Minnesota High School: Ness a Lock

High School hockey in Minnesota continues to be a hotbed for promising prospects. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese has notes on defenseman Aaron Ness, currently No. 23 on McKeen's Midterm Rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, center Justin Jokinen and goaltender Mike Lee who is eligible in 2009.

Aaron Ness (2008), D, Roseau Rams

Highly skilled game breaker from the backend that may be the best defenseman pound-for-pound to come out of Minnesota in years .. generates offensive opportunities for his team every time he touches the puck, as he is a threat to go end-to-end or use his exceptional quickness and agility to slip by oncoming forecheckers before making a crisp first pass to move the puck out of the zone .. dangerous when jumping into the offensive rush, as he can make multiple defenders look foolish with the dangling ability that would make most forwards jealous .. can carry the puck up the ice to gain the zone on his own, as well as make creative, no-look passes at full speed to create prime scoring opportunities for his linemates .. projects as a true powerplay quarterback with phenomenal offensive instincts and creativity .. beautiful passer with tremendous poise and on-ice vision .. pint-sized, as strength is the major concern .. will need to adjust to the structured positional defensive game at the next level, as currently he's given free reigns to skate freely all over the ice because of his dominant ability .. this Minnesota Gopher recruit is a special player that you just wish was bigger.

Mike Lee (2009), G, Roseau Rams

Big butterfly goaltender that takes away the lower portion of the net well .. an athletic goaltender with flexibility to extend his long legs to swallow up any holes down low and the lateral quickness needed to stay with the play.. solid positionally, Lee displays the size most teams covet in a young goaltender, as well as the angling ability to properly maximize his net coverage .. besides size, his standout quality is his ability to move the puck, as he's aggressive handling the puck outside of his crease with the ability to exploit the oppositions line change with a home run pass .. this St. Cloud State is obviously talented but difficult to get a proper read on because of the strong team in front of him limiting difficult shots he has to face.

Justin Jokinen (2008), C, Cloquet

A big and fast goal scoring forward that could be a sleeper in this years draft .. fluid skater for a big kid with good speed that is a threat when attacking one-on-one in the open ice .. a savvy player that displays a great sense of timing in the opposition zone, as he is an opportunistic scorer with the physical gifts to finish his chances or create his own with his slick passing game .. all arms and legs right now but he projects to have a big frame once he fills out and is naturally well balanced making him wiry in traffic .. one of the risers out of Minnesota High School this season.