Bailey Becoming Best of the Herd

In my final report on the Tri-City Storm from 2008-09, I said of Matt Bailey that he's "an extreme long shot to be drafted, but it could be different in 2010 if he improves his speed and quickness, because the hockey sense seems to be there." Bailey, now with the Sioux Falls Stampede, got off to a torrid start to 2009-10 with 7 goals and 10 assists in his first 11 games, and he was definitely faster to start his sophomore season than he was in his rookie USHL season, but it wasn't during that period that he really looked significantly superior than he did last season. In fact, it was during the second half of the season, when Bailey was actually putting up far less than a point per game that he appeared to have really enhanced his game. In March, Bailey had not only improved his speed and skating, but he was playing at a faster pace. He was able to handle the puck at a quicker pace than before, able to make moves at a quicker pace, and able to do so and appear in control. Bailey looked less like a typical junior hockey player, and a lot more like a future professional hockey player. With former USHL forwards like Rob Bordson and Casey Wellman signing NHL contracts as free agents after less than three years of college hockey, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibilities for Bailey to do the same if he isn't selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to catch the Sioux Falls Stampede in action twice in March and enters notes on emerging center Matt Bailey, all-star goaltender Clay Witt, a few other members of "The Herd" eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and behemoth 2011-eligible defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.

Matt Bailey (2010), C, Sioux Falls

Has now made the jump I had hoped to see from him at the end of last season .. has improved his skating and the pace at which he plays .. has good cruising speed with and without the puck .. could be a little lower and smoother in his crossovers, but he can still build good speed .. able to successfully handle the puck at a quicker pace than before .. able to make some nice lateral stickhandling moves across his body at speed .. comfort at the outer coordinates of his reach also shown with how far he can reach behind himself to catch a pass .. has a hard shot .. showing the responsible defensive play he showed last year, forechecking and backchecking hard, but his improved speed and skating is allowing him to step up in this area .. still plays a physical game and will come across the zone for a hit, but is running around looking for hits less than he was earlier this season .. able to thrust up into his hits, almost leaves his feet at times .. wins his share of faceoffs .. sees time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. had a 9-game pointless streak Feb. 9 through March 4, and isn't putting up the points he put up in the first half, but he looks much improved .. probably a long shot for selection in the 2010 Draft, but, if he does go unselected, he'll be someone to watch as a freshman in college for the 2011 Draft or to watch as a potential free agent .. committed to Alaska-Anchorage (2010) .. as of March 22 he had 12 goals and 28 assists in 54 games.

Clay Witt (2010), G, Sioux Falls

Has areas to work on, but the results can't be argued .. maintains a compact butterfly and rarely gives up rebounds off his torso .. stays even-keeled in his net and doesn't panic on second, third, or fourth shots .. doesn't get rattled when he gives up even weak goals .. typically tracks the puck well .. does a good job putting butterfly pad saves into the corners .. can move across his crease with some quickness, but ends up scrambling a bit on occasion .. able to spread out and reach if necessary, but can do so in a calm fashion and keep his torso upright .. conscientious and adept at getting his paddle down to stop pucks near him on dumps to either stop it and leave it for a defenseman or to move it up himself .. as before, is generally effective in moving the puck up the dashers, but could use more power .. hope to see Witt hone his crease movements, but he's definitely an effective goaltender in the USHL .. a possible pick for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and someone to follow in college for a third year if not selected in LA .. committed to Northeastern (2010) .. as of March 22 he had played 2329:32 min in over 40 games and had a 22-11-6 record, 6 shutouts, a .907 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average .. ranked first in USHL in shutouts, fourth in minutes played and wins, and sixth in save percentage and goals-against average .. played for Team West at the USHL All-Star Game .. made a bit of a statement in a victory over the USA U-18 team when he made 37 saves on 39 shots to defeat a team that was shellacking USHL opponents to end the season.

Clark Cristofoli (2010), D, Sioux Falls

Same Cristofoli as previous reports, but with nearly a full USHL season under his belt.. has exceptional mobility and is very smooth backwards .. able to angle opponents to the boards without utilizing crossovers, making him very smooth .. maintains a wide base backwards and keeps his gaps short .. is a smooth skater in general .. possesses nice lateral mobility .. makes smooth, crisp breakout passes .. listed at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, and now indeed looks 5-foot-10 in height .. will return to Sioux Falls next season and should be a top-four, two-way defenseman for the Stampede .. a real long shot for the 2010 Draft, but definitely a solid collegiate prospect .. committed to Ohio State (2011) .. as of March 22 he had 2 goals and 6 assists in 40 games.

Matt Lindblad (2010), C, Sioux Falls

A third-line center for Chicago in 2008-09, Lindblad is a top-six forward for Sioux Falls every night and is amongst the league leaders in scoring .. has good speed with the puck and can operate at a high pace .. gets a bit upright when accelerating and also has some wasted vertical motion when switching gears .. possesses decent explosiveness with the puck .. has a hard slapper and a decent one-timer .. has good two-way hockey sense and plays on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. wins his share of faceoffs .. has sufficient size at 5-foot-11, 189 pounds .. longest pointless streak of the season has been three games .. despite his solid offensive production, he is still a long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Dartmouth (2010 or 2011) .. as of March 22 he had 22 goals and 37 assists in 51 games .. ranked 11th in USHL scoring and 9th in assists .. played for Team West at the USHL All-Star Game.

Mike Voran (2010), RW, Sioux Falls

Stampede's top offensive threat is a cerebral playmaker.. has a little cruising speed with the puck, but isn't overwhelmingly fast .. able to make quick turns with the puck and can power out of them .. able to lull opponents into a false sense of security and then explode off the boards .. a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options from along the boards and make crisp centering passes, passes up to the point, etc .. able to protect the puck along the boards for periods of time and then explode off .. able to drag the puck around opponents .. puts in a decent effort on the forecheck .. will play the body some .. has sufficient size at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds .. a long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, his third year of draft eligibility, but will need to be monitored at the collegiate ranks .. committed to Notre Dame (2010) ..as of March 22 he had 21 goals and 45 assists in 54 games .. tied for sixth in USHL scoring and fourth in USHL assists .. as of March 22 he was held pointless in only four games after the winter break .. played for Team West at the USHL All-Star Game.

Mark Anthoine (2010), LW, Sioux Falls

Acquired on February 6 from the Chicago Steel in exchange for forward Charlie O'Connor, who was on Sioux Falls' affiliate list .. did not look good in these viewings .. was stickhandling with his head down some and was uncharacteristic in how often he was mishandling the puck .. skating appeared to have taken a step back for some reason .. needs to bend his inside leg more in his turns to make him less upright and to allow him to power out .. has never been a speedster, but was quite slow in these viewings and lacked acceleration .. still sported his hard, crisp wristshot .. finished his checks, when he could catch them .. also flashed his ability to drive to the net with authority on a couple occasions .. was a shell of the Anthoine with the Steel from earlier in the season, and not sure why .. now an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Anthoine's third eligibility .. committed to Maine (2010) .. as of March 22 he had 1 goal and 5 assists in 15 games with Sioux Falls .. tallied 21 goals and 18 assists in 39 games with Chicago .. played for Team East at the USHL All-Star Game.

Marcus Perrier (2010), D, Sioux Falls

Hasn't made the jump hoped for after last season, but is still a decent defenseman and provides a needed physical presence .. makes smooth breakout passes that are generally on target .. able to angle opponents to the boards .. has good pivots from backward to forward, as they're smooth and require few steps and he only comes up just a little bit .. played some at forward in one viewing and put in a good effort on the forecheck and engaged physically, as one would expect of Perrier .. also stepped up and made open-ice hits in the neutral zone as a forward .. still gets in the odd late shot .. has a stout build at 6-foot-0, 208 pounds .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, his second year of eligibility .. no college commitment of yet .. as of March 22 he had 4 goals and 5 assists in 49 games, as well as a team-leading 122 penalty minutes.

Jamie Oleksiak (2011), D, Sioux Falls

Acquired by Sioux Falls from Chicago on January 21 in exchange for defenseman Richard Coyne .. played a particularly spirited game in one viewing, which was the best I've ever seen Oleksiak play and would like to see more of .. played a very physical game in the strong viewing, and at 6-foot-7, 222 pounds that can be very physical indeed .. stepped up to make hits in the neutral zone or near the blueline .. had one hit on H.T. Lenz that was Pronger-like in that he destroyed the opponent without even appearing to try .. maintains a wide base backwards and lets his gaps shrink .. still gets a bit upright accelerating backwards at times .. covers so much ground without much motion .. getting down a little bit lower when skating forward and shows a little speed .. speed with the puck still needs work .. shot power is coming along .. now able to fire a hard wristshot and, like Eric Knodel, can make it look effortless .. displays a little quickness from time to time .. will subtly set picks for his d-partners when they have the puck .. still doing a good job of communicating with his d-partner .. slated to play for Northeastern in 2010-11, and the signing of Jake Newton by the Ducks should help Oleksiak actually play regularly in his freshman season .. ultimately, would prefer to see Oleksiak play one more year in the USHL and receive prime icetime in his draft year .. where Oleksiak goes in the 2011 Draft will depend on which Oleksiak shows up the majority of the time, the one with some intensity and aggressiveness or the one that looks like he's just there .. as of March 22 he had 2 goals in 18 games with Sioux Falls .. tallied 10 assists in 29 games with Chicago.

Other Notes

Was ready to take notes on center Brent Darnell, but he received limited icetime in one viewing and was a scratch the other. As of March 22, he had 7 goals and 13 assists in 44 games. Darnell is committed to Michigan State for the 2010 season, but he'd be well-advised to return to the USHL in 2010-11 and potential be a top-six forward for the Stampede, as many of the team's top forwards are set to leave for college next fall. In previous McKeen's reports, Darnell has been complimented for his hard wristshot, but also criticized for needing a little more speed and for stickhandling with his head down, which he was observed doing in the lone March viewing, too. Is a long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but will be somebody to track in his second year of draft eligibility.