AHL: Aeros Prospects Flying Under Radar

In Houston, the players that generate most of the attention are the veterans. The offense comes primarily from sharpshooter Krys Kolanos and playmaker Corey Locke, with Jesse Schultz also adding a little "o". The goaltending comes from two veterans (Nolan Schaefer and Barry Brust), and the leaders at defense are veterans like John Scott and Brandon Rogers. Save Benoit Pouliot, who was sent down from Minnesota in mid-January, most of the Wild's prospects with the Houston Aeros don't have potential futures as top-six forwards or top-four defensemen, but that doesn't mean the cupboard is completely bare, particularly at defense.

Fourth-year pro Clayton Stoner has put in considerable time in the Minnesota organization, is firmly established as a top-four defenseman in Houston, and has looked like a potential sixth or seventh NHL defenseman for some time. Second-year pro Maxim Noreau has the shot to be a powerplay specialist and is also seeing regular icetime for the Aeros, helping in his development. Most intriguing, though, is rookie-pro Justin Falk, whose continued improvement earned him an NHL contract sooner than may have been expected and whose play as a defensive defenseman no doubt catches the attention of the discerning hockey eye.

Justin Falk (Min), D, Houston

Big (6-5, 215) defensive defenseman .. has powerful strides and good speed .. gets fairly low backwards, keeps a wide base, and has good mobility backwards .. able to angle opponents to the boards and finish them .. has good lateral movement to stick with opponents down low .. plays a physical game, but doesn't pick up a lot of penalty minutes .. can make thunderous shoulder checks .. also has the strength to throw opponents over .. has good balance for absorbing checks on him and knocking over the opponent .. has a very long reach for stick checks .. makes hard, crisp passes .. still needs to refine his passing game, as he occasionally rushes the puck and passes to nobody .. has a hard wristshot from the point .. drops to one knee when blocking shots and positions body perpendicular to shooter (to take it in the side if it misses the shin pad) .. will pinch in from the point and become offensively involved, even if point totals don't reflect it .. played most of the third game at forward and looked decent doing so .. finished his checks on the forecheck and pressured the points .. displayed some one-touch passing and had a nice set-up in the trapezoid to create a goal .. hope to see Falk stay at defense, because he has the tools to become a fifth or sixth defenseman at the NHL level .. for comparison, Falk's overall package looks better than Mark Fistric's in his first year in the AHL .. through Feb. 20, he had 2 assists in 42 games. Click the link for a recent interview with Justin Falk

Maxim Noreau (Min), D, Houston

Smaller defenseman has a cannon from the point .. has a crisp wrister from the point and a hard slapshot .. one-timer from the point is very hard .. over handles the puck when skating it and could afford to carry it more .. loses a lot of speed when handling the puck due to over handling .. passing game needs refinement .. short passes are always crisp and accurate, but leads too far on long-distance passes too often .. 5-foot-11, 192-pound blueliner loses too many 50/50 battles .. can line up some big hits angling opponents or in open ice, though .. gets low backwards and lets gaps shrink, but gets beaten wide too often .. has a number of areas he must improve on, but an NHL future isn't out of the question .. through Feb. 20, he had 11 goals and 18 assists in 55 games.

Clayton Stoner (Min), D, Houston

Fourth-year pro now looked upon for veteran leadership .. still plays a physical game .. makes board-rattling hits down low but also a threat in open ice .. has the strength to throw opponents down .. gets down low backwards and keeps gaps short .. speed backwards is only average, but still has a knack for halting the progress of even the speediest of AHL opponents .. makes crisp passes, but sometimes rushes it and the pass is off the mark .. conversely, sometimes is slow to make puckmoving decisions and hesitates in breakout passing .. not the best viewings of Stoner, but would still like to see Stoner given a chance in Minnesota .. maybe if Martin Skoula isn't brought back as a UFA, a spot as a seventh defenseman for the Wild opens up in 2009-10 .. through Feb. 20, he had 2 goals and 16 assists in 41 games.

Robbie Earl (Min), LW/C, Houston

Acquired from Toronto Jan. 22 and appears to be fitting in well with Constantine's systems .. received a lot of icetime on the Aeros' PK .. active in pressuring the points on the PK and can get the puck out .. often F1 on the forecheck and would steer play .. good hustle off of faceoffs to pressure opposing defensemen .. also puts in a good effort on the backcheck .. finishes his checks and can thrust into opponents for some big hits down low .. has decent speed .. has quick initial strides and decent acceleration but then employs longer strides after he gets going .. showed some offensive prowess in drawing the goaltender to drop and sniping a snapshot, but other times he passed when he clearly had the shot .. did see time on second powerplay unit .. any NHL future looks like it'll likely be as a defensive forward .. had 2 goals and 8 assists in 36 games with Toronto Marlies .. through Feb. 20, he had 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 games for Houston.

Paul Albers (Min), D, Houston

Third-year pro a long shot to play in NHL .. known as more of an offensive defenseman in his last year of juniors and first year of pro (ECHL), playing a more defensive role .. saw regular time on the penalty kill but no time on the powerplay .. conscientiously let gaps shrink, but beaten wide by speedier opponents .. has average speed .. does have a little agility to make tight circles and swivels to evade checks .. passes are generally on the tape .. will join the attack when the opportunity presents itself, but is responsible doing so .. an AHL-worthy defenseman, but just don't see an NHL upside at this juncture .. through Feb. 20, he had 1 goal and 5 assists in 51 games.

Matt Kassian (Min), LW/RW, Houston

Big (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) fighter has a ways to go before displacing Derek Boogaard on Minnesota's roster .. fourth-liner finishes his checks and can be guilty of running around for hits .. has a wide skating stance .. recovery phase of stride could come in a bit more .. shows good stride extension at times, but doesn't have a lot of speed .. finesse skills almost not existent .. shot is average at best .. skilled fighter able to defeat other highly regarded AHL fighters convincingly .. a little work on skating and a lot of work on stick skills would help Kassian's cause to become an NHL fighter .. through Feb. 20, he had 1 goal and 1 assist in 38 games.

Benoit Pouliot (Min), LW/C, Houston

Started the season with Minnesota, but assigned to Houston Jan. 15 .. operates at a different plane than other AHLers, like Neo in The Matrix .. AHL game obviously moves slower for him than for teammates or opposition .. very smooth skater whose speed becomes apparent when he blows by the opposition .. powers out of crossovers .. hands of silk .. smooth stickhandler who can lay down some slick moves .. smooth passer who can receive and pass in one smooth motion .. extremely calm with the puck .. has a crisp, hard wristshot and impressive shot power overall .. physical presence is inconsistent, but plays a physical shift from time to time and can make some big hits .. obviously has NHL top-six skill, just has to prove it every night at the NHL level .. a change of scenery could be in store at the trading deadline .. had 5 goals and 6 assists in 37 games with Minnesota before re-assignment .. through Feb. 20, he had 2 goals and 7 assists in 11 games with Houston.