| AWARDS |
|---|
- 2006-07 OHL All-Star Game (Western Conference representative)
- 2006-07 CHL Top Prospects Game (Team Bowman/Demers) (did not play because of injury)
|
| HISTORY |
|---|
2004-05:
- Drafted third overall in OHL draft by Saginaw after season with Stratford Ontario midgets.
|
2005-06:
- Produced well as 16-year-old rookie in OHL with Saginaw (65-19-18-37, plus-4).
|
2006-07:
- Won gold with Canada at Junior World Cup in Czech Republic in August.
- Produced well early in OHL season with Saginaw (22-10-13-23).
- He and four Saginaw teammates got into legal trouble in October and ended up in court in February.
- Pleaded guilty in February to misdemeanor assault and battery charges.
- Received a sentence of two years probation and 250 hours community service.
- Traded to Erie in November with second- and fourth-round picks for Ryan O'Marra.
- Finished season as Erie's leading scorer and most valuable player (43-20-26-46).
- Had 30 goals among 69 points in 65 games overall and was a minus-24.
- Helped Canada to fourth-place finish at world under-18 championship in Finland.
|
2007-08:
- Captained OHL's Erie and finished second in team scoring (66-25-42-67).
- Finished with team-worst minus-33, fifth worst in the OHL.
- Erie had a dismal year, missing the playoffs at a Western Conference-worst 18-46-2-2.
- Managed point-per-game pace despite team average of just three goals scored per game.
- Signed amateur tryout at end of season to join AHL's Grand Rapids (11-1-0-1).
|
| SCOUT COMMENTS |
|---|
| "He has a real good touch down low and around the net. He's good with the puck and he sees the ice very well, and he's a responsible player in his own end. He's not a pretty skater. Is the skating going to affect him at the next level? That's what we have to find out (in the next two years).” -- Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2007) ... |
| STRENGTHS |
|---|
| Soft hands and a great scoring touch in the goal area ... quick release on a dangerous shot ... excellent vision and talented playmaker ... terrific hockey sense and anticipation ... knows how to find offensive openings ... especially dangerous on power plays ... quick in small areas ... good defensively ... began wearing a letter in the OHL at age 17, a sign of strong leadership traits ... |
| WEAKNESSES |
|---|
| Overall skating speed and acceleration is his Achilles' heel, and is a big concern of the Red Wings' ... slight and extremely immature physically, and needs to bulk up ... doesn't play with much grit or edge, and could stand to get more involved in heavy traffic ... |
| PROJECTION |
|---|
|
Torquato likely dropped in the draft because of his skating, but the Red Wings say they see a little bit of Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette in him. He didn't quite live up to expectations in the Ontario Hockey League in 2007-08, but still averaged a point-per-game on a dismal Erie team. If the Otters improve, expect Torquato to skyrocket up the scoring charts in 2008-09.
|
| STATISTICS |
| |
|
|
| SEASON |
TEAM |
LEAGUE |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
PIM |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
PIM |
| 2005-06 |
Saginaw |
OHL |
65 |
19 |
18 |
37 |
56 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
| 2006-07 |
Saginaw |
OHL |
22 |
10 |
13 |
23 |
24 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| |
Erie |
OHL |
43 |
20 |
26 |
46 |
69 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| |
Canada |
W-U18 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| 2007-08 |
Erie |
OHL |
66 |
25 |
42 |
67 |
112 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| |
Grand Rapids |
AHL |
11 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
