NCAA: Badger College Hockey Showcase

Wisconsin Badger College Hockey Showcase: Drafted Players

Steve Zalewski (SJ), F, Clarkson

Has slowed down a bit after a break out start to the season in which he took his offensive game to a new level as he was finding the back of the net .. his play is reminiscent of Marcel Goc and projects as a third/fourth line center .. centers Clarkson's first line .. at his best away from the puck, as his defensive awareness and work ethic are exceptional and he is an asset to the penalty kill .. never stops moving his feet and has a knack for disrupting the opposition with a strong fore check or back check .. despite possessing a booming slap shot that he is not hesitant to use, he struggles to finish as he lacks velocity and accuracy on his wrist shot that ultimately hinders him from being a goal scorer .. is an instinctive playmaker as he sees the ice very well and distributes the puck crisply tape to tape .. hands are decent, he does not fumble the puck but is not a skilled puck handler either .. has a fluent stride with decent power and quickness that make him a good, but not great skater .. plays with grit and has sand paper to his game .. he is a reliable center at both ends of the ice but he lacks the finish and dangle to be a top two-line player in the NHL.

Nick Dodge (Car), F, Clarkson

Crafty and intuitive .. his athleticism does not stand out but his hockey sense sure does .. his hands are soft .. an equal opportunist for finishing and creating offense .. plays a mature two way game and handles traffic well .. dominant on face offs.

Shawn Weller (Ott), F, Clarkson

Breaking out offensively in his sophomore season after a quiet freshman campaign .. his non-stop motor instantly stands out .. his puck pursuit is tremendous as he fore checks and back checks with exemplary effort .. could improve his first step quickness but once he gains momentum he can accelerate rapidly to an impressive top gear as his stride is long and produces fine power .. his goal scoring exploits are becoming more evident as he seems to have a nose for being around the net .. not a deadly playmaker but he moves the puck well enough to find the open man and get the puck to him .. a competitive player who brings it every game and ever shift.. did a great job along the boards, and cycles the puck well .. type of character player that will do anything for the greater good of the team.

Shea Guthrie (NYI), F, Clarkson

Shea has a lot of skill and can perform some highlight reel one on one moves, however he lacks the finish to be a go to offensive player at the moment .. small and quick, Guthrie is very slippery with the puck on his stick .. deceptively quick skater who can stop on a dime and accelerate to his top gear instantly, which is a move that he uses to his advantage as he doesn't have trouble getting separation to the outside on the opposition .. despite his ability to stay on his feet, he needs to show more willingness in traffic areas and improve his play away from the puck .. distributes the puck very effectively, and can creatively set up his line mates .. an exciting player to watch with a lot of skill but his game away from the puck is still rough around the edges.

Michael Grenzy (Chi), D, Clarkson

Has been steady during his senior year, but has not quite matched his break out totals from a year ago .. blessed with a sizable frame, Grenzy is not a take-charge physical defenseman, but he is a steady one .. is not a mean spirited player, but uses his size to be an effective one-on-one defender .. has improved his once suspect footwork and is a decent skater with fine agility for a big man .. plays on the power play .. does not have the imagination to quarterback the power play at the next level but he did an adequate job .. does a fine job of making the first pass out of the zone .. has a heavy point shot that he should use more often.

Philippe Paquet (Mtl), D, Clarkson

A very intriguing prospect with size, mobility, and skill .. moves with grace and power as his stride is long, fluid, and strong .. his first step quickness has improved greatly since last season and it helps his one-on-one ability, and escape ability .. pivots remarkably well .. handles the puck like a skilled forward and he can really dangle at times .. does over handle the puck at times and tries to stickhandle by three defenders before turning it over when a simple outlet pass would have worked .. his hockey sense limits him .. gets caught running around out of position defensively and his decision making with the puck is often poor .. has his fair share of brain cramps as he takes to long to identify the open man and coughs up the puck up the middle of the ice too often as he lacks the vision to distribute the puck consistently .. needs to use his size more and grow a physical dimension to his game .. his gap control was impressive and he can skate with anyone off the rush .. has it all physically, but his mental game needs a lot of work.

Tyrell Mason (NYI), D, Clarkson

A well constructed defenseman with an impressive first step .. did a fine job positioning himself one-on-one and was a reliable player in his own zone thanks to that and his competitiveness.. saw a lot of time on the penalty kill that shows the confidence his coach has in him .. uses his stick well as he did a good job staying stick on stick with his man, but I would like to see him increase his physical game .. has a strong lower body but his upper body strength can be improved .. skates exceptionally well but does not use it enough to skate the puck up the ice and lead the offensive rush .. makes the simple play moving the puck but lacks the creativity to be an offensive defenseman .. a poor man's Ryan Parent.

Andrew Joudrey (Wsh), D, Wisconsin

Scores his goals by competing hard in front of the net but must upgrade his accuracy and velocity to score at the next level .. distributes the puck well, in fact he is used on the point on the power play for his play making exploits .. handles the puck adequately, but lacks any elusiveness .. his blisteringly quick stride propels his exceptional acceleration but he lacks a top gear .. must add strength, as he will get involved in traffic areas but he is often ineffective .. Joudrey back checks hard and gets in quickly on the fore check, however his awareness away from the puck is just average .. he is a decent prospect worthy of AHL consideration but does not do anything that screams NHL.

Zach Bearson (Fla), F, Wisconsin

Bearson has received barely any ice time this season as he has only dressed in four of Wisconsin's twenty games .. has the build of a power forward as he is very tall with long arms and is very well built with brute strength .. Bearson's best quality besides his size is his skating ability .. while his agility is a bit rough, he is a strong up and down skater with a powerful stride once he gains momentum, although his first step explosiveness needs improvement .. uses his size to its advantage as he finishes all of his checks and often skates right through traffic instead of around it .. works hard defensively but lacks the hockey sense to be a go to guy on the penalty kill .. his hands are like stones at times and he is struggling to get himself in areas where he can display his hard shot .. his vision of the ice is poor and limits him .. this is a learning year and his development will be truly tested next year where he should make more of an impact.

Cody Wild (Edm), D, Providence

Is not a pretty skater to look at, but he has a nice stride with a fine first step and a decent top gear .. pivots well and has no trouble skating with his man to remain in position one- on-one .. intuitive player defensively who positions himself well and maintains a tight gap with his man .. stick work is exemplary .. is not soft, but is not mean physically either .. fairly soft hands and senses danger well .. distributes the puck effectively .. can stretch the ice with an impressive outlet pass .. does a fine job quarterbacking the power play .. gets his shot through to the net and pinches in down low to get into a prime scoring area .. has a creative side to him .. he will make a slap shot pass to a teammate sitting open at the back door .. his numbers are down since last season, but that is because the team as a whole is much more offensively challenged this season, and he has been arguably their best player all season.

Mark Fayne (NJ), D, Providence

Standing at 6'3-215 lbs., Fayne has good size and uses it well as he is an effective player physically .. clears the crease area well and excels along the boards .. has a quickly released shot from the point, and both his wrist and slap shots have extraordinary velocity behind them .. his wrist shot is fairly accurate, and he does a good job of getting his slap shot through to the net .. moves the puck adequately but is not a quarterback type .. his skating is the big issue, his pivots are poor and his first steps are so weak that it looks like he is on a treadmill.

Colin McDonald (Edm ), F, Providence

The Friars captain is a hard working, big forward who has natural finishing ability .. uses his long reach and soft hands to give the defenseman head aches .. has exceptional puck protection and his hands are soft .. can fully extend his long arms and maintain control of the puck .. effective along the boards .. does a fine job winning battles for loose pucks and can manufacture some room for himself in traffic .. lacks the mean streak of a power forward .. his best asset is his thunderous shot .. possesses a goal scorer's release that can catch the goaltender off guard .. gets his shot to the net in a heartbeat with impressive velocity and accuracy .. his precise accuracy allows him to pick his spot and he is a threat to score even from the outside .. puck movement has improved, while not blessed with the vision, or creativity of a true playmaker, he has learned how to share the puck effectively .. he is a decent prospect with size and finishing ability, but he lacks the ability to make his teammates better .. stats would be better if he had some talent around him.

Nathan Perkovich (NJ), F, Lake Superior

Perkovich is a towering right-winger who just gets better every time he is viewed .. uses his size to shield the puck and be a monster along the wall .. one of the best players in college hockey in terms of his work along the boards .. impossible to knock off his feet as his balance and core strength are elite .. upper body still could add about 20 pounds .. handles the puck softly and can do it with his long arms extended, which makes him difficult to contain one-on-one .. moves the puck decently and he sees the ice adequately .. manufactures many opportunities for his line mates from making plays from the wall and behind the net .. despite being so effective along the wall, he does not use his size to drive to the net, which he needs to do more often .. skates well for a player standing at 6'5 .. he does not appear sluggish at all .. if he improves his puck pursuit and uses his size more away from the puck, it would greatly improve his chances of becoming a player in the NHL .. still a legit NHL prospect .. raw, but very intriguing.