AHL: Hungry Like The Wolf

The Chicago Wolves are on the prowl for their second Calder Cup in four years, but they first need to get through the Manitoba Moose starting Thursday night. Kari Lehtonen's (right) spine-tingling performances continue to show why we've got him ranked as the best NHL prospect in net, while Jay Bouwmeester has come alive after being loaned to the team from San Antonio. Stephen Weiss has also experiences a rebirth in the Windy City and Braydon Coburn had adjusted to the speed difference from the WHL to the AHL. We've also got notes on Michael Garnett, Karl Stewart and Derek MacKenzie.

Kari Lehtonen (Atl), G, Chicago Wolves

The complete goaltending prospect, topping even Roberto Luongo and Rick DiPietro prior to their NHL careers .. his 6'4, 200-pound frame puts up a large road block in the net .. doesn't use oversized pads and thus will have no worries with possible new NHL rules .. extremely athletic .. leg extension is so good that he covers ice even beyond the goal posts of the net when he hits the butterfly .. excelled to new heights this year and looks ready to handle a starting workload in the NHL .. was a key factor in taking his squad to a first place divisional finish and made a good team an excellent one .. has the ability to win games on his own .. has shown no signs of fatigue and has remained in excellent condition this season, not having to battle injuries or take nights off in back-to-back games like in his rookie campaign .. keeps his focus against both strong and weak opponents .. seems ready for an NHL workload .. lateral movement and agility are outstanding .. reflexes are elite .. takes point-blank, quickly-released shots and gloves them in a hurry .. rebound control is exceptional .. competitive nature means he hates giving up goals, but he doesn't let that fact affect his poise .. even when being left out to dry by teammates after making multiple saves, he still bounces up to get into position and make the next save .. has an excellent chance to be a perennial All Star and is the type of player you build a franchise around .. only possible flaw might be puck movement and perhaps being more aggressive passing it up to his teammates during line changes.

Jay Bouwmeester (Fla), D, Chicago Wolves/San Antonio Rampage

A trying year for the former third overall pick, who was ready to see top pairing ice time in Florida were it not for the lockout .. Instead of dominating the AHL this season, he has been sucked into playing below his skill level .. after struggling in San Antonio on an uninspired team the Panthers front office thought it would be best to ship him out to a veteran-filled, playoff-bound team in Chicago .. young defender blossomed in Chicago .. logging plenty of ice time in each game .. is on the first pair five-on-five, first power play and first penalty killing units .. after having only 4 goals, 13 assist in 64 GP and being -22 he's regained his confidence, competitive spirit and skill level in Chicago, grabbing 6 goals, 3 assists, in the next 9 games in Chicago, also going +3 in that time .. has a huge frame at 6'4, 219 and no longer looks like the lanky teenager we once knew .. his breathtaking skating stands out as elite and not many players his size can compete on that level .. backward acceleration is flat-out amazing .. doesn't need to turn around and skate forward to stick with opposing forwards - he can just fly backwards with them every step of the way .. has shown the puck-rushing skills we all knew he had since arriving in Chicago .. his break-neck skating and agility go well with his deft stick-handling, letting him out-maneuver forecheckers at will .. His outlet decisions have become smarter and he nearly always makes the correct read and play moving out of the zone .. shows PP QB ability .. shot is quickly released, keeping it low and getting it through .. can sneak into the play and one-time a beauty accurately, often for a goal .. vision is top notch .. extremely slick when moving the puck and doesn't often turn it over .. makes the jaw-dropping play if it's there, but if it's not he doesn't force it .. defensive zone coverage is coming along .. plays like a less physical Chris Pronger and gives opposing forwards headaches .. still appears dead-set on course to be Florida's #1 future defenseman.

Stephen Weiss (Fla), C, Chicago Wolves/San Antonio Rampage

The road has been shaky for Florida's fourth overall pick from 2001, but his 29 points in 50 games for the Panthers last season showed he might be turning into a stable offensive force .. this year has been a trying, frustrating year for Weiss .. had solid, yet unspectacular, offensive production in San Antonio with 38 points in 62 games .. included in a package with Jay Bouwmeester to Chicago to gain playoff experience .. has since come alive and is producing at a point-per-game rate .. small player at 5-11 that has not yet pushed the scale to 200 pounds .. still surprisingly strong on the puck and in traffic for his size .. perhaps not in the fearless or gutsy class, but he goes into high-traffic areas to score and works hard down low, staying on his feet to win possession .. acceleration is special and top-end speed is superb as well .. shifty and elusive on his feet .. sometimes goes unnoticed in five-on-five situations, but his game rises to a new level on the PP .. sets up shop exceptionally well behind the net .. shows striking playmaking ability and can distribute the puck both forehanded and backhanded .. his shot isn't very hard but he knows how to position himself to score a goal and shows no hesitation to pop in a rebound .. has a solid defensive presence that still needs work, which he is doing .. made a creative no-look, behind the back, backhand pass from behind the net to an open man that fooled the goaltender so much he already shifted to the other side and didn't know it went in until Weiss skated by him in celebration .. has some special ingredients and his passing will carry his offensive torch, but he may top out as a second line center.

Michael Garnett (Atl) G, Chicago Wolves

Has earned his #5 Thrashers organizational ranking at McKeen's .. was impressive in his 23 appearances as Lehtonen's back-up .. athletic goaltender with exceptional rebound control that loves to challenge the shooters .. makes up for slight stature with an aggressive butterfly style .. poised, calm and in control of his movements between the pipes .. could stand to be stronger laterally .. sometimes loses balance traveling behind the net .. flexible goaltender in the butterfly but could stand to improve leg extension .. lacks elite leg reflexes .. has top-end rebound control but if that first shot gets away, trouble often follows the rebounds after that .. won't back down in traffic .. cat-like hands, especially his glove .. making his hip movements more fluid might allow him to take his game to the next level .. probably number two goalie some day with a chance of number one upside .. with Kari Lehtonen likely in Atlanta next year, it will be a crucial year of development for the Wolves goalies .. consistency and continued development could result in another promising Thrashers system goaltender.

Karl Stewart (Atl), LW, Chicago Wolves

Didn't follow up his statistical breakthrough of last season, but his play has remained strong .. shows all the components of a young, upcoming third liner that can create chances and with his skating and anticipation .. plays a fearless style of hockey. has superb anticipation without the puck, makes instinctive reads and acts on them quickly, often leading to turnovers and odd-man breaks for his team .. 5'11, 185-pound forward isn't blessed with imposing size, but he plays a big man's game .. has a lot of heart and will take a hit or make a hit .. would be wise to bulk up for NHL duty .. has a wide-legged skating stride that packs a lot of power as he explodes through the neutral zone .. many of his goals came on breakaways this year .. clever at picking off passes and taking them the distance .. not many defenseman can stick with him when he goes full throttle .. gets to full speed quickly .. brings a consistent effort .. knows his strengths and his weaknesses and tailors his game around them .. forechecks at full throttle .. seems to lack finish and his playmaking ability has severely dropped this year, although vision is never an issue .. looks to be destined for third line NHL duty soon.

Derek MacKenzie (Atl), C, Chicago Wolves

Has hit a point in development where he doesn't appear to be getting any better and what you see is what you get .. seems to be a third or fourth line center that can step in immediately and make a living off his face-off skills .. alternate captain is always on the ice when they need a big draw and that nets him both PP and PK time .. has a keen sense of where to be on the ice at all times .. defensively responsible .. gritty player can really motor .. blessed with marvelous acceleration which he uses to his advantage .. top speed is also good .. strong on his feet with a tireless stride .. always keeps his feet moving, which helps him both draw penalties and break free from bigger defenders .. his average hands don't leave him as the most creative or skilled player, but he still gets PP time because of his exceptional work in front .. likes to plant himself in front of the goaltender a la Thomas Holmstrom and is hard to move out of there, despite being undersized .. has a dangerous ability to drive the puck from the outside with leverage and speed .. heart and soul captain-type player .. should bring the Thrashers a defensively reliable third or fourth liner that can skate at the NHL level.

Braydon Coburn (Atl), D, Chicago Wolves

Take the suffocating defensive style of Mike Rathje and add in the offensive touch and skating of Eric Brewer and you have the upside of this young talent .. huge defenseman at 6'5 could stand to add bulk but is still a strong package .. excellent with one-on-one plays .. his long reach allows him to disrupt rushing forwards .. outlet decisions were a concern in his first few games in the AHL, but that has improved already .. has gotten more comfortable offensively in the AHL once he got used to the speed of the game .. surprisingly agile and gifted skater for his size, he has long and sturdy strides that are powerful .. hard slap shot has a quick release and he tends to shoot low, which can be effective .. no question that he has special potential.

On one occasion there were no open lanes for a pass, so he used his strong skating stride to force the Ducks back and then he sprang a forward on a semi-breakaway with a beautiful saucer pass across the ice .. was caught trying to hold the zone once, which he did successfully, but the puck rolled on him and he made a weak pass that was intercepted and taken the other way .. his skating ability allows him to recover from these kinds of situations, but ultimately here he stopped moving his feet once he caught up and took a hooking penalty .. not seeing PP time yet but still gets plenty of ice time in the end.