Lincoln Stars Fall Classic Part I

The Lincoln Stars have become accustomed to having some of the best goaltending in the USHL in recent seasons, and it looks like it will continue in 2009-10. Last season, starting goaltender Kevin Murdock led the league in both save percentage (.920) and goals-against average (2.24), en route to a spot on the All-USHL Second Team, and in 2007-08 the team featured USHL Goaltender of the Year David Reekie, who also led the USHL in both save percentage (.935), goals-against average (2.01), and shutouts (6). In 2009-10, rookie goaltender Jared Coreau looks set to shine for the Stars. At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Coreau has the size NHL teams now crave in net, he reads the play well, and he's exceptionally poised in his crease. If Coreau can follow in the statistical footsteps of Reekie and Murdock, he has a legitimate shot at being one of the top goaltending prospects to ever come out of the USHL.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to scope out the Lincoln Stars at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and enters notes on Jared Coreau, John McCarron, Dax Lauwers and 2011 draft-eligible Jared Hanson in Part I of a two-part series on Lincoln prospects.

Jared Coreau (2010), G, Lincoln

Likely the top goaltending prospect in the USHL for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. excellent size at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds .. a tad slow in his lateral pad slides across the crease, but reads the play very well and makes up for it .. plays a bit deep in his crease and doesn't come out and challenge much .. very calm and poised in his crease with traffic around him .. able to go down into butterfly quickly, but at times, drops down to his knees more than into a butterfly .. drops early, but his big size bails him out .. rebound control is a bit inconsistent .. does a good job directing pad saves into the corners, but doesn't always control other rebounds .. will calmly drop and make the poke check on a forward who comes in with his head down .. can end up facing the wrong direction with scrambles around and behind the net, but does it in an non-panicking way .. has some areas to work on, but his level of composure, size, and the economy with which he plays gives him a very solid base to work with and to develop .. has a real chance to become the highest-drafted USHL goalie if he has a standout year for Lincoln .. committed to Northern Michigan .. played for the Peterborough Stars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2008-09 and played 637 minutes over 12 games and went 8-1-1, with 0 shutouts, a 2.16 G.AA, and a .930 save percentage .. played 93:25 over 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and went 0-1-1 with 0 shutouts, a 1.28 G.AA, and a .944 save percentage .. played 122:52 over 3 games for the entire preseason and went 0-1-1 with 0 shutouts, a 0.98 G.AA, and a .962 save percentage.

John McCarron (2010), LW, Lincoln

Didn't make the jump over the summer to be a top-six forward for Lincoln this season, at least to start .. still plays his physical game, finishing his checks on the forecheck, bowling people over in the neutral zone, and off the faceoffs .. wristshot is okay, but needs improvement .. wristshot has a bit of wobble at times .. does have a fairly hard snapshot .. acceleration still needs improvement so as to win more races to the puck .. plays with his customary high-level of intensity and won't back down from a fight .. has the size at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds .. potential to be a late-round pick if he can at least average a point every other game in the USHL, but any pro future would certainly be as a checking-line or energy-line player .. no college commitment of yet .. played for Lincoln in 2008-09 and scored 2 goals in 19 games .. started 2008-09 playing midget major for Little Caesar's and scored 6 goals and 7 assists in 29 Tier 1 regular-season games .. had 1 assist in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and 2 assists in 4 games for the entire preseason.

Dax Lauwers (2010), D, Lincoln

Alaskan defenseman has some tools to work with but certainly faces some adjustments .. makes hard, crisp, accurate breakout passes .. has a tendency to stop moving his feet when the puck comes onto his stick in the defensive zone and will be at a near standstill assessing play .. can be a bit slow in making a breakout decision .. an upright skater with the puck, taking him out of a power position and leaving him susceptible to being muscled off the puck .. combination of his upright skating and the lie of the stick he uses can make things look awkward at times .. a bit awkward pivoting from forward to backwards .. wristshot from the point appeared average and he was a tad slow in deciding what to do at times .. needs to make sure he's facing the opponent when stopping backwards while defending .. has a frame to work with at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds .. has some tools to work with, but is a long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the Alaska All-Stars in 2008-09 .. also played Alaska high school hockey for Dimond and scored 2 goals and 8 assists in 20 games .. went without a point in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. went without a point in 4 games for the entire preseason.

Jared Hanson (2011), RW, Lincoln

Seemed almost overwhelmed at the Fall Classic, but still made the team .. speed of the game seemed to be too much and had trouble maintaining control of the puck .. a bit upright in his skating and needs to lengthen his stride .. turns were a bit awkward .. slow with the puck by USHL standards .. tried to finish his checks, but many of them came a little late .. definitely was giving his best effort, even if he might not have been performing his best .. Hanson should go back to Alaska and play a year of midget majors and get the prime icetime he needs in this important developmental phase in his career than to play sparingly in Lincoln .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget minor for the Alaska All-Stars in 2008-09 .. had 1 assist in 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. had 1 assist in 3 games for the entire preseason.

Also on the Radar

In addition to the three 2010-eligible prospects above, Lincoln also dressed center Ryan Dzingel for one game at the Fall Classic, even though he does not show up in the statistics on Pointstreak (listed as Matt White in error). Dzingel, committed to Ohio State, was placed on Lincoln's affiliate list after the Fall Classic and will play midget major for Team Illinois in 2009-10. Dominik Shine, a 2011-eligible prospect, had 1 assist in 3 preseason games for Lincoln and made Lincoln's roster, but McKeen's had too few notes on him to create a more-detailed player report. Austin Wuthrich, a 2011-eligible player who also played for Team USA's Under-17 Select Team at the 2009 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in August, played 1 game for Lincoln at the Fall Classic and was placed on the team's affiliate list. Like Dzingel, Wuthrich will play midget major for Team Illinois in 2009-10.