With only a goal on the weekend, it may seem the Oilers\u2019 top winger prospect had a quiet set of games, I found him to be one of the better Condors during the weekend. Howard continues to score at a great rate, and he is now sitting at 13 goals and 31 points in 24 games played. Last weekend against the Reign, the former Hobey Baker winner didn\u2019t register a shot during the home-and-home (which are the only two games in the AHL where Howard didn\u2019t record a single shot), but he did pick up the two assists.<\/p>\n
The first thing I want to focus on is the continued growth of Isaac Howard\u2019s<\/a> game. I believe the Ice Man is starting to read his environment better and recognize the little amount of space he will have in the NHL. Being a \u201csmaller\u201d winger getting inside position, being tenacious, and having the outside edge work to cut on a dime and maintain strength\/balance through the turns is almost a necessity at the next level if you want to have success. The first clip below illustrates this growth in his game.<\/p>\n Small cutbacks and getting on the inside of opponents will be key for Howard moving up the ranks, the good thing is that he has shown excellent lower-body strength when pressure is on his back. In the next clip below it\u2019s about what I said earlier referring Howard learning his environment and where he should be on the ice to get the puck.<\/p>\n Its a powerplay goal, but this sort of mentality and pattern recognition can translate to 5v5 offence. Howard<\/a> looks to his right and notices Viljami Marjala<\/a> going to the back post and taking the defender with him, once Quinn Hutson cuts through the slot to the goal line, Howard backs up ever so slightly creating a wide open lane for captain Griffith to slide him a pass. Of course it\u2019s always nice to see the shot of Howard, but knowing how to score is more important than any shooting mechanic. But as we all by know by now that progression isn\u2019t a straight line and there will always be room to grow, that leads us into our next clip of the Bakersfield star. Howard steals the puck and has a clear lane to the net, but decides to stop up instead.Quinn Hutson<\/a> is trailing the play and the former Spartan recognizes this, however I would still prefer for him to rip this puck ten out of ten times with the shot Howard possesses. Even if you want to play the pass a heavy low shot will generate a rebound in the direction of Huston. This was the only time this weekend I found myself scratching my head, but its just one bad decision. For our final clip I just want to showcase the skill Howard continues to put on display.<\/p>\n After beating both defenders, the former Michigan State star slides a slick backhand pass through a thin opening to Quinn Hutson for a chance. Isaac Howard continues to grow and I can still see the middle-six scoring winger in him. Even his defensive game is continuing to round out. The Oilers top winger prospect continues to shine at the AHL level.<\/p>\n James Hamblin \u2013 Centre\u00a0<\/p>\n James Hamblin is the definition of hard-work. The Condors centre is now up to 17 goals on the year and is currently riding a seven game point streak scoring six goals and assisting on four others. Ever since his days in Medicine Hat with the Tigers Hamblin has always worked just as hard in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive zone; whatever is asked of the five-foot-nine centre he does with no issue.<\/p>\n Hamblin<\/a> is a bit older to be considered a true prospect, but there is a world where he is a solid depth option for an NHL team down the road. The size and not elite footwork will always hamper his potential, but the defensive awareness and work ethic will go a long way. Lately, Hamblin has been stretching out his offensive muscles and it continued on the weekend with two more goals. In the two clips of Hamblin\u2019s goals you\u2019ll see the finishing ability in close on full display.<\/p>\n On the first clip its a great pass across from Samuel Poulin to Hamblin and then the Bakersfield veteran does it himself for his second of the weekend in the second clip. Although the goals are entirely different they do share the fact that they were both scored from the left side up high and at the AHL level Hamblin is a decent finisher. In his AHL career the Edmonton native is shooting 15% and during this season alone Hamblin is shooting at a 23.6% clip (which will come down at some point). Whether he makes the big leagues or not, this is a player that can be viewed as almost a Brad Malone impact type. Teaching the younger guys how to be professionals, taking on a leadership role, and being a productive player means your words has some weight behind them. Excellent weekend and seven game run from Hamblin, he deserves all the praise.<\/p>\n Damien Carfagna \u2013 Defence\u00a0No points this past weekend for the Ohio State alumni, but once again Carfagna continues to show some interesting flashes in games. Both Carfagna and Akey<\/a> are first year pros and when both are in the lineup they have been tied to the hip for a good part of the season now. Being first year pros is difficult enough, but having your defence partner also being a rookie is another challenge. Then you head over to the box score to see only six goals and 13 points in 42 games, but then you watch him and think \u201cman if he could just be more consistent\u201d.<\/p>\n The former Buckeye shows flashes of excellent work in transition using his feet and some sneaky skill he has. The two clips below show this to perfection.<\/p>\n
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