AHL: Young Colt-on for Aeros

McKeen's correspondent Max Giese continues his look into the first round series between the Rockford IceHogs and Houston Aeros with notes on several prospects from the Aeros such as Colton Gillies (pictured) that are eager to make an impact and a jump to the NHL with the Minnesota Wild.

Colton Gillies (Min), LW, Houston Aeros

Big man that is built for playoff hockey .. a world-class skater for a player of this size that moves with grace and vigor in all directions .. played on the second powerplay unit and was a strong presence in front of the opponents net .. his hands are fine but he struggled to see the ice while in possession and coughed up the puck a few times because his decision-making was to slow .. utilized his superior speed to carry the puck up ice from his own end to the offensive zone with ease but he failed to create much with it when in the offensive zone .. landed a few devastating bodychecks sending the opponent skyward right of their feet, as he is a freight-train-a coming on the forecheck .. displays a mean streak at times and with his size and speed he can shut down his man when he sets his mind to it .. his upside is tremendous and because he brings a vast amount of intangibles to the table more than just scoring, he could be coming to the NHL sooner rather than later.

Cal Clutterbuck (Min), RW, Houston Aeros

Aggravating super pest that got under the IceHogs skin with his relentless game .. did a fine job never crossing the line of taking a stupid penalty while still getting his nose dirty and infuriating the opposition's goaltender and skaters .. the opposition took shots at him but he absorbed the hits well and always bounced right back .. effective penalty killer that pressured the puckcarrier aggressively and willingly sacrificed his body to block shots .. very aware defensively, as he marked his assignments quickly and gave a tremendous effort on the backcheck .. does all the dirty work such as being the first man in on the forecheck and getting his nose dirty going hard to the front of the net .. an aggressive skater with a non-stop motor, Clutterbuck does not have great finesse skills but he goes hard to the net at every chance .. has a low center of gravity, which aides in his ability to protect the puck along the wall .. typical development of getting bigger, faster, and stronger will land him an NHL role soon.

Ryan Jones (Min), LW, Houston Aeros

Natural goal scorer that scored his first pro-career goal in double overtime to win game two of the series .. owns the rapid acceleration to win foot races to the puck thanks to his quick feet and long strides .. possesses the natural touch and instincts of a great in-close goal scorer, as he is at his best camping out in front of the oppositions net .. never hesitates to get his fast shot on net but he doesn't have the accuracy of a pure sniper, instead its his willingness to take a beating in front and his dynamic ability to tip shots and get to loose rebounds first that makes him such a quality goal scorer .. the pace of the pro game did catch him off guard a few times where he thought he had more time to operate with the puck than he really did, however for the most part he anticipated where the play was developing well .. competitive winger that had a good motor in pursuit on the forecheck .. aware of his defensive assignments and was on the ice late in a tied game .. very impressive pro-debut.

Peter Olvecky (Min), LW, Houston Aeros

Healthy-sized winger with a mature defensive game and swift mobility .. well balanced skater with a compact stride and above-average quickness out of the gate .. effectively generated offense playing along the half-wall during the powerplay where he made nice passes to the point and unloaded a few heavy one timers .. used his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame well to compete in the battle areas .. blessed with an astute defensive mind, Olvecky was always on the defensive side of the puck and properly came deep into the defensive zone to aide in coverage .. closing in on a NHL audition with his mature defensive play and adequate skill.

Clayton Stoner (Min), D, Houston Aeros

Big two-way defenseman that was not a take-charge performer but was steady in all facets of the game .. played on the powerplay where he effectively got his pointshot on net through traffic and with accuracy .. mobile for a player of his size with fine straight-line speed and the lateral mobility to open up lanes while working the point .. aggressively stood his ground with tight gap control and the willingness to play the body one-on-one .. nothing flashy but he was effective and provides the Wild with good depth on the backend.

Danny Irmen (Min), RW, Houston Aeros

High-energy checking-line winger .. lacks size and appears to be struggling to bulk up, although he is a gritty competitor that finished all of his checks .. an adequate skater with great puck pursuit that threw his weight around with reckless abandonment in hopes of sparking his team .. was largely invisible offensively and he must improve his shot, as currently its weak and his release is poor .. would be much more effective if he added more strength in the off-season.

Shawn Belle (Min), D, Houston Aeros

The analogy that he has all the tools but no toolbox is apt here .. a beautiful skater for a player of his size with amazing backwards acceleration and the ability to move with frightening ease and pace in all directions .. Belle utilized his pure strength to emerge as one of the few Aeros' defenders that could effectively bang the bodies of the IceHogs largest forwards .. saw plenty of icetime on the penalty kill including while down five-on-three .. some of his defensive reads were terrible, as he was often caught gazing at the puck and oblivious to the developing play around him .. his development is perplexing because his most influential shifts come when he harnesses his physical gifts to make an impact, but he is also at his worst when he is caught running around because his low hockey IQ prevents him from processing the game at the pace that his mobility dictates.