Zack Kassian went into the CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game looking to make an impact in front of NHL scouts.
He certainly did that, as his concussive third-period shoulder check on John Tavares knocked the prospective top pick out of the game with a shoulder injury.
"You play this game to be remembered," Kassian said of the hit. "It's good for me, obviously, getting my name out there. (The attention) doesn't bother me at all."
In fact, the attention is what Kassian, a right wing for the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes, should be looking for as the 2009 Entry Draft approaches.
At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, Kassian is built like a classic power forward and has the strength to match.
"He's fun to watch and fun to play against," Guelph Storm forward Peter Holland told NHL.com. "He's not afraid to throw his weight around."
"He's an intimidating guy," Tavares told NHL.com prior to the Top Prospects Game. "He's a guy that's definitely a force out there. He's a guy that goes to the net well. If he sees the opportunity he can finish, he's dangerous being physical and putting the puck in the net."
"I'm a power forward," Kassian told NHL.com. "I like to go into the corners, go to the dirty areas to score goals, set up guys; stand up for teammates. ... Just like to bring a lot of energy to my game. Anything that helps the team succeed."
Kassian did just that, with 24 goals and 63 points in 61 games for the Petes. That package of skill and toughness earned him the No. 10 spot among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings for the 2009 Entry Draft, and No. 3 among OHL forwards. It's a jump from No. 24 at the midterm rankings, which came out in January.
"Kassian is one of the toughest guys in the OHL and probably the entire draft," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards told NHL.com. "Last season as an under-ager there were overage guys in the league who would not try him on. He has not fought much this season (because) he has not had to. He is at his best when he is playing physical and tough along the boards. He protects the puck very well and fights through checks. He has very good play-making and puck-handling abilities."
"All the NHL teams are looking for someone who can combine the tough gritty play and have a high skill level," Peterborough coach Ken McRae told NHL.com.
Kassian's also been a success off the ice.
The youngest of four children, Kassian was just 8 years old when his father died after a heart attack. That left the parenting chores to Zack's mother, Shirley, and his older brother, Mike.
"My brother really stepped in there to be a father figure," said Zack Kassian. "I have to give a lot of credit to my mom and my brother. They drove me everywhere, got me where I needed and made me the man I am today. They deserve a lot of credit and I thank them a lot."
"(Mike) is constantly there for Zack," Shirley Kassian said. "I blame Zack that I don't have any grandchildren because (Mike) is always with him. He stepped up when his dad died. He's always been there for him, he's always a phone call away, makes sure he has everything. He says, 'Don't worry mom, I'll take care of him.'"
"We have adult conversations now, and I need to sit back and say he's just an 18-year-old kid," Mike Kassian, 30, told NHL.com. "When he was little, I always used to think of him as being through five times, 10 times more things as most kids his own age. He understands life at an advanced age compared to his peers."
Zack simply shrugs at the things that might distract other players his age
"I think some guys get mad because they're not playing here, they're not playing there, they want to get traded," said Kassian. "I don't think they realize that's really nothing. Your family is what's important. When something like that (his father's death) happens it's always a tragedy. But I think it made me stronger to make it to the NHL and make them proud."
"He's one of our leaders," Peterborough coach Ken McRae said of Kassian, who served as an alternate captain this past season. "That shows the character he brings to the table for us."
Kassian knew he was being watched by NHL scouts on a nightly basis, but his single-minded focus didn't allow him to be distracted.
"You have to take it one game at a time, one day at a time," he said at the Top Prospects Game in January. "When you're with Peterborough, my main focus is the Peterborough Petes. … You really have to take it one day at a time and really cherish it because it's a lot of fun."
When things do get tough, though, he has a support group that includes his family -- which also includes older sisters Stephanie, 33, and Amber, 20 -- and former Petes teammate Zach Bogosian, who went through the draft process last year.
Bogosian was drafted No. 3 in the 2008 Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers and made the NHL as an 18-year-old defenseman.
"He drove me when I was a rookie, so he taught me a lot of things," said Kassian. "He's a great player. He's a guy you want to be like on and off the ice. He's a great leader.
"He's great to call when you have a question about this because he's been through it all. It's great to have a guy like Zach."
Kassian has a single-minded focus on reaching the next level.
"If I'm not playing (hockey) I'm watching it," he said. "If I'm not watching it, I'm working out to get better. You need some breaks here and there, but for the most part I'm watching it or playing it."
He does the hard work now because of the hard work his family did in getting him to this point. The family's a tight-knit group that still lives in the Windsor area, and treats the five-hour drive to Peterborough like a run to the corner drug store.
"It's been fantastic," said Mike Kassian. "I know it's been a great ride for him, chasing the dream, but there's times I think about it and say, 'Wow, what an experience.' It's great to be part of. I'm very fortunate."
Zack also feels fortunate.
"You want to succeed because of all the hard work they've put in," he said.
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/655035
Leafs weigh options for NHL Draft
Damien Cox
Brian Burke just chuckled when asked about Zack Kassian.
"He's big, tough, skilled, hostile and belligerent. Naw, I don't like him," said Burke with tongue firmly tucked in cheek. "Why would I want a player like that?"
Indeed, if there's a player in this Friday's NHL entry draft who would appear to be exactly the kind of athlete Burke is looking for as he rebuilds the Maple Leafs, it would be Kassian, the nasty piece of business who patrolled the wing for ex-Leaf Ken McRae's Peterborough Petes this past season.
Even better, Kassian is a pug with a scorer's touch, a personality and a quick wit. He said he hasn't bothered to take boxing lessons or instruction in martial arts like many hockey players.
"Nothin'," he said.
"I just throw punches and try not to get hit too often."
Asked if he has a suit for the draft, he said, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna look good."
Kassian grew up in Lasalle, Ont., near Windsor, lost his dad at age 12 and idolizes his older brother, Mike, who keeps him on the straight-and-narrow. His mother cleans homes and his stepfather is an Ontario Provincial Police officer.
"I've had people say I'm a Burke-type player," he said yesterday in an interview. "What does that mean? Well, I'm a big guy, physical, but I can play and I don't mind fighting. That separates me from most guys in the draft. I wouldn't be who I am if I just tried to score goals."
Kassian laughed yesterday when he told of his first hockey fight during a bantam line brawl between his Windsor Jr. Spitfires and the Waterloo Wolves.
"It was just a mess. Guys got their teeth knocked out and there was blood everywhere," he said.
"It was pretty fun."
We can, of course, debate all day long whether this is the direction the Leafs should be heading in, but the fact of the matter is the NHL is back to promoting fighting these days, and this is the type of team Burke intends to develop, period and end of story.
Where he gets the players to do the job, however, is where it gets interesting. Maybe it'll be through available veteran scrappers like Todd Fedoruk or Andrew Peters, or maybe it will be in this draft when there are plenty of unrefined scrappers available in the latter rounds.
You can bet the next coach of the AHL Marlies will be an individual comfortable with the use of muscle.
The Leafs had Kassian in for extra testing after the NHL combine in late May, but his circumstances make him a tricky pick for the Leafs. He's not rated high enough to go at No.7, the Leafs' current slot, and Burke's stated intention is to move up in the draft, possibly to No.1.
"Mostly teams are still saying no," said Burke. "But it's early. The countdown hasn't even started."
That said, Kassian won't make it to the second round. If the Leafs can't move up, they could also move down into the range - 13th to 16th - where Kassian is projected to be taken.
Last year with Anaheim, Burke traded down twice, moving the 12th pick to Los Angeles for the 17th and 28th selections, then swapping the 28th pick to Phoenix in exchange for two second-round selections.
"I've already told teams below us that if can't move up, we could well be moving down," said Burke.
So Burke, probably inclined to go for Canadian-bred talent in this draft to balance out the Euro-heavy Leafs, can salivate in two directions - upward if he has his eye on John Tavares, Evander Kane or Brayden Schenn; downward if Kassian's toughness is too irresistible to pass up.
Then again, these Leafs need everything.
So every prospect out there looks like a perfect fit.
http://www.faceoff.com/ho....faceoff.com%2Fnews.atom
Kassian likened to Lucic
LaSalle winger rated highly
Jim Parker, The Windsor Star
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2009DRAFT PREVIEW
WHAT: 2009 NHL Draft
WHEN: First round is Friday with rounds two through seven Saturday
WHERE: Bell Centre in Montreal
TV: TSN and Versus will show Friday's first round starting at 7 p.m. The NHL Network will carry rounds two through seven Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
- - -
LaSalle's Zack Kassian doesn't like the waiting game.
For nearly a year NHL scouts have talked about the hulking winger for the Peterborough Petes being a first-round prospect.
Friday, the Windsor Minor Hockey Association grad will see how that plays out when the first round of the NHL Draft is held at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
"I don't have a clue (what's going to happen) and that's what's killing me," the six-foot-three, 210-pound Kassian said.
His Petes were eliminated from the OHL playoffs nearly three months ago and that's left Kassian with plenty of time on his hands.
"You start to question yourself if there was something more you could have done to help (your ranking)," Kassian said.
He's managed to keep himself busy by doing interviews with 27 NHL clubs with another planned Thursday in Montreal with the Dallas Stars.
"It's actually keeping my mind off the draft," Kassian said. "If I was sitting here by myself, I think I'd go crazy."
The buzz started around Kassian back in January when his open-ice hit on John Tavares knocked the potential first overall pick of this year's draft out of the CHL Top Prospects game in Oshawa.
"I've still heard about that (hit) now and then, but I'm more than that single hit," Kassian said. "NHL teams have seen me."
Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill is one person who likes what he sees in Kassian, but knows his club isn't likely to have a shot at him with the 29th pick in the first round.
"He's along the Milan Lucic line," Nill said of the Boston Bruins' forward. "A power forward with good hands who'll fight anyone."
Ranked 24th among North American skaters in the mid-term rankings, Kassian saw his stock continue to rise and he finished 10th in the final rankings.
"He'll go in the top half of the first round," Nill said. "He has good hockey sense and handles the puck well."
Recently invited to this summer's Canadian national junior team camp, Kassian showed a scoring touch as well as toughness with the Petes this season.
In 61 games, he finished with 24 goals and 63 points along with 136 penalty minutes.
"I love that comparison," the 18-year-old Kassian said of the reference to Lucic.
"My first year, I fought and didn't get many points, but this year I can put up points and still be tough and an all-around player."
Kassian will have an entourage of 10 family members at Friday's draft and knows the final minutes will be the hardest.
"People are saying top 15 and I hope that happens," Kassian said. "I'm just hoping as early as possible.
"I've watched the draft the last three years and to be in the first round would be unbelievable.
I think it's something every kid has thought about."
