Russo-Paliotta War

Over one hundred years ago, from February of 1904 to September of 1905, Russia and Japan squared off for imperial control of Manchuria and Korea in the Russo-Japanese War. In that war, Japan surprised the world and defeated the Russians and established itself as an imperial power of some significance. Today, in a much more peaceful battle, Robbie Russo and Michael Paliotta are battling for supremacy on the U.S National Development Program U-17 blueline, to determine who is the top defense prospect. Russo brings an advanced offensive attack and a decent defense while Paliotta brings a solid mix of offense and defense but brings more size and physicality to the equation. As in the original, the Russo aspect of this confrontation enters as the more impressive force, but it looks quite possible that Paliotta will emerge on top over time. No matter who emerges victorious, the USA U-17 team is the real winner, as it has two high-end talents on its d-corps either way.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to catch the USA U-17 team in action against USHL opponents twice in the first half of the season and enters notes on Robbie Russo, Michael Paliotta, and the rest of the team's defensemen.

Robbie Russo (2011), D, USA U-17

USA U-17 team's top puck-moving defenseman .. makes hard, crisp, accurate breakout passes .. shows good poise on the breakout in keeping his head up, assessing options, remaining calm, and not rushing the play .. quarterback on the powerplay .. adept at walking the blueline with the puck .. confident with the puck and throws in some fake shots and fake passes before quickly doing the opposite .. makes hard passes from the point and connects to teammates down low .. also makes hard point-to-point passes .. able to make quick swivels to get shots off from the point, giving him a quick release .. has a hard wrister from the point .. didn't take any notes on his defensive game, but that also meant he had no negative defensive notes, too .. committed to Notre Dame for 2011-12 .. played midget major for the Chicago Mission in 2008-09 and scored 10 goals and 20 assists (total games unavailable) .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 2 goals and 7 assists in 15 USHL games, tops amongst all USA U-17 defensemen .. had 1 assist at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 2 goals and 9 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21, tied for the team lead in d-scoring.

Michael Paliotta (2011), D, USA U-17

Decent odds Paliotta becomes the best all-around defenseman on this team .. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes .. able to fire a hard saucer pass up to his forwards .. makes hard point-to-point passes .. 6-foot-2, 185-pounder plays with some physicality .. plays the body down low but will also step up to play the body in the neutral zone or high in the defensive zone .. able to lay out a mean shoulder check .. makes good reads off his defensive partner .. has a hard slapshot and a hard one-timer, but both could use improved accuracy, as they're a bit wild .. generates a lot of stick bend in his slapper .. has decent speed to use when needed .. an alternate captain to start the season .. combination of size, skill, and physicality makes him a solid all-around defenseman .. no college commitment of yet .. played prep hockey for Choate in 2008-09 and scored 1 goal and 14 assists in 24 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 1 goal and 6 assists in 15 games .. scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 games at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 2 goals and 9 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21, tied with Russo for the team lead in d-scoring.

Andy Ryan (2011), D, USA U-17

Defensive defenseman who makes the simple play .. maintains a fairly wide base backwards and lets his gaps shrink, but has trouble staying with speedy USHL opponents .. does a good job of not falling for opponents' jukes .. knows when to drop to make the sliding pass block .. skating is a bit upright and he's fairly slow going for loose pucks or going into the corner .. tends to make the short pass, or the smart reverse, or clears it off the glass and out .. has the potential to be a defensive stalwart who moves the puck reliably, but does need to upgrade his speed and quickness .. committed to Notre Dame for 2011-12 .. played midget major for Victory Honda in 2008-09 and scored 3 goals and 18 assists in 70 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 1 goal and 2 assists in 15 USHL games .. had 1 assist at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 1 goal and 3 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21.

Matt VanVoorhis (2011), D, USA U-17

Small defenseman who is exceptionally mobile .. maintains a fairly wide base backwards and stays in a low, power position .. excellent all-compass mobility backwards and can angle opponents in hovercraft fashion .. able to let his gaps shrink, thanks to his great mobility .. able to make impressive one-footed stops backwards to stick with agile and shifty opponents .. able to make very powerful stops using two skates .. has very quick feet backwards .. also has nice speed skating the puck .. 5-foot-7, 155-pound defenseman can hound opponents in the defensive zone, but effectiveness is compromised a bit by size .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. has nice vision to catch teammates with passes through traffic .. hopefully Van Voorhis grows at least another two or three inches so as to generate some NHL interest .. no college commitment of yet .. played Minnesota high school hockey for Edina High School in 2008-09 and scored 2 goals and 9 assists in 27 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 1 goal and 1 assist in 13 USHL games .. scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 games at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 3 goals and 5 assists in 20 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21.

Alexx Privitera (2011), D, USA U-17

Small defenseman who passes the puck well .. makes hard, crisp, and accurate short passes on the breakout and can also connect on the long-distance passes .. makes hard, crisp passes transitioning the puck off the faceoff, too .. has a hard, crisp wristshot from the point .. shows some presence at the point in not firing when opponents drop to make the shot block but makes the pass accordingly .. does a good job of using his body to keep the puck in at the point .. 5-foot-9, 175-pounder does need to grow some more to ensure NHL consideration .. committed to Boston University for 2011-12 .. played midget major for the North Jersey Avalanche in 2008-09 and scored 8 goals and 24 assists in 20 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 2 goals and 2 assists in 15 USHL games .. had 2 assists in 3 games at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 2 goals and 5 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21.

Barrett Kaib (2011), D, USA U-17

Small defenseman who plays a primarily defensive game .. does a lot of the right things defensively, but does still get beaten at the USHL level .. will step-up to play the body at the blueline, but does get walked now and again .. works to angle opponents to the boards, but sometimes they fight through .. can be beaten wide by speed at the USHL level .. lets his gaps shrink, but, again, does get worked around .. plays with some physicality down low .. displays some nice speed bursts with the puck to separate from opponents down low in his own zone .. doing a nice job to try and play the game right defensively and will be very solid when he masters the speed of the USHL .. at 5-foot-9, 183 pounds, he will need more height to gain NHL consideration, particularly playing his style of play .. no college commitment of yet .. played prep hockey for Culver Academy in 2008-09 and scored 5 goals and 12 assists in 47 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 1 assist in 15 USHL games .. had 1 assist in 3 games at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 4 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21.

Jake McCabe (2012), D, USA U-17

A little raw in his decision making, but his physical game rocks .. has a fairly wide base backwards, lets his gaps shrink, and engages physically .. consistently engages in the neutral zone or by the blueline .. able to angle opponents for hip checks, but will also stand up opponents in open ice .. I like some of whom I've seen him stand up or attempted to stand up - Jeff Costello, Yasin Cisse, and Connor Brickley .. almost sent Brickley into the Des Moines bench on one big hit .. have seen him make some bad giveaways, both at the blueline and down low in his defensive zone .. currently 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, so hopefully he grows a little more to be able to play an effective physical game at higher levels .. committed to Wisconsin for 2011-12 .. played Wisconsin high school hockey for Eau Claire Memorial in 2008-09 and scored 2 goals and 20 assists in 23 games .. also played midget major for Team Wisconsin and scored 3 goals and 7 assists in 22 games .. heading into the USHL Christmas Break, he had 4 assists in 15 USHL games .. had 2 assists in 3 games at the Four Nations Tournament in November .. had 6 assists in 22 total games for the USA U-17 team as of Dec. 21.