NCAA: Minnesota Gophers Prospect Report

The Minnesota Gophers have 16 NHL Draft picks on their team and a probable first-round selection at the 2009 Draft in Jordan Schroeder. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese recently took in a Gophers' game and filed notes on Schroeder and a number of their NHL prospects.

Jordan Schroeder (2009), C, Minnesota Gophers

Undersized playmaking pivot with a well-rounded, two-way game that is accentuated by speed and hockey sense .. quick and nimble skater with that influential first step and multiple gears of acceleration .. an innate playmaker that looks to pass first and shoot later, as he's skilled in tight with deft passing skills .. shifty and can make defenders miss with his one-on-one ability .. anticipates the play well and makes intelligent decisions away from the puck, where he thrives at applying pressure on the puckcarrier and seems like he's always buzzing around the puck .. the most notable drawback to his game is evident even before the opening puck drop, as Schroeder is a pint-sized 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds .. however, he uses his quickness to get to loose pucks first and maintains positioning once there with his deceptively strong balance .. as an underage freshman, Schroeder is already playing on both special teams and is an expert in the faceoff circle .. promising prospect that may not be dynamic enough to warrant a top-ten selection given his lack of size.

Patrick White (Van), C, Minnesota Gophers

Talented sophomore that is beginning to get his game back on track after a disappointing freshman campaign .. is now seeing a regular shift on the powerplay and is more dangerous offensively this season .. no longer the plodding skater he was a year ago and is moving with more swiftness while in possession .. skating the puck with confidence and is greasy to defend coming down the wing with his ability to handle the puck while fully extending his reach, a quality that enables him to shield the puck well .. has soft hands and is beginning to boldly employee his electric stick fakes to freeze defenders, in the process buying himself more time to operate .. more of a goal scorer than a playmaker, but he does see the ice well and can pass the puck up ice without losing a stride .. still lacks any physical dimension to his game, must commit himself more defensively, and he needs to begin to unload that lively shot of his more often.

David Fischer (Mtl), D, Minnesota Gophers

Remains a long-term project that has a game which remains plagued with holes .. rangy skater that has a gangly stride and still suffers from coordination issues and lack of strength .. owns a long reach and cradles the puck with ease, although he tends to dead-end himself into traffic and must find more accessible skating routes .. receives ample time on the powerplay and yet, is nothing special from the point because he makes predictable decisions and fails to manufacture offense .. inconsistent with the puck, as at times he can display impressive poise and calmly move the puck out of trouble, but at other times, he will brain-cramp and cough up the puck when pressured .. despite his sizable frame, Fischer routinely gets out muscled and outworked during puck battles .. needs to maintain tighter gaps while defending and continuing to add strength will be crucial for his development.

Tony Lucia (SJ), LW, Minnesota Gophers

Gritty two-way center that has upgraded his mobility, however the same can't be said for his puck skills .. relaxed skater that has quickened his feet, which has stimulated his more rapid acceleration that is enabling him to win more footraces and ability to separate from opponent defenders out of the trenches to the net .. despite being amongst the Gophers' top-six forwards and seeing plentiful icetime on the powerplay, Lucia lacks high-end offensive skill and is guilty of having the play die on his stick too often .. effective for the most part because of his discipline to make high percentage plays with the puck, however his play instantly suffers when he begins to play outside of his limits .. a strong penalty-killer that plays a thinking-mans game away from the puck with astute defensive positional sense and stick-work .. this versatile junior forward is progressing, but is not a guarantee to receive an NHL contract at this time.

Aaron Ness (NYI), D, Minnesota Gophers

Diminutive offensive defenseman that can quarterback the powerplay .. quick and nimble skater with great foot speed, however his short legs and lack of strength prevents him from having sustainable open-ice speed .. blessed with fantastic hand skill, but his shot is weak and opponents have no fear laying down to block them .. at his best with the puck on his blade and while quarterbacking the powerplay .. a creative puck-moving defenseman that is poised in possession and does an exceptional job at disguising his intentions .. defensively, he relies on his anticipatory skills to supply pressure on the puckcarrier and his fast stick allows him to strip them off the puck .. however, he's terribly small and his lack of strength often negates him from being able to finish off his man defensively .. translated well from Minnesota High School Hockey to the WCHA, but his size remains a vast bump in the road that he will need to continue to hurdle moving forward.

Alex Kangas (Atl), G, Minnesota Gophers

Sizable goaltender with exceptional positioning and a consistent approach that inspires confidence amongst his teammates .. oozing confidence right now in his technique and his composure between the pipes has become a standout quality of his .. no longer struggling to find the puck through traffic and is effectively steering pucks into the corners or swallowing them up .. still needs to upgrade his skating outside of his crease, but he is no longer easily exposed by shooters that get him moving because of his tighter footwork this season .. his first move is always to hit his butterfly and he lacks the reactionary quickness to stuff accurate shooters in tight .. one of the top goaltenders in the WCHA and a solid prospect in Atlanta's system.

Nico Sacchetti (Dal), C, Minnesota Gophers

A freshman pivot that is centering the third-line, Sacchetti can often be invisible only to reappear on the stat sheet with a couple of secondary assists .. a quick and agile skater that just lacks a dynamic separation gear .. a poised distributor of the puck that quietly makes plays through the passing game, however he does need to upgrade his finishing ability .. just a role player this season, Sacchetti doesn't look out of place at this level, but hasn't distinguished himself either.

Jake Hansen (CBJ), LW, Minnesota Gophers

After compiling 57 points in 60 games last season in the USHL, Hansen is going to find himself struggling to score this season in the NCAA and is on the Gophers' fourth line .. isn't able to gain separation from defenders like he did at the USHL level because of his prevalent coordination issues and lack of strength .. still elusive with a nice glide to his skating, Hansen owns a sneaky release point on his shot but is struggling to generate opportunities to unleash it .. besieged physically and isn't holding his own in the trenches .. looks completely lost defensively with no positional sense and awareness of his assignments in his own-end .. early returns suggest this may just be a development year.

Mike Hoeffel (NJ), LW, Minnesota Gophers

A human bulldozer that authoritatively powers his way to the net .. his power game could be scary when in his physical prime, as he's already a man amongst boys at this level and still leaves plenty of room on his spacious frame to bulk-up into .. his unrelenting strength allows him to receive a number of prime scoring chances from within the slot area every game .. most of his skating issues are beginning to erode, as his agility and acceleration are both swifter than a year ago .. last season he was heavy-booted and had to take multiple steps to change directions, this year however, he gets a nice whip out of his pivots .. sophomore power forward that is progressing nicely and may have a future in the NHL, as a grinding bottom-six forward.