Parks Adding Beauty to Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a city known for having a lot of trees and a number of great parks. Ellis Park by the Cedar River in the northwest quadrant, Jones Park near Czech Village in the southwest quadrant, and Noelridge Park near Rockwell Collins on the northeast side are all must-see parks for both residents and visitors of The City of Five Seasons, but now there's a new one on Rockford Road that Cedar Rapidians must see: Michael Parks. The speedy winger plays a two-way game and can make some of the prettiest plays you'll see at high rates of speed, giving the RoughRiders a real "beaut" on their roster that'll help the team come up smelling like roses.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to see the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in action six times spread between October, November, and December, and enters notes on Ottawa Senators draft pick Jeff Costello, Michael Parks, and a few other forwards fighting for selection at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Jeff Costello (Ott), LW, Cedar Rapids

Not quite putting up the numbers expected, but he's been battling through injuries sustained playing his power game .. able to drive the net through opponents .. also has the speed to drive wide and then toward the net .. has a low center of gravity and wins a lot of battles with his balance .. able to thrust up into his hits .. can be shifty with the puck, suddenly pouring on speed and then driving to the net .. able to make some nice spin moves to shield the puck, including a noteworthy one on Nick Jensen (best defenseman in the USHL) .. a good stickhandler who can drag the puck around opponents or sprawling goaltenders .. showing more offensive vision this season and making more plays off the boards .. able to serve up some nice saucer passes .. has a hard shot and isn't afraid to use the opposing defensemen as his screen .. finishes his checks on the forecheck, but also a dedicated backchecker .. still a fine, stout power forward when playing hurt and one of the very best in the USHL when healthy .. committed to Notre Dame .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 11 goals and 9 assists in 23 games.

Michael Parks (2010), LW/RW, Cedar Rapids

Great all-around, two-way game .. primary asset is his speed .. has nice cruising speed with the puck and on the forecheck .. has excellent acceleration and quickness to make him shifty and to give him great separation .. has the speed to drive wide and undress defensemen or to split the defense .. confident with the puck and can make moves and pass the puck at top speed .. able to bring the puck across his body well and is also adept at bringing it back into his body .. even from a stand still, Parks can evade players with stickhandling in a wide range of coordinates .. has smooth, soft stickhandling .. throws some creativity in, including putting the puck toward the boards, him going the other side, and getting his own board pass behind the defenseman .. has decent offensive vision to find teammates with passes and doesn't watch his pass .. does a good job of staying open to the play on the breakout .. has good poise with the puck, as he doesn't panic when pressured .. plays with some physicality .. engages physically and will battle through opponents .. sees some powerplay time and quite a bit of time on the penalty kill, where his speed, hustle, and two-way awareness come in handy .. I actually like Parks more than Josh Birkholz (selected early in the third round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft), but Parks doesn't yet have the offensive production to warrant that high of selection in 2010 and is smaller than Birkholz at 5-foot-10.5, 188 pounds .. plus, if David Gerths goes undrafted in the 2009 Draft, Parks needs to put up as close to 20 goals and 40 points, as he can with the icetime he's given .. committed to North Dakota .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 3 assists in 5 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 5 goals and 7 assists in 22 games.

2010 Draft Grade: C+ (early sixth-round pick)

Derek DeBlois (2010), RW, Cedar Rapids

Started the season with 10 points in his first 11 games, hit a cool stretch in late November, and was back on track heading into the Christmas Break .. has decent speed, but does need to upgrade, particularly with the puck .. looked a bit awkward under acceleration early in the season and seemed to have no separation, but he has gotten more comfortable with the speed of the game and this isn't the huge weakness it appeared to be to start the season .. shows some speed bursts and good stride extension .. has decent vision with the puck and can feed teammates with passes off the boards or spring teammates for breakaways .. has a lot of hustle to his game and will go to the net after making his pass .. makes crisp, accurate passes on the breakout and on the attack .. also adept at receiving hard passes ..beware the drop pass and the subsequent drive to the net .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck .. at his very best when he plays like a mini Jeff Costello and becomes a bit of a wrecking ball .. finishes his checks on the forecheck .. able to make some nice open-ice hits .. engages physically going for the puck .. a conscientious backchecker who'll play the body from the side if able .. has a decent wristshot .. a decent player at all times, but really stands out when he steps up his physical presence .. not real big at 5-foot-10, 176 pounds, though .. committed to Michigan .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, had 7 goals and 9 assists in 23 games.

2010 Draft Grade: C- (possible pick)

Peter Sakaris (2010), LW, Cedar Rapids

Not very good odds of being drafted this year, but I do really like his game .. a competitive player who has speed, hustles, and engages physically .. always hustles to loose pucks and will engage physically to get it .. will go through the gauntlet with the puck down low and often emerges with the puck and creates opportunities .. launches into his hits and puts all of his 5-foot-9, 165-pound body into it .. impressive how often he comes away with the puck in 50/50 battles, as he is adept at establishing position for the puck engaging physically .. a threat to come crashing in on the forecheck and is often F1 .. has the balance to level opponents trying to drop him .. has good cruising speed on the forecheck and has the agility to turn quickly and maintain pressure .. able to get out on his edges well .. has good speed with the puck and nice acceleration with the puck .. does get a bit upright in his first three strides from time to time .. if he's not tallying takeaways or creating turnovers, he's intercepting passes .. has decent stick skills, as he can execute some nice toe drags and make hard, seeing-eye passes .. the quintessential RoughRider forward in many regards: a bit small, but speedy, skilled, and quite physical .. committed to Clarkson .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 3 goals and 6 assists in 26 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D+/D (long shot to extreme long shot)

Justin Kovacs (2010), C, Cedar Rapids

Often plays as the fourth-line center, but is a decent player .. has decent cruising speed .. gets a bit upright under acceleration .. displays solid offensive vision in his limited icetime .. finds the open man from the boards and out of the corner and connects with crisp passes .. makes crisp passes regrouping and on the attack, too, where he has a knack for threading passes through to teammates .. has quick hands, which he uses to maintain possession along the boards .. able to bring it in toward his body well .. puts in a decent defensive effort .. finishes his checks on the forecheck .. will come across and make the sliding shot block .. fully expect Kovacs to be a second-line center for the RoughRiders in his second year of USHL play .. a bit small at listed size of 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, but his height certainly does not appear to be inflated any .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 3 goals and 3 assists in 18 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D (extreme long shot)

Stu Wilson (2010), LW, Cedar Rapids

Impressed in the preseason, but has served as a depth forward in his rookie USHL season so far .. still putting in a nice defensive effort .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and can intercept passes .. uses stops and starts on the forecheck and doesn't always circle .. excellent backchecker .. puts in his effort early on the backcheck and can steer his man sooner rather than later, and even make a hit from the side .. will move back to defense quickly if one of his blueliners gets caught low, falls, etc .. also quick to move back to the forecheck if the opponent regroups .. has some speed to beat opponents and win races for the puck .. will throw some jukes in, in order to fake out opposing defensemen .. has a decent wristshot .. has the offensive vision to find teammates with centering passes .. the fact Wilson is a depth forward is a testament to Cedar Rapids' depth at forward .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 3 assists in 16 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D (extreme long shot)

Nick Lappin (2010), RW, Cedar Rapids

Like Wilson, also a depth forward in his rookie USHL season to this point .. has average speed with the puck and even has trouble against some of the slower USHL defensemen .. even though he doesn't have a lot of speed, he makes some nice set-ups .. has some stickhandling prowess with toe drags and can weave through traffic at times despite lack of top speed .. wristshot is average .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and makes some hits in the neutral zone .. hopefully becomes a lot faster and more explosive, as he fills out his 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame .. no college commitment of yet .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, had 1 goal and 1 assist in 15 games.