AHL: Iowa Advancing Grade A Chops

Iowa hockey fans largely had an adverse initial reaction to the Chops' name and logo when it was released during the summer, but that view has changed to a more favorable one after seeing the sharp jerseys, an enhanced game-day production, and an on-ice product that has featured a number of prospects on the cusp of the NHL. Chops fans received a gift from the Ducks for 14 games in the form of Bobby Ryan, who lit up the AHL in his short time with the team before his rightful recall in mid-November, and dynamic playmaking talent Joakim Lindstrom would have made a nice stocking stuffer with his offensive vision had he not been traded to the Phoenix organization prior to Christmas. Iowa has advanced two defense prospects to the NHL this season in Brett Festerling and Brendan Mikkelson, the former of which has firmly established himself in the Ducks' top six since his November recall. Veteran Chops Andrew Ebbett and David LeNeveu have also seen recalls to Anaheim, and not far behind in that quest are forwards Drew Miller, Matt Beleskey, and Petteri Wirtanen, and blueliner Brian Salcido, ensuring Iowa has at least a little near-NHL-ready talent in the line-up every night and a chance to win.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey has seen the Chops over a dozen times so far in 2008-09 and enters notes on the above-noted Anaheim prospects, the since-departed Lindstrom, and a number of other Ducks prospects with their AHL affiliate.

Bobby Ryan (Ana), LW/RW, Iowa

The Iowa Chops were extremely fortunate to have this gifted offensive player for the time that they did .. masterful stickhandler adept at maintaining possession of the puck with toe drags, drawing it toward his body, and swivels to protect the puck with his 6-foot-2, 208-pound frame .. routinely undresses AHL defensemen with video-game-like moves .. able to create time and space for teammates and has good offensive vision to spot open teammates and create plays .. also has the offensive awareness to know where his teammates are .. generally makes crisp, accurate passes to teammates to set them up for prime chances .. dangerous making plays both off the boards because of his puck protection abilities and around the net in the offensive zone .. is very patient with the puck and does not panic if he momentarily loses handle of the puck .. in terms of finishing, Ryan has a hard wrist shot and a hard one-timer and has above-average goal-scoring ability .. defensively, put in a concerted effort to improve his defensive play and it was not uncommon to see him create turnovers on the backcheck or finish his checks on the forecheck .. main concern for his NHL future might be a lack of separation (lack of acceleration and quickness), but he is not slow, and his stickhandling and puck protection has generally compensated .. recalled by Anaheim Nov. 15 after cap space was opened up by injury to Rejean Beauchemin .. with the Iowa Chops, (14gp, 9-10-19) prior to recall.

Brett Festerling (Ana), D, Iowa

Anaheim's last cut from training camp and stepped up game big time after Brendan Mikkelson went down to injury .. very reliable in his puck movement, as he makes very crisp, quick, and accurate passes .. generally makes the safe play but can connect on long-distance passes and does so routinely .. can skate the puck and has the agility with the puck to escape forecheckers down low by using switchbacks or quick lateral movement .. has decent speed and displays some good speed bursts when necessary .. speed backwards is only average and can be beaten wide with speed, but does play a physical game and will engage attackers physically .. a real threat to lay down a well-timed hip check on an opponent trying to use speed wide .. does a good job of letting his gaps close and then engaging physically .. not big by NHL standards at 6-foot-1, 208 pounds (his listed size, which might be slightly exaggerated), but can lay out some big shoulder checks, too .. keeps his head on a swivel .. does need to improve at keeping the puck in at the point .. has a crisp wrist shot from the point .. rarely takes a slap shot during games, but it looks fine in warm-ups .. saw some power play time with Iowa, but will likely see limited power play time in the NHL .. likely to be a stalwart penalty killer and a regular at even strength .. hard-working, honest, responsible, reliable defenseman who should be a fifth, possibly even fourth, defenseman in the NHL for many years .. recalled by Anaheim Nov. 15, sent down Nov. 27, and then recalled again Nov. 29 .. with the Iowa Chops. (15gp, 0-6-6)

Brendan Mikkelson (Ana), D, Iowa

Dislocated elbow suffered Oct. 18 sidelined him for five weeks but was Iowa's most impressive defenseman prior to said injury .. mobility is his key strength .. has smooth, long, power strides .. able to generate considerable speed with the puck rounding his net .. has quick lateral movement, which he utilizes to man the point well .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a hard slapper from the point .. also has a hard one-timer .. comfortable and confident handling the puck at the point or skating it .. adept at getting off shots moving laterally at the point .. has a little dangle to his game and joins the offensive play deep more often than Festerling.. able to let defensive gaps shrink due to superior all-compass mobility .. although bigger than Festerling at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, does not play with the same physicality intensity .. smooth-skating defenseman appears to have a future as a fourth or fifth defenseman in the NHL. (21gp, 1-5-6)

Drew Miller (Ana), LW, Iowa

A consistent contributor for the Chops receiving increased attention from opponents due to recalls of Bobby Ryan and Andrew Ebbett to Anaheim and trade of Joakim Lindstrom to Phoenix .. has a long stride, but only average speed by NHL standards and questionable acceleration .. talented stickhandler able stickhandle wide and then bring it into his body with ease .. adept stationary stickhandler, too .. able to use his considerable reach to shield the puck from attackers .. has a goal-scoring touch and can score with his wrist shot or slap shot .. decent playmaking abilities and makes crisp, accurate passes and is a threat to make plays on the attack and especially off the boards or out of the corners .. has decent offensive vision to find open teammates, although not an elite level .. puts in a good defensive effort on the forecheck and the backcheck .. finishes his checks and can lay out some hard hits in all three zones .. sees regular time on both the power play and the penalty kill .. 24-year-old is a good all-around hockey player that needs more speed and acceleration .. has appeared to be tiring some, and could afford to add more meat to his 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame .. could be a good third-line winger in the NHL if he makes necessary improvements. (34gp, 16-11-27)

Matt Beleskey (Ana), LW, Iowa

Missed the first month of the AHL regular season due to a knee injury suffered in training camp with Anaheim, but is still off to a good AHL start .. plays a power forward-esque game at 6-foot-0, 208 pounds .. finishes his checks and can do so with some force .. also makes the occasional big open-ice hit .. has a fairly hard slap shot and a hard one-timer .. able to make some nice centering passes, but is still adjusting to the time, space, and speed of the AHL game .. speed is average at best, and seems light on his skates at time, not digging into the ice and generating the power one would expect looking at him .. as a point of reference, has appeared further along in his development early in AHL career than James Neal did for Iowa Stars in 2007-08 .. unless Beleskey completely fails to develop, should become a third-line NHLer if he adds speed, and might even become a second-liner if he does. (16gp, 4-8-12)

Petteri Wirtanen (Ana), C, Iowa

Anaheim has their next defensive center in Wirtanen, and he has an underrated offensive game .. conscientious in helping his defensemen down low in the defensive zone .. often the man that covers for a defenseman that pinches on the rush .. plays odd-man breaks well if he's having to play as a defenseman defending the rush .. at his best when's he's playing a physical forechecking game, and he can lay out some big hits along the boards .. also adept with his stick for poke checks or clogging passing lanes.. one of Iowa's top penalty killers .. wins more than his fair share of face-offs .. has decent speed with the puck and is a bit of a threat to come off the boards or to make centering passes .. has decent offensive vision and plays some on the point on the power play .. centered Bobby Ryan and Joakim Lindstrom for a few games and stepped his offensive game up to match his linemates and looked very confident with the puck .. has skated most of the season with linemates that have average or below-average offensive creativity, though .. a good two-way center who Anaheim should have no qualms filling in on the fourth line now and a third- or fourth-line center in the future. (34gp, 4-9-13)

Brian Salcido (Ana), D, Iowa

Offensive defenseman appears to be consciously working on his defensive game ..

.. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes and is a threat to spring teammates with long-distance passes .. confident with the puck and utilizes switchbacks, swivels, and spins to evade forecheckers .. rarely panics with the puck, although he can paint himself into a corner .. combines patience, poise, and stickhandling to sidestep defenders with toe drags and other moves .. likes to make clever drop passes .. has a fairly powerful stride and good speed .. has a quick, hard wrist shot from the point that he utilizes far more often than his slapper, although he has a hard slap shot .. has a hard one-timer from the point .. must be smarter about when he takes shots from the point so that they are not blocked and leave the zone .. a regular on the power play, but does not appear to be a natural power play quarterback, at least not on the top unit .. notes have become more defense-oriented as the season has progressed .. actively keeping his gaps short and letting them shrink .. angling his men to the boards better and fewer are fighting around his checks .. also a threat to step up for a hit and is connecting on more of these .. becoming a threat with hip checks, too .. blocks a lot of shots by dropping to one knee .. would be advised to continue playing physical game and avoid faux toughness, such as tackles, cross checks, and the like .. 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman has the size and offensive tools and is working on the things he needs to get a shot with the Ducks or another NHL organization. (34gp, 3-16-19)

Eric Regan (Ana), D, Iowa

Twenty-year-old defenseman accustomed to playing as offensive defenseman but unable to play that role in AHL, yet .. missed on a lot of outlet passes early in the season, but is connecting on more and more .. passes are generally crisp, even those that end up going for icing .. received power play time early in the season but worked himself off the PP .. must improve at keeping the puck in at the point, even if on his off hand .. has a quick wrist shot from the point .. has average speed with or without the puck .. backwards, has reasonably smooth backwards acceleration but often requires a lot of steps to do so .. has quick feet and some power accelerating backwards, but would like to see fewer steps and even more power .. 6-foot-2, 205-pound blueliner has tried to play with some physicality all season, with mixed results .. most of his physical plays comes in the corners or the end boards, as he is not yet able to consistently engage physically earlier without getting beat .. undrafted defenseman earned an entry-level contract in Anaheim camp and has actually faired better in his transition to the AHL than a lot of defensemen who were non-elite offensive defensemen in major juniors. (28gp, 0-2-2)

John deGray (Ana), D, Iowa

Like Regan, a 20-year-old defensive defenseman trying to adapt to speed of AHL, but as a no-frills defensive defenseman .. does a good job of keeping gap short and letting it shrink, but beaten wide and forced to open up at times .. keeps crossovers backwards to a minimum and stays fairly low .. at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, able to pin opponents along the boards well, but must sure he doesn't get beaten out of the corner after releasing them .. also able to use size and strength to muscle down opponents .. makes crisp passes and making fewer passes to ghost Chop .. does skate the puck from time to time and will pinch on the odd occasion .. has a decent slapper .. appeared to be behind Stu Bickel on depth chart early in season, but always appeared to be the better of the two .. any NHL future is as a sixth or seventh defenseman, but his development has been in a positive direction. (27gp, 0-3-3)

Troy Bodie (Ana), RW, Iowa

Unheralded former ninth-round pick of Oilers making a push to be a depth-line/fighter for an NHL club .. has long, powerful strides that produce some straight-line speed for the forecheck, but lacks acceleration and separation, particularly with puck .. now and again shows some acceleration with a speed burst, proving it's possible .. has good hustle and is often F1 on the forecheck and finishes his checks, often with force .. doesn't shy away from pressuring the opposing goaltender into a mistake or stripping them of the puck .. also puts in a good effort on the backcheck and does prevent shots and passes doing so .. creates offensive chances through his efforts on the forecheck and backcheck .. pretty upright when not moving and needs to improve his turning radius .. 6-foot-4, 225-pounder not afraid to drop the gloves and can land some heavy blows .. has established himself over Francis Wathier and Ryan Donally on Iowa depth chart and has seen some ice time on the top two lines, providing a physical presence .. does need to improve separation/acceleration and agility, but could develop into a Travis Moen-esque player or somewhere between Moen and George Parros, if given the chance. (35gp, 4-6-10 & 71pims)

Ryan Donally (Ana), LW, Iowa

Split 2007-08 between the AHL and the ECHL for Calgary organization, but definitely AHL-worthy now .. adept at using his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame to shield the puck and start the cycle .. despite lack of speed and acceleration, is still a threat off the half boards with his hard snap shot and ability to shield puck .. plays a physical game and puts in a good effort on the forecheck, but does not have the straight-line speed Bodie has .. does have some power in his strides, though .. seems to have softer hands than Bodie, but isn't as effective as an F1 and thus has not received the same level of ice time .. willing to drop the gloves with the toughest of AHL fighters .. could still develop into a depth-line player/fighter at the NHL level. (33gp, 4-2-6 & 91pims)

Stu Bickel (Ana), D, Iowa

Twenty-two-year-old rookie defenseman out of University of Minnesota a former forward, and now sidelined by back injury .. a no-frills defensive defenseman who makes the simple play with the puck .. keeps his gaps low and his crossovers backwards to a minimum, but lacks speed backwards .. does have good lateral movement, because the 6-foot-4, 210-pound blueliner covers a lot of ground doing so .. keeps a fairly wide base skating backwards .. skating forwards, can build a little cruising speed, but his stride can get awkward, with his limbs all over the place .. plays with some physicality and can rub opponents out with hip checks .. passing game needs improvement .. passes need more force and improved accuracy and crispness, all of which lead to some turnovers when lacking .. if Iowa doesn't have two defensemen up with Anaheim when Bickel returns, looks for him to go to Bakersfield, which is where he should have started the season .. a long shot to play in the NHL. (12gp, 0-0-0)

Ryan Dingle (Ana), LW, Iowa

Can't question his effort .. early in the season, spent as much time cleaning the ice as the Zamboni, but is staying on his feet more as the season goes on .. has unquestionable hustle, but could afford to add more power to his quick, pronounced strides .. can get a lot of vertical motion in his acceleration at times and take about six steps to really start covering ground .. 5-foot-10, 180-pound winger finishes his checks and doesn't care how big the opponent is, although he ends up on the ice as often as the opponent .. engages physically with the puck and will attempt to fight through checks .. has a crisp, hard wrist shot with some finishing ability .. having proven himself through effort, is playing a more controlled and positional game fitting of the AHL and receiving more opportunities on higher lines as top players have been recalled to Anaheim .. 24-year-old is probably a career Triple-A and Double-A player. (26gp, 4-3-7)

Michal Birner (Ana), RW, Iowa

Lost out on opportunities Dingle has received despite his own considerable effort .. showed exceptional hustle in his two AHL games this season, particularly on the penalty kill .. got the puck out on the PK often .. finishes his checks .. has quick strides and decent speed, but could afford to add more power to cover more ground per stride .. has some offensive vision to make plays to teammates and a little dangle .. assigned to Bakersfield Nov. 20, did not report, and signed with Pelicans Lahti of the Finnish Elite League Nov. 27 .. unlikely to return to North American and future is probably as a second- or third-line player at the European elite league level .. had no points in 2 games for Iowa. .. had 0 goals and 2 assists in 6 games for Pelicans as of New Year's.

Joakim Lindstrom (Phx), LW/C, Iowa

Acquired by Anaheim from Columbus in July for conditional draft pick in 2010 NHL Entry Draft, traded to Phoenix Dec. 3 for defenseman Logan Stephenson after threatening to leave for Europe .. claimed off waivers by Chicago Oct. 3, but re-claimed by Ducks off waivers Oct. 7 .. best offensive vision of any player to play for Iowa, be it Chops or Stars .. distinct knack for finding open teammates and threading passes to them, be it centering passes or passes to the point (or even from the point) .. consistently makes crisp, accurate passes that create chances .. a heads-up stickhandler (thus the vision) that can stickhandle in a phone booth and undress opponents on the attack, off the boards, or from the point .. adept at protecting the puck with switchbacks or swivels .. dangerous off the half boards either skating it in or as a playmaker .. has some finishing ability, thanks in part to his shot power .. has a hard wrist shot, snap shot, and slapper .. has a very hard one-timer .. displayed excellent chemistry with Bobby Ryan .. 25-year-old Swede just needs some real time (not just a few games) to adjust to the NHL and the opportunity to do so in a top-nine role, which looks like it will come with Phoenix .. put him with high-end talent (like Ryan), and the results should come .. hopefully does adjust to NHL caliber of play (particularly the defense), because there isn't another league that would stretch him and force him to grow and get even better .. was (21gp, 7-14-21) for Iowa and (11gp, 3-1-4).

Francis Wathier (Dal), LW, Iowa

Dallas prospect assigned to Iowa for a fourth year after three years with Iowa Stars .. struggled to play much on Chops' third line at beginning of season and mostly played on fourth line .. still employing the long, powerful stride he showed last season and stays low .. speed is still only average, though, and needs to improve balance (even though he generally is in a low, power position) to win more 50/50 battles and to be stronger on the puck .. will always engage in said physical battles, though .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. can launch into some big checks along the boards .. a conscientious backchecker .. willing shot blocker .. adept at establishing the cycle .. displays some stickhandling prowess from time to time, but needs to get better at receiving passes .. willingness to drive the net creates offensive chances, and does have a little finishing ability .. 6-foot-4, 210-pounder willing to drop the gloves and will always stick up for teammates, but not a feared fighter .. suffered a minor shoulder injury in Dallas camp, and the fear of a fourth major shoulder injury is always there .. one of Iowa's top penalty killers (often with Wirtanen) .. top-notch character .. still has an outside shot as a depth-line player in NHL because of how he plays and his character. (32gp, 4-3-7)

J.P. Levasseur (Ana), G, Iowa

Split time between the AHL and ECHL in 2007-08, but is platooning with David LeNeveu in Iowa in 2008-09 and has nearly identical results .. has a little size at 6-foot-0, 205 pounds .. butterfly goaltender who does a good job keeping his upper body upright in butterfly position .. does not always have his pads together in the butterfly, which can leave a hole .. not particularly quick down and up, but he gets in front of the puck thanks to staying square for the first shot .. could also afford to become quicker in his lateral crease movement, too .. consistent performer, as you know what to expect out of him and appears to stay even-keeled in net .. nowhere close to NHL-ready at this point, but just may develop into an NHL back-up goaltender someday .. had a 9-7-1 record in 19 games as of New Year's, as well as a 3.26 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage.

Matt Caruana (Ana), C, Iowa

Started the season with Bakersfield, but got the call up after Iowa lost players to Anaheim (and Birner to Finland) .. played college hockey for Niagara in 2007-08 prior to signing with Ducks organization and finishing season with Portland Pirates of AHL .. has decent speed and puts in a good effort on the forecheck .. has long, powerful strides, although the recovery phase of his stride is incomplete at times .. finishes his checks .. has demonstrated some patience with the puck in my limited viewings of him, as well as a decent shot .. 23-year-old rookie will likely finish the season with the Chops .. was (12gp, 1-2-3) for Iowa and (18gp, 10-4-14) for Bakersfield in ECHL prior to recall to Iowa Dec. 1.