Tri-City No Storm Without Schwartz

In the NHL, the leading scorer on most teams factors in on about a third of his team's goals. It's really something for a player to figure in on over 40 percent of his team's offense, such as Marian Gaborik (NY Rangers), Henrik Sedin (Vancouver), and Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay) are doing for their teams. Tampa Bay, in fact, could have three players over 40 percent, as Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier are within range of that mark, too. Others such as Zach Parise (New Jersey), Brad Richards (Dallas), Joe Thorton (San Jose), and Tomas Plekanec (Montreal) come close, too, all above 36 percent, which is no small feat, either. But, what if a player factored in on over half of his team's goals?

Well, whatever your answer, that's what Jaden Schwartz is doing in Tri-City this season in the USHL. As of January 19, Schwartz had factored in on 51.5 percent of the Storm's goals in 2009-10, with 52 points from Tri-City's 101 total team goals after 35 games. Schwartz's point total put him behind only Omaha's Matt White (a third-year veteran of the USHL) in USHL overall scoring and his 19 goals tied him for fifth in USHL goal scoring, all accomplished while skating with linemates who'd be lucky to be second-liners on most other USHL teams (Max Tardy anchors the other scoring line and Radoslav Illo, somehow, has had no chemistry with Schwartz). So, even though it's no secret that Schwartz is the man opponents have to stop, meaning opponents need only to shut down Schwartz to significantly dissipate the Storm, meaning he's going to be shadowed every night, Schwartz is still second in league scoring. In fact, as of January 19, Schwartz had been held off the score sheet only six times in 35 games.

Oh, he's also one of Tri-City's top defensive players and is a regular on the penalty kill.

Forty-first among North American skaters?

Inconceivable! (as said by Wallace Shawn in The Princess Bride)

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Tri-City Storm in action once in December and once in January and enters notes on Jaden "Mr. O" Schwartz, St. Louis Blues draft pick Max Tardy, a fast-improving Kenny Brooks, and a few other Tri-City prospects in their first or second years of draft eligibility.

Jaden Schwartz (2010), LW, Tri-City

Appears to have gotten faster than he was in the preseason .. quickness is now a strength, which now makes him pretty shifty with the puck .. excels in tight spaces now because of his quickness, beating opponents with speed bursts in open ice or off the boards .. able to make quick stops and starts with the puck .. has good cruising speed with the puck and top speed as well .. a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options and has good vision to find open teammates .. has excellence poise and patience with the puck, helping create a lot of offense for his less-talented teammates .. a smooth stickhandler who can make some amazing lateral moves across his body .. also adept at pulling the puck back into his body and can still get the shot off quickly doing so .. has a decent wristshot and snapshot, but shot power is an area he can improve in .. has a hard slapper, though .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. dangerous off the half boards, behind the net, or around it .. has good defensive awareness .. quietly puts himself into position to intercept passes .. a regular on the penalty kill .. 5-foot-10, 180-pounder plays with some physicality, finishing his checks and even making hits in the neutral zone .. if Louis Leblanc goes 18th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and is legitimately considered as a late first rounder by all accounts, how does CSS rank Schwartz as 41st among North American skaters? .. committed to Colorado College .. as of Jan. 19, he had 19 goals and 33 assists in 35 games .. was second in USHL scoring behind Matt White and had twice as many points as any other Tri-City teammate .. tied for fifth in USHL goal scoring with Tyler Barnes .. had tallied a point in all but six games .. had a 13-game point streak from Dec. 4 through Jan. 10 (scoring 7 goals and 18 assists) .. had an 8-game point streak from Oct. 9 through Nov. 3 (scoring 6 goals and 9 assists) .. has had 1 five-point game and 5 three-point games.

2010 Draft Grade: A (16th to 30th overall)

Max Tardy (StL), C, Tri-City

Skilled player who puts in a tenacious effort on the forecheck .. has good straight-line speed .. builds a lot of speed in his crossovers and in his lateral movement .. gets a little upright in his speed bursts and has some wasted vertical motion, but does generate good speed nonetheless .. able to make some tight spins to evade checkers .. does a good job protecting the puck with swivels .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. a playmaker from the half boards and out of the corners with centering passes .. a strong backhand passer .. does a good job staying open to receive passes and presents a target for his teammates to pass to .. puts in a nice effort on the forecheck, where he uses his speed .. puts in a good effort down low in both zones .. effort doesn't fade when the win is out of reach .. definitely worth the seventh-round pick St. Louis used to select him .. would be great to see Tardy return to the USHL for one more season, but Blues would lose his rights if he did (unless they tendered him a bona fide offer) .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth .. as of Jan. 19, he had 9 goals and 18 assists in 34 games, second in Tri-City scoring.

Kenny Brooks (2010), LW, Tri-City

Received top-six icetime when Radoslav Illo was gone at the World Junior Championships and looked good .. has made significant improvements since the preseason .. has decent quickness and speed bursts, even though he gets a bit upright under acceleration .. has a good compete level .. hustles to loose pucks and into the corners and is pretty fearless .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and displays good stride extension .. also conscientious on the backcheck .. engages physically going for the puck and will go through traffic to get it .. a little upright in his turns with the puck .. 6-foot-0, 169-pound Brooks appears to need additional lower body strength to help him maintain a power position at all times .. has a crisp, fairly hard wristshot .. poise and confidence with the puck have gone up significantly, as he's throwing in some jukes, making Gretzky circles, and making plays .. a long shot and closer to an extreme long shot for the 2010 Draft, but Brooks could challenge for a spot in 2011, his second year of draft eligibility, if he keeps this development curve going .. no college commitment of yet .. as of Jan. 19, he had 4 goals and 8 assists in 30 games .. scored 2 goals and 5 assists in nine games from Dec. 5 through Jan. 2.

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

Tyler Amburgey (2010), D, Tri-City

Limited viewing, as he was injured for the January viewing .. December viewing was underwhelming .. effort seemed lacking .. gets down low backwards and lets his gaps close, but is getting beaten wide more often than in preseason .. 6-foot-2, 215-pounder can play with some physicality and can thrust up into his hits .. makes crisp breakout and transitional passes .. has a reasonably crisp wristshot from the point .. has a hard slapper .. has been battling injuries, but Tri-City needs him to step his game up in order for the team to have success .. former USNTDP member is now an extreme long shot in his second year of draft eligibility .. no college commitment of yet .. as of Jan. 19, he had 1 goal and 3 assists in 22 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D (Extreme long shot)

Rick Pinkston (2010), D, Tri-City

Injured for the December viewing, but January viewing was reasonably positive .. gets a little upright accelerating backwards, but maintains a fairly wide base afterward and lets his gaps shrink .. does need to upgrade speed backwards, but he's still fairly adept at angling opponents into the boards near the blueline .. able to make smooth, one-step pivots from backward to forward .. extremely fast opponents can give him fits .. speed forward is only average and needs to lengthen his stride .. overcomes his lack of speed at times with sheer effort .. an extreme long shot for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but could have a future in the minor pro ranks if he upgrades his speed and explosiveness .. committed to Dartmouth .. as of Jan. 19, he had 1 goal and 3 assists in 30 games .. had a plus-7 rating on a team laden with minuses.

2010 Draft Grade: D (Extreme long shot)

Tucker Brockett (2010), C, Tri-City

Small, skilled forward who plays with a distinct physical edge .. has quick feet, but doesn't always cover a lot of ground .. gets a little upright under acceleration .. able to make tight turns and cuts with the puck .. also uses his agility to hound opponents on the forecheck .. uses quick feet in his crossovers, but would like to see him power out of them more .. hustles to loose pucks and into the corners and will engage physically .. also hustles to join the attack when he's deep in the defensive zone .. 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, but lays down some hard hits on the forecheck and in open ice .. has good poise with the puck and doesn't panic when pressured .. able to quickly make plays to teammates open around the net .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in his second year of eligibility .. would like to see Brockett play one more year in the USHL before moving on to college .. committed to Princeton .. as of Jan. 19, he had 3 goals and 4 assists in 16 games fro Tri-City .. had 4 goals and 6 assists in 20 games with Lincoln before being traded to Tri-City .. had a total of 7 goals and 10 assists in 36 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D (Extreme long shot)

Mitch Hughes (2010), LW, Tri-City

Adds a lot of size at forward at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, but has a long way to go .. is fairly slow with the puck, be it separation or top speed .. tries to play with some physicality, but many times can't get to his man quick enough and is easily side-stepped or evaded .. needs to improve his balance, as he nearly falls when he does lay down a hard check on a solid opponent .. project forward will need two more seasons in the USHL before moving on to college, but his size is intriguing .. has virtually no chance at being selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. as of Jan. 19, he had 1 goal and 1 assist in 22 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D- (Virtually no chance)

Tucker Long (2010), RW, Tri-City

Didn't seem to really fit into the lineup in preseason, but has bought into his role as a fourth-liner ..puts in a good effort on the forecheck .. finishes his checks, although sometimes they're a bit feeble .. has decent stride extension, which he displays on the forecheck and the backcheck and in going for loose pucks .. has decent speed without the puck and adequate speed with it .. makes some nice plays, but isn't skating with a lot of offensive talent on his line .. has decent size at 6-foot-0, 190 pounds .. as a fourth-liner who is a scratch now and again, he has virtually no chance at selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. as of Jan. 19, he had 2 goals and 2 assists in 19 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D- (Virtually no chance)

T.J. Schlueter (2010), C, Tri-City

Liked his game at the Fall Classic, but Tyler Pistone is filling the role of third-line checking center pretty well .. limited viewing, as he was injured for the December viewing and missed the two weeks prior to the Christmas break .. still showed some of the physicality from the preseason, crashing in on the forecheck going for pucks .. has decent speed, which he uses on the forecheck and going into the corners .. has virtually no chance of selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but I do expect Schlueter to be a good checking-line center for Tri-City in 2010-11 .. no college commitment of yet .. as of Jan. 19, he had 1 goal in 17 games.

2010 Draft Grade: D- (Virtually no chance)