Draft Recap: Port Adelaide Brewers

Port Adelaide Brewers 
Head Coach: Mitch Villani
General Manager: Bill Newbound

Forwards 

Steve Best: He was marquee'd for a reason. Steve Best has been dominant in local SA Ice Hockey and one of the top players on the Adelaide Adrenaline. His game seemed to have taken the next step this year and he became more reliable defensively and continues to emerge as a leader. He finished third in the league in goalscoring this season - a position he usually holds. 

Tyler Leeming: A playmaking winger, who has great hockey smarts, drives the net hard, and will partner well with Steve Best. He's been on the Red Wings for a number of years now and has won multiple League MVPs and Championships. Expect him to score a lot of goals - especially combining with Steve Best as we've seen in the past. 

Ben Handberg: The 20-year-old has one of - if not the best - shot in the entire competition. The Jokers tee'd him up for multiple one times on the Power Play. His experience in Canada makes him savvy and he uses his big frame to gain advantage on the ice. He scored 18 goals this season for the Jokers, giving the Brewers yet another handy option. 

Tyler Boyle: In his late teens, Tyler moved to the Tigers this season after playing on the Blackhawks. He potted 11 goals and was an excellent secondary scoring option. He is very coachable and does the little things well. 

Nicola Pau: Former AIHL player and a very good skater. He moved to Adelaide from Italy in the early 2010s and has been a point-per-game player in the local competition. Has some good playmaking flare to set up those goal scorers.  

Jeremy Klein: Been dominating the A-Grade competition and filling in during the Premier League season for the Tigers, but has always been good enough to play top level regularly. A real grind it out, always in the right place kind of player. Originally from Canada. 

Jeff Pellerin: They call him "Jeff the Pest" for a reason. He plays hard. Always taking away space of the opponent, strong on the forecheck, and creates by making himself busy on the ice. He's also been known to finish off a few goals in front of the net. 

Dylan Pope: An intriguing selection as Pope missed the last season of Premier League hockey. But Dylan plays hard and with passion. He plays three feet bigger than he actually his. Has some AIHL experience. 

Reece Boundy: A slugger. He's become a better skater as of late but he is most known recently for his huge tilt he had vs. Matt Lothian. Boundy likes to stir stuff up. 

Reggie Mattchoss: A converted inline player, a great teammate, hard-working and always willing to learn. Had a taste of the AIHL so knows what it's like at the top level. A solid role player.

Tomek Sak: If they can get Tomek to come over from Perth, they have a top-level and top-producing AIHL guy who will slot in the top line. 

Jayden Ryan: Similar story to Tomek Sak. Jayden plays for the Newcastle Northstars. The 28-year-old put up 13 points in 28 games in the last AIHL season.

Harley Anderson: Based out of QLD, Anderson notably lived in Adelaide for an AIHL season in 2019. A top line centre if they can get him to come in and out.

Filip Moravec: A former professional player based in Sydney. Would add amazing experience and skill if an arrangement can be reached with the player. 

Defense
Zach Boyle: Arguably Adelaide's top defenseman was marquee'd by Newbound and the Brewers. Boyle has a great shot, skates as well as anyone and possesses elite skill. He's well over a point-per-game player from the blue line.

Adam Wise: Longtime member of the Red Wings (previously Falcons), Wise played a key role this season as the team's #1 guy. They got all the way to the championship game. Great familiarity with Newbound and Villani. 

Jared Chester: 40-years-young and still slugging it out there in the Premier League competition. A former Adelaide Avalanche player. Chester plays hard, has a good shot, and is in great shape. 

Jake O'Brien: A 20-year-old returning from Canada who spent the first few years of his life in Adelaide. Played some hockey while growing up and spending his teens in Canada out West. 

Dan Strawbridge: An immensely talented inline player who made the switch to ice last year. The skill and hands are there, and the skating is getting better by the day. 

Tristan Reece: Veteran blue liner that skates well and can play a variety of different roles!

Goalies
Matus Trnka: Just in high-school but Trnka is a wildly exciting goaltending prospect. He was left out to dry a bit with the Falcons this year so we are keen to see how he does in the Pro League format. He was taken #2 overall for a reason - people think he is a future bonified #1 AIHL calibre goalie. 

Andrew Glass: Former Adelaide Adrenaline player coming out of retirement. Great locker room guy, too.

POTENTIAL LINE COMBOS

T. Boyle - Best - Leeming
Handberg - Pau - Klein 
Pellerin - Pope - Matchoss
Boundy 
Wild Cards: Sak and Ryan 

Boyle - Chester
Wise - O'Brien 
Strawbridge - Reece

Trnka
Glass 

Eric Balnar's Verdict

A few things I like about this team:

1. The Brewers have a lot of players who can put the puck in the net. The knack for scoring will come in handy in a competition that we'd expect to see a few goals. That comes from the forward group of Best - Leeming - Handberg and T. Boyle who you'd expect to score the lion's share of the goals...but also from the back end in Zach Boyle. 

2. I like the Jake O'Brien pick. Grabbing him in the middle of the draft was a huge thing because he's largely unknown to the ice hockey community in South Australia. But he grew up and developed in Canada, giving him an edge. If he develops well here that is a killer 1-2 punch with Zach Boyle. 

3. This is Matus Trnka's time to shine. There's going to be a lot of goal scoring races in this league. Can the young 17-year-old goalie show his maximum potential and keep his team in games when they need? I think he can.