Top Prospects set to show off skills

Jeff Skinner has seen the highlights but he isn’t sure that he has anything up his sleeve that will compare.

The Kitchener Rangers’ sophomore is one of six skaters that will compete in the Showdown Breakaway Contest for Team Orr during the Top Prospects Skills Competition and Three-on-Three Game tonight in Windsor as part of the Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects Game.

Skinner has shown some electrifying moves while suiting for the Rangers in the OHL but isn’t sure that he can compete with the highlight-reel moves that some of the NHL stars showed off in a similar event at the NHL All-Star Game in Montreal last February.

“I saw some of the things they did but I don’t know if I can pull that off,” Skinner said. “It should be exciting. I think I’ll just see how it goes - maybe I’ll make a deke instead of just shooting. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I don’t think I’ve been in a real skills competition since I was in minor hockey so I think it will be really fun.”

Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s, Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks, John McFarland of the Sudbury Wolves, Joey Hishon of the Owen Sound Attack and Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers will also participate in the Showdown Breakaway Contest for Team Orr while the Team Cherry shooters include Ryan Spooner of the Peterborough Petes, Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Stanislav Galiev of the Saint John Sea Dogs, Louis-Marc Aubry of the Montreal Juniors, Austin Watson of the Peterborough Petes and Andrew Yogan of the Erie Otters.

Hometown favourites Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler of the Windsor Spitfires will both skate in the Fastest Skater event for Team Cherry and Fowler said that team bragging rights will be on the line.

“I haven’t really been a part of a skills competition since minor hockey but it should be fun,” Fowler said. “He’s so explosive. I don’t know if I’m as explosive as that. He’s probably the favourite here for the speed skating.  Seguin might give him a good run too. I think it should be great.”

Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats and Alexander Petrovic of the Red Deer Rebels will also skate for Team Cherry while Brandon Gormley of the Moncton Wildcats, Stephen Silas of the Belleville Bulls, Alexander Burmistrov of the Barrie Colts and Mark Pysyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings will represent Team Orr in the Fastest Skater competition.

“It should be cool,” said Pysyk, who went to the Top Prospects Game in 2008 when it was held in Edmonton. “It looked like the guys were having fun when I went to the game in Edmonton. I’m in the fastest skater so I’m a little bit nervous about that - I don’t want to fall or anything in front of everybody. I’ll just go out and have fun.”

The Skills Competition also features a Hardest Shot competition that will see Brock Beukeboom and Brandon Archibald of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Ryan Johansen and Brad Ross of the Portland Winterhawks represent Team Cherry while Michael Bournival of the Shawinigan Cataractes, Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Matt McKenzie of the Calgary Hitmen and Jerome Gauthier of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will represent Team Orr.

The Shooting Accuracy event will pit Jakeb Culek of the Rimouski Oceanic, Troy Rutkowski of the Portland Winterhawks, Austin Madaisky of the Kamloops Blazers and Devante Smith-Pelly of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors against the Team Orr crew of Steven Shipley of the Owen Sound Attack, Ryan Martindale of the Ottawa 67’s, Quinton Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Petr Straka of the Rimouski Oceanic.

The Home Hardware Skills Competition and Three-on-Three Game will be shown locally on TV Cogeco in Windsor beginning at 7:00 p.m. while the 2010 Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects Game goes Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet.

Photo: Aaron Bell/CHL