Ammon For Future Success

Andrew Ammon is an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft after scoring a modest 15 goals and 6 assists in 42 games for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 2009-10 (his third year of draft eligibility), but don't be surprised if his name is in the NHL transactions someday. If (when?) Ammon's name crosses the ticker, likely two to four years from now, he'll become part of a growing phenomenon of undrafted USHLers signing two-way NHL contracts. From mid-March through early May, from Casey Wellman to Andrew Rowe, 15 former USHL players who went unselected in the draft signed free agent NHL contracts after their collegiate season came to a close, and Ammon is a prime prospect to follow in their footsteps. The Princeton recruit is poised for success in the collegiate ranks with his combination of speed, explosiveness, skating, skill, physicality, and competitiveness, and those qualities will also likely earn him a two-way NHL contract someday. The statistics may not reflect it, but Ammon was Lincoln's most impressive all-around player in 2009-10, and the odds are strong that the USHL will one day issue a press release stating that the Lincoln alum has signed an NHL contract, as it did this spring with undrafted Lincoln alums Jake Newton and Brandon Bollig.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey caught the Lincoln Stars in action three times during the final quarter of the 2009-10 season and enters notes on Andrew Ammon, a few Lincoln forwards in their second year of draft eligibility, and two young Stars eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Andrew Ammon (2010), LW, Lincoln

Lincoln's best all-around player in 2009-10, regardless of what the statistics may indicate .. skating is excellent .. exceptional explosiveness, including with the puck, which gives him excellent separation .. able to make quick, tight turns with the puck .. maintains good knee bend in his stride and possesses strong power in each stride, but also features quick skate turnover .. able to make powerful stops with the puck, which helps him ditch defenders .. plays the game at a high pace .. cruising speed is very good, but has an additional gear for impressive speed bursts .. uses his speed defensively, too .. a tenacious forechecker who consistently finishes his checks .. with his strong knee bend, he can really explode into his hits .. engages physically going for the puck and just seems to want the puck more than his opponent .. not only was he one of the fastest players in the USHL in 2009-10, he hustled as if he had average speed .. has a hard, crisp wristshot that he can get off quickly .. possesses good hands and can evade traffic not only with his skating, but also with some slick stickhandling .. saw time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. suffered a knee injury mid-season, but his skating was none the worse for it after his return .. Ammon is in his third year of draft eligibility, and his numbers from his injury-interrupted season likely precludes him from selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but Ammon is a prime candidate for free agent signing from the collegiate ranks .. committed to Princeton (2010) .. scored 15 goals and 6 assists in 42 games for Lincoln and added 113 penalty minutes .. missed two months from mid-October through mid-December with a knee injury .. a nine-game pointless streak Feb. 9 through March 6 was a major hit to his offensive production .. had a four-point game Jan. 15 against Indiana, on the strength of a hat trick.

Garrett Peterson (2010), C, Lincoln

Did not live up to my expectations offensively in 2009-10, and it may be his future offensive output is limited .. still has a lot of tools, though .. has good cruising speed and can operate at a fairly high pace .. able to build considerable speed and can weave through traffic .. can also be shifty with the puck and can execute quick stickhandling maneuvers .. possesses strong shot power, whichever shot he uses .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. saw some time on the powerplay, including at the point .. given his limited offensive output, sticks out more for his physical and defensive efforts .. saw time on the penalty kill .. uses his speed to come crashing in on opposing defensemen on the forecheck .. also able to make big open-ice hits .. gets physical in the corners in both the defensive and offensive zone .. able to use his feet well along the boards and wins some 50/50 battles by sheer will .. defensively, he puts in a good effort on the forecheck and the backcheck .. does a good job manning his points and the half boards on the PK .. willing to drop to block shots .. played on the blueline in one viewing after two defensemen were ejected in separate incidents .. an adept faceoff man who has a wide stance in the circle and will engage physically in the faceoff circle and win it back .. a competitive player who will stick up for himself and teammates ..very unlikely that Peterson is selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in his second year of eligibility, but will be someone to monitor over his collegiate career .. long-term future in the professional ranks appears to be as a checking forward or energy-line center who's good in the faceoff circle .. committed to Notre Dame (2010) .. scored 6 goals and 9 assists in 56 games for Lincoln and added 120 penalty minutes .. had 2 goals in his first 27 games of the season .. scored 3 goals and 7 assists in a 12-game stretch Jan. 9 through Feb. 6 .. had a three-point game Jan. 20 versus Tri-City.

Kyle Gibbons (2010), RW, Lincoln

Overall, he had a decent rookie season in the USHL .. speed improved during the course of the season and is now decent .. was consistently placed on the point of the powerplay for much of the season, a testament to his offensive awareness .. makes hard, crisp accurate passes .. able to spot teammates in the periphery of the play and connect with passes .. a decent one-touch passer .. possesses a hard, crisp wristshot .. has a frame to work with at 6-foot-0, 180 pounds .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but Gibbons will at the least require early monitoring in 2010-11 in his third year of draft eligibility .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 14 goals and 15 assists in 56 games for Lincoln .. a six-game pointless streak Oct. 3 through Oct. 24 and couple four-game pointless streak in the second of the season hurt offensive production .. had 3 three-point nights, including a hat trick Feb. 6 against Des Moines.

Sam Alfieri (2010), LW, Lincoln

Limited notes on Alfieri in these viewings .. incorporated a greater physical edge to his game with the Stars .. finished his checks and threw himself into his opponent on some checks .. displayed some cruising speed and speed bursts with the puck .. also demonstrated some patience with the puck along the half boards under pressure and can make plays .. an underwhelming rookie season statistically, and has virtually no shot at selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. it will be interesting to see whether Alfieri returns to the USHL in 2010-11 as a playmaking offensive player or as more of a two-way, physical forward .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 22 games for Lincoln and added 41 penalty minutes .. with Green Bay, he scored 7 goals and 9 assists in 34 games.

Dominik Shine (2011), RW, Lincoln

Sixteen-year-old took it upon himself to be a leader on the ice in 2009-10 .. skating needs some work over the summer .. doesn't have a lot of power in his strides and needs to extend his stride .. left leg looked particularly weak toward the end of the season .. needs to upgrade his speed .. does have strong hockey sense .. puck control is improving .. displaying more poise with the puck and can undress opponents now and then .. now able to assess his options quicker .. stickhandling with his head up more and cycles the puck well and is a threat coming off the half boards .. plays a physical game .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and consistently finishes his checks, sometimes even a little late .. will come across the zone to make a big hit .. a threat on the backcheck to play the body and strip the puck, despite average speed .. has proven himself more than willing to drop the gloves and despite giving up size to most everyone at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, he held his own in most bouts .. Shine is well on his way toward becoming a good all-around hockey player and a strong summer will help set him up for a strong draft year in 2010-11 .. scored 15 goals and 14 assists in 54 games and added 165 penalty minutes, second-highest PIMs in the USHL.

Tyler Deresky (2011), RW, Lincoln

Made significant progress in his time with Lincoln .. has good speed with the puck and he quickly adapted to the USHL pace and displayed confidence with the puck .. also possesses good quickness with the puck .. a little upright in his turns with the puck .. has a hard slapshot and a decent wristshot .. also uses his speed on the forecheck .. finishes his checks and consistently crunches opposing defensemen .. can lower the boom and make some big hits .. also a threat to play the body from the side on the backcheck .. has a frame to work with at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds .. very impressive how quickly Deresky adapted to the USHL from the Tier III junior B ranks .. a potential diamond in the rough for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 24 games with Lincoln .. prior to joining Lincoln, he scored 18 goals and 16 assists in 29 games for the New Jersey Rockets of the Metroplitan Junior Hockey League (Tier III junior B).