AHL: Minnesota Wild about Houston

The Minnesota Wild is off to a great start and has no need to shake up their roster at this point. That does not mean that they do not have capable prospects playing for their AHL-affiliate, Houston Aeros. McKeen's had the opportunity to see the Aeros during the first week of the season and reviews the performance of their top prospects including 2005 first round draft pick Benoit Pouliot.

Benoit Pouliot (Min), C/LW, Houston

Was significantly off his game .. except for a couple of occasions, he generally skated with a lackluster effort .. wasted time complaining to the referee about a slash that broke his stick, instead of going to get a new stick on the bench while on the powerplay .. took a puck to the hand, which he repeatedly checked and shook on the bench, but may have been used as an excuse for a poor showing .. also seemed to have some trouble with his right skate blade, as he took a couple of untimely tumbles .. very lazy in getting to the bench in a timely fashion for line changes during the play .. unable to convert on some nice passes by teammates, including one in which he made an unimpressive effort to kick down a centering pass with his skate instead of skating harder to catch it on his stick .. showed some speed on the backcheck and with the puck on occasion, but was generally lazy in his play .. showed some slick stickhandling, but generally did not seem to put much effort into the game after he had little success offensively in his first few shifts.

Petr Kalus (Min), RW, Houston

Skilled offensive forward that puts in a good effort defensively .. has good speed, but not high-end speed .. slick stickhandler who can evade checkers along the boards and can walk a defenseman out of the corner .. also adept at deking opponents and maintaining control of the puck in open ice .. a good passer who can make some nice plays, but also likes to handle the puck himself, dangle, and take quick shots .. hustles on the forecheck and the backcheck and will play the body .. plays with some aggressiveness and will take exception if he feels he has been wronged .. appears to have the upside to potentially become a second-line NHLer, but also plays a style of game that could make him a skilled third-liner and excel in that role with further development.

Shawn Belle (Min), D, Houston

Powerful defenseman who has made significant improvements since his rookie AHL season but still must define his role .. a powerful skater with good all-compass mobility .. has decent speed when handling the puck and can accelerate well with the puck .. despite speed and ability to accelerate with the puck, he does have a tendency to stop moving his feet when breaking the puck out and assessing his options .. exceptional straight-line speed without the puck .. slapshot is very heavy and has an even heavier one-timer .. wristshot is also very powerful and has a quick release .. makes crisp passes that are generally accurate, although he is not a creative puck distributor and can telegraph his intentions.. did not pinch as often as he did early in his AHL career, but will still skate it in if he has a breakaway or momentum .. not overly aggressive, but can lay out a good hit and separate opponents from the puck.

Clayton Stoner (Min), D, Houston

Defensive defenseman with good hockey sense and subtle offensive abilities .. has the offensive awareness to play on the powerplay at the AHL level and has a hard pointshot .. walks the blueline well while handling the puck .. will pinch low and has the patience with the puck to make plays down low .. subtle stickhandling prowess allows him to maintain possession of the puck and keep his options open with a pass or a shot .. has decent all-compass mobility .. forward speed is decent and can build some momentum with the puck when skating out of the defensive zone and through the neutral zone, but rarely skates in deep into the offensive zone .. able to make a tight circle as a big defenseman to regroup with the puck and circle away from a check .. has some power in his skating but can be beaten wide, although he is adept at angling opponents into the boards .. able to time some big hits on unsuspecting opponents.

Danny Irmen (Min), RW, Houston

Two-way forward who hustles on the forecheck, backcheck and finishes his checks .. plays with some grit and is not afraid to engage in battles in front of the net or along the boards .. has decent speed, but not high-end speed .. has a good wristshot with a quick release .. creates trouble in front of the net and creates prime re-direction and deflection opportunities .. demonstrates good offensive awareness in his positioning for cycling the puck, moving the puck off faceoffs, and around the net.

Morten Madsen (Min), C, Houston

Smooth skater with a powerful stride and good speed .. has good offensive awareness, is patient with the puck, and does not rush plays .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. able to maintain possession of the puck with slick stickhandling and intelligent use of his frame and reach in swiveling away from checks .. reads the play well and smoothly fills in for pinching defensemen.

Cal Clutterbuck (Min), RW, Houston

Powerful skater with good speed who plays much larger than his 5-foot-10 stature .. sturdy build and skating allow him to play a physical game and make some big hits .. hustles in all situations and is good at separating opponents from the puck on the forecheck or the backcheck .. his physical game can take opponents off their game and cause them to take penalties .. has a nice wristshot with a quick release .. not without some playmaking ability, as he is an accurate passer and had a very nice behind-the-back pass to create a dangerous scoring chance .. still a teenager (turns 20 in November), has a real chance at becoming an energy-line player in the NHL.