Kuchin Back on Track

It was apparent at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic that Russian forward Andrei Kuchin was going to be one of the top playmakers in the USHL in 2009-10, but it was also apparent he had little NHL future if he didn't make significant upgrades to his overall game. Well, he did. Kuchin turned his compete level up a few notches and was forechecking with purpose and engaging physically at the end of the season. He also made significant improvements to his acceleration, making him much more explosive with the puck and further helping him play the game at a much higher pace than he was even at mid-season, a pace much closer to that necessary to play in the NHL one day. Kuchin went unselected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and it's possible NHL teams will play wait-and-see for one more year, too, but Kuchin is certainly back on track toward becoming a legitimate NHL prospect and possibly living up to the potential many saw in him early in his teens.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey caught the Chicago Steel twice during the final quarter of the season and enters notes on Andrei Kuchin, who's back on track after marked improvements in 2009-10 and fellow 2010-eligible forwards Brendan Woods, Danny Mattson, and Darik Angeli, as well as the 2011-eligible Theo DiPauli and Matt Esposito.

Andrei Kuchin (2010), C, Chicago

Play away from the puck improved markedly, which helped foster his move to center, but also improved in areas of strength .. from start to finish, Kuchin was one of the top playmakers in the USHL in 2009-10 .. has good poise with the puck under pressure and is very patient .. possesses excellent offensive vision to find teammates through traffic or on the periphery .. makes hard, crisp passes .. relied on slowing the game down early in the season, but had really increased the pace of his game .. started to show some explosiveness with the puck, which really helped him to skate the puck out of traffic and in quick races .. actually has some separation now .. also has good cruising speed with the puck .. is confident with the puck and can make quick stickhandling maneuvers .. defensive effort improved significantly and moved to center .. does a good job of being in place down low to help his defensemen on the breakout .. forechecks harder and creates turnovers, and his improved separation now makes him more dangerous .. hustles for loose pucks and will engage physically .. Kuchin is now a legitimate prospect for NHL contract consideration someday, now that he plays with the necessary competitiveness and has upgraded his pace of play .. could return to the Steel, but could also play major juniors if the right team takes him in the 2010 CHL Import Draft .. would benefit most by moving to major juniors, where he'd be in place to make an easier jump to the next level .. has one more year on his contract with Vityaz, so he may have to return to Russia for one more year with Vityaz Chekhov .. a potential pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, in his second year of eligibility, but NHL teams may wait to see how things play out for Kuchin in terms of where he plays in 2010-11 and whether he indeed must return for Russia for a season .. scored 20 goals and 36 assists in 56 games .. finished 17th in overall league scoring and 14th in assists.

Brendan Woods (2010), LW, Chicago

A season limited by injury and by limited offensive production creates uncertainty for 2010 Draft chances .. needs to work on acceleration and explosiveness .. gets a bit upright under acceleration and has some wasted vertical motion to his skating .. has decent skate turnover, but needs more power in his strides .. does show a little quickness from time to time, though .. confidence with the puck improved as the second half of the season progressed .. would like to see Woods carry the puck more and stickhandle it less .. has a quick, crisp wristshot .. makes crisp breakout passes .. demonstrated a willingness to drop and block shots .. has some height at 6-foot-2, but needs to fill out his 180-pound frame .. played a fourth-line role upon his return, but played a bigger role after the roster freeze .. probably a long shot for selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, given his limited production .. however, will definitely be a player to watch to begin 2010-11, his second year of draft eligibility, assuming he is not selected .. committed to Wisconsin for 2011 .. scored 6 goals and 4 assists in 34 games .. suffered a knee injury at the Fall Classic and was out until Dec. 31.

Danny Mattson (2010), C, Chicago

Had a respectable rookie season in the USHL, but it won't be enough to be selected in his second year of draft eligibility .. was traded to Chicago from Omaha on Feb. 6 (the USHL roster freeze day) for Greg Wolfe .. played on Omaha's point on the powerplay before he was traded, and continued to play on Chicago's PP .. has good offensive vision to spot open teammates .. able to fire hard, crisp passes .. also an adept one-touch passer .. does a good job of reaching to receive passes that are just off the mark .. sports a hard, crisp wristshot .. has some wasted vertical motion under acceleration, but then gets low and has long, powerful strides .. heads-up stickhandler who can execute some nifty moves, but he wasn't as successful with such moves in the USHL as he was in high school .. somewhat small at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds .. would like to see Mattson return to the USHL for one more season before going to college so that he's a top-six forward all season .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to North Dakota for 2010 or 2011 .. scored 7 goals and 2 assists in 20 games for Chicago .. with Omaha, scored 8 goals and 12 assists in 38 games .. total stats were 15 goals and 14 assists in 58 games.

Darik Angeli (2010), LW/RW, Chicago

Displayed some potential all season, but skating woes weren't rectified during the season .. still a bit shakey in his crossovers and in his tight turns, which limits what he can do on the forecheck and offensively.. just doesn't appear truly comfortable on his outside edges .. does have good straight-line speed with and without the puck and finishes his checks on opposing defensemen on the forecheck .. has good size at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and can rattle the boards .. possesses a hard shot .. had hoped to see Angeli establish himself as a bigger offensive force with Chicago than he did .. traded from Sioux City with Billy Latta to Chicago on Feb. 6 for Alex Krushelnyski .. as a late 1990, he is in his second and final year of draft eligibility, and is an extreme long shot to be drafted .. over time, if he improves his edge control, he could emerge with a two-way NHL contract someday, though .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 6 goals and 4 assists in 20 games for Chicago .. for Sioux City, scored 9 goals and 6 assists in 36 games .. total stats were 15 goals and 10 assists in 56 games.

Theo DiPauli (2011), LW/C, Chicago

Played a defensive role for the Steel and accepted the role with enthusiasm .. played on the penalty kill and put forth a great effort doing so .. because he can get down low in his turns, he is able to make sharp cuts .. has good cruising speed on the forecheck and good speed with the puck .. able to stickhandle wide .. able to unleash a hard slapper in stride .. should at least play a third-line role for Chicago in 2010-11, but could compete for an even larger role .. currently a bit small at 5-foot-9, 173 pounds .. eligible for the 2011 Draft and is probably a long shot, but he's worth monitoring .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 6 goals and 5 assists in 46 games.

Matt Esposito (2011), RW, Chicago

Started the season with Green Mountain of the EJHL, but joined the Steel in mid-January .. has a lot of work to do over the summer to truly become USHL caliber .. had trouble handling the puck at the USHL pace of play .. lost control of the puck under acceleration and lost the handle attempting to stickhandle wide .. tended to stickhandle in front of himself and would over stickhandle while doing so .. does have decent shot power .. slapshot is fairly hard and so is his wristshot .. has decent size at 6-foot-0, 180 pounds .. currently a long shot for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, but a strong summer of development can quickly change things .. probably would have been ill-prepared for a good draft year without the head start he was given to his USHL career .. no college commitment of yet .. scored 2 goals and 5 assists in 25 games for Chicago .. scored 17 goals and 16 assists in 30 games for Green Mountain.