Tri-City Storm Fall Classic Part II

Perhaps indicative of the season Tri-City was in store for in 2008-09, the Storm had no NHL draft picks on its roster during the season, after having had at least one NHL draft pick on its roster the previous four seasons. In fact, in all but 2005-06, the Storm had two NHL draft picks on their roster. Evoking the competitive and successful days of yore, in 2009-10 Tri-City will once again have two NHL draft picks on its roster, Anaheim Ducks draft pick Radoslav Illo and St. Louis Blues pick Max Tardy. Tardy comes to the Storm from the Minnesota high school ranks and looks set to be a major contributor while Illo, one of the lone bright spots for the Storm during the dark 2008-09 season, is likely to be among the league leaders in goal-scoring in his second season in the USHL.

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 II enters notes on NHL draft picks Radoslav Illo and Max Tardy and a few other prospects trying to follow in their footsteps.

Radoslav Illo (Ana), LW, Tri-City

Ho-hum preseason, but still have high expectations for Illo .. didn't play as much as he'll likely play during the regular season .. still the same Illo, firing crisp, hard wristshots and hard snapshots and slappers .. able to use his cruising speed and stickhandling to weave around opponents in open ice .. crisp passer .. still engages physically .. if teamed with Jaden Schwartz, he should put up goal-scoring totals amongst the league leaders .. will be much more difficult for opponents to key in on now that Tri-City has more scoring depth amongst its top-nine forwards .. no college commitment of yet (has indicated he wants to go the college route) .. played for Tri-City in 2008-09 and scored 21 goals and 12 assists in 47 games .. scored 1 goal in 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. scored 2 goals in 5 games for the entire preseason.

Max Tardy (StL), RW, Tri-City

Skilled player with good offensive awareness .. has decent speed with the puck and can stickhandle and skate in and around traffic .. displayed strong offensive awareness on the powerplay .. filled holes well and made himself an option for teammates .. utilized his pointmen well .. put himself in a position to capitalize on rebounds or redirections .. will be a top-six forward for Tri-City in 2009-10 and a regular on the powerplay .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth .. played Minnesota high school hockey for Duluth East in 2008-09 and scored 35 goals and 25 assists in 30 games .. scored 2 goals and 1 assist in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. scored 4 goals and 3 assists in 6 games for the entire preseason, leading Tri-City in both goals and points.

Justin DeMartino (2010), LW, Tri-City (now Waterloo)

Big winger traded with defenseman Matt Kinman to Waterloo for defenseman Tyler Amburgery and forward Matt Johnson .. has great size at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds .. has decent acceleration with the puck, giving him a little separation .. makes hard, crisp passes on the attack that he puts on target .. able to fire a hard slapper skating in off the wing .. decent lateral stickhandling to evade traffic .. saw some time on the Tri-City powerplay as the big man in front .. will give Waterloo the additional big winger they were lacking in their lineup and fetched Tri-City the big defenseman they needed (Amburgey), too .. long shot to be selected in the 2010 Draft, his second year of eligibility, but size makes him intriguing .. committed to Ferris State .. played midget major for Little Caesar's in 2008-09 and scored 24 goals and 25 assists in 46 Tier 1 regular-season games .. went without a point in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 games for the entire preseason.

Tyler Amburgey (2010), D, Waterloo (now Tri-City)

Defensive defenseman played for Waterloo during preseason but was traded to Tri-City with forward Matt Johnson for forward Justin DeMartino and defenseman Matt Kinman .. gets low backward and maintains a short gap .. engages physically at or near the blueline, standing up opponents or rubbing them out along the boards .. also a threat with the hip check .. steps up for open-ice hits in the neutral zone .. does a good job to communicate with his teammates on the ice .. has a hard slapshot from the point .. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes .. 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman give Tri-City the big, physical defenseman they needed to round out their d-corps .. long shot to be drafted in his second year of draft eligibility, but not impossible .. played for the USNTDP Under-18 team in 2008-09 and scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 43 games .. went without a point in 3 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. went without a point in 5 games for the entire preseason.

Tyler Vanscourt (2010), D, Tri-City

If only Vanscourt hadn't played major juniors .. 5-foot-10, 170-pound defenseman played with a physical edge .. engaged physically down low and also went for some big hits in the neutral zone .. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes .. has good agility and can execute tight switchbacks to evade checkers .. did a good job of keeping the puck in the offensive zone at the point .. looked USHL worthy, but needed to be significantly better than others to receive a roster spot over defensemen with an NCAA college hockey future .. was released by Tri-City after the Fall Classic and was picked up by the Topeka Roadrunners of the NAHL .. eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but virtually no chance he's selected due to size and fact he's precluded from college hockey .. played major juniors for the Kootenay Ice in 2008-09 and scored 1 goal in 29 games .. went without a point in 1 game at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. had 1 assist in 3 games for the entire preseason.

Chris Joyaux (2010), D, Tri-City

Not up to the USHL just yet, but a good experience for the future .. passing game was inconsistent .. able to make crisp, reasonably hard breakout passes, but a lot of them were not crisp or were intercepted .. has a hard slapshot from the point, but needed to make sure it wasn't blocked at the point and left the offensive zone .. attempted to play a solid defensive game, engaging near the blueline, but was beat with speed .. placed on Tri-City's affiliate list following the Fall Classic and will play midget major for Team Illinois .. eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but virtually no shot of selection in his first year of eligibility .. no college commitment of yet .. played midget minor for Team Illinois in 2008-09 and scored 1 goal and 15 assists in 31 Tier 1 regular-season games .. went without a point in 2 games at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic, his only games of the preseason.

Also on the Radar

McKeen's didn't take notes on right winger Cody Murphy during the preseason, but anticipates doing so later in the season. Murphy missed the preseason due to injury, but he impressed in Cedar Rapids last season with his speed, hustle, and defensive game, as well as the offensive skill he flashed from time to time in his checking role with the RoughRiders. If Murphy can break into a top-six role with the Storm, he could have an outside shot at selection in the 2010 Draft in his second year of eligibility. Rick Pinkston, the lone Tri-City defenseman returning from last season, is another player McKeen's plans on paying some attention to. Pinkston became one of the team's leaders at defense as a rookie in 2008-09 and will be expected to be such for all of 2009-10. Like Murphy, he's a long shot to be selected in the 2010 Draft, but it's not impossible, particularly if the Storm have a strong season and Pinkston plays a big role.