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Plymouth Whalers Take Skill, American Content in Saturday's OHL Draft

May 2, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - The Plymouth Whalers went distinctly American in their early selections of Saturday's Ontario Hockey League Draft, held online through the 20 OHL cities. After selecting dynamic Huron-Perth Lakers center Garrett Meurs with their first round selection at 13th overall, Plymouth took four straight Americans through the fifth round - Monroe, MI goaltender Matt Mahalak in the second round, Compuware Under-16 center Stefan Noesen in the fourth round and Pittsburgh Hornets center Jonathon Miller and New Jersey Avalanche defenseman Nick Malysa in the fifth round.

According to Plymouth President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci, the American content wasn't planned, but an acknowledgment of talent.

"I don't think we made a conscious effort of making sure we went American-only," Vellucci said. "We went with the best players available. All of those guys are AA-rated players. We watched them all year and like them."

Muers - from Ripley, ON, around the Kincardine area - was the only Canadian taken by Plymouth in the early rounds and comes to the Whalers as a skilled centerman who scored 52 goals with 43 assists for 95 points in 67 games last season for the Huron-Perth Lakers.

"We love Garrett," Vellucci said. "His skill is second-to-none. His speed is dynamic and he's got phenomenal hands. From all of our reports and even after the reaction after Garrett being drafted, I've been receiving a ton of text messages telling us what a great pick he is and what a great person he is. Obviously, we know he's a good player, but from all reports and talking to Garrett, he's a great person. That helps the decision."

Central Scouting gave this assessment of Meurs: "Meurs is a highly skilled, offensive minded player that has a ton of upside and potential. He has some moments where he can take over a game and dominate. He is a deceptive skater and once he gets the puck it is as if his skating is transformed. He shows speed and quickness, and an exceptional burst off the mark. When you combine that with his excellent puck handling ability you have a player that is very dangerous offensively."

Central Scouting's Tim Cherry said about Meurs: "He's a smaller player, but he oozes hockey sense. If you sit back and watch, he's going to have a bit of a learning curve. It's going to be a challenge for anyone going into the Ontario Hockey League. But as far as hockey sense, he has the tools and a lot of them."

"I pattern myself after Zack Parise," Meurs said in a telephone interview. "He's fast, highly skilled and can score, too. I've talked to Tyler Seguin about Plymouth and he said it's a great city, so I'm looking forward to coming there. I just hope I get used to the game quickly and help the team out."

The Whalers went with an extended family member to stock an already strong position in the second round of the draft. Plymouth took goaltender Matt Mahalak (Monroe, MI) with their second round pick, 26th overall. Matt Mahalak is the younger brother of current Whaler left wing RJ Mahalak.

Matt Mahalak played last season for Culver Military Academy in Indiana.

Central Scouting said: "Mahalak is a very technically sound, butterfly goaltender that plays a very quiet game. He plays outside the paint, challenging shooters quite effectively. Mahalak possesses very good size, and when he is challenging he can take up a lot of the net, forcing shooters to beat him. He stays very focused during a game, always prepared for pucks to the net and communicates quite well with his defensemen."

OHL Central Scouting's Kevin Hess - who works the Midwestern United States - says this about Mahalak: "In my opinion, he's the best U.S. goalie available in the draft. Matt competes just as hard as his older brother RJ. Plays a butterfly style, does a great job of controlling rebounds and is technically sound. Moves very well in his crease and plays the puck very well."

"Matt's a good goalie and we know the family very well," Vellucci said. "It's something we've been talking about doing for over a year. We've watched Matt for over two years and we're really excited to have him."

After not having a pick in the third round, the Whalers went local and within their youth system with their fourth round selection (64th overall), selecting Northville's Stefan Noesen. A center, Noesen (pronounced NAY-sen) played for the Compuware Under-16's, scoring 24 goals and 24 assists for 48 points and 57 PIM's in 53 games last season. Noesen's team won the USA Hockey National Under-16 Championship earlier this spring.

Central Scouting: "Noesen is a big, physical center that plays a real hard-nosed style of game. He possesses a good combination of physical tools; he skates well considering his size, displays soft hands and a real touch with the puck while using his size effectively. He seems to relish playing in traffic while showing a willingness to compete is all three zones. Noesen shows the odd flash of quickness and is always moving his feet."

Kevin Hess - "Prototypical power forward with a good mix of speed and toughness."

"Our motto going into this draft is 'Hungry for Another Championship'," Vellucci said. "I think you start building your team with guys who have been on championships before. Stefan's a great player. We've watched him all the time and I've had a chance to be on the ice with him and help run a couple of their practices. I love his skill. He's a big kid with a big body. His hands are outstanding. Once we get him into shape and get him on the ice with us every day, I think he'll be a great player."

Noesen sees himself a power forward in the mold of Johan Franzen or Tomas Holmstrom.

The Whalers have a history of selecting players who have won National Championships and other levels. RJ Mahalak, Beau Schmitz and Tyler J. Brown all played on Belle Tire's Under-16 National Championship team before moving on to Plymouth.

Noesen fits the same mold.

"It was really great," Noesen said about the National U-16 championship. "We had great team chemistry, which allowed us to rise up and gel and win."

Noesen was a player with college options, but has decided to go with the Whalers.

"I had a long talk with my advisor in deciding what we wanted to do," Noesen said. "We figured the best thing would be if I got drafted (in the OHL) high and had the potential to be an NHL player, that the Whalers would be a way to go."

The Whalers selected Pittsburgh Hornets left wing Jonathan Miller in the fifth round (93rd overall).

Central Scouting - "Miller is a skilled center that has shown the consistent ability to score. He has all the traits of a pure finisher. Miller possesses some speed and quickness and effectively creates time and space to operate. He reads the game quite well and will work hard to get back into his own zone. Miller is a player that can put the puck in the net and is always working to get himself to the open ice to create scoring opportunities."

Plymouth stayed American later in the fifth round (99th overall), selecting defenseman Nick Malysa from the New Jersey Avalanche.

Malysa, a left-handed shot, scored a goal with10 assists for 11 points with 32 penalty minutes in 21 games. He is described by Central Scouting as "a puck moving defenseman who also plays very solid defensively. He is effective in all three zones, displays a high level of composure while possessing a combination of size, tools and hockey sense. Malysa is an excellent skater with a very smooth and effortless stride that provides him with quickness and great mobility. He is very good moving laterally, showing the ability to take away time and space very effectively."

Based on enthusiasm alone, the Whalers may have a home run with Malysa, who joins Bob Ryan, Bob Sanguinetti and David Kolomatis as a New Jersey-native who might crack an OHL lineup.

"I'm excited and relieved," Malysa said. "I was looking for a good school package and to get it over with faster and know where I'll be going - what team, what town I'll be going to - it takes a load off of you."

Give Malysa and is family full marks for due diligence.

"Coming from New Jersey, you hear a lot of horror stories about the OHL and how you go there and as a younger kid you get chewed up and spit out by the league," Malysa said. "But my advisor (Jordan Newman) helped me out and we talked to a lot of teams and a lot of kids who played in the league. They told me how great it is. Joe Birch (OHL's Director of Recruitment and Educational Services) was a great help, too."

Malysa is no stranger to Compuware Arena. His team played in a friendship tournament against Compuware, Little Caesars and Belle Tire last season.

"It was a great experience playing in the same rink as the Whalers," Malysa said. "You get to see the rink, the town (of Plymouth) and see what it's all about."

Malysa said his tries to pattern himself after Niklas Lidstrom, is not flashy, but tries to get the job done quietly.

Vellucci gave an overview of the draft - earlier rounds through the later selections.

"I think we addressed our skill level with our early picks," he said. "We'll look for a little more size and grit later on."

Plymouth took four more Americans later on the draft, selecting Ohio Blue Jackets U-16 right wing Conner Burton in the eighth round, Compuware U-16 defenseman Peter Hand in the 10th round, Shattuck St. Mary's Prep right wing Kenny Gillespie (Raleigh, NC) in the 12th round and Ohio Blue Jackeys U-16 center Sean Kuraly in the 15th round.

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