NCAA: Huskies Using Their Nodl

The St. Cloud State Huskies are off to a fast start in the WCHA earning the tenth overall ranking in the national polls. Their skilled offensive roster is led by Philadelphia Flyers second round selection Andreas Nodl and anchored by New York Islanders prospect Jase Weslosky in goal. McKeen's has notes on several Huskies looking to make an impact this season.

Andreas Nodl (Phi), LW, St. Cloud State Huskies

Last year's WCHA Rookie of the Year is a sniper with great speed and skill .. talented skater with a strong initial burst of speed and fluid acceleration to his prevailing top gear .. gifted puckhandler that can dangle with soft and quick hands that when combined with his superb lateral speed, makes him a dangerous one-on-one threat .. natural goal scorer with an elegant release, great one timer, and the knack for finding open seams near the net .. skillful passer when he is in the sharing mood, as he confidently attempts to thread passes through the opposition's defenses .. can break the game open at any time with his speed and skill through the neutral zone .. eagerly leaves the zone early to try to sneak behind the opposition's defense undetected .. careless and lazy defender that will ignore his assignments on the backcheck .. has the prototypical frame of a skilled winger, although he is void of a physical edge .. has high-end skill but his one dimensional play means he will have to be a scorer to make and stay in the NHL.

Aaron Marvin (Cgy), LW, St. Cloud State Huskies

Competitive freshman and two-way power forward has not missed a game while playing on the third line .. possesses superb foot speed and a great motor for a big kid, although his stride is so short that it hinders him from having a top gear .. needs to lengthen his stride and bend his knees more to correct skating deficiencies .. smart player that is an offensive asset without the puck and is willing to do the dirty work in the corners and in front of the net .. elects to try to drive through the opposition instead of going around them .. can surprise with his offensive touch at times, such as making a nice dish at full speed while on a two-on-one .. owns a quick release in traffic that he should exploit often, as he passes the puck almost to a fault .. likes to dump the puck in deep and then go crash and bang .. great defensively, as his maturity in this aspect of the game bellies his age .. takes deep-lying defensive zone positions, works hard and smart on the backcheck, and maintains an active stick, which aides his exemplary coverage skills .. solid prospect that is well on track.

Nick Oslund (Det), RW, St. Cloud State Huskies

Burly freshman with good speed and smarts away from the puck that is playing on the fourth line and has only been scratched for one game .. strong skater for a player of his stature with a long and commanding stride that stimulates his good top speed in the open ice, however his start-up strides are still sluggish and his acceleration leaves room for improvement .. does a good job utilizing his speed when in possession of the puck to try to skate around the opposition to the outside .. being used on a limited basis and has yet to display much of an offensive touch .. makes good decisions away from the puck, such as driving the net on the far wing and staying back to support his pinching defenseman .. willing to block shots, although he does not always take the proper lane to the shooter .. must rediscover the offensive touch he displayed in high school to improve his stock as a prospect.

Jase Weslosky (NYI), G, St. Cloud State Huskies

Healthy-sized sophomore with good athleticism that won five of his six starts last year .. owns a cat-like reflex in his glove hand, although he is weak blocker side .. has quick legs but he does not angle his pads properly, which leads to him kicking out dangerous rebounds .. puck can hit him square in the midsection yet he cannot control it .. tight and compact butterfly masks his poor stick work .. fights the puck in traffic, as he is slow to react and loses his angle .. needs more patience with the puckcarrier in tight, as he tends to go down to early and when not needed .. must improve on his positioning, as he loses his angle too easily in traffic and when the shooter attacks the net from in tight .. overexerts himself with wasted movement and opens holes moving side-to-side .. lateral movement and footwork is fine from his stance .. needs to become more fluent moving from his butterfly or else he will be burned on secondary scoring chances at the next level .. will need to make significant technical upgrades to become a legitimate NHL prospect.

Nate Dey (UFA), C, St. Cloud State

Senior alternate captain with good size and defensive commitment .. sharp skater for a big man although he lacks a top gear that is evident as he struggles to get around the opposition in the open ice .. blessed with the bulky frame of a power forward that he fails to compliment with a physical edge, although he does compete well on the puck .. possesses decent hands with an adequate play making and scoring touch .. penalty killer that is never caught up the ice, as he is a fine defensive center with good marking skills and work ethic .. decent prospect if he becomes more physically aggressive and focuses on becoming a shutdown, defensive center.

Matt Stephenson (UFA), D, St. Cloud State

Senior Captain plays a smart and hard working, two-way game .. good but not a great skater with crisp all-access mobility that he utilizes mostly on the defensive side of the puck, as he likes to play with pace while in possession .. heady player that anticipates the play well, as he has a knack for intercepting errant passes in the neutral zone .. displays impressive puck smarts and the ability to execute a crisp, tape-to-tape first pass .. owns deceiving hand skill and lateral mobility, as he can make the opposition miss one-on-one while carrying the puck up the ice .. disciplined defender with flawless defensive coverage, superb gap control, and he plays the body not the man .. stocky with adequate strength, which he uses well to box his man out from the front of his net .. has a grasp for the art of taking proper angles to his man and the puck, as he always establishes proper body positioning .. should attract NHL interest after this season for his established two-way game.

Ryan Lasch (UFA), RW, St. Cloud State

Diminutive offensive dynamo is chasing the national scoring title with 22 points in 14 games .. quick and skilled with great offensive awareness .. has a knack for finding open seams in the offensive zone and then burying his chances when the puck arrives .. very small and is easily pushed around by the opposition .. despite the fantastic numbers he is posting as a sophomore, he is not a great NHL prospect.