NCAA [Feb-06]: Quick Stopper Made For Kings

BU-UMass Prospect Reports [Quick Stopper Made For Kings] (posted 2.24.06)

by Vincent Montalbano

The red-hot Boston University Terriers won their 10th game in a row, blanking the UMass-Amherst Minutemen 3-0. BU received a pair of goals from New York Rangers' draftee Ken Roche, while undrafted goalie John Curry made 19 saves to earn the shutout. The Terriers unleashed 43 shots on Massachusetts goalie Jon Quick, whose stellar performance kept the scoreline respectable.

Ken Roche (NYR), F, Boston University (JR)

Roche has really turned on the jets these past few games .. delivered a tremendous effort this night, earning first-star honors and moving into the team lead temporarily with his career-high 12th goal of the season .. an upright skater who doesn't possess too much speed, however uses his hockey sense effectively to find the right areas to score .. not afraid to go to the net and find loose pucks .. knows how to use his body to protect the puck and is hard to knock off the puck .. uses his linemates well and has good vision .. shoots the puck hard and accurately .. showed excellent patience and scoring touch on his first goal by outwaiting Quick to slide the puck in .. blasted a high slapshot over Quick's glove for BU's third goal. (28-12-11-23)

Dan Spang (SJ), D, Boston University (SR)

Contributed most effectively to the offense, including setting up BU's third goal with a beautiful homerun pass to Peter McArthur, who made a nifty behind-the-back pass to a trailing Ken Roche .. displays good vision on the powerplay .. knows when to pinch in from the point and does it at the right times .. solid, tape-to-tape breakout passes .. his slapshot and wristshot from the point need some work in terms of power, but somehow he consistently manages to get the puck to the net without getting it blocked .. could also use more work on his defensive-zone coverage and on getting stronger down low in the corners. (29-3-17-20)

Brandon Yip (Col), F, Boston University (FR)

Enjoyed a strong game in spite of being left off the scoresheet .. plays the point on the power play where he showed off a low, accurate slapshot that led to a few scrambles in front .. displays good vision of the ice .. possesses the strength and determination to battle through checks and drive to the net .. tough along the boards .. propelled by a long, powerful stride that provides him with some very good speed .. made a nice move on a partial breakaway in the second period with the defender all over him, before being foiled on a nice pokecheck by the goalie .. forechecks hard .. demonstrates the instincts to slip unsuspectingly behind defenses and scour for rebounds. (28-8-16-24)

Brian McGuirk (CBJ), F, Boston University (SO)

McGuirk may not show up on the scoresheet every night, however, despite his size, he is involved physically every shift and brings non-stop energy .. seems to have a fearless sense of the game .. boasts quick feet and a powerful stride .. excellent stop and starts on the shorthand .. relentless on the boards as he battled ferociously to get the puck out of his zone. (28-4-2-6)

Chris Higgins (2006), F, Boston University (FR)

The buzz around the rink every time he touched the puck was 'did you see his goal during the Beanpot?' .. Higgins possesses tremendous hands and puck movement .. member of BU's all-freshman line with Jason Lawrence and Brandon Yip .. the trio work extremely well together and already show an awareness and anticipation of each other, thus maximizing their individual strengths .. Higgins gets in on the opposing defense fast as he boasts a smooth stride and excellent quickness .. has a quick release on his shot and follows up well in search of any rebounds .. he could be more physical at times however .. didn't display any dazzling moves during this contest, but nevertheless displayed a solid game without many holes. (29-5-12-17)

Jason Lawrence (2006), F, Boston University (FR)

Overall, Lawrence had a quiet game against the Minutemen .. did not contribute to any of his linemates various scoring chances .. skates very low and has quick strides which give him solid acceleration .. hustled every shift and backchecked hard .. does display good vision and works well with linemates .. used in shorthanded situations and did a good job rushing out to the point and getting into the shooting lanes .. could benefit from being a more selfish shooter at times - failed to even register a shot in this game. (29-8-11-19)

Jon Quick (LA), G, UMass-Amherst (FR)

Without Quick in net, this game could have gotten real ugly .. deservingly named the game's second star .. possesses tremendous athleticism and flexibility .. great rebound control .. if a rebound does get away from him, he is excellent at recovering quickly .. always square to the shooter and consistently blocks pucks off of his chest .. excellent lateral movement .. never seems to lose sight of the puck in traffic .. tough to beat one-on-one as he stopped two breakaways during the game .. one weakness may be his reluctance to leave the net .. it makes sense to not wander out, but a few times Quick had an opportunity to stop the puck and decided against it .. overall though, an excellent prospect and should only continue to get better. (14GP, 4-8-0, 3.08, .917)

Alex Berry (Tor), F, UMass-Amherst (FR)

Will most certainly score his first collegiate goal soon if he continues playing as he did against BU .. possesses good size and forechecks hard .. noticeable on every shift as a physical presence which created a few turnovers and offensive chances which his linemates were unable to capitalize on .. his main weakness however is awkward skating .. does not possess great speed .. also tends to need too much to get his shot away - had 2 or 3 shots that were either blocked or simply never had a chance to unleash. (17-0-1-1)

Stephen Werner (Wsh), F, UMass-Amherst (SR)

The only time the Minuteman could generate and sustain pressure against BU was when Werner was on the ice with Chris Davis (Fr) and Chris Capraro (Sr) .. very patient with the puck and possesses excellent skills .. decent size and good speed .. boasts a quick release on his shot and a wide arsenal of shots - slapper, wrister, and snap shot .. received lots of playing time .. very crafty on the powerplay and demonstrates excellent vision .. deceptively fast as he seemed to turn on the jets and beat the defense wide every time up the ice .. possesses the patience to wait and let his linemates get open before rushing passes. (28-10-13-23)

Chris Davis (2006), F, UMass-Amherst (FR)

It was a bit surprising to see Davis go undrafted in 2005 after having witnessed him finish out a successful career at Avon Old Farms .. though lacking great size at 5-10/180, Davis does possess a good deal of poise with the puck and works quite well with Werner .. boasts short, quick strides, but does not have blazing top speed .. seemed passive in the first period when the physical play started, however he started going into the corners and initiating contact more later in the game .. plays on both the powerplay and penalty-kill .. very mindful of his defensive responsibilities. (29-8-7-15)

Golden Gophers Prospect Reports (posted 2.9.06)

by Max Giese

Phil Kessel (2006), C, Minnesota

Flashed brilliant bursts of speed and was a dangerous threat throughout despite being held to just one goal in his Wisconsin homecoming .. despite boasting an advanced repertoire of offensive ability, Kessel still seems too predictable .. all his scoring chances were generated by going end-to-end without moving the puck and shooting a low wristshot from the top of the circles .. skated around the rink holding his hands to his ears and taunting the crowd after scoring, instead of celebrating with teammates .. rarely passed the puck but showed how good of a playmaker he could be .. makes quick, instinctive reads and distributes the puck with accuracy and authority, oft-times even catching linemates off-guard .. shied away from corner battles, seemed to disengage himself if his first attempt was stopped .. can't say enough about how good his skating is - went end-to-end several times .. used his slick 1-on-1 arsenal at times but was mostly contained .. needs to learn how to score and create when the game slows down .. at times, appears to only be a scoring threat off the rush .. must focus on getting into open scoring areas and working more for his teammates .. selfish throughout the series, neglecting any physical evolvement and allowing the harsh crowd to get into his head .. any NHL team scared off by his self-seeking style at the World Juniors will be even more turned off after this performance .. nevertheless, his offensive gifts are still 'through the roof'.

Alex Goligoski (Pit), D, Minnesota

Sparkled offensively but at times was a liability in his own end .. scored a power play goal on a hard, accurate slapshot perfectly placed just inside the post and a foot off the ice .. displayed slick skating and puck protection to buy himself time on the outlet .. a great decision maker when moving the puck and makes a healthy first pass .. could stand to gain muscle and add bulk .. numerous times was outmuscled in front of his net and at times had to take costly penalties to control his man .. seems to get fixated on the puck and could stand to body up more .. smooth-skating puckmovers excel in the new NHL and Goligoski seems to fit the bill .. only a sophomore and is already putting up huge numbers .. potentially an offensive-minded top-four defenseman when he matures and fills out.

Ryan Potulny (Phi), C, Minnesota

Cashed in on a four-point weekend including the tying goal on Saturday .. slick hands and superb leg strength allow him to thrive in tight spaces offensively .. an average skater who can drive to the net .. especially dangerous in close .. has a subtleness to his hands - doesn't dangle with the puck but subtly maneuvers through traffic and is dangerous 1-on-1 .. showed a deadly quick release with a hard and accurate laser from the slot for his goal .. sees the ice well and has impressive vision .. can disappear at times and then suddenly come out of nowhere for a great scoring opportunity .. creative at times - made some slick dishes to his linemate Danny Irmen who had an easy time scoring his goals .. an offensive horse in traffic with a terrific shot and underrated playmaking ability .. still can be invisible when he is not on the attack .. could be a top-six NHL winger some day if he can continue to develop his top-end speed .. seems to play his best in the big games.

Dan Irmen (Min), RW, Minnesota

The type of a player who is a threat from the blueline in .. a huge weapon on the power play .. superb playmaker who can run a power play .. creates a lot of plays by seeing open lanes that most overlook .. makes quick and timely passes which catch the opposition off guard .. can thread a needle .. loves to battle for offensive opportunities, pays the price for a goal .. scored both of his goals by hanging around in front of the opposition net, eventually locating and quickly pouncing on the rebound .. possesses an under-developed shooting arsenal that he needs to use more frequently .. tends to look to make the pass first and shoot later .. skating is an area in need of an upgrade at this point .. not a bad skater but isn't a dangerous outside threat .. compensates with above-average hockey sense though .. seems to click with Ryan Potulny especially well and also appears to be more complete player of the two .. strong on the forecheck and came back hard defensively .. a very useful player.

Blake Wheeler (Phx), RW, Minnesota

Amazed at times with his skill a year ago in Green Bay but has been stagnated with Minnesota so far .. a tall player who seems to be continuously filling out and getting bigger .. doesn't understand how to use his size yet to full advantage .. possesses soft hands but displays poor puck-protection abilities, and doesn't appear to know how to maximize his engulfing wingspan yet .. played on a line with Phil Kessel and was often behind the play .. planted himself to the side of the net on one play and was rewarded with a wide-open net, only to fall down and whiff on the release .. skating is an asset as he is blessed with quick feet and a long stride, even though it seems to lack explosiveness .. gains in leg strength could make him a special skater .. at this stage, his physical involvement is inadequate and the game is moving too fast for him .. a sub-par weekend effort to add to a sub-par season .. look for a breakthrough next season as the jump this year has been a difficult one.

Chucko and Stoa Prospect Reports (posted 2.2.06)

by Max Giese

Kris Chucko (Cgy), LW, Minnesota

A physical force all weekend .. one of the biggest players on the ice and used this to his advantage .. Wisconsin's d-men were unable to move him from the front of the net .. had a goal disallowed when he showed impressive hand-eye coordination to knock the puck into the net from mid-air, which was ruled a high stick .. delivered several thunderous body checks and opened up the ice for his linemates .. dished out the standout hit of the weekend when he caught Drewiske with his head down coming through the neutral zone, he put his shoulder into Drewiske's chest and rattled him down hard .. also strong on the forecheck and was tough to restrain on the cycle .. did not however stand out as an offensive player and possibly only projects as a third line grinder in the NHL .. his skating ability isn't that bad really and his first step seems to have improved, although he needs to keep his feet moving defensively as he tends to float at times when his team is defending .. didn't show much in the way of vision and creativity with the puck and had trouble getting into prime scoring areas with the puck to unleash his heavy shot .. a slower Ben Eager type possibly.

Ryan Stoa (Col), LW, Minnesota

Performed a key role in Minnesota's success over the two-game series as a defensive shutdown center .. also contributed offensively with a goal and two assists on Friday .. played on the Gophers' top penalty-kill unit and often lined up against the Badgers' top line .. did not flash anything too special, though brought a certain simple but effective game to the table, that should translate to the NHL nicely .. possesses an intimidating frame that he uses only mildly .. could stand to add more of a mean streak, although he did use his frame effectively in front of the net and in the corners .. his defensive presence was the main standout feature to his game .. proved a thorn in the side of opponents as he used his long, rangy frame to disrupt several passing attempts .. also put his body on the line to block shots and came down low to help his defensemen .. his offensive upside came through at times, but it seemed to be limited based on this viewing .. at this stage, his playmaking is merely average against this level .. will get points by planting himself in front or doing the dirty work in the corners .. projects well as a third line NHLer.