2009 Picks The Class Of Wednesday Scrimmages

While 2009 1st round pick Dylan Olsen sat out with a leg cramp, his fellow ’09 draft classmates stood out in Day 2 of Prospect Camp scrimmages Wednesday.

In the first game of the day, 3rd-rounder Daniel DeLisle netted the game-winning goal as Team B avenged Tuesday’s loss to Team C, while fifth-round pick David Pacan’s two points nearly led Team A to a comeback win against Team C. In all, each forward from the 2009 class registered at least a point in Wednesday’s scrimmages.

In the first game – a rematch of Team C’s come-from-behind victory on Tuesday – a stingy first half of play gave way to a fast-paced offensive game in the second; opposing goaltenders Alec Richards and Joe Palmer surrendered just one goal apiece in the first 30 minutes of play, but free agent Cab Morris outdueled Palmer in the second half as B earned the victory. With the score tied 3-3 late in the second half, DeLisle capitalized on a turnover and netted the game-winner as B won 5-3.

“The speed and strength of everyone at this camp is really incredible,” 2009 2nd-round pick Brandon Pirri said. “All of the teams in the scrimmages are very even. We worked hard and we were in the game until the end.”

While Team C made up a three-goal deficit Tuesday, they found themselves ahead by three in the second game Wednesday but found a way to hold on to the 4-3 victory over Team A. Joe Palmer and Team C managed to keep A off the scoresheet through the first half of play, but '09 fifth-round pick David Pacan tallied a penalty shot goal and an assist to even the score 3-3. However, Joe Charlebois managed to get a tough wrist shot past Joe Fallon with less than 8 minutes left for the win.

“We definitely felt that game starting to slip away a little bit,” Pirri said. “We played two games today, and that’s a long day. But everyone’s trying to get a job here, so we’re giving it our all. We just fought through the fatigue.”

If it’s getting hard to find a standout among the players at Prospects Camp, that may be because there have been so many great performances in the first two days of scrimmages. Besides the contributions from the 2009 draft class, Kyle Beach tallied two assists in his scrimmage, free agent Broc Little had two goals and an assist in two games and Palmer shut out Team A in his 30 minutes of work during game 2.

“I think that we’ve had a bunch of standout performances so far,” Pirri said. “Akim Aliu has great speed and hands, and that’s something I need to work on here. I’m really learning from a lot of my teammates.”

“I love our young defensemen and centermen,” said GM Dale Tallon after the scrimmages. “I really liked DeLisle, Pirri and Pacan have been very good. Our defense has been very mobile and can really skate. We’ve got so much depth – there are a lot of positives. I’m very excited about the players we drafted this year and last. Overall, I’m very happy with the attitude and approach [of all of the prospects].”


Game 1

Game 2