AHL: Searching for the Stars

Although the Iowa Stars sit in last place in the West Division, they are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, as they make a push for a final playoff spot. McKeen's correspondent David Burstyn looks at several Iowa players enjoying successful campaigns this season former Plymouth Whalers standout James Neal.

Martin Sertich (Dal), C, Iowa

Signed to a two-year free agent contract last season after a successful collegiate career in which he captured the Hobey Baker award in 2004-05 .. diminutive centre with a compact skating stride .. shows resounding stickhandling ability especially in tight quarters, as he weaves in and out of traffic areas only to get closer to the net .. skates with the puck close to his feet making it very hard for the opposition to knock it off him .. shows a willingness to go to the net and has good finish in close .. displays healthy offensive imagination with a defensive conscious .. missed the better part of last season due to injury so questions about his durability will always be a concern, as will his size.

Marius Holtet (Dal), RW, Iowa

Has struggled to put up the points this season but has made improvements to his overall game .. positions himself better, as he moves his feet in conjunction with the play .. makes small adjustments that allow him to read and react to the play considerably better than he did last year .. is capable of making others better with his passing skills .. not a finisher and will never be a top point producer, as he has an average skill set .. shows patience with the puck and is more of a playmaker .. takes a hit to advance a play and is using his body more in the offensive zone to shelter the puck down low .. Holtet bares the responsibility of playing against the opposition's top lines and often plays on the second PK unit .. slowly becoming a more-rounded player at the AHL level but will need more seasoning.

Konstantin Pushkarev (Dal), RW, Iowa

After playing 17 games for the Kings, during the better parts of two seasons, he was shipped to Dallas at the trade deadline last season in a multi-player deal .. a highly skilled winger with outstanding one-on-one puck skills and blazing speed .. agile and quick, his skating and more importantly his first-step quickness is one of the best in the AHL .. he is not afraid to play a hard-nosed game and even though he lacks the strength to be physical, he applies himself down low and will look to finish a check .. points have not come as much as he would like despite primetime minutes on the top line and ample PP opportunities .. knows where to go in the offensive zone and trails plays effectively .. he is more of a playmaker, as he is guilty of not shooting quick enough and holds onto the puck way too long .. needs to simplify his game and make one less move when crossing the zone .. his chances are often neutralized because defenseman can get their sticks out in front of him when he cuts to make an extra move .. his speed bails him out should he be caught deep in the offensive zone and he does a good job of coming back and supporting his defenseman .. his strength on the puck is a drawback .. he is easily knocked off the puck and although he can get to the net with a fair bit of success, he is often pushed away before he can make a play .. nonetheless, he continues to push the envelope, which is encouraging .. hard to tell where he can fit in, as he needs to be a top-six forward to be effective and sadly, he is not producing points at the AHL level to justify his spot there yet.

Perttu Lindgren (Dal), C, Iowa

Rookie centre was a former Finish Elite league Rookie-of-the-Year in 2005-06 and a productive member for the Finnish world junior program the past two seasons - capturing a bronze medal at the 2006 WJC .. highly skilled and finesse player who has a good feel for the game .. playing incredibly tentative, as he is uninvolved physically .. his lack of physical maturity plays into this considerably, as he has a weak upper body and too often gets knocked off the puck should he decide to engage in a side board battle .. stays mainly to the perimeter and hangs back on developing plays more so to stay true to the defensive side of the game .. he will need to show a willingness to get involved if he is to be effective .. time is on his side.

James Neal (Dal), LW, Iowa

Youngest player on the team, Neal joins the team fresh off a Memorial Cup appearance where he led the tournament in scoring with five goals .. sensationally strong and agile player for a player of his size (6-2, 190) .. his hands are soft and he can play any type of game whether it is a finesse one or a bang-and-crash style .. prefers to throw his weight around and generate his chances from hard work down low .. he does not give up on plays and with the persistence of a jackhammer, he goes hard to the net with his stick down .. his snapshot in the slot is improving and catches many goalies by surprise .. due to his long reach and strength on his stick, he is able to pry the puck away from many players heading up ice to create offensive chances the other way .. this often catches the opposition skating up ice resulting in odd-man opportunities .. first step is a tad choppy but he moves his limbs violently that he creates room for himself and within a few strides, he makes up for lost ice .. still adjusting to the pro game but has a definite future with the Stars in a third-line capacity and will only get better playing with better players .. his firm understanding of defensive systems and willingness to assert himself physically has him pegged to be the next budding power forward in the Stars system.

Janos Vas (Dal), LW, Iowa

Staring to put it together in his third pro season, as he is producing his best offensive totals to date .. up and down winger who punishes opponents with a timely placed body check .. good in a straight line but overall lateral agility and reverse movement is poor .. has size and strength and can pry himself away from checks to get into the clear .. good offensive anticipation, it is amazing what confidence can do for a player's game, as Vas seems more comfortable this season handling the puck .. goes hard to the net and always appears to be around the puck .. needs to become more grounded and should gain valuable experience with the added icetime he has been receiving this season.

Chris Conner (Dal), LW, Iowa

Yet another small player signed to a free agent contract after a successful four-year career at Michigan Tech .. saw action in over 20 games this season for the parent club and has responded well to the demotion .. a solid two-way player whose speed and keen anticipation serve him well .. he is remarkably strong on the puck and makes plays in heavy traffic areas .. he plays much bigger than his size (5-8, 175) and is strong in all areas of the ice .. smart in terms of understanding when to go to the net .. reads plays well especially on the PP where he can slip out from the sideboards to get in front of the goal for a tip or deflection .. his shot needs some work, as it lacks accuracy and could be harder .. brings a lot to the table in terms of speed, agility and competitiveness.

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

After splitting time with the ECHL and the Finnish Elite league, Crombeen returns to the AHL .. had a successful campaign last season, as he tied for third in goals for Assat Pori and was an active member of the championship winning Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL scoring 10 points in the playoff drive .. a choppy skater with average speed .. his strengths lie in his ability to win down-low battles and intimidate the opposition .. his size and style of play often gives him some extra room to make a play, which he needs because his finesse skills are not polished .. his game is more engineered for tight checking contests and since he does a good job retrieving pucks along the boards, he is often rewarded by playing with highly skilled players .. his skating has a hitch in it so if the game is wide open, he usually suffers to keep up .. continuing to plug away at the AHL level, which is a good spot for him.

Jussi Timonen (Dal), D, Iowa

Brother of Flyers defenseman Kimmo and an original pick of the Flyers before being dealt last season to Dallas for a seventh round selection in 2009 .. provides a calm influence on the backend, as his first pass and mobility help to manufacture offence and defend .. he is very quick on his feet and as such, he is not beaten down low .. at times, he can be out muscled, as he has difficulty containing stronger players but overall, his approach and positioning help his game .. plays the line with good poise and understanding of when to back off and when to maintain pressure .. needs to be more involved at times in both the offensive and defensive zone .. displays a skill set and athleticism to be a potential fifth defender for the parent club in two seasons.

Tobias Stephan (Dal), G, Iowa

It seems like forever that Stephan was named the best goaltender at the Under 18 championships .. since that accomplishment five years ago, he has been the starting goalie for his Swiss elite team from 2003-06, and has been the starting goalie for the Stars the past two seasons .. tall, butterfly goalie whose size benefits his style of play .. goes down early on many shots relying on his broad shoulders to bail him out upstairs .. not overly agile, his movement is aided by the fact that his massive frame covers up a large portion of the net .. comes out to challenge but is not overly aggressive .. has a quick glove hand .. shoddy rebound control, as he struggles with the puck at times .. likes to play the puck and is improving his puckhandling skills .. played well in an OT loss to Chicago early this season, as he allowed only two goals, which were scored on the PP in the loss .. may have a shot of playing backup duties, as a spot has opened up with the trade of Mike Smith to Tampa Bay.