Habsworld.net has named Mark Streit the May Prospect of the Month for his excellent play at the 2005 World Championship tournament as the captain of Team Switzerland. Out of the 16 team tournament, the Swiss ended up in eighth place, not a great finish but they did play well with some very exciting hockey. The Swiss were led by their captain Mark Streit and his impressive all round play as he was a force at both ends of the rink. He led his team in scoring and was also one of the top scoring defensemen in the tournament, picking up one goal and six assists in seven games as well as leading his team in shots on goal with 15 and tied for the team lead in plus minus rating with a plus 1.
What may have been most impressive about Streit’s play was his defensive play one on one, as he showed he can handle bigger players but using smart body positioning, an active stick and a willingness to take the body. He also showed good endurance as he was one of the leaders in ice time for the Swiss, playing in all situations on the top pairing and at times it appeared as though he was always on the ice especially late in the game when his team needed him most. One would think that the Canadiens management is very pleased with what they saw from the ninth round pick of the 2004 draft, taken 262nd overall. Pierre Gauither should be the most pleased with his performance as he was the driving force behind managements decision to select the overage Swiss defender, who is coming off a career year in the LNSW.
Also in the running and very close to getting the prospect of the month award was Mikhail Grabovsky who also enjoyed a very successful appearance at the 2005 World Championship tournament. Grabovsky exploded offensively in a game against the host nation Austria, as he picked up four goals in one game against Flyers draft pick Bernd Brueckler out of the NCAA. Grabovsky went on to led his team in goals with four and was second on the team in points with five in six games and in addition, was second on the team in shots on goal with 16. While fans were likely disappointed in the lack of offensive production from top 2003 pick Andrei Kostitsyn, they had to enjoy the breakout tournament that Grabovsky had. It was his speed, skating and offensive willingness to create chances for himself and his teammates that was most impressive, as he had several quality chances and always seemed to make things happen on the ice while playing on the top line for Team Belarus.