Steel Manufacturing

The Chicago Steel were probably the USHL team most scouted by NHL scouts last season, thanks in large part to first-round pick John Moore and late second-round pick Philip Samuelsson, and they're going to get a fair amount of attention again in 2009-10. The Steel don't appear to have any prospects for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft of the John Moore caliber, but there is some strength in numbers on the Steel's roster this season.

Defenseman Kevin Lind should surpass Samuelsson in performance in 2009-10, even if he may not go as high in the 2010 Draft as his former teammate, and Canadian forward Sahir Gill is one of the top first-year-eligible USHL prospects in terms of hockey sense and skill set, even if he is a bit undersized. Russian forward Andrei Kuchin should also draw some attention as one of the top playmakers in the USHL this upcoming season, which could him earn a selection in the 2010 Draft after going unselected in 2009. On top of the above, the team also features the 2011-eligible Jamie Oleksiak, a towering young defenseman with significant potential.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Chicago Steel in action at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and enters notes on Buffalo Sabres prospect Mark Adams, Sahir Gill, Kevin Lind, Andrei Kuchin, Jamie Oleksiak, and a few other Windy City prospects.

Mark Adams (Buf), D, Chicago

Acquitted himself reasonably well in his first taste of USHL action .. displayed a powerful stride that creates above-average speed, but not elite speed .. able to make smooth, tight circles with the puck to ditch checkers deep in his own zone on the breakout or at the point .. smooth backwards and employs a wide base, important for optimal mobility .. gets involved offensively on the attack and isn't afraid to pinch in from the point, but isn't irresponsible in doing so .. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes and is an adept one-touch passer .. makes some technical errors defensively, such as occasionally pivoting in the wrong direction and no longer facing his opponent .. would be considered fairly impressive if coming out of the prep school ranks, let alone Massachusetts high school hockey .. will be expected to be a leader on the Steel blueline in his rookie season .. committed to Providence College .. played Massachusetts high school hockey for Malden Catholic in 2008-09 .. went without a point in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason with 0 points in 6 games.

Sahir Gill (2010), RW, Chicago

Looks likely to be a top-six forward for the Steel in his rookie USHL season .. displays a nice mix of hockey sense and hustle .. possesses good offensive vision for playmaking, but then mixes hustle in with it .. cannot be accused of watching his pass .. very quick off the end boards and quick to the net after making a pass to ensure he too remains an offensive option and not just a spectator to the play he created .. has decent speed with the puck .. able to execute tight turns at speed with the puck and can make some impressive cuts for loose pucks, too .. shows a commitment to defense as well .. a little undersized at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, but does have a strong chance of overcoming that and earning selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played for Vernon of the BCHL in 2008-09 and scored 18 goals and 21 assists in 51 games .. tallied 2 assists in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason with 1 goal and 2 assists in 6 games.

Kevin Lind (2010), D, Chicago

Set to be a top-four defenseman for Chicago in his second season in the USHL .. backwards acceleration is pretty good, showing good power accelerating backwards out of a powerful stop .. able to keep his gaps close and has decent agility backwards to stick with agile opponents .. has a fairly powerful stride forward and can build some decent speed with the puck .. skates a bit upright with the puck .. generally makes crisp, hard, accurate breakout passes .. distributes the puck well at the point .. has a hard slapper that he can keep low .. much more involved offensively this year and is trying more moves, even if they do not all end successfully, yet .. has a legitimate shot of being a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft if he has the year that is to be expected of him .. if Philip Samuelsson goes late in the second round, maybe Lind surpasses that, since he's more dynamic than Samuelsson was last season .. committed to Notre Dame starting in 2010-11 or 2011-12 .. played for Chicago for the bulk of 2008-09 and scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. started 2008-09 playing midget major for the Chicago Mission .. skated for Team USA's Under-18 Select Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August .. scored 1 goal in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason with 1 goal in 6 games.

Andrei Kuchin (2010), C, Chicago

Russian will likely be one of the top playmakers in the USHL in 2009-10 .. playmaker off the half boards or out of the corners, creating multiple quality chances every game .. makes crisp, hard, accurate passes .. able to execute impressive longer-distance one-touch passes in the offensive zone .. has decent speed with the puck, but can be a bit lazy at times .. shows some acceleration to loose pucks at times, and at other times lacks all hustle .. can also be a bit lazy in coming off the ice .. will finish some checks, but with little effect .. defensive awareness needs work, as he ends up out of position .. if coach Steve Poapst can improve his on-ice work ethic away from the puck, Kuchin might find a taker in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, as he went unselected in 2009 .. no college commitment of yet .. played for Chekhov Vityaz 2 of the Russian First League (third tier of pro hockey in Russia) in 2008-09 .. scored 1 goal and 3 assists in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason with 1 goal and 4 assists in 6 games.

Zach Rall (2010), D, Chicago

Young Alaskan defenseman will face an adjustment period to the USHL .. displayed USHL-quality skills with the execution of hard passes, saucer passes, a hard wristshot, and such, but weren't timed well .. breakout passes still ended up off the mark at times, despite plenty of time to assess .. needs to make sure his shots aren't easily blocked at the point .. has decent speed with the puck .. does need to get faster, though, so that he loses less races to the puck .. didn't get to see a lot of Rall, but there is something to work with .. a long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but it's not impossible if he adjusts quickly .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the South Central Wolves (Anchorage, Alaska) in 2008-09 .. went without a point in two games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason pointless in 5 games.

Jamieson Oleksiak (2011), D, Chicago

Looking more confident and is poised to receive a fair amount of icetime .. smooth accelerating backwards, gets low, keeps a wide base, and lets his gaps close, made all the more impressive by the fact he's 6-foot-6, 215 pounds and not even 17 yet .. combines his low stance backwards with his long reach to have a heckuva range with his poke checks .. a bit slow in every direction, though, and doesn't have a lot of explosiveness yet .. very good about communicating with his d-partner and takes a leadership role doing so .. adept at keeping opponents out of the play by pinning them along the boards (legally) .. passing game needs refining .. generally makes the simple play, but needs to take a look more often before he moves the puck, too often to nobody and sometimes resulting in turnovers .. has a heavy wristshot .. upgrading his speed and explosiveness should help him feel less rushed with the puck .. not eligible until the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, so he still has time on his side .. certainly not impossible for Oleksiak to develop into an early-round prospect .. no college commitment of yet .. played for Chicago for the bulk of 2008-09 and had 4 assists in 29 games .. started 2008-09 playing midget major for Little Caesar's (Detroit) .. skated for Team USA's Under-18 Select Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August .. went without a point in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the preseason pointless in 6 games.

Peter Hand (2011), D, Chicago

Among the youngest players at the Fall Classic, but did not look out of place .. no crossovers backwards and let his gaps close, but needs to upgrade speed backwards, as he was susceptible to being beaten wide .. makes fairly crisp passes .. also has a pretty hard shot from the point .. did a good job of reading the offensive play on the powerplay and positioned himself well accordingly .. eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and has a chance of selection if he can become comparable to former Cedar Rapids RoughRider Paul Phillips, who was/is of similar size .. committed to Ohio State starting in 2011-12 .. played midget minor for Compuware in 2008-09 and scored 1 goal and 7 assists in 25 games of Tier 1 league play .. went without a point in three games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. finished the pre-season with 1 goal in 6 games.