AHL: Pelech-ican Brief

The Quad City Flames boast impressive prospect depth but lack any true blue-chippers. They are a hard-working group that is playing above .500 hockey despite their lack of offense. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese has notes on several baby Flames including 2005 first round draft pick Matt Pelech.

Kris Chucko (Cgy), RW, Quad City Flames

Docile big man that has yet to define his role .. has the size scouts drool over along with impressive athleticism, as he moves well around the ice thanks to his upgraded foot speed and displays glimpses of finesse skill coming down the wing, but those moments are too far and in between .. still tries to get by solely on his physical gifts, which no longer cut it .. needs to begin to drive the net with the puck and must begin to compete harder .. thinks the game adequately, as he does a good job instantly moving his feet to get open after passing the puck .. needs to develop an aggressive side to his game, as he currently just uses his strong wrists to win one-on-one battles instead of just taking his man out with a hit .. utilizes his size for positioning, as he is not easily pushed off his feet and is difficult to contain when he decides to go the net .. reliable defensively with good positional sense .. not going to be a scorer in the NHL and will have to make it as a grinder, meaning he needs to get nasty and take his competitiveness to the next level

Matt Pelech (Cgy), D, Quad City Flames

Big stay-at home defenseman with good mobility and physicality .. has a strong stride and fast gear that covers a lot of ice quickly .. gains speed with his crossovers while skating backwards, which allows him to maintain a tight gap off the rush before angling his man to the outside to finish him with a heavy bodycheck along the boards .. robotic with the puck, as he makes safe passes to the perimeter and lacks an offensive touch .. nothing special on the point, as he struggles to get his shots through, although he will pinch down low to help maintain offensive possession in the attacking zone .. has a long reach but he plays the body and not the puck .. willing fighter with good size and strength that is displayed when his volatile streak comes out .. goalies like to have this kind of defenseman in front of them, as he covers his crease well for the most part, although he can get tunnel vision and only focus on his man allowing the opposition to send a guy back door behind him at times .. reliable stay-at home defenseman with the intangibles of size and toughness.

Matt Keetley (Cgy), G, Quad City Flames

Southpaw that is a natural athlete in goal with long and lively limbs .. displays sharp footwork and quick side-to-side movement, as he can cross his crease with two quick lateral pushes .. has the reactionary quickness to make most saves, as he can kick his legs out and flash the leather briskly .. blessed with a big frame that aide in his superb net coverage, as he engulfs the lower and upper portion of the net while in the butterfly .. guilty of cheating on his angles down low, which leads to soft short side goals from in tight .. impressed with his flexibility and great limb extension .. mentally tough, as he comes back focused and strong after a bad goal .. can be to hyper in the net, as he is guilty of overexerting his movements and over committing to the shooter at times .. glaring weakness is when he gives up a rebound, he begins to flop around and loses form allowing him to be susceptible to weak goals off secondary scoring chances .. a promising prospect coming down the pipeline.

Tim Ramholt (Cgy), D, Quad City Flames

Steady and poised two-way defenseman that can make the first pass .. fluid but not explosive skater with smooth all-compass mobility .. can deceptively find another gear if the situation dictates and handles the puck with poise while coming from behind his own net, where he displays the vision and touch to deliver an absorbing outlet pass .. does not jump and isn't much of an offensive threat, as he lacks the creativity and proper risk management needed to spearhead the offensive attack .. more of a stay-at-home defender that is utilized on the penalty kill .. finesse defender that relies on his ability to read the play and use of his mobility and stick to make up for his lack of physicality .. anticipates the play adequately, as he can intercept errant neutral zone passes .. receiving plenty of icetime but will need to display more urgency in his game to make the jump to the NHL.

Brett Sutter (Cgy), C, Quad City Flames

Cerebral center with good quickness and playmaking skills .. quick and agile in tight spaces with the ability to handle the puck well in close .. struggling to make an offensive impact in his rookie season, although he displays glimpses of his playmaking ability while receiving the odd shift on the powerplay .. will need to add some muscle, as he looks like a boy amongst men right now, although that does not stop him from venturing into traffic and compete with larger opponents .. not a physical presence but he can get under the oppositions skin by boarder lining on dirty with his late hits and stickwork behind the play .. receiving limited icetime but he is not hurting his team, as he sticks on his man defensively and competes adequately.

David VanDerGulik (Cgy), RW, Quad City Flames

Fast, two-way grinder with savvy away from the puck .. speedy winger that is strong on his edges with a quick and compact stride .. does not have much of an offensive touch with the puck, however he makes smart plays such as utilizing his speed to drive hard down the middle to the net .. quick in pursuit with a relentless forecheck and is willing to get his nose dirty in traffic .. plays on the penalty kill and makes astute defensive reads, as he does a fine job clogging passing lanes, winning one-on-one battles, and making savvy plays on the wall to get the puck out of the zone ..

Tomi Maki (Cgy), RW, Quad City Flames

Defensive specialist that plays bigger than his size would indicate .. fluid skater that accelerates well with a good first step and strong start-up strides .. tireless worker that shows good puck pursuit and smarts away from the puck, however his ability to score has not translated to the pro's .. heavily relied upon on the penalty kill, as his defensive awareness is extraordinary for such a young player .. gives his full effort on the defensive side of the puck and is an expert at clogging lanes to block shots and passes .. utilizes his long reach and active stick as useful defensive tools but displays deceiving strength to beat his man physically one-on-one .. possible fourth-line-defensive specialist in the making.

Cam Cunning (Cgy), LW, Quad City Flames

Physical north-and-south winger with sufficient speed .. decent skater that can find some speed once he gains momentum, as he pumps his feet hard and accelerates adequately .. winger that goes up and down the ice to get in the opposition's face by using his superior size and finishing all of his checks with vigor .. uses his size and sturdy feet to pull the puck off the wall and move it to the open man .. not a natural offensive threat despite possessing a bone-rattling wristshot that he is not hesitant to use .. backchecks hard and is often the first forward back to support the defense, as he can even be seen skating backwards at his own blueline at times acting like a third defenseman .. plays his role as a physical and defensive-minded winger well.

Brandon Prust (Cgy), LW, Quad City Flames

Stocky winger with some sand paper in his game .. lacks explosiveness out of the blocks, although his mobility overall is okay, as he displays nice length to his stride and decent agility .. physical with superb grit and competitiveness, as he can steamroll the opposition with a heavy hit on the forecheck .. playing on the powerplay and makes the occasional offensive play by going hard to the net or using a quick lateral burst of speed to get to the outside around the opposition .. does not cheat on defensive assignments, as he backchecks hard and is tenacious in one-on-one battles in the defensive zone .. strong penalty killer that does a superb job pressuring the point and clogging lanes to block shots .. physical spark plug that can kill penalties and chip in with the occasional offense.