Indianas O Has Great D

The Indiana Ice aren't scoring a lot of goals by USHL standards this season (they had only 107 in 35 games), but they're giving up even less (102), and a lot of that comes down the defensive effort by their young forwards. Older players like Nic Dowd and Bryon Paulazzo lead the two-way charge at forward, but even more impressive is how young rookies such as Blake Coleman, Brian Ferlin, Kevin Goumas, David Johnstone, and Alex Wideman have committed themselves to solid defensive games. Each has a history of putting up decent offensive numbers in midgets, prep, or lower junior leagues, but they now all stand out, in part, because of the consistent defensive effort they give. Their lack of offensive production may hurt their stock a bit for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but it's helping make the Ice a competitive team despite bringing back only five players from its Clark Cup-winning team in 2008-09.

One of those returnees is center John Parker, who perhaps most embodies this commitment to defense amongst Indiana's forward. It could be expected for Parker to be a top-six forward for the Ice in his second year of USHL hockey, and he has the skating, skill, and offensive awareness to do it, but he's been asked instead to be a defensive and penalty-killing specialist. If the Ice is two men down, rest assured Parker is on the ice. Parker plays defensive this role so well, in fact, that it earned him selection to do the same thing for Team USA at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge, where he helped the Americans bring home the gold. If an NHL team is truly looking for a future defensive specialist for the future, then they can't overlook Parker for consideration in the late rounds of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey looks at several Indiana Ice forwards including Los Angeles Kings prospect Nic Dowd.

Nic Dowd (LA), C, Indiana

Great compete level .. tenacious forechecker who puts forth a great effort down low .. able to stop quickly to stick with opponents who try to use agility to break the puck out .. plays a physical game down low and creates some turnovers doing so .. also a threat to strip opponents of the puck with his stick .. a regular on the PK and definitely has the hustle to excel there .. active in manning his points .. also has some skill .. has some cruising speed with the puck .. could afford to lengthen his stride a little bit .. displays decent presence with the puck along the boards and the offensive vision to find teammates with centering passes .. also does a good job of connecting to his pointmen from down low .. a regular on the powerplay .. not uncommon to see Dowd communicating with his teammates on the ice .. possesses both character and leadership qualities .. displays a lot of the characteristics to become a potential fourth-liner in the NHL, which is probably why Los Angeles drafted him .. committed to St. Cloud .. as of Jan. 23 he had 8 goals and 18 assists in 30 games .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge and had 1 assist in 5 games.

Blake Coleman (2010), LW, Indiana

Hands were shakey at the Fall Classic with Tri-City, but they're coming along .. Coleman's still playing with the same high level of physicality he played with at the Fall Classic .. not sure there's a shift that goes by where he doesn't lay down a hit .. finishes his checks on the forecheck .. connects on big hits, too .. 5-foot-11, 202-pounder is pretty solid and can level opponents who are attempting to check him .. willing to block shots at the point and will finish his checks at the point .. poise with the puck has improved a lot from the preseason .. still slightly unsure in sweeping stickhandling maneuvers, but no longer looks completely uncomfortable with the puck on his stick at the USHL level .. his touches with the puck can actually last a while and he can shield it out wide .. can execute some nice moves from time to time .. sees some time on the powerplay as the man in front .. hands still need some honing, but he's improved a lot in this area .. has the potential to become an energy-line NHLer with continued development .. a possible pick for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft if he finishes the year strong, otherwise a long shot, but he's worth monitoring .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. as of Jan. 23 he had 3 goals and 2 assists in 11 games for Indiana .. scored 2 goals and 10 assists in 22 games with Tri-City before being traded to Indiana .. had 5 goals and 12 assists in 33 games for the season.

2010 Draft Grade: C-/D+ (long shot)

Brian Ferlin (2010), RW, Indiana

The points aren't falling in droves for Ferlin in 2009-10, but he has some talent .. a nifty stickhandler .. able to make some deluxe behind-the-back maneuvers .. able to draw the puck in and out from his body quickly .. not only can he protect the puck with quick hands, but the 6-foot-1, 192-pound right-winger can use his reach to maintain possession along the boards and in open ice .. does need to break the habit of stickhandling with his head down .. has good separation with the puck and has decent cruising speed with the puck, too .. hunches over quit a bit with and without the puck .. has a decent, crisp wristshot .. developing away from the puck .. puts in a good defensive effort .. makes some good defensive reads off his defensemen if he's the forward down low with them .. also does a good job of staying back for pinching defensemen .. hustles in his defensive zone and on the backcheck .. a threat to strip the puck on the backcheck or to play the body from the side .. plays with some physicality .. puts in a good effort defensively even if the game is out of reach .. a long shot to go in the 2010 Draft with his production, but a prime candidate to have a solid second year in the USHL and push for selection in his second year of eligibility .. committed to Cornell .. as of Jan. 23 he had 5 goals and 6 assists in 34 games .. had five points in six games Oct. 23 through Nov. 7.

2010 Draft Grade: D+ (long shot)

John Parker (2010), C, Indiana

Talk about selfless.. Parker has the skill to be a top-six forward in the USHL, but he's more than accepted his role as a defensive specialist .. great skater with good speed and agility .. could play as a defenseman if he wanted .. acceleration backwards is textbook and he skates backward like a good defenseman .. pivots from backward to forward are the envy of most defensemen .. uses his lateral agility well on the penalty kill .. an intelligent forechecker who can really hound opponents on the backcheck and strip the puck .. makes good defensive reads and intercepts his share of breakout passes .. has fully accepted his role as a defensive specialist, and his minus rating (minus-12 as of Jan. 23) is no indication of his effectiveness, it's a reflection of getting tough assignments and not receiving icetime during offensive situations commensurate to his skill .. read scouting report from the Fall Classic to learn about his offensive skills, because he's not able to flash them in his current role often .. one of Indiana's top penalty killers .. if an NHL team is truly in the market for a future defensive specialist, John Parker has to be on their radar as a late-round pick .. probably a long shot for selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but I'll be impressed with any team that chooses to select him .. potential to be a dream NHL fourth-line center, the kind Stanley Cup winners have .. committed to UMass .. as of Jan. 23 he had 2 goals and 5 assists in 30 games .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D+ (long shot)

Max Cook (2010), C, Indiana

Indiana's flashiest forward offensively .. has good cruising speed with the puck and can weave through traffic .. also has good quickness and explosiveness for short races to the puck or in accelerating with the puck .. able to execute impressive, smooth speed bursts with the puck .. possesses significant confidence with the puck in his third year of USHL hockey .. able to make quick lateral stickhandling maneuvers but can also shield the puck with his reach, which makes him seem taller than 6-foot-1 .. able to draw the puck in and out from his body, or vice versa, well .. able to slow the play down when needed .. has good offensive vision and will always spot the open man at the backdoor .. three-dimensional playmaker, as he can one-touch a pass out of the air (z axis) .. has a hard wristshot and can finish his chances .. will venture into traffic with the puck .. checks on opponents are a bit feeble at times .. a long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but has made steady progress in his time in the USHL and should have a respectable college career .. probably projects as an offensive forward at the Double-A ranks someday .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. as of Jan. 23 he had 11 goals and 18 assists in 32 games .. had a four-point game Jan. 14 against Des Moines .. went on a five-game point streak after Christmas Break (3-6-9) .. played for Team East at the USHL All-Star Game and scored 1 goal and 1 assist.

2010 Draft Grade: D+ (long shot)

Kevin Goumas (2010), LW/RW, Indiana

Good all-around player, just a tad small .. able to build considerable speed with the puck .. also has quickness and separation .. able to explode out of tight turns .. makes quick crossovers, but they're not devoid of power .. gets a bit upright accelerating when being shifty, but still very shifty nonetheless .. also has quick hands, making his shiftiness all the more difficult .. displays good patience and poise with the puck .. heads-up stickhandler can assess his options and has good offensive vision to find teammates with crisp, accurate passes .. displays good hand-eye coordination .. may be small at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, but he still engages physically .. willing to drive the net and will also take the hit to make the play .. will engage physically and can separate opponents from the puck .. puts in a nice effort on the forecheck .. demonstrates a good compete level .. a long shot to an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as a small USHLer not putting up a point per game, but he's a good hockey player nonetheless .. committed to New Hampshire .. as of Jan. 23 he had 6 goals and 14 assists in 35 games .. scored 10 points in 10 games Nov. 13 through Dec. 5 .. scored six points in five games Jan. 2 through Jan. 15.

2010 Draft Grade: D+/D (long shot to extreme long shot)

David Johnstone (2010), C, Indiana

Like most Indiana forwards, he plays a strong defensive game .. puts in a good effort defensively .. hustles down low on the forecheck and makes it difficult for the opponent to break the puck out .. 5-foot-11, 175-pounder plays with some physicality .. lays down hits on the forecheck down low but is also a physical presence in his defensive zone .. able to thrust up into his hits .. hustles early in the play after he is stripped of the puck or if a teammate does, ensuring he's on the backcheck quickly .. has nice cruising speed with the puck .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as a fourth-liner, but should continue to be someone to watch for the 2011 Draft .. committed to Michigan State .. as of Jan. 23 he had 2 goals and 6 assists in 27 games .. scored four points in first four games of the season (1-3-4) .. had an eight-game pointless streak Nov. 27 through Jan. 8 (missed early December due to injury and Christmas break within that span).

2010 Draft Grade: D (extreme long shot)

Alex Wideman (2010), LW, Indiana

Small forward with water bug agility .. has excellent speed with the puck and impressive quickness .. able to dart in and out of traffic with ultra-tight circles and lateral agility .. quickness gives him good separation with the puck .. can be shifty with his speed, with sudden speed bursts to ditch opponents .. stride has very quick turnover, but still has power as well .. also makes quick stops to shake opponents and can throw in a tight switchback or spin at any time .. also has very quick hands .. does have a habit of closing his gap on his opponent too much and then gets stopped .. with his speed and skill, he really should get around a lot more USHL defensemen than he currently does .. has a crisp wristshot and a hard one-timer .. makes smooth, accurate passes .. also uses his speed and agility defensively, as he's problematic for the opponent on the forecheck and the backcheck .. listed at 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, but he visually appears to be the smallest player in the league (much thinner than teammate Kevin Goumas in their equipment) .. doesn't play small, though, as he'll venture into traffic offensively and play the body defensively .. does see some time on the both the powerplay (at the point) and the penalty kill .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as a small forward averaging a point every third or fourth game, but he is a good hockey player .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. as of Jan. 23 he had 6 goals and 3 assists in 34 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D (extreme long shot)

Shane Berschbach (2010), LW, Indiana

Very deceptive player .. listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds, he's not that fast for a small forward .. lacks quickness for short races to the puck .. has excellent offensive awareness, though .. adept at going unnoticed away from the play and then pops back up into the play and finishes his chance .. lulls opponents into underestimating him, but always quietly finds his way to the far post .. will battle through checks to drive the net, though, too .. has good hand-eye coordination to bat down airborne passes and is also adept at corralling difficult passes .. makes some nifty plays, but he's more useful as the player being fed the puck .. a real threat on the powerplay .. no doubting Berschbach's offensive awareness, but he does need to develop more explosiveness and top speed to succeed at higher levels .. as such, is an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. as of Jan. 23 he had 10 goals and 17 assists in 27 games .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. finished third in WJAC scoring, tied for first in goals, and first in PPG with four .. played for Team East at the USHSL All-Star Game and scored 1 goal and 1 assist.

2010 Draft Grade: D (extreme long shot)