AHL: Protostars Abound

The Dallas Stars are an organization undergoing change, as Doug Armstrong was relieved as general manager November 13 and the team of Les Jackson and Brett Hull was named the interim replacement. The tumult has not ended in Dallas, though, as the team's AHL affiliate has seen two players leave for Russia (Vadim Khomitsky and Konstantin Pushkarev) and talented puck-carrying defenseman Mario Scalzo demanded a trade, which was executed November 19. Despite the Iowa Stars' mixed 9-9-1 start after 19 games, the team is abound with young prospects, many of whom have a legitimate shot at the Dallas roster in the future, following in the footsteps of Chris Conner and Nicklas Grossman (pictured). McKeen's has seen all of Iowa's home games this season and enters notes on a number of the Dallas prospects who are eager to make an impact this season.

Chris Conner (Dal), LW, Dallas

Ultra-speedy, left-winger started the season in Iowa but has been recalled to Dallas .. 5-foot-8, 175-pounder plays a bit of an energy game and uses his speed on the forecheck and the backcheck to create turnovers .. needs to improve his ability to finish on the chances he creates .. also uses his speed to beat opponents wide .. is shifty with his speed and does not rely solely upon it .. has quick feet and good agility and can separate from opponents .. hockey sense makes him a decent playmaker on the wing .. does not shy away from contact and can thrust into opponents for impressive hits .. also adept at checking over those attempting to check him.

Nicklas Grossman (Dal), D, Dallas

Highly effective defensive defenseman that started the year on the IR, then went to Iowa, and now is up in Dallas .. eliminates players along the boards and in the corners when he ties them up .. does not go for many open-ice hits, but can decimate opponents with checks behind the net and in the corners and averages one of these per game at the AHL level .. has a much more polished passing game than many defensive defensemen .. makes crisp, accurate passes d-to-d and is accurate in his outlet passing .. can skate the puck out of trouble and can get some momentum going through and occasionally skates it himself into the offensive zone .. is not a very creative player in the offensive zone, though .. has a booming pointshot .. has good all-compass mobility, but could be a bit faster backwards to improve his gap control, although he is conscientious at maintaining a small gap.

Mark Fistric (Dal), D, Iowa

Defensive defenseman that provides a physical presence .. steps up and goes for open-ice hits in the neutral zone often, especially catching forwards along the alleys .. effective along the boards and in the corners, but can still improve in this area .. reasonable all-compass mobility, but must continue to improve backwards acceleration to keep the gap shorter .. starting to skate the puck out of the defensive zone and can get some real momentum with the puck .. must improve his ability to get shots off or make plays happen when he does skate it in himself .. has a very hard slapshot from the point .. has taken a larger leadership role in 2007-08, as he is one of the players who wears the rotating "A's."

Janos Vas (Dal), LW, Iowa

Third-year pro has made remarkable strides and his hard work is starting to pay off .. lobs a lot of seemingly harmless shots on net that create rebound chances or havoc in front .. does have some sniping ability from in front, as he can pinpoint a hard wristshot or snapshot from in close .. tends to make simple but effective plays with the puck .. speed with the puck is only average .. confidence when handling the puck has increased significantly since his rookie-pro season in North America, although he is an average stickhandler .. speed without the puck is decent and his hustle makes him an effective forechecker and backchecker .. finishes his checks, although not with great force .. not afraid to block shots, which he does often on the PK .. a regular on the powerplay this season .. hard-working, two-way forward is starting to put up numbers offensively.

Vojtech Polak (Dal), RW, Iowa

Third-year pro has not made significant improvements in North America .. still dangerous in close around the net, as he is a natural goal scorer .. dangerous in the shootout and likes to go to his backhand and roof it .. started the season with an ankle injury and a lackluster effort, but has shown more hustle and commitment to forechecking in November .. style of game has typically only made him effective as a top-six forward, but he lacks the speed and playmaking ability to currently be an offensive forward in the NHL .. has seen more icetime in recent games due to recalls and other roster issues with the Iowa Stars.

Marius Holtet (Dal), RW, Iowa

Has generally skated on the third line this season, when not out due to a concussion suffered in October or a healthy scratch .. skating with rookies adjusting to the AHL has hurt his offensive statistics .. seems to be playing with less aggressiveness, as he used to lay down a fair number of hard hits on the forecheck .. was once guilty of running around too much to make hits, but may have gone too far the other way .. has shown some speed, stickhandling prowess, and a hard shot in previous seasons, but has not been able to show these skills much this season .. has manned the point on the second powerplay unit at times in 2007-08 .. is more of a support player, as he is not truly able to raise the game of players around him like Iowa Stars teammate Toby Petersen.

James Neal (Dal), LW, Iowa

Power forward got off to a slow start in his rookie-pro season but is showing more confidence as the season has progressed .. since late October, has been engaging in physical battles more consistently and becoming a physical presence .. forechecks hard and creates chances from turnovers he creates behind and around the net .. must finish more of the chances he creates but could also use a little more luck in teammates finishing prime plays he makes around the net .. noteworthy willingness to bear down on goaltenders in the trapezoid .. has decent speed, but has too much vertical movement when accelerating .. has started to see some powerplay time with roster issues in Iowa.

Tom Wandell (Dal), C, Iowa

A combination of fellow Swedish Dallas Stars Loui Eriksson and Joel Lundqvist .. a smooth skater with deceptive speed due to his powerful skating stride .. has the speed to beat opponents wide, has the stickhandling to make some slick moves coming into the zone or around the net, and can do so at high speed.. all shots in his arsenal are hard .. uses his speed and skating on the forecheck and finishes his checks with some authority .. while his effort is commendable, he can be caught running around on the forecheck or in his own zone ..solid all-around player whose points should follow, as he receives more chances to play with high-end offensive AHL players.

Perttu Lindgren (Dal), C, Iowa

Accomplished young Finn is still adjusting to North American hockey .. smooth skater with deceptive speed, although he lacks top-end speed .. very good with his stick defensively, be it stripping opponents of the puck on the forecheck or the backcheck .. especially smart in knowing when and how to lift opponents sticks .. adept in the faceoff circle and wins many draws back cleanly .. has shown some passing and playmaking ability in the offensive zone and can make crisp, accurate passes through traffic .. possesses obvious two-way awareness, but does not yet have the willingness to pay the price physically, either with the puck or in pursuing the puck .. effectiveness will continue to be hampered until he engages more physically, as he will beat few AHL opponents with sheer speed.

B.J. Crombeen (Dal), RW, Iowa

Beginning to show some of the improvements he has been needing to make .. confidence when handling the puck seems to be increasing .. is showing better speed and acceleration when carrying the puck and is starting to beat opponents wide when he gets his momentum .. possesses a hard, if inaccurate shot .. currently lacks creativity with the puck .. known for laying out hits on the forecheck, especially on defensemen who have just passed the puck .. has also assumed the fighting role for the Iowa Stars, as he has all but one of Iowa's fighting majors 19 games into the season.

Mario Scalzo (TB), D, Norfolk

Started the season with the Iowa Stars but was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Bryce Lampman Nov. 19, 2007 .. an excellent skater with good speed and power .. very adept at skating the puck out of the defensive zone and through the neutral zone .. often is knocked off the puck down low, which takes him out of the play while it transitions the other direction .. often dumps the puck into the corner and chases it himself, which is a fantastic trait, for a forward .. has a hard pointshot .. a crisp and accurate passer, when he is utilizing his teammates .. diminutive defenseman must improve his ability to win one-on-one battles with the puck or for the puck .. might be less apt to try to do everything himself if he were skating with high-end offensive players, as he did with Sidney Crosby in major juniors.

Konstantin Pushkarev (Dal), RW, CSKA

Kazakh forward started the season with the Iowa Stars but left the team for CSKA Moscow in early November .. a dynamic all-around forward .. has good speed, but does lack high-end speed .. has exceptional hands and can lay down jaw-dropping moves from time to time .. a decent playmaker that makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a nice shot, but needs to utilize it more, as his tendency to pass over shooting is high .. defensively responsible and forechecks and backchecks with effort .. finishes his checks, often times with some authority .. could certainly have filled in as a fourth-line NHLer at the time he left for Russia, and had the potential to become a second/third line 'tweener' but now it is difficult to say whether Pushkarev will ever play in North America again.