U18 Junior Cup: USA

Defending junior cup champions the United States were much less high-octane this year but still had some excellent talent to offer for the upcoming NHL draft. Robert provides reports on standouts Billy Sauer, Ben Youds, Kyle Okposo, Michael Forney and the rest.

Top performers

Billy Sauer (2006), G

Notes: finished with a .900 save percentage .. sixth among netminders with a 2.62 GAA .. solid all the way through the tournament.

Scouting: athletic butterfly goalie with good quickness .. swift, laterally sound in the crease .. recovers extremely well after dropping to a butterfly .. quick feet, strong down low .. reacts well to positional alterations on the ice .. good resilience and dexterity .. still somewhat fundamentally raw .. doesn't panic and waits for the play to develop .. lively glove hand and is getting better blocker-side .. tough to beat on the initial shot and stays square to the shooter .. deflects rebounds to the side .. played the puck adequately but stick skills could use some work.

Ben Youds (2006), D

Notes: most productive US defenseman with Kevin Wehrs with three points (one goal) .. stood out early in tournament in the match against Finland, but was a lesser factor against Russia .. a force at both ends against Switzerland .. played the best of American rearguards.

Scouting: good skater makes quick, solid cuts at top speed and when accelerating .. smooth lateral turns .. mobility is essential for him to succeed at the defensive end and he thrives by beating the opponent to the puck with his quick feet .. has offensive upside due to his good hands and fine hand-eye coordination .. quick at reading the play and timely jumping into the rush .. a skilled outlet passer though at times tends to be careless .. powerplay mainstay .. positionally sound on defense and marks his man quickly and effectively .. acceptable physically but should use his size a bit better .. quick and strong enough on his feet to effectively eliminate an onrushing attacker .. hard point shot but doesn't have a lot of faith in it quite yet .. shoots right.

Kyle Okposo (2006), C

Notes: second amongst American players in points (seven on four goals), fourth in overall scoring .. great +/- 7, though only fifth best on the team .. best player on the ice by a wide margin in the game against Finland, where he was simply electric .. was never quite as good again, but was still dangerous .. regularly buzzing around the opponent's goal area .. started to look fatigued as the tournament wore on, which stresses that he must get stronger this season .. regardless a blue chipper.

Scouting: powerful stride, good balance and lower-body strength .. accelerates well but didn't show a great first step, partly due to fatigue issues .. crafty with fine, skilled hands and excellent puck protection .. excellent passer with elite vision .. sharp, accurate snap shot is goal scorer-quality; excellent release .. executed in heavy traffic and stood his ground in front of the opposing net .. finishes checks and is a determined worker .. solid defensive consciousness despite a few positional gaffes; shuts down opposing offensive raids diligently .. solid faceoff prowess .. shoots right.

Michael Forney (2006), LW

Notes: top scoring American with eight points and five goals (overall third in tourney scoring) .. +/- 7 .. was kind of getting used to things in the opener against Finland, but started to break out against Russia with flashes of elite skill .. doesn't have Okposo's potential but he's a good one.

Scouting: adequate top-end speed .. not a great-looking skater but he gets from point a to point b effectively .. okay agility and turns; has to improve on balance and add strength to his legs .. not a dangler, more compact and efficient than flashy .. excellent shooting skills and good all-around hockey sense .. quick, accurate wrister .. defensively lacking and often absent in his own end .. not soft however and gets involved in traffic .. battles hard for rebounds and doesn't back down from opposing defensemen .. shoots right.

Taylor Matson (2007), RW

Notes: overcame a slow start and got stronger as the tournament progressed .. amassed three points with one marker .. solid +/- 9 .. struggled in the opening match against Finland, misreading a number of plays, but bounced back against Russia and drove the net with authority .. gradually got more defensively cautious deeper into the tournament.

Scouting: deceptively quick skater is agile and has quick feet .. can accelerate especially well and doesn't slow down when handling the puck .. top speed could still be better .. soft hands and impresses with some offensive smarts .. passes are always tape-to-tape while he aggressively keeps his feet moving and driving deeper into the opponent's end .. uses predominantly a wrist shot with a sharp release .. helps out defensively but is at times a little slow to mark his man .. versatile and can play both center and right wing .. not physically intimidating but is willing to pay the price .. quick stick gets him some loose pucks in the slot .. late 88-born .. shoots right.

Other players

Neil Conway (2006), G

Notes: started two games against Russia and the fifth-place game versus the Slovaks .. provided solid goaltending, looking composed at the international stage.

Scouting: average size for a goalie .. butterfly style with good athleticism and dexterity .. excellent reflexes and quickness .. good skater with flexible limbs and extremely quick feet .. gets up and down quickly .. challenges the shooter and anticipates the play very well .. poised and composed .. stays square to the shooter .. decent on angles; could be a bit more airtight .. lets in the odd goal through the five-hole, but makes the initial save .. improving on handling rebounds .. reacts calmly to traffic in front of him .. fast glove hand .. above-average puck handler.

Kevin Wehrs (2006), D

Notes: pure offense from the blueline .. loves to get into the rush and make things happen .. was wild and careless about Finland, perhaps trying to do too much with the puck .. reduced the number of mistakes against Russia but returned to his old tricks the rest of the way .. very intriguing but too kamikaze in his approach to get top grades.

Scouting: smooth, mobile rearguard with good speed and above-average acceleration .. agile and doesn't get beaten by speed .. needs to improve his lower-body strength .. exceptional offensive flair and imagination .. creative yet prone to mistakes .. must develop better patience with the puck .. soft hands and excellent hand-eye coordination .. deft passer at any distance .. crisp, strong outlet passes .. exudes an aura of confidence .. quick snapper from the point but must keep it lower .. frequently gets caught out of position on defense but doesn't show fear and isn't soft with the body .. adequate crease clearer .. lacks size and is often vulnerable to getting outmuscled by bigger forwards.

Steven Kampfer (2007), D

Notes: showed occasional flashes of brilliance but wasn't a regular factor .. it took him a while to get used to the international rink and he just seemed to get settled in later into the tournament .. best effort was probably against Russia when he was tenacious and hard-working .. showed some offense to him in the match against Switzerland .. solid blueliner but did not stand out.

Scouting: skates with short penetrating strides .. generates pretty good quickness and sound lateral movement .. top-end speed isn't exceptional .. fast turns .. could get stronger on his feet and improve his balance .. likes to support the offense but doesn't have great vision .. misread a number of offensive plays .. decent hands but couldn't corral a number of difficult feeds .. passing accuracy could use more work .. fast snap shot with accuracy .. slapper lacks a little bit of jam .. not a rock defensively but pretty dependable positionally .. physical and punishes guys along the boards .. decent crease clearer .. does tend to lose position at times when hitting .. late 88-born .. shoots right.

Daniel Lawson (2006), D

Notes: severely limited due to limited skating ability, especially in the opener against the Finns where he struggled with pace .. better against Russia but still slow .. best when focusing on a defensive role and wound up quite dependable later on, but stood out mostly for the wrong reasons amongst other American blueliners.

Scouting: top speed isn't bad but he lacks first-step quickness and doesn't skate with an effective stride .. has trouble with players who keep him moving .. strong enough on his feet to maintain balance .. at his best when playing a stay-at-home style .. works hard physically and is a decent crease clearer .. doesn't have the vision to do much damage with the puck .. sub-par hands and puck control .. good hitter and can make an opponent pay .. hard point shot but must learn to get it through with better accuracy.

Kevin Quick (2006), D

Notes: solid all-around defenseman was at his best early on, but retreated for a more stay-at-home style deeper into the tournament.

Scouting: good skater for his size with decent ability and lateral movement .. acceptably strong on his feet .. mobile enough to stay with his man at most times .. sound, safe positionally .. some offensive upside, as he has good enough hands to corral most passes and make quick, accurate feeds .. good instincts and hockey sense .. hard slap shot but struggles with accuracy .. has an edge and doesn't lose position when going for a hit .. effective and persistent playing along the boards.

Joe Whitney (2006), LW

Notes: flashy, durable pinball played on the top US line .. intimidated Finns in the opening match with spunky play, but the line's chemistry took a hit against Russia and Whitney struggled with his all-around play .. provided a solid energy showing against Slovakia .. caught the eye but struggled to produce.

Scouting: excellent foot speed and acceleration .. fluid stride, sharp agility and turns .. diminutive but has surprising balance and lower body strength .. good puck skills and hand-eye coordination .. shows some dangle in traffic and can beat the defender to the outside in one-on-one situations .. decent passer who can find the open man .. has finishing upside; accurate snap shot .. sticks his nose into traffic regularly and plays bigger than his size .. challenges bigger guys all the time .. a tenacious forechecker .. makes things happen with the puck at full speed .. backchecks diligently .. could be a bit quicker at marking his man .. a warrior through and through.

James Marcou (2006), RW

Notes: filled a role similar to that of Joe Whitney on the top US line .. snake-bitten, unable to finish against Finland .. bounced back with spirited showings against Russia where his speed was a factor but did contribute to a number of defensive breakdowns .. did not stand out against the Swiss .. caught the eye for his excellent bursts of speed.

Scouting: flashy skater has sharp agility and very good first step quickness .. short choppy stride .. accelerates well but should develop better separation gear .. balance and lower-body strength project to improve with time .. is more on the playmaking side .. seems to miss a killer instinct on some scoring chances .. short stick, nifty stickhandling moves .. quick, smart passes .. energetic feet .. accurate, snappy wrist shot .. average defensively, as he doesn't react instinctively as well to pucks in his own end .. doesn't have the frame to intimidate and isn't particularly physical either, but is not soft .. willing to battle in the trenches but does get outmuscled by bigger defensemen .. shoots right.

Max Pacioretty (2007), C

Notes: centered US's second line .. started the tournament slowly but gradually became a bigger factor .. impressed with elusive moves with the puck against Russia .. regular threat against Switzerland .. not a lot of points came his way however.

Scouting: puck carrying pivot .. doesn't have explosive speed but is quick on his turns .. does need to strengthen his lower body .. very good stickhandler; has some dangle .. stealthy; just lacking the strength to drive through people .. dives occasionally .. good vision and hockey sense .. quick, crisp feeds .. hard snap shot with a quick release .. can finish in-close .. threw some pretty good hits along the boards and at open-ice .. digs for pucks in the corners .. average defensively; helps out with some regularity .. late 88-born.

Mike Borisenok (2006), LW

Notes: third line waterbug made use of his propulsion to generate offense .. great speed but looked uncomfortable in early action .. always active and buzzing but mostly couldn't generate offense .. speed sells him but the tournament proved that play in traffic is an issue.

Scouting: smooth, effective stride .. agile and has quick speed .. reaches top speed easily .. balance and lower body strength will improve with time .. has some playmaking potential .. very good hand-eye coordination .. sneaky in traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools nor approach to battle bigger guys .. lack of strength hurts him in one-on-one situations .. adequate array of shots .. acceptably conscientious defensively.

Tyler Ruegsegger (2006), RW

Notes: dependable character player was solid all-around though it took him a bit of time to get going.

Scouting: strong skater is solid on his feet with good balance .. powerful stride but speed is not breathtaking .. combative, belligerent style .. mucker uses his size to his advantage .. drives the net hard .. shows commitment to defense .. pk specialist .. sees the ice quite well and made tape-to-tape passes .. good variety of shots, including a quick wrist shot and heavy slap shot .. puckhandling skills didn't particularly impress; just doesn't have good enough hands to be a consistent offensive threat .. shoots right.

Barry Almeida (2006), RW

Notes: used his quickness to create numerous fast break opportunities .. seemed to wear down as the tournament went on.

Scouting: choppy stride and reaches top speed easily .. fast and well-balanced .. loves to go end-to-end .. really hi-octane with tons of energy .. above-average puck skills .. distributes passes from both sides of the stick .. finishes his checks though he doesn't have great size .. hard, accurate slap shot; quick wrist shot .. decent vision but doesn't have the smarts to be a top scoring threat .. returns back to his own zone and shows some tenacity.

Ben Smith (2006), C

Notes: played fearlessly in traffic and showed a willingness to shoot the puck early in the tournament .. comfortable on the international rink due to fluid skating skills .. pk specialist .. lacked some creativity but overall registered a solid tournament.

Scouting: quick but does not have great speed .. decent hands as he corralled some difficult passes .. lacks vision and creativity .. character guy with aggressiveness despite an average-sized frame .. doesn't take shifts off .. sharp, crisp passes at short distance .. doesn't back down from bigger players .. can finish in-close .. shows some good patience when in on a scoring chance .. okay array of shots .. persistent around the goal area .. returns back on defense .. shoots right.

Brian Keane (2006), C

Notes: served as the fourth-line center .. registered a solid opening game

against Finland where he put on display his quick skating skills .. played a

diligent style in the next contest against Russia, battling for the pucks

and performing in traffic .. wasn't a constant threat against Switzerland,

but could register a number of solid shifts .. didn't disappoint with his

tournament showing.

Scouting: a solid skater .. blessed with above-average first-step quickness

and agility .. solid acceleration .. okay lower-body strength and balance ..

okay puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. isn't a wizard with

the stick but corralls the passes adequately well .. adept at finding an

open linemate .. decent creativity and vision .. an adequate array of shots

.. fires a quick wrist shot, but could use more pep when firing a backhand

shot .. could use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. a competitive player

.. willing to perform in traffic despite modest size .. pays the physical

price to succeed .. drives the net adequately hard .. digs for the loose

pucks in the corners .. returns back to his own zone .. shows adequate

defensive awareness but chould spot his man more quickly .. decent defensive

positioning.