NHL draft tracker: Trevor Carrick, Mississauga Majors

Being the third in a line of brothers has toughened up Trevor Carrick.

The Mississauga-St. Michael's Majors rookie defenceman has fast carved out his own niche, partnering with Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Stuart Percy on St. Mike's top pairing while helping it become one of the Ontario Hockey League's most improved teams since the new year. The 17-year-old, who's ranked 45th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, is also one-half of a unique sibling rivalry. His older brother, Leafs pick Sam Carrick, captains the Majors' Peel Region rival Brampton Battalion, so the two go head-to-head eight times a season.

"He's my big brother, so I guess he comes at me first and I have to take it," says Trevor Carrick. |But I try to give a little bit back to him, for sure ... He always liked playing forward, so I would always try and stop him. But playing defence just happened."

At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Carrick should eventually be able to offer some size to complement his smooth skating. The Stouffville, Ont., native, who played for the Junior A Stouffville Spirit last season when the Majors were hosting the MasterCard Memorial Cup and thus had a glut of older defencemen, can fairly be described as a toolsy player. The big question is how he'll put it together. The last few weeks may be reason for optimism. He had a -18 plus/minus at the end of January, but has since pared it to -5 as he's helped Mississauga lock up a playoff berth and twice defeat Eastern Conference juggernaut Niagara. All told, he has six goals and 17 points in 65 games

"I think the first half of the season I had a pretty slow start but I'm starting to adjust to the league better and I'm putting up a couple points, stuff like that," says Carrick, who adds that Percy's influence is rubbing off well on him. "He slows the game down really well. He's one of the best players in the league so you can't complain about playing with him. He's taught me a lot in practice, taught everyone, all the D back there."

Carrick is in the middle of the three blueliners in his family. His oldest brother, Jake, plays in CIS for the Lakehead Thunderwolves, while 16-year-old Josh Carrick is up for next month's OHL priority selection draft. To hear Majors coach-GM James Boyd tell it, the two halves of the season have been like night and day for Trevor Carrick.

"Carrick's been very good for us in the second half," says Boyd. "He was very inconsistent for us at the start and he learned his way around the league. He had some games in the first half where I thought he was one of the better players on the ice and some where I thought he was in the lower tier. He knows that, he's been working hard at really managing that consistency. In December, I think he was close to minus-20 and he's been a plus player ever since.

"Carrick's as much brawn as brains while Stuart leans on the brainy side," Boyd adds. "Carrick is a tremendous skater, that allows him to cover up for any mistakes he makes. When he brings that physical element, that's a dimension not too many defencemen have."

1. Apart from the obvious — building strength, improving skating and footwork — what do you believe is the biggest skill you need to improve before you can turn pro?

"Probably being more patient making the puck, making the easy pass out of my own zone and finding the open player."

2. Which NHL defencemen do you watch closely for pointers, tips?

"I like to watch [Philadelphia Flyers veteran] Chris Pronger a lot, try to model my game around him a bit. He's a big boy, but it's just his style of game. Guys like him and [Leafs captain] Dion Phaneuf, big two-way defencemen who play well in the offensive and the defensive zone."

3. Outside of your family, who has had the greatest impact on you in hockey?

"My minor midget coach, Rocky Dundas, who played in the NHL for a few years. He coached me pretty much the entire time I was growing up and made me the player I am today."

4. Not counting your home arena, what's your favourite building in the OHL?

"There's a couple. London has a good fanbase. Ottawa's pretty good. My favourite, though, is probably Sault Ste. Marie [Essar Centre]. My brother Jake played there, so when I go there they know my name and it's always fun."

5. Favourite TV show or movie?

"Probably have to say Eastbound And Down is my favourite TV show. The first episode [of Season 3] is pretty funny. My favourite actor is Will Ferrell, so really any movie he's in I'll enjoy, pretty much."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: OHL Images).