AHL: A Texas Revolution

A shake-up in the Phoenix organization over the off-season has resulted in a significant turnaround for their AHL-affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. The acquisitions of veteran AHLers, such as Jon DiSalvatore, Matt Murley, Peter Vandermeer, Chris Durno, and Ryan Caldwell, have buttressed the leadership already provided by captain Bryan Helmer and Travis Roche. This infusion of veteran leadership should only help top Phoenix prospects skating in the AHL, including Bill Thomas, Enver Lisin, and Keith Yandle.

Bill Thomas (Phx), RW, San Antonio

Has deceptive speed, thanks to a long, powerful stride, although he is a bit bent over in his skating .. maintains calm with the puck when being checked .. has soft hands and can stickhandle wide when necessary .. has good shot power .. does not waste much energy running around, but could afford to get more involved in physical battles.

Enver Lisin (Phx), RW, San Antonio

A smooth skater who has good speed and especially likes to build speed through the neutral zone to beat opponents wide .. has quick feet and shows good acceleration from time to time .. showed some hustle on the forecheck and the backcheck .. has soft hands for stickhandling and catching quick passes .. shot power is impressive, although his slapshot needs further harnessing .. ran into, or nearly ran into his own teammates on more than one occasion.

Keith Yandle (Phx), D, San Antonio

Offensive, puckmoving defenseman .. agile skater who likes to circle away from forecheckers in the trapezoid .. can connect on some long-distance, laser beam passes to spring forwards for breakaways .. likes to skate the puck through the neutral zone into the offensive zone and can make slick plays from the point and the tops of the circles .. also adept at one-touch passing .. has a decent slapshot and one-timer from the point .. can dangle with the puck, but sometimes makes moves unnecessarily .. defensive side of his game needs additional development .. skating ability and speed allows him to recover from some of his offensive forays .. physical game is inconsistent, as he stands up opponents and separates opponents from the puck but can be susceptible to turning the puck over below the goal line when rushed and hearing footsteps from behind.

Joey Tenute (Phx), C, San Antonio

Small forward with quick feet and good agility .. has too much vertical movement in his body when he accelerates and can be guilty of having quick turnovers but generating little power .. has good offensive awareness and can make things happen around the net and in the trapezoid for a pass to the crease or the slot .. is often in position around the net for passes himself .. has a nice snapshot .. shows good effort on the forecheck and the backcheck and does not shy away from going into the corners.

Logan Stephenson (Phx), D, San Antonio

Played forward and defense but was much more comfortable at defense .. makes simple passing plays but is reliable in his outlet passing .. can skate the puck up himself with some momentum, although his stride becomes a bit choppy when carrying the puck .. has a decent wristshot from the point, although its release is somewhat slow .. has some trouble with speed on defense and can be beaten wide or out-positioned in races for the puck .. can play a physical game, be it pushing people over, standing them up at the blueline, or launching into them along the boards and in the corner down low .. at his best when playing with this physical element.

David Spina (Phx), LW, San Antonio

Signed to a one-year, minor-league contract and is doing all he can to upgrade that status .. hustles all the time, be it with or without the puck and on the forecheck or backcheck .. hustles into the corner regardless of the opponent .. has quick feet and is agile with the puck, but he lacks power and top-end speed .. center of gravity is a bit off, as he leans forward a great deal when he skates .. is not an elite offensive player, but can finish his chances and create some as well.

Dylan Reese (Phx), D, San Antonio

Former New York Rangers draft pick on minor-league contract to Phoenix Coyotes .. decent two-way defenseman .. has a quick wristshot from the point that he can also take while in stride .. shows decent speed while skating the puck and is accurate in his passing .. has quick feet, but could afford to add more power and lengthen his stride .. shows a good effort and defensive awareness, but does not play an overly physical game .. can be taken off his game with physical forechecking, as he can be rushed into plays if he hears footsteps.