AHL: Alamo City Getting Slaughtered

The San Antonio Rampage have gotten off to a tough start in 2008-09, going 2-12-0-1 in their first 15 games. So the Alamo was slaughtered during the Texas Revolution but battled to win the war the next year, so too might the Rampage later this year or in 2009-10, as the team is not bereft of talent. Forwards such as Brett MacLean, Enver Lisin, Alexander Nikulin, Chad Kolarik, and Alex Bourret speak to the prospect depth the young Phoenix Coyotes have in their professional ranks and defensemen Jonas Ahnelov and David Schlemko are also prospects to keep an eye on.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was recently able to catch two San Antonio Rampage games in a three-day span and enter notes on several prospects.

Brett MacLean (Phx), LW, San Antonio

Positional offensive threat continuing to work on his skating .. able to generate a little speed after gaining momentum, but lacks separation .. first three strides are slow and just seems to have no spring in his step .. edge control on turns is still a little rough .. despite lacking speed and acceleration, he is still adept at shielding the puck using his body and stickhandling along the boards and down low .. not uncommon to see him making plays from the trapezoid, out of the corners, or off the half walls .. often the man setting up in front of the goaltender on the powerplay .. main question is if MacLean has the fast-twitch muscle fibers necessary to develop the acceleration and speed that would help him take his game to the next level. Click the link for a recent interview with Brett MacLean

Enver Lisin (Phx), RW/LW, San Antonio

Third-year of pro experience in North America, but doesn't seem to be learning (unable or unwilling?) .. an exciting player to watch because of his speed and skill, but sometimes paints himself into a corner with the puck .. able to use his speed to beat opponents wide .. combination of speed and dangle allows him to skate through the opposition, but sometimes tries to go around more people than advisable .. has a hard wristshot .. also has a very hard slapper that does not require a large wind-up .. speed bursts give him good separation and allow him to pressure on the forecheck .. is generally active on the forecheck in pursuit of the puck .. high skill level is commendable, but needs to utilize his teammates a little more and/or a little sooner in the play.

Alexander Nikulin (Phx), C, San Antonio

Acquired by Phoenix in early November from the Ottawa organization after he left Binghamton .. can stickhandle in a phone booth .. over stickhandles at times, although gets high marks for artistic impression .. able to undress opposing defensemen with speed and stickhandling .. has a smooth stride and good speed .. playmaker off the half boards on the powerplay .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a decent snapshot and will take shots from all angles .. gives San Antonio a level of skill at center the team lacked without him, but yet to translate to production .. skilled center a potential flight risk to Russia, but Phoenix knows this and accepted that risk.

Chad Kolarik (Phx), RW, San Antonio

Probably more of a smart player than a skilled player .. played the point on the powerplay .. has average shot power, be it slapshot or wristshot .. can unleash a fairly hard one-timer .. makes accurate passes and is adept at finding open teammates with centering passes .. played on the penalty kill and was adept at positioning himself to poke away or intercept passes and clear the zone or go on the break himself .. better at knocking the puck out at the point than keeping it in .. has a nice resume from the University of Michigan, but still a ways from competing for a spot in Phoenix.

Jonas Ahnelov (Phx), D, San Antonio

Nice overall package of size and mobility .. a smooth skater with good power skating forward to get to loose pucks .. has decent backwards acceleration that utilizes a cross of quick feet and power .. able to move well laterally and can stand-up opponents and separate them from the puck .. defensive positioning along walls needs refining, as he plays too close to the wall on speedy forwards at times and gets beat to the inside .. a reliable passer who makes quick, crisp, accurate passes .. was a regular on the penalty kill and saw some time on the powerplay .. nearly-21-year-old Swede may only need one year to adjust to North American rink and game before moving on to Phoenix.

Alex Bourret (Phx), RW, San Antonio

Third-year pro in third NHL organization (Atlanta, Rangers, and Phoenix) .. former first rounder could still have a future as a checking-line forward in NHL .. has nice speed burst for acceleration with puck or in pursuit of it .. strides have a lot of power, but are not a smooth motion .. couples his speed with a good effort on the forecheck in aggressively pressuring the opposition .. active forechecker finishes his checks, often with force .. a threat to lay out a hit most anywhere .. has a quick shot and played on the second powerplay unit .. looks like a prime candidate for recall to Phoenix if the Coyotes suddenly need an energy-line player at the NHL level.

David Schlemko (Phx), D, San Antonio

Played 2007-08 for the Arizona Sundogs of the CHL, but definitely an AHL-caliber defenseman .. poised and patient with the puck .. isn't rushed into bad decisions at the point or in starting the breakout .. able to look forecheckers off more often than the typical defenseman .. fairly adept at walking the blueline with quick lateral steps .. moves the puck well and is also adept at skating the puck .. consistently employs a nice, smooth stride with good extension, power, and speed .. has a crisp wristshot, although the release may be a tad slow .. defensively, backwards acceleration involves a lot of small steps and is somewhat upright, but doesn't backtrack early .. makes timely stickchecks and leg drags .. on the first powerplay unit and also played on the PK .. not a highlight-reel puckmoving defenseman, but good .. main question is what he can do when not given the time he seems to be able to give himself at the AHL level .. a short recall to Phoenix later in the season would help assess where Schlemko's at in processing information quickly.

Logan Stephenson (Phx), D, San Antonio

Looked notably better than in 2007-08 .. handling speed better .. has quick feet laterally to help him in angling speedy opponents, although still beat time to time .. quick into the corner to get to the puck .. able to stop backwards quickly to stick with opponents .. still plays with some physicality .. has a quick shot from the point .. has some speed with the puck and isn't afraid to skate it in and take the shot himself .. showed a little poise starting the breakout in faking a wraparound and then regrouping to make a pass after opposing forward circled away .. still no certainty to play in the NHL, but put in a good showing.

Sean Sullivan (Phx), D, San Antonio

Split 2007-08 between San Antonio and Arizona (CHL), and may be trying to do too much at the AHL level .. fairly mobile defenseman has good speed bursts to race for loose pucks and can get around his zone .. guilty of being all over his zone on occasion .. a bit of a rover on the powerplay filling in offensive holes .. has a deceptive shot, as the puck comes off his stick harder than one might expect .. played on the penalty kill and put in a good effort doing so .. commendable effort, but does need to play a little more positional even though he's fighting to stay in the AHL.