NCAA: Oshie, Toews Sioux Fresh

After winning four of their first five games, reality is beginning to set in for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, who have since dropped three straight by a combined score of 15-4. Coach Dave Hakstol has his hands full with 13 freshmen on the roster. We examine some of the high-end Sioux in Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Travis Zajac, Drew Stafford, Joe Finley, and Brian Lee.

Jonathan Toews (2006), LW

Shows elite vision and playmaking ability .. seemingly able to slow the game down .. possesses an uncanny ability to deliver tape-to-tape passes through heavy traffic, sees lanes that most miss .. slick one-on-one, exploits his long reach effectively to get around defenders, however isn't a pure dangler .. hands are soft, just not the quickest around .. exceptional hockey sense .. textbook on the forecheck, doesn't overpressure .. uses reach to disrupt outlet lanes .. likes to use a probing wristshot to create rebounds, relying more on accuracy than power .. a good overall skater .. strong first step and gets a nice push with his stride .. quickness is fine in close quarters as he wins races to the puck and seems to get from point A to B effortlessly .. doesn't stand out as dangerous open-ice skater at the college level though, frequently opting to pass rather than carry it himself .. complementary linemate blessed with ability to make those around him better .. constantly working to get into open spaces .. comes back deep defensively and puts fourth a decent effort in his own zone .. finishes checks but not a true powerforward yet .. still growing into his lanky frame however, so could fill out considerably and add a bigger power element .. goes into traffic areas and competes every shift .. demonstrates good poise and play selection, doesn't rush things and will dump and chase if necessary .. one particularly attractive asset is his strong ability to take the puck from the corners and get into scoring areas fast .. built for the new NHL rules .. full value for top-five consideration .. not an end-to-end gamebreaker, but a bonafide top-liner who makes strong plays all over the ice.

T.J. Oshie (StL), C

Small but stocky pivot .. hard to move off the puck, sturdy and slippery in traffic, shields puck away from defenders and is always moving his feet .. strong legs keep him driving when defenders get physical on him .. nice moves, can stickhandle in a phone booth .. quick, strong hands, has a knack for recovering loose pucks, even in the heaviest traffic .. doesn't have a long reach though so his moves are kept in tight .. shifty and agile, can make lateral cuts to beat defenders 1-on-1 .. releases shots quickly, doesn't need much time to unleash a dangerous shot .. can pick corners and is especially dangerous in close .. distributes puck to linemates efficiently, not a lethal playmaker by any means, but is willing to share the puck and use the open man .. willingly engages in traffic .. not the gritty, 'wear-em-down' type, but isn't shy .. made a nifty in-and-out toe drag on a defender in the third period to get open outside and tried to roof it .. defensively comes back hard though shows a tendency to take bad penalties .. quick, darting skater with a good first step, and above-average top speed .. skating is an asset and one he uses .. not really an outside burner but tricky and hard to cover in tight and down low .. a worth first-round selection by the Blues based on this performance.

Travis Zajac (NJ), C

Highly skilled centerman is struggling in the early going .. registered just a lone assist, a lucky one at that .. blessed with soft hands .. moves the puck smoothly, makes crisp tape-to-tape passes and boasts a dangerous shot .. very sneaky wristshot that explodes off his stick and is deadly accurate .. impressive hand-eye coordination, superb at tipping shots .. likes to set up at the side of the crease and looks for tips and rebounds .. a satisfactory skater, has a fluid long stride that has a decent burst to it .. shows good speed out of the gate however his top speed is just average .. defensively he tended to float out high waiting for the play to come to him, but would occasionally collapse down low to tie up his man .. very intelligent player - has knack for being in the right place at the right time .. blends into the surroundings and then pops out of nowhere to get a glorious scoring opportunity .. however, for his size, he isn't overly physical yet .. opts to poke at the puck instead of driving through his checks .. all in all though, one has to love the package of skills and brains, however he still needs to get more physically involved as well as upgrade his defensive game .. on track to be a top-six point producer at the NHL level .. started slow last season as well, but saved his best performances for the biggest games .. nevertheless, was invisible for most of this contest.

Joe Finley (Wsh), D

Struggled mightily all night .. made poor outlet decisions, seemed to have difficulty identifying open passing lanes and would then stop moving his feet when he was about to make a pass .. the net result was frequent turnovers .. slow to recover .. didn't appear to be all that strong holding the offensive zone either .. on one attempt, he was beaten cleanly by Jack Skille who made a quick lateral shift and chipped the puck by him .. defended a 2-on-1 poorly in the first period - went down on one knee far too early and failed to close the passing lane which resulted in an easy goal .. seems to struggle defending 1-on-1 in open ice as fast players get around him despite his massive wingspan .. however in close quarters and against the cycle, he can shut down players .. particularly adept at breaking up the cycle and taking his man out of the play .. shows an aggressive edge in front of his own net, and is effective at tying up his man .. based on this performance, there appears to be limited offensive upside here .. could still stand to be a meaner and more physical presence given his massive height advantage .. also needs to work on his skating, namely in terms of agility and footspeed .. however the most crucial area that needs attention is his mental awareness .. he made several boneheaded plays at both ends and looked suspect defensively .. obviously the raw tools are there but this appears to be a full four-year project for the Sioux .. the second coming of Matt Greene - he is not.

Brian Lee (Ott), D

His skating hints a bit of Scott Niedermayer .. smooth and effortless, very deceptively fast player .. offensively talented, consistently makes savvy outlet plays, rarely turns the puck over and shows good poise .. uses his skating ability to buy time for himself .. blessed with a nice long reach which, combined with his skating ability, allows him to hold onto the puck in the face of pressure .. can rush the puck or stretch the ice with his passing game, however often elects to go for the safe play instead .. already quarterbacking the Sioux powerplay .. excellent vision of the ice, constantly making accurate passes and keeping the PP moving .. boasts a low, accurate pointshot that he releases quickly .. catches goalies off guard with his early release and often creates dangerous rebounds in front .. plays a resourceful game defensively .. not overly physical yet, but definitely not a pushover, especially in front of his own net where he demonstrates the awareness and muscle to keep the opposition occupied .. very adept at keeping his man on the outside, whether it's on the rush or in the corners, always maintains inside positioning .. maintains excellent gaps, especially on the rush .. brings a reputation as a heavy hitter, but doesn't show much of a mean streak at this stage .. playing like a senior already and may be NHL-ready sooner than most .. well-rounded defenseman who could just be more aggressive offensively .. has the makings of becoming a special player.

Drew Stafford (Buf), RW

Plays like a bull sometimes .. not mean spirited but tough to contain physically and does all the dirty work for his linemates .. excellent on the cycle and wins many battles in traffic .. the type of unsung worker that every team could use .. possesses a solid skillset as well .. will attack defenders 1-on-1 at times but also doesn't mind just plowing though a guy .. able to draw penalties off the rush .. a good skater, well-coordinated and agile .. overall however he's perhaps closer to just adequate in terms of top speed and acceleration .. his skating will never hurt him though .. moves the puck well, effectively using his linemates .. made a nice play to get the Sioux on the board, when he received a pass on the outside wing, and one-touched a perfect backhand pass to the slot for his team's first goal .. likes to shoot the puck coming in off the wing .. his release didn't appear to be that sneaky but he can score goals .. most effective when he is crashing and banging in front .. plays courageous game, puts body in harm's way and is an effective pest when it comes to screening goalies .. a hard-working, up-and-down winger with a strong sense for defense .. backchecks hard and works his tail off every shift; non-stop motor .. very aggressive on the PK as well .. a solid complementary winger with size and two-way ability .. may never be the go-to guy offensively in The NHL but projects as a valuable asset who can play anywhere in the lineup and makes life easier for mates.