Illos Emulation Pushes Game

It was easy for Radoslav Illo's development to get lost in the attention surrounding Tri-City teammate Jaden Schwartz (who led the USHL in scoring and was named the USHL Forward of the Year and to the All-USHL First Team), but that doesn't change the fact that Illo was one of the best forward prospects in the league in 2009-10.

Illo, who was a fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, made the decision to emulate Alexander Ovechkin and in so doing pushed his game in a number of areas. Illo adopted Ovechkin's old "shoot first, ask questions later" philosophy, and it helped drive him to a USHL 16th-best 24 goals despite missing 10 games during the season, most of which came while he was playing for Slovakia at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

Illo isn't the next Ovechkin or the Slovakian equivalent, but his emulation of the most exciting player on the planet has pushed his game to a whole new level and cemented his position as one of the top forward prospects in the USHL this past season.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to catch the Tri-City Storm in action twice during the final quarter of the season and once in the playoffs and enters notes on Radoslav Illo (pictured), St. Louis Blues draft pick Max Tardy, likely first-round pick Jaden Schwartz, and an additional trio of Tri-City forward prospects.

Radoslav Illo (Ana), LW/RW, Tri-City

Models his game after Alexander Ovechkin, and it shows .. Illo almost always thinks shot first .. similar to how Ovechkin used to be in that he will shoot the puck from almost anywhere in the offensive zone .. needs to utilize his teammates more, though .. propensity to just shoot the puck was a detriment at times, as he had a lot of shots blocked or deflected by opponents' legs and such when he had some prime potential plays .. can make slick plays, though .. operates at a higher pace with the puck than the vast majority of USHLers .. able to build impressive speed and can handle the puck at speed .. able to make quick stickhandling maneuvers at speed and even pushed himself to make ultra-quick stickhandling moves .. Illo will become elite by any standard if he can successfully perform the latter consistently .. also has powerful acceleration for loose pucks and for the backcheck .. able to catch speedy USHLers early on the backcheck thanks to his own speed and explosiveness and will play the body from the side .. can also explode into his hits on the forecheck .. employs powerful strides in general .. has good separation off the half boards .. also has the agility to evade checkers with tight turns and spins .. has a quick release and can fire very hard wristshots .. makes hard, crisp passes, too .. developing defensive and physical game has the potential to make Illo a fairly complete player and one with definite NHL possibilities, as well as possibilities for the Slovakian senior national team someday .. committed to Bemidji State .. scored 24 goals and 19 assists in 50 games .. finished the season 16th in USHL goal scoring and fifth in USHL powerplay goals (11) .. scored 1 goal in his loan playoff game .. played in the USHL All-Star Game in late January .. scored 10 goals and 9 assists in his final 20 games of the regular season .. scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games for Slovakia at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

Max Tardy (StL), C, Tri-City

Goal scoring dried up after the Christmas break .. still a good two-way forward, though .. as during the first half, able to build good speed but gets a bit upright under acceleration .. able to make smooth turns with the puck .. continued to display his ability to spin away from checks down low .. a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options .. can shield the puck along the half boards with tight circles and spins .. able to handle the puck at the outer coordinates of his reach at a decent speed .. an adept toe dragger .. transitions the puck well and makes hard, crisp breakout passes .. a threat off the half boards on the PP .. also continues to show his ability to make backhand centering passes off the boards .. still displayed his ability to utilize his points on the powerplay .. has a crisp shot, but could use a quicker release at times .. uses his speed on the forecheck and backcheck .. when he stays back for pinching defensemen, you don't realize it's him at first, because he looks like a defenseman if the play reverses .. would typically like to see Tardy return to the USHL for one more season to be an impact player offensively before going to college, but St. Louis would lose his rights without making a bona fide offer .. as it stands, is committed to Minnesota-Duluth for 2010 .. scored 12 goals and 24 assists in 52 games .. missed a month from mid-February to mid-March due to injury .. after the Christmas break, he scored only 3 goals (and 13 assists) in 27 games .. had 1 assist in 3 playoff games.

Jaden Schwartz (2010), LW, Tri-City

Named the USHL Forward of the Year and to the All-USHL First Team .. seemed to wear a bit down the stretch and speed went down a bit .. played through an injured foot during the playoffs that he later discovered was broken .. still had some cruising speed with the puck, but certainly not breakaway speed and was too easily caught on the backcheck before the broken foot .. was still very dangerous with well-timed speed bursts, particularly down low in the offensive zone .. able to make tight turns with the puck .. shot power is actually pretty good .. wristshot, snapshot, and slapper are all fairly hard and he can get all off in stride .. also has a hard backhand .. all shots in his arsenal have a fairly quick release .. makes hard, crisp passes .. offensive awareness and vision are exceptional .. is a heads-up stickhandler who can catch teammates with passes at the far points of his periphery .. has excellent anticipation of what the opposing defenseman will do .. able to quickly read the play and make the play, take the shot, or buy time for his teammates .. his separation comes down to awareness every bit as much as it comes down to skating .. does a good job of going toward the net after making his plays .. played primarily on the wing, but was frequently called upon to take faceoffs, particularly defensive zone faceoffs, and is adept in the faceoff circle .. was a regular in all situations for the Storm, including on the penalty kill .. small at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, and needs to gain strength, but stands to become very dangerous when he does so and thereby improves his top speed .. likely to go in the final third of the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft or at least the early second round (21st to 35th overall) .. definitely has NHL top-six forward potential .. committed to Colorado College .. major junior rights are held by the Tri-City Americans .. scored 33 goals and 50 assists in 60 games .. led the USHL in points and powerplay goals (16) .. second in the USHL in powerplay assists (22) and shots (242) .. third in the USHL in assists .. fourth in the USHL in short-handed assists (4) .. fifth in the USHL in goals scored .. tied for sixth in the USHL in shorthanded goals (4) .. scored 3 goals in 3 games in the playoffs .. played in the USHL All-Star Game in late January.

Kenny Brooks (2010), RW, Tri-City

Didn't seem to build on midseason viewings, where he was impressive in a top-six role due to injuries and Illo's absence at WJCs .. seemed to lack acceleration in late-season viewings .. had virtually no separation with the puck at this time .. did still display some cruising speed on the forecheck and can extend his stride a fair amount, too .. speed and acceleration were a little better in playoff viewing .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck game in and game out .. finishes his checks .. a threat to make a hit from the side on the backcheck .. typically makes hard, crisp passes, although his passes can be feeble if on an off shift .. displayed a little puck protection along the boards .. needs to fill out his 6-foot-0, 169-pound frame .. has almost no chance at selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but could have a breakout year in 2010-11 with a strong summer .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 7 goals and 11 assists in 49 games .. missed three weeks in February due to injury .. missed almost two weeks in January following wrist surgery .. only scored 4 goals and 4 assists in 25 games after the Christmas break .. scored 1 goal in 3 playoff games.

Tucker Brockett (2010), C, Tri-City

Didn't add the offense Tri-City had hoped and became more of a small, physical player .. very few offensive notes taken on Brocket in the final couple months of the season .. many more notes on finishing his checks, be it on the forecheck, the neutral zone, or manning the point .. small at 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, but didn't play small for the Storm .. showed some quickness going for loose pucks .. gets a bit upright under acceleration .. put up huge numbers in midget major, and hopefully boosts his production in 2010-11 .. has virtually no chance for being selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in his second (and final) year of eligibility .. committed to Princeton (2011) .. scored 8 goals and 7 assists in 39 games for Tri-City .. scored 4 goals and 6 assists in 20 games for Lincoln prior to being acquired by the Storm .. finished with a total of 12 goals and 13 assists in 59 games .. tallied only 5 goals and 5 assists in 33 games after the Christmas break .. went without a point in three playoff games.

Tucker Long (2010), LW/C, Tri-City

Limited notes on Long during the final quarter of the season, as he was frequently out of the lineup .. continued to play a fourth-line role and did a decent job when playing .. finished his checks deep on the forecheck and in the neutral zone .. saw a little powerplay time in one viewing and made some nice drop passes .. has a fairly hard shot .. now able to maintain the puck when bodied at the USHL level .. next step for Long is to be a top-nine forward in 2010-11 .. no chance he's selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 3 goals and 5 assists in 33 games .. only played three games in March and early April .. missed over a month from late October to after Thanksgiving due to injury .. went without a point in two playoff games.