Midget Buc Bowl: Division C Prospect Notes

Des Moines, Iowa, sees plenty of prospects come through town in the American Hockey League at Iowa Chops games and in the United States Hockey League at Des Moines Buccaneers games, but the Bucs organization brought some of the top U-18 talent in the United States to the area in October for the 2008 Midget Buc Bowl. Twenty midget major AAA teams from around the country competed at the tournament and were able to showcase their players to scouts from a number of USHL teams and a few NAHL teams as well.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey continues his look at the top prospects eligible for the 2010 and 2011 NHL Entry Drafts that participated in the 2008 Midget Buc Bowl. In part three of a four-part series, McKeen's looks at Division C, which include prospects from the Chicago Mission, St. Louis Jr. Blues, Compuware, Anchorage North Stars, and Shattuck St. Mary's varsity team.

Kevin Lind (2010), D, Chicago Mission

Alternate captain already has good size at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds .. has deceptive speed with fairly powerful strides .. smooth passer who makes crisp, accurate passes and leads his man well .. pinches in from the point often, but responsibly .. plays on the powerplay as the big man in front of the net .. defensively, has good gap control to halt the progress of opponents early .. a threat to step up and make open-ice hits in the neutral zone .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for the Chicago Mission and scored 3 goals and 10 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games .. drafted by Chicago Steel in the first round, 6th overall pick, of the 2008 USHL Futures Draft .. selected by the Sudbury Wolves in the 9th round, 162nd overall pick, of 2008 OHL Priority Selection.

T.J. Tynan (2010), C, Chicago Mission

Small forward that is adept at shifting gears .. utilizes speed bursts with the puck to beat opponents wide and drive the net, but his shiftiness can cause as many headaches for opponents .. also has very good agility with the puck and can make tight, fast Gretzky circles .. top speed is good, but quickness is his primary asset .. also has quick hands and can make slick stickhandling maneuvers .. alternate captain hustles on the forecheck .. undersized at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, but still a prized prospect out of the midget major AAA ranks .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for the Chicago Mission and scored 9 goals and 16 assists in 30 MWEHL regular season games .. drafted by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the first round, second overall pick, of the 2008 USHL Futures Draft .. committed to University of Notre Dame.

John Olen (2010), F, Chicago Mission

Has deceptive speed, but his offensive game is more about positioning .. does not run around on the forecheck or in the defensive zone .. does put in a good effort on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. backchecks intelligently and effectively .. has a hard wristshot and a good snapshot .. passes are crisp and on the tape .. alternate captain plays a solid two-way game and is just an all-around good hockey player that has decent size at 5-foot-11 and185 pounds .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for the Chicago Mission and scored 16 goals and 12 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games.

Jimmy Murray (2010), RW, Chicago Mission

Small at 5-foot-6 and160 pounds, but doesn't play small .. has excellent speed and is always buzzing on the forecheck .. like a world-class sprinter, he has quick feet that barely seem to touch the ice, yet generate power .. also has excellent speed with the puck and creates plays with accurate passes and well-timed drop passes .. has very good agility with the puck to make tight switchbacks .. able to make nice backhand passes across the zone .. ventures down low and is a threat to create plays from the corners or from behind the net .. fights through checks and can launch into opponents with his own checks .. similar to Chris Conner .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for the Chicago Mission and scored 13 goals and 11 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games.

Robbie Russo (2011), D, Chicago Mission

Mature and poised game at a young age .. maintains short gaps defensively and is fairly mobile backwards .. keeps a wide base backwards and uses no crossovers .. gap control and mobility allow him to angle opponents in open ice to halt their progress .. not a punishing player physically, but effective .. does a good job to ignore slick stickhandling but focus on his opponent's chest .. smooth skater, although his forward stride may almost be overextended and does not bring his feet in enough after extension .. does not panic with the puck and his confidence allows him to keep control of the puck even though his speed and stickhandling are not elite .. smooth skater with the puck .. wristshot from the point is only average, and could afford to improve his shot power in general .. very advanced and should become a very good two-way defenseman .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for the Chicago Mission and scored 2 goals and 5 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games .. committed to Notre Dame.

Alex Wideman (2010), C, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Has excellent speed thanks to a combination of quick feet and power .. has very good agility with the puck and can make tight switchbacks to ditch opponents .. has soft hands for stickhandling moves and receiving passes .. adept at receiving passes and shooting the puck in one smooth motion .. plays both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. small at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, his brother Chris topped out at just under 5-foot-10, so size will likely remain an issue .. in 2007-08, he played midget major AAA for St. Louis Jr. Blues and scored 20 goals and 25 assists for Chaminade Prep of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association .. played for the Team USA U-18 Select Team at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament .. drafted by Indiana Ice in 6th round, 54th overall pick, of the 2008 USHL Futures Draft .. committed to Miami University.

David Goodwin (2010), LW, St. Louis Jr. Blues

Small forward has good speed and likes to drive and then cut toward the net .. 5-foot-9, 145-pound winger sometimes is overmatched physically driving the net, but still creates a fair amount of offense doing so .. has powerful acceleration and good agility to evade checks .. possesses fairly quick hands .. not as heralded as some other prospects, but is still someone to watch, especially after he adds more muscle .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for St. Louis Jr. Blues.

Kyle Figgins (2010), D, Compuware

Not a flashy defenseman, but very reliable.. has decent speed .. tends to make the simple play and connects with crisp, accurate passes .. plays on the powerplay, thanks in large part to his reliable, smart puck movement .. has good mobility backwards and steps up for open-ice hits at or before the blueline .. blocks a fair number of shots and passes by dropping to one knee or while still standing, a la Matt Donovan .. a regular on the penalty kill .. two-way defenseman doesn't wow in skill level, but is reliable with consistent play .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for Compuware and tallied 6 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games.

A.J. White (2010), LW, Compuware

Six-foot-one, 165-pound forward has long legs and could become quite good when he adds some muscle to them .. shows a little cruising speed and acceleration at times, but generally lacks separation and often is slow with the puck .. does use some interesting stutter steps to fake out opponents at times .. has decent speed without the puck and shows it with fairly tenacious forechecking .. played on the 4-man and 3-man penalty killing units .. willing to drop to block shots .. also played on the powerplay, but has an average shot .. has some potential and will be interesting to monitor as he fills out, particularly his lower body .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for Belle Tire and scored 5 goals and 8 assists in 30 MWEHL regular season games.

Josh Dangel (2010), C/RW, Compuware

Has decent speed with the puck and a good stride .. even has proper arm mechanics for maximum skating biomechanics .. has quick feet for accelerating .. 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward engages physically and hustles into corners .. good in one-on-one battles and muscles into opponents to make sure he gets the puck or at least gives 100 percent trying .. played on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. should at least be a good defensive forward at higher levels, but his effort also results in a little offense .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for Compuware and scored 7 goal and 6 assists in 31 MWEHL regular season games.

D.J. Hastings (2010), LW, Compuware

Six-foot-two forward is of interest due to his size .. has decent speed, but gets vertical in his first strides .. has long strides with the puck, but his stride gets a little choppy without the puck .. hustles into corners and finishes his checks, but they don't always have much force .. plays on the powerplay and makes crisp passes .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for Belle Tire and scored 5 goals and 11 assists in 29 MWEHL regular season games .. selected by Plymouth Whalers in 10th round, 190th overall pick, of the 2008 OHL Priority Selection.

Chase VanAllen (2010), D, Anchorage North Stars

Very impressive showing .. has very good speed and acceleration with the puck .. accelerates with power .. a smooth skater who displays confidence with the puck .. very mobile defenseman with good agility in his stops and starts and can make tight turns .. good all-compass mobility backwards .. has a wide stance backwards, no crossovers, and good speed .. is almost a machine in how he again and again makes crisp, accurate passes .. listed at 5-foot-10 and175 pounds, but seemed bigger .. plays with some physicality and will step-up to make hits .. smart in how he uses his stick in front of the net .. undersized on paper, but shows strength on his skates in pushing-out opponents when clearing the crease .. thinks defense first, but a very able puckmoving defenseman, be it skating or passing the puck .. alternate captain played on the powerplay and penalty kill .. hopefully, he grows at least a couple of inches, because then there'll be no excuse for him not to receive the recognition he deserves .. in 2007-08, he played midget minor AAA for Anchorage North Stars and scored 2 goals and 22 assists in 54 games.

Guan Wang (2010), C, Shattuck St. Mary's Varsity (Midget AAA)

Two years ago on Shattuck's Tier I Bantam team, he looked like a strong bet to be a noteworthy prospect for Shattuck, but is not yet on the prep team for some reason .. not playing on the prep team aside, a smooth skater with good speed and a powerful stride .. has powerful crossovers and picks up speed in his turns .. has good knee bend and stays in a power position when skating and almost always seems to be in control with the puck .. efficient skating stride almost makes him appear lazy, but was the Shattuck varsity team's biggest offensive catalyst .. not afraid to venture into traffic with the puck, probably because he's usually able to evade hits, but could be criticized for not engaging physically enough defensively .. in 2007-08, he played for Shattuck's U16 team and scored 15 goals and 12 assists in 47 games.