AHL: OReilly Factor

Second-year pro Cal O'Reilly is leading the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring in 2007-08 as the team enters the stretch drive for the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs. O'Reilly is among the league's leaders in assists and one of the top playmakers in the league, but fellow prospects such as Antti Pihlstrom and Mike Santorelli are helping fill the net, too. Prospect defensemen Alexander Sulzer and Cody Franson have also proven helpful in adding offense from the blueline. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Milwaukee Admirals once in January and once in late February and enters notes on several Admirals making an impact this season

Cal O'Reilly (Nsh), C, Milwaukee Admirals

Among the top playmakers in the AHL .. shows poise and patience with the puck and is not forced into bad passes .. makes crisp, accurate passes but is also good at feathering close-range saucer passes, if necessary .. confident stickhandler who has some dangle .. has a smooth stride and deceptive speed, although not high-end speed .. puts in a good effort defensively on the forecheck and the backcheck and plays on the penalty kill .. good on faceoffs, as he can make opponents look foolish with how well he can draw the puck forward to himself .. 5-foot-11, 180-pound pivot primarily needs to add size and more speed. Click the link for a recent interview with Cal O'Reilly

Alexander Sulzer (Nsh), D, Milwaukee Admirals

Solid two-way defenseman .. does a good job of staying between his man and the net and keeping his eyes on his opponent's logo and keeping the gap small .. angles his opponents fairly well .. is not an overly physical defenseman, but plays with some strength and power in his own zone .. has a hard slapper from the point, which he keeps low .. also has a hard one-timer and a strong wristshot from the point, which he also keeps low for deflections .. maintains poise with the puck and makes crisp, accurate passes .. also adept at making board passes .. should make a strong push for a spot in the Nashville lineup in 2008-09.

Cody Franson (Nsh), D, Milwaukee Admirals

Moves the puck very well .. makes quick, crisp, accurate passes and can make long-distance passes right on the tape .. adept at d-to-d passing, either in his own zone or at the point in the offensive zone .. good at making crisp dumps into the corners to make sure they get to their destination and are not intercepted .. has a good slapper from the point but also has a quick, crisp wristshot from the point .. somewhat upright when accelerating backwards and could use more power instead of so many crossovers .. often starts with a large gap but does do well to let the initial gap shrink, although it can leave him vulnerable if the opponent gets too much speed and momentum .. needs to improve physical effectiveness along the boards and in front of the net .. staying in more of a power position in his skating stride at all times would help physical effectiveness .. able to use long reach for poke checks and has a long frame for sliding and blocking shots.

Antti Pihlstrom (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee Admirals

Exceptionally quick skater .. has very quick foot turnover and can accelerate quickly .. has very good speed and can be shifty with the puck, alternating between third and fourth gear .. quick foot turnover is not compensation for a lack of power, as he does have some .. very agile, including at speed .. uses his speed bursts and top speed well on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. speed and hustle also make him a good backchecker and penalty killer .. does a good job of filling holes in the offensive zone and picking up defensive assignments .. good all-around player with NHL third-line potential and who could at least play a fourth-line speed/energy role with some skill.

Mike Santorelli (Nsh), C, Milwaukee Admirals

Stickhandling is the name of his offensive game .. has some quickness and speed with the puck, but is more apt to try splitting the defense through pure stickhandling than sheer speed .. does not have high-end speed .. heads-up stickhandler that is able to maintain vision of the ice and can stickhandle in a phone booth in the corners and along the walls .. has a quick shot and some finishing ability .. shows good hustle on the forecheck and finishes his checks, although he is not a punishing hitter by any stretch .. will need to improve his physical game to potentially become a third-line forward.

Andreas Thuresson (Nsh), RW, Milwaukee Admirals

Young Swede has the makings of a decent defensive forward .. has some speed and uses it on the forecheck .. plays with some physicality and will muscle into opponents to gain control of the puck .. finishes his checks .. has adequate offensive skills .. can make crisp, accurate passes, including in stride, but could hone his accuracy even more .. has some stickhandling ability .. creates his fair share of offensive chances through his defensive efforts, but needs to hone his offensive skills to capitalize on those chances.

Kelsey Wilson (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee Admirals

Cruiserweight fighter (by hockey size) with adequate skill .. plays a physical game and finishes his checks, often with some force .. fighting experience from major juniors and two years of AHL experience allows him to defeat less-experienced opponents with subtle moves, such as getting jabs in with the fist he is using to hold the jersey .. has adequate puck skills and can hold onto it battling through checks and around the net .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. decent candidate for a 14th forward position in the NHL, providing some fighting and adequate skill.

John Laliberte (FA), LW, Milwaukee Admirals

Good-sized, 6-foot-2, 200-pound left-winger that needs to improve a bit on everything .. speed with the puck is only adequate, although he can use his size to control the puck along the boards .. does lose control of the puck too often to be a dominating player down low in the offensive zone .. able to use his size to set screens, including using well-timed drop passes .. will take any space the opposing defenseman will give him .. has a quick shot and puts himself in position to score on rebounds .. defensively responsible, as he will drop back for pinching defenseman and shows some hustle on the forecheck and finishes his checks.