Cedar Rapids Roughriders Fall Classic Part 2

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to catch the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in action at both the Battle of Iowa and the Fall Classic and enters notes on several prospects. In part 2 of his report, Steven Hensley, Nolan Zajac, Derek Deblois, Nick Lappin, Sam Warning and Cason Hohman are featured.

Steven Hensley (2010), D, Cedar Rapids

Faces a steep adjustment from Michigan high school hockey to the USHL .. displayed some decent passing skills, including backhands and saucers, but also made some passes to Ghost Rider (nobody) .. showed some all-compass mobility, but also backed in too much and had his checks fought through .. susceptible to being beaten wide by speedy USHL opponents .. a bit upright in his skating .. appears to be an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at this early juncture .. no college commitment of yet .. played Michigan high school hockey for Detroit Catholic Central in 2008-09 and helped the team win the MHSAA Division 1 state championship .. named to the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League First Team .. went without a point in his lone game at the Battle of Iowa .. also went pointless in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Nolan Zajac (2010), D, Cedar Rapids

The youngest brother of New Jersey Devils forward Travis Zajac .. shows some promise, but also has a ways to go .. makes a crisp, accurate first pass, but was pressured into poor decisions at times .. needs to upgrade his speed and decision-making with the puck to succeed at the USHL level .. has a decent wristshot from the point that he can keep low and deflectable .. not a lot of positive notes defensively .. made some questionable reads in his defensive zone and was out-positioned by opponents .. gaps were too large and he backed in too far .. backward skating was very pronounced and he was susceptible to being burned .. highly regarded for his play at the Canadian midget level, though, and was Cedar Rapids' first pick in the 2009 USHL Entry Draft .. a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds .. didn't look to be NHL Entry Draft-caliber in early viewings .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the Winnipeg Thrashers in 2008-09 and scored 12 goals and 37 assists in 37 games .. went without a point in his lone game at the Battle of Iowa .. tallied 3 assists in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Derek Deblois (2010), RW, Cedar Rapids

Ranked 77th overall amongst North American skaters by CSS prior to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft but went undrafted, and wasn't super impressive in early USHL action .. displayed some hands in making hard, crisp passes and in receiving hard passes, but also lost control of the puck too often while handling it .. showed a little acceleration going for loose pucks and was also willing to play the body .. created some problems on the forecheck playing the body and preventing the opposition from breaking the puck out .. also blocked some pucks at the point .. received a reasonable amount of powerplay time, but was often a bit invisible .. will have to show a lot more as the season progresses to earn consideration in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to the University of Michigan for either 2010-11 or 2011-12 .. played prep hockey for Hotchkiss in 2008-09 and scored 10 goals and 21 assists in 23 games .. went without a point in his lone game at the Battle of Iowa .. went without a point in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Nick Lappin (2010), RW, Cedar Rapids

Looked better as the preseason progressed, but was placed on the RoughRiders' affiliate list after the Fall Classic .. displayed a little speed and stickhandling confidence, as well as some puck protection capabilities along the half boards with swivels .. speed is only average by USHL standards, and was caught by speedier opponents .. put in a good defensive effort .. played the body on the forecheck and the backcheck and can thrust into his checks .. at other times, he appeared ineffective physically, though the effort was there .. willing to block shots .. generally looked more NAHL caliber at the present than USHL caliber, but a future in the USHL appears likely with further development ..

.. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for Team Illinois in 2008-09 and scored 12 goals and 16 assists in 46 games of Tier 1 league action .. went without a point in two games at the Battle of Iowa .. also went pointless in two games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Sam Warning (2011), LW, Cedar Rapids

What you'd hope for from a small forward .. has excellent acceleration on the forecheck and can really get out on his edges .. has good cruising speed with the puck .. displays nice puck poise and can use his stickhandling prowess to drag it around opponents .. has good vision with the puck to make plays or evade checks .. plays with some grit .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can use his speed to strip opponents of the puck on the backcheck .. has the defensive anticipation to make well-timed, open-ice hits .. will go through a gauntlet with the puck down low .. proved his willingness to be a team player by sticking up for a teammate and fighting Waterloo's Tony Turgeon, a 6-foot-4, 223-pound blueliner who pummeled numerous opponents in the preseason, including the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Warning .. if he were born two weeks earlier, he'd be eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the St. Louis Selects in 2008-09 .. played for Team USA's Under-18 Select Team at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August .. went without a point in his lone game at the Battle of Iowa .. tallied 2 assists in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Cason Hohmann (2011), RW, Cedar Rapids

Quick .. stride relies more on quick foot turnover than power, and would like to see more power in his stride .. does have good speed, though .. has quick feet laterally with the puck and quick hands to match .. would like to see more power in his crossovers instead of reliance on quick turnover .. able to execute very tight turns at a high rate of speed .. very shifty with the puck in closed spaces and adds in head and body jukes to deceive opponents even more .. a bit hunched over when he skates .. despite being small at 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, he is still able to shield the puck fairly well .. has a lot going for him, just hope he grows over the next two seasons and can also supplement his quickness with additional power .. committed to Boston University for 2011-12 .. played midget minor for Compuware in 2008-09 and scored 24 goals and 32 assists in 31 games in Tier 1 league play .. played for Team USA's Under-17 Select Team at the 2009 Five Nations Tournament in Fussen, Germany, in August and tallied 1 goal and 4 assists in 4 games .. went without a point in his lone game at the Battle of Iowa .. scored 1 goal in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic.

Please click the link to read Part 1 of Kevin Wey's report on the Cedar Rapids Roughriders