AHL: Spencer for Higher

Many of the Atlanta Thrashers' key prospects that played in Chicago last season are all with the parent club this year. Third round pick Spencer Machacek, almost ready for the big show and second round pick Riley Holzapfel are their top prospects in Chicago this year, and McKeen's correspondent Max Giese files notes on them as well as a few other Thrashers prospects playing for Chicago.

Spencer Machacek (Atl), RW, Chicago Wolves

Almost ready for the NHL, Machacek is an energetic sparkplug with a non-stop motor .. not the prettiest or most explosive skater, but is well-balanced on his feet and boasts a productive acceleratory gear that stimulates his sudden bursts of quickness .. strength of his offensive game is his ability to control the puck along the wall and behind the net before distributing accurate passes through congested traffic to his teammates in the scoring areas .. an intelligent player that anticipates where the play is going and then activates himself to get there even before the puck arrives .. makes aware defensive reads and gives a terrific effort on the backcheck .. hits everything in sight and knocks opponents off their feet .. relentless in pursuit and wins battles for the puck .. currently receiving plenty of icetime five-on-five and some shifts on the penalty kill .. projects to play on the third line in the NHL.

Riley Holzapfel (Atl), LW, Chicago Wolves

Two-way winger that can shoot and hit equally hard .. skates with an overly open stance and would benefit from recovering his stride more efficiently .. still boasts above-average speed with springy feet .. doesn't possess top-line skill, however his hands are fairly soft and quick with the ability to elude a defender .. not a puck control, play-making type, rather Holzapfel's game is based on dumping and chasing after the puck before judiciously finding open ice in the offensive zone to be ready to unload his very fast shot that comes off his stick in a hurry .. his peripheral vision allows him to stay aware of developing surroundings both offensively and defensively .. thrives at supplying back pressure while defending and always gives that second effort to make the play .. still has plenty of strength to add to his body, but he already explodes into his bodychecks because he always puts a little extra jolt behind them.

Chad Denny (Atl), D, Chicago Wolves

Receiving limited minutes and appears to be in survival mode .. NHL skaters would eat Denny up, as his mobility is littered with flaws .. routinely beaten in the open ice because his ugly pivots and reliance on crossovers when skating backwards leave him incapable of angling opponents off .. slushy first step has him lumbering while trying to accelerate .. foolishly confident in his skating and will attempt to hold the offensive zone, which leads to him getting caught behind the rush, hopelessly chasing the play .. boasts a heavy shot and can make a play with the puck if he has space to operate, however he lacks poise and will cough up the puck if pressured .. lacks a concept of structured team play, has terrible hockey sense, and is slow to react to developing plays .. needs to exude more patience while defending, as he becomes out of control and is all over the place the instant the play breaks down .. a walking refrigerator that can stand his ground with his sizable body, although he would benefit from adding a mean streak and exploiting his strength further.

Scott Lehman (Atl), D, Chicago Wolves

Seeing limited icetime on both special team units but remains a long ways away from NHL duty .. close quarters mobility and lateral agility are fine, but, he lacks speed and routinely gets burned in the open ice because of his dawdling backwards skating .. not a smart player, doesn't process the game quick enough, and one gets to see his poky recovery speed far too often, as he tends to run into any situation and gets vacuumed in behind the play .. can't make the first pass because he doesn't see the ice and lacks poise in possession .. most comfortable working the puck on the point where he does an effective job at getting his shot on net .. defensive positioning needs to be corrected because he doesn't front the puck well and doesn't get into the opponents passing or shooting lanes correctly .. can be weak covering his crease area and will allow opponents to brush him aside on their way to the net .. lacks confidence and can become passive in defensive postures, although he can get physically proactive at times and this is when he is playing his best hockey.

Rylan Kaip (Atl), C, Chicago Wolves

Intelligent, defensive-minded rookie centerman never stops working .. sturdy on his feet with adequate agility and can execute productive cutbacks, however he lacks open-ice speed because of his slow feet .. his skills are workable and he commits smart plays with the puck when he finds himself in offensive situations, however he can't finish for the life of him .. exceptional penalty-killer and this could be his ticket to the NHL .. gritty and makes things happen on the forecheck with his ability to pick pocket unsuspecting opponents .. defensively, he maintains healthy and supportive positions at all times, but also knows when to jump on pucks and apply pressure .. catches your eye with his competitive and savvy defensive play.

Brett Sterling (Atl), LW, Chicago Wolves

Looks like a career AHLer because he doesn't possess the speed or defensive game to compensate for his lack of size .. his sluggish foot speed prevents him from having adequate quickness and speed .. cerebral in approach, as he likes to wait in the weeds before reappearing to make a sudden strike around the net .. expertly finds the quiet ice around the opponents net and is employed in front of the goalmouth on the Wolves' powerplay .. very short, but is willing to absorb punishment and maintains his balance thanks to his low center of gravity that gives him leverage on larger opponents .. owns a compact release and good in-close puck control .. one-dimensional and needs to be scoring to contribute because he's often on the wrong side of the puck and is a defensive liability.