wings selected in the second round (58th overall) of the 2013 NHL draft, is atop a three-player list that also includes forward Zach Nastasiuk and goaltender Jake Paterson.

Bertuzzi erupted for 43 goals last season – 15 more than he has scored in the previous three OHL seasons combined. He also had 55 assists to finish 10th in the OHL scoring race. His 98 points were 21 more than his previous three seasons combined.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound nephew of former Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi also scored his first pro goal during a two-game regular-season stint with Grand Rapids before bagging six goals and two assists in nine playoff games for the Griffins.

Nastasiuk, the Red Wings second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2013 draft, capped his OHL career with 35 goals and 42 assists in 64 games for the Owen Sound attack last season before joining Grand Rapids.

The 6-2, 202-pound Nastasiuk finished his OHL career with 89 goals and 98 assists in four seasons. In the last two seasons, he appeared in 22 games with Grand Rapids – 11 in the regular season and 11 more in the playoffs.

Paterson, the Red Wings third-round pick (80th overall) in the 2012 draft, split last season between the OHL's Saginaw Spirit and Kitchener Rangers before finishing the year with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

In 24 games for Saginaw, where he played the previous four seasons, Paterson had a 12-11-1 record, 3.48 goals-against average and .901 save percentage before he was dealt to Kitchener during a youth movement.

In 26 games with the Rangers, he had a 14-10-2 record, 2.37 GAA and .929 save percentage. His 2.90 overall GAA ranked seventh in the OHL, his 32 victories were fifth-best in the league and his .918 save percentage ranked third among the league's top netminders.

The 6-1, 183-pound Paterson had a 1-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .951 save percentage in two appearances for Toledo.

Bertuzzi and Nastasiuk are slated to start the season in Grand Rapids. OHL Prospects thinks Bertuzzi could be contributing in Detroit in another year while saying Nastasiuk is a potential third or fourth-line player for the Red Wings "in the near, and not distant future."

That seems rather optimistic given the depth the Red Wings have at forward both in Detroit and Grand Rapids, where the likes of prospects Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou and Mitch Callahan are more experienced and more likely to make the jump to the NHL before they do.

Paterson will almost certainly start the season in Toledo given that Tom McCollum and Jared Coureau are ahead of him on the depth chart in Grand Rapids.

Here's a quick look at some of the things OHL Prospects said about all three players:

• "Bertuzzi really took a massive step forward this year with the puck on his stick. He's always excelled without the puck, as a complimentary player who knows where to be and how to fight through contact. But this year he showcased skill and patience with the puck that he had not yet displayed in his OHL career. Bertuzzi was effective off the rush, but also coming off the wall, shaking off checks to create scoring chances in the slot and near the crease. His hands in close are great and he doesn't need much time to get a great wrist shot off. This is key, because he's still not the world's greatest skater. Another aspect of his game that was better was his discipline. Way less stupid penalties, and did more of the agitating, as opposed to being the one agitated."

• "Nastasiuk looked quicker this year, and even though he never developed into a dominant force off the rush, he was more successful creating with speed and using his size to drive the net. Nastasiuk has a good shot and has done well to improve his overall puck protection ability in the open ice to give him the opportunity to use it. But it's in other areas that Nastasiuk's game is most valuable. He's so smart away from the puck, creating turnovers in the middle of the ice by forcing the opposition into defenders and by using an active stick. He's a physical player, even though the penalty minute numbers wouldn't suggest it. That's because he's smart about it and does a great job of using his size to his advantage without being reckless. And as captain of the Attack, his leadership qualities can not go understated."

• "Paterson was consistently one of the better goaltenders in the league. When Kitchener made the trade for Paterson, it brought a lot of backlash from some fans, but it was ultimately the right choice because his play elevated them to the playoffs. And even though the team (and Paterson to some extent) struggled in the first round, it gave their younger players valuable experience. Paterson was able to correct some of the issues he had with his positioning and reads in 2013/2014, regaining his form. And while he's not a huge goaltender, he does a good job of staying up as long as he can and being aggressive in challenging shooters to make himself big. He's also athletic enough to make 2nd/3rd saves and has long been one of the toughest goaltenders to beat in the shootout."