Tri-City Storm Fall Classic Part I

The 2008-09 season was ugly for the Tri-City Storm. The team finished with an 11-48-1 record, the most feeble in recent USHL history. In hurricane terms, they were a tropical disturbance. In tornado terms, they were an F0. They were a gentle rain, a light snow, a soothing breeze. That will not be the case in 2009-10. The team has a new owner (Kirk Brooks, who is the owner/operator of the Las Vegas Ice Center and founder of the Nevada Stars midget AAA team), $250,000 in upgrades to the arena (also purchased by Brooks), a brand new coaching staff, and one of the top prospects to ever skate in the USHL - Jaden Schwartz.

Schwartz, the first overall pick in the 2008 USHL Futures Draft last October, has a combination of offensive awareness and commitment to defense reminiscent of Steve Yzerman - post Scotty Bowman. Whether a spot in the NHL Hall of Fame is also in Schwartz's future will be determined over time, but in 2009-10 Schwartz will help ensure the Storm pack a punch, help draw fans back to the stands in Kearney and help make certain other Tri-City prospects, such as Blake Coleman and T.J. Schlueter, are seen by NHL scouts.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Tri-City Storm in action at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and, in Part I, enters notes on Jaden Schwartz, Blake Coleman, T.J. Schlueter, and a few other Tri-City prospects in their first year of NHL Entry Draft eligibility.

Jaden Schwartz (2010), C, Tri-City

Highest offensive awareness of a player I've seen in the USHL .. proof you can still slow the game down in an era of speed .. heads-up stickhandler who assesses his options .. makes smooth, crisp, accurate passes .. has excellent offensive vision and is dangerous off the half boards .. top speed is only average, but he is agile .. able to make tight turns and circles to evade checkers or to get to loose pucks .. has some quickness, thanks to decent acceleration .. has some dangle to his game and can make opponents look silly, even without a great deal of top speed .. able to buy time for teammates with Gretzky circles entering the offensive zone or deeper in the offensive zone .. takes pride in defense, too .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck .. willing to engage physically and finishes his checks .. also willing to drop and block shots .. besides lack of top speed, he is a tad small at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds .. heaven help the world if Schwartz tacks on top speed .. a potential top-10 pick for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Colorado College .. played Tier II junior A for the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 2008-09 and scored 34 goals and 42 assists in 46 games, fifth in SJHL scoring and third in goal scoring .. named SJHL 2008-09 Rookie of the Year .. played for Team Canada's Under-18 team at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 4 games, helping the team win the gold medal .. scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games for the entire preseason.

Blake Coleman (2010), LW, Tri-City

Plays a physical game, but skating and stick skills do need some work .. plays an aggressive physical game and finishes his checks .. also a threat to make open-ice hits .. also levels those who attempt to check him .. hands aren't the softest .. needs to work on controlling passes he receives .. flashes some nice lateral stickhandling moves from time to time, but also mishandles the puck and creates turnovers, too .. turns with the puck can be awkward .. has a heavy shot .. saw a little time on the powerplay and played as the big man in front .. if he can bring his skill set up to USHL standards and continue to play his physical game, Coleman has a legitimate chance of being selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the Dallas Jr. Stars in 2008-09 and scored 21 goals and 24 assists in 46 Tier 1 regular-season games, in addition to racking up 120 penalty minutes .. had 1 assist in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic and 2 assists in 6 games for the entire preseason.

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

No points in the preseason, but was actually one of Tri-City's most impressive first-year eligible prospects .. excelled in his role as a defensive center .. hustled to engage in puck battles .. put in a good effort on the forecheck and was quick to play the body on opposing defensemen down low .. put in a good effort on the backcheck and was a threat to intercept passes .. also played a physical game down low in his own defensive zone and defended his net with some big hits on people driving the net .. not as physical as Blake Coleman, but played a more responsible defensive game .. a long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but teams need this kind of center in their lineup to succeed .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the St. Louis Selects in 2008-09 .. went without a point in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. went without a point in 5 games for the entire preseason.

Mitch Hughes (2010), RW, Tri-City

Received limited icetime .. had a lot of forward hunch when skating .. 6-foot-2, 213-pound winger played with some physicality .. finished his checks down low on the forecheck and also laid out some hits in front of the benches .. could use additional speed and quickness, as he had some trouble with speedy opponents .. showed a little dangle on one re-group, but skated right into his own defenseman on that same play and turned the puck over .. likely to be a fourth-liner in 2009-10, and thus an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in 2008-09 and scored 12 goals and 10 assists in 46 Tier 1 regular-season games .. went without a point in 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. had 1 assist in 4 games for the entire preseason.

Tucker Long (2010), LW, Tri-City

Also received limited icetime .. like Hughes, also featured a fair amount of hunch when skating on the forecheck .. only has average speed by USHL standards .. did show some stickhandling prowess drawing the puck toward his body to keep it away from opponents .. played with a bit of physicality in finishing his checks .. may struggle to get icetime in 2009-10, as he doesn't excel as much at the checking game as some other Storm forwards lower on the depth chart, but doesn't currently have the skill to slot into a top-nine role .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 Draft .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the St. Louis Jr. Blues in 2008-09 and scored 19 goals and 26 assists in 41 Tier 1 regular-season games .. went without a point in 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. went without a point in four games for the entire preseason.

Kenny Brooks (2010), RW, Tri-City

Received very limited icetime .. attempted to play with some physicality .. finished his checks and went for one big hit, but ended up falling on the play .. not particularly fast skating the puck .. 6-foot-0, 169-pound winger will probably slot in on the fourth line playing a physical game .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft .. son of owner Kirk Brooks .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget major for the Nevada Stars in 2008-09 .. went without a point in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. scored 1 goal in 5 games for the entire preseason.