u18 WJC: USA

When you look down the roster of the American team that competed in the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship, it's not too hard to see why they came out on top. As we wrap up our exclusive and in-depth ten-part series on the U18's, you get a feel for why American hockey has come so far in the past few decades. From Jeff Frazee's stellar effort between the pipes to Jack Johnson's manhandling of opposing forwards to Phil Kessel's dominating offensive performance, Team USA was a force to be reckoned with at this event.

TOP PERFORMERS

Jeff Frazee, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: started and finished every USA game .. emerged as the biggest rival for Czech Ondrej Pavelec for the 'Top goaltender' title .. ended up as the runner-up because he had the clear advantage of a better defense playing in front of him and the fact that despite his strong performances he was prone to allowing rebounds on initial shots in the early stages of the tournament .. pulled off a good showing against Finland, being voted the USA 'Player of the game' .. was able to rise to the occasion and come playoff time, he was a mystery wall that opposing shootings couldn't solve .. performed well in the semifinals against Sweden .. delivered an excellent performance in the gold-medal game, taking the USA 'Player of the game' honors after making numerous key saves in the second period .. finished first among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.9588) .. registered the best GAA of all goaltenders in the tournament (1.33) .. made the second-biggest number of saves in the tournament (186 saves).

Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. an athletic goalie with fast reflexes .. unpredictable for shooters .. uses his quickness to close possible gaps in his stance, leaving the shooters only very little space .. moves fast in the crease .. very competitive .. shows above-average skating skills .. is quick when moving side-to-side .. quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. decent foot speed .. okay lateral movement .. very mobile .. uses his pads well .. strong down low .. solid resilience and athleticism .. doesn't flop around too much but still should upgrade his fundamentals .. uses a fast glove hand .. solid on the blocker side .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. prone to rebounds .. solid orientation in the crease .. often goes behind the net to play the puck .. okay stickhandling skills .. can be risky when moving the puck .. solid anticipation of plays and maturity for a young netminder.

Jack Johnson, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: turned out to be a dynamo on the USA back rows .. proved his dominance over his peers with an inspiring two-way performance highlighted by plenty of toughness .. threw bone-crunching hits when needed .. strong offensive force during the opening three games of the tournament .. dominated at both ends of the ice and didn't register a single off-game in this tournament .. his offensive prowess thrived on powerplays where Johnson delivered surprisingly crisp feeds with regularity and ranked as one of the tournament's best powerplay quarterbacks .. played well in the gold-medal game . made a strong push for an All-Star nomination with his play, but surprisingly ended up the odd man out .. most penalized player of the tournament (35 PIM's) .. along with teammate Justin Mercier and Finnish Oskar Osala the only player in the tournament to receive a game misconduct penalty for boarding in the game against the Czech Republic .. tied with Nathan Gerbe for second place on Team USA in +/- (+7).

Scouting: a swift skater with above-average straightaway speed .. very good first-step quickness .. solid lateral movement .. impressive balance on his skates .. tough to get knocked off his feet .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. uses his speed to lead the offensive rushes .. often joins the rush and supports the offense .. a smooth puckhandler who likes to have the puck on his stick .. a bit greedy in puck possession as he tries to dangle a number of opponents instead of making the simple pass .. can make plays while still moving his feet .. very smart creatively .. good vision and hockey sense .. excellent powerplay quarterback .. makes hard and accurate passes at both short and long distances .. willing to let his hard slap shot go .. keeps his shots low on the ice and tippable .. his defensive play is solid, but it is his offensive upside which catches attention .. doesn't suffer from many positional breakdowns .. spots his man quickly .. a determined hitter who likes to throw his weight around .. strong at finishing his checks .. plays with a constant edge and clears the crease with determination.

Kyle Lawson, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: registered a decent but unspectacular start of the tournament against Slovakia before blossoming in the second game against Finland .. got steadily better as the tournament went along .. impressed with his low panic point and an ability to foresee the plays well ahead of when they happened .. was able to provide quality offensive support and when Jack Johnson was ejected from the game against the Czech Republic with a game misconduct penalty, Lawson anchored the USA defense .. showed that he has made good progress in his game compared to the performance in August, especially in terms of defensive vision and an ability to pass the puck on a long passing lane .. delivered two strong performances in the playoff contests .. a steady force in the semifinal game against Sweden, making calm plays with the puck .. one of the best USA defensemen in the gold-medal game against Canada .. made a good name for himself in this tournament

Scouting: an okay skater .. solid lateral movement .. adequate top-end speed .. decent first-step quickness .. okay agility and backwards speed .. decent lower-body strength and balance .. solid stickhandling skills .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. good passing skills .. very smooth and patient when making decisions with the puck .. plays with his head up and can recognize even the long passing lanes well .. a quality shooter from the point with a very accurate slap shot .. likes to fire the puck but can also run the powerplay with fast, crisp passes .. useful as a pointman on powerplay units .. knows when to join the rush and when to stay back in a defensive position .. solid defensive work, but needs to add more bulk in order to handle the bigger forwards more effectively .. doesn't panic in the defensive zone, waiting for plays to develop and then reacting properly .. occasionally tends to lose position when hitting an opponent .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Mark Mitera, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: a calm defensive force on the USA back rows .. stabilized the USA defensive corps when a defenseman joined the rush and played with maturity beyond his age .. registered a good opening game against Slovakia where he lacked only a bit of passing accuracy .. delivered an okay showing against Finland, keeping his plays simple and avoiding mistakes .. didn't support the offense very often .. delivered a quality showing against the Czech Republic, thriving in one-on-one situations and keeping the play in front of him effectively .. focused on filling his role well in both playoff games .. a solid force in the semifinal contest against Sweden, taking his man out of the play .. kept the Canadian offensive raids under control on the majority of his shifts in the gold-medal game.

Scouting: an okay skater for a player of his size .. solid balance and a powerful stride .. decent lateral movement and agility .. could use further upgrading on his backwards speed and first-step quickness .. works hard down low .. very tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. shows very good effectiveness when he keeps things simple .. excellent defensive awareness .. above-average strength and toughness .. a very steady player .. takes his man out of the play and is willing to finish his checks on every shift .. tends to have his elbows too high on occasion .. solid intensity and determination .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. unleashes a hard shot from the point with a decent accuracy .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. okay reach .. decent puck-distributor who prefers the safe plays .. decent creativity but isn't looking for possible long passing lanes very often .. a late '87 born defenseman.

Phil Kessel, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: emerged as the most dominant player in the whole tournament .. was relatively quiet only during the first two periods of the opening game against Slovakia, but from then on he put his game-breaking abilities on display in each match .. showed impressive upside including spine-tingling acceleration, vision and a lethal variety of shots that were unmatched by any other forward in the tournament .. established himself as the potential first overall pick in the 2006 draft .. as of now as he has outplayed other frontrunners Michael Frolik and Jesse Joensuu .. USA 'Player of the game' against Switzerland and Sweden .. was a key factor in both playoff games .. the Canadian defense couldn't keep him under control in the gold-medal game .. tournament's top scorer (16 points) .. best goal scorer of the tournament (9 goals) .. tied with Slovak Juraj Mikus for tournament's top passer (7 assists) .. most frequent shooter of the tournament (45 shots) .. ranked first among all tournament players in +/- (+10) .. All-Star member .. the only player in the tournament to score 3 game-winning goals .. recipient of the 'Top forward' award.

Scouting: an excellent skater .. takes advantage of his burning first-step quickness to split the defense .. very smooth and effective stride .. good agility and strong balance on his skates .. very good top-end speed .. a regular threat in the offensive zone .. impressive variety of shots .. releases a quick, accurate wrist shot .. can surprise goaltenders with his snap shot, but his jewel is the booming, accurate slapper .. deft stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. good vision and is capable of solid, crisp passes .. okay awareness of his linemates .. excellent asset to powerplay units .. terrific vision and hockey sense .. a threat in one-on-one situation .. isn't showing much of a commitment to the defensive aspect of the game, but can be a real game-breaker on the offensive side .. should mark his man faster .. doesn't play afraid and shows no trouble with the rough stuff .. throws the occasional hit .. draws fouls from the opposition .. isn't on the receiving side of many hits as his quickness and a flashy style helps him to avoid the bone-crunchers .. franchise-player potential .. shoots right .. a late '87 born forward.

Nathan Gerbe, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the smallest player of the tournament clicked well on a line with Phil Kessel .. needed to get used to the larger ice surface during the opening game against Slovakia .. picked his play up significantly in the match-up against Finland and took advantage of his strong speed and elusive moves .. very difficult to control for the Swiss defense in the third match .. pulled off a good showing against the Czech Republic, showing up on the offensive end .. a solid and elusive force during both playoff games against Sweden and Canada .. ranked second in tournament scoring .. finished second on Team USA scoring (8 points) .. tied with Peter Mueller for second place on Team USA in goals (4 goals) .. ranked second on Team USA in assists (4 assists) .. finished third on Team USA in shots (23 shots) .. tied with Jack Johnson for second place on Team USA in +/- (+7).

Scouting: an above-average skater with very good foot speed and acceleration .. fluid stride .. sharp agility and turns .. decent balance and lower-body strength for a diminutive player .. above-average stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can dangle the puck in traffic .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. picks his spots well .. a decent passer who can find the open man .. times his passes well .. displays good in-close finishing skills .. solid variety of shots including an accurate slap shot .. solid quick snap and wrist shot .. sticks his nose into traffic regularly and plays bigger than his size.. willing to hit the bigger opponents .. a tenacious pest .. can carry the puck without having to slow down .. makes plays at top speed and brings defenders out of position .. needs to pick up his defensive game .. should mark his man faster and stay with him all the way .. raw in closing the passing lanes of the opponent .. recklessly abuses his body to block opposing shots.

Peter Mueller, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: delivered excellent performances during the round robin games and his terrific puckhandling ability in tight spaces, strong bursts of speed and smarts for the game were a welcomed asset on the USA offense .. turned heads in the opener against Slovakia, taking home the USA 'Player of the game' award .. a strong offensive force against Finland, deking the opposing defensemen almost at will .. it's clear he has the potential of a future game-breaker once he fully blossoms .. ranked as one of the top tournament face-off men since the puck dropped (.5763) .. in the playoff games Mueller wasn't carrying as heavy a burden as Phil Kessel in terms of carrying the USA offensive torch, but he was still able to pull off solid showings to keep his tournament rating at a very good level .. ranked fifth in tournament scoring .. tied with Nathan Gerbe for second place on Team USA in goals (4 goals) .. finished third on Team USA scoring (7 points) .. finished third on Team USA in penalty minutes (20 PIM's) .. second-most accurate shooter on Team USA (.2667).

Scouting: a good skater with strong foot speed .. wins some foot races but still could use more explosiveness .. effortless stride and above-average agility .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. a very smooth stickhandler with deceptive puckhandling skills .. can dangle his way out of tight spaces regularly .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations regularly .. picks his spots well .. knows how to get into a scoring chance .. a very smart player .. dishes out excellent passes through traffic .. very good vision and hockey sense .. quickly-released wrist shot .. semi-hard slap shot .. solid defensive awareness .. plays with lots of energy and is effective on the backcheck .. a tight forecheker .. decent defensive awareness .. blocks the opposing passing lanes and spots his man quickly even if he is still a bit raw in this area .. a good asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. useful as a defenseman on powerplay units .. a determined hitter who can punish the opposition regularly .. battles for the loose pucks often .. very good in the face-off circle, taking key draws .. shoots right .. an '88 born player.

Ryan Stoa, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: turned out to be a valuable all-round presence .. delivered a good showing in the USA tournament opener against Slovakia, taking care of the defensive duties and making use of his strength along the boards and when crashing the net .. repeated this successful showing in the second match-up against Finland .. wasn't flashy, but strong and effective in all three zones .. a good factor in the game against Switzerland, closing the opposing passing lanes well .. was grinding well in the match-up against the Czech Republic and dished out a number of quality passes .. a strong two-way force during the semifinal game against Sweden .. showed up in all three zones .. a good factor in the gold-medal game against Canada, serving as a steady dependable player .. registered a very solid showing on the tournament.

Scouting: a solid skater for a big player .. uses a powerful stride .. blessed with strong balance and lower-body strength .. okay acceleration and first-step quickness .. adequate agility and turns .. could use better top-end speed .. solid puckhandling skills .. isn't a perfect dangler, but can beat the opposition with the odd elusive move .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. decent vision and hockey sense .. displays solid creativity with the puck and can find the open man .. tends to prefer passing to shooting .. times the feeds precisely .. needs to develop better in-close finishing skills and more lethal sniper instincts once on a scoring chance .. can use the opposing players well as a screen when shooting .. a diligent player with a solid mean streak .. hits hard along the boards with authority but still could be a steadier physical presence .. works hard to gain possession of the puck in the corner battles .. can crash the net when he decides to want to .. shows an adequate defensive awareness .. returns back quickly but should mark his man more precisely.

Jack Skille, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: truly possesses considerable NHL potential as an elite-line forward .. wreaked havoc among the Slovak defense in the USA tournament opener with his ability to make use of his size .. the sized forward could out-power the vast majority of his opponents and when he decided to crash the net, the opposing defensemen were sometimes just bouncing off him .. a solid factor in the match-up against Finland .. worked hard in the game against the Czech Republic and showed solid hitting and speed .. USA 'Player of the game' against the Czech Republic .. wasn't as flashy or quick as the likes of Kessel and Mueller, but created lots of space for his linemates with his power and generated numerous quality offensive chances during each game .. is blessed with considerable skills and really dominated some of his shifts in the two playoff contests to crown a delightful performance at the Under-18 WJC .. ranked second on Team USA in shots (24 shots).

Scouting: a good skater for a player of his size .. utilizes his powerful stride .. impressive balance and lower-body strength .. good agility for a big man .. shows an explosive first-step which enables him to out-skate opposition .. a solid puckhandler who covers the puck well .. can play the puck in traffic smoothly .. is blessed with solid smarts and understanding of the developing plays .. emerges as a solid playmaker .. aware of his linemates .. an imaginative passer .. decent in-close finishing skills .. fires a heavy wrist and snap shot .. solid accurate slap shot .. handles heavy traffic well thanks to his frame and is at his best when crashing the net .. likes to battle opponents physically .. often positions himself in front of the opposing slot and looks for rebounds .. returns back to the defensive zone .. okay at closing the opposing passing lanes .. a right-shooting forward.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Taylor Chorney, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: filled the role of a two-way blueliner .. got used to the larger international surface during the opening game against Slovakia and then from the second contest against Finland on he was rushing the puck with confidence and offensive prowess .. needed more reliability in the game against Switzerland, where he showed a tendency to think about the offensive side too much .. numerous solid offensive raids in the game against the Czech Republic .. delivered a solid game in the semifinal match-up against Sweden, keeping his raids under control and making accurate feeds .. pulled off an okay performance in the gold-medal game against Canada, improving on his reliability and doing a decent job on powerplay units .. registered a solid performance.

Scouting: a good skater with strong acceleration .. okay first-step quickness .. swift agility .. above-average lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. decent lower-body strength and balance, but still could use upgrading .. likes to rush the puck and support offense .. solid stickhandling skills .. tends to think about offense too much but has the speed to catch up on the transitional play and can't be caught out of position too often .. good vision and passing skills .. accurate long outlet passes .. strong creative powerplay quarterback .. likes to create plays .. doesn't use his array of shots very often .. unleashes a quick snap shot with okay accuracy .. needs to develop a bigger commitment to the defensive duties .. should mark his man faster .. throws the occasional hit, but isn't really physically intimidating.

Zach Jones, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: focused on filling more of a defensive role on the USA defense .. didn't turn heads in the early stages of the tournament, but delivered a decent opening game against Slovakia with a low number of positional gaffes and defensive mistakes .. pulled off an okay performance against Finland, with the main goal being spotting his man quickly and possibly taking him out of the play .. delivered an adequate showing against the Czech Republic, but should have supported the offense more often .. was asked to filling his usual defensive role well in the playoff contest .. an adequate force in the semifinal contest against Sweden, supporting his defensive partner with reliable play .. repeated his performance in the gold-medal game against Canada, keeping his play simple and risky-free.

Scouting: a decent skater who doesn't stand out with his skating skills .. solid balance on his skates .. could use a smoother stride and better first-step quickness .. okay backwards speed .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner who takes pride in his conservative play .. doesn't get noticed often, but is very steady and reliable .. strong presence in his own zone .. a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can use his body to his advantage .. willing to sacrifice his body to block opposing shots .. doesn't make many positional mistakes .. a solid force on penalty killing units .. patient in one-on-one situations .. limited offensive upside .. sometimes hesitant to make a quick outlet pass .. average puckhandling skills but can corral passes adequately well .. gets a heavy slap shot with average accuracy through traffic regularly .. can play the body well and use his size to his advantage .. tenacious along the boards .. a determined crease-clearer.

Erik Johnson, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: used the tournament as a major learning experience .. played a steady defensive game focused on a low number of risky plays .. collected the pucks well and had a good opening game against Slovakia where he kept the opposing offensive raids under control .. pulled off an okay showing against Finland, keeping his plays simple and looking more accustomed to top international competition .. played a solid game against the Czech Republic, but could have supported the offense more regularly .. took pride in his defensive play in both playoff contests .. a solid force in the semifinal match against Sweden .. kept the opposing players at a distance .. played more of a survival style on the majority of his shifts in the gold-medal game against Canada and avoided the mistakes.

Scouting: an above-average skater for a player of his size .. displays solid acceleration and top-end speed .. decent lateral movement and pivots .. well-balanced on his skates and hardly gets knocked off his feet .. an all-round defenseman .. positionally very sound .. stays with his man and is determined in his own zone .. feared crease-clearer and hitter along the boards .. effective at keeping the opposing players at a distance and reacting to their plays properly .. doesn't lose position when hitting .. good in one-on-one situations .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. capable of accurate outlet passes with solid timing .. impresses with his reach .. a booming shot from the point with average accuracy .. makes safe puck decisions .. impressive pro potential once he matures .. shoots right .. an '88 born defenseman.

Jimmy Fraser, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as the USA captain .. looked snake-bitten in the first three games of the tournament .. was able to create offensive chances in the contests against Slovakia and Finland, but seemed to run out of confidence once on a scoring chance .. found his game against the Czech Republic, scoring and showing up in the offensive zone on a number of shifts .. performed in a team-orientated manner in the two playoff games .. was willing to battle for the pucks and work for his linemates .. pulled off a solid showing in the semifinal match-up against Sweden, filling more of a playmaking role rather than shooting the puck .. a decent factor in the gold-medal game against Canada, performing in all three zones and setting up plays.

Scouting: a solid skater with decent bursts of speed .. okay agility and turns .. decent foot speed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. isn't beautiful on his skates, but gets where he needs to be .. crafty stickhandling skills .. can make nifty dekes in tight spaces .. plays with his head up .. an accurate passer who recognizes the passing lanes quickly .. aware of his teammates even without having to look around very often .. could be more persistent around the goal area .. solid wrist shot .. quickly released snap shot with okay accuracy .. needs to use his adequate slap shot more frequently and upgrade on its accuracy .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end quickly .. marks his man fast and plays in position .. adequate toughness along the boards .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners .. works hard in all three zones .. doesn't tend to take shifts off .. could upgrade his face-off skills .. solid leadership skills .. a right-shooting forward.

Dan Collins, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the only CHL representative on the USA squad .. didn't turn heads in the tournament opener against Slovakia, but still showed solid aggressiveness in the corner battles .. picked his play up in the contest against Finland, succeeding in one-on-one situations and showing up on the offensive end .. displayed a better prowess when handling the puck in the contest against Switzerland .. rode the rollercoaster in the match-up against the Czech Republic, being a quality factor on a number of shifts before looking unimpressive in others .. pulled off a decent performance in the semifinal match-up against Sweden, but in general should fire the puck more often during the playoff games .. an average factor in the gold-medal game against Canada, where he wasn't very dangerous in the offensive zone .. most accurate shooter on Team USA (.3333).

Scouting: a solid skater with okay top-end speed .. decent agility and turns .. average first-step quickness .. lower-body strength enables him to keep his balance even if being checked .. doesn't stand out with his stickhandling ability, but is capable of occasional quick puck moves .. decent variety of shots, but could use more lethal instincts on scoring chances .. hard slap shot .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. unleashes a quick snap shot .. solid accuracy on his wrist shot .. slap shot is unleashed with average accuracy .. doesn't impress with his defensive awareness .. should limit the options of the opposing players more effectively and show up in his own end more often .. a good force in heavy traffic .. battles for the rebounds in the opposing slot .. strong grinder .. doesn't get into trouble when asked to muck for the pucks and outmuscle bigger defensemen .. doesn't tend to shifts off .. okay determination .. shoots right.

Jason Bailey, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was used as a checking line forward .. filled his grinding role well in the first two opening games against Slovakia and Finland .. hit the opposing players with authority and emerged as a pest to play against .. a useful role player in the game against Switzerland .. registered an average performance in the fourth contest against the Czech Republic, failing to wreak havoc among the Czech players and not showing up in traffic on a regular basis .. had his role reduced in the two playoff games .. threw the occasional hit in the semifinals against Sweden, but wasn't a steady physical presence .. an average factor in the gold-medal game against Canada, not impressing with his overall play.

Scouting: blessed with okay skating skills .. utilizes his generally effective stride and possesses above-average acceleration .. shows strong balance and lower-body strength .. decent agility on his skates .. adequate puckhandling skills, but isn't very tricky with the puck .. could use better hand-eye coordination .. a solid passer, but doesn't have the vision of an elite playmaker .. average in-close finishing skills .. heavy snap shot with a quick release .. thrives when asked to execute in heavy traffic and takes position in front of the opposing net .. emerges as a fearless hitter willing to finish his checks with authority .. a solid force along the boards .. tends to lose position occasionally .. displays a decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids, but should do that on a regular basis .. can limit the options of the opposing players .. a right-shooting forward.

Chad Rau, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: didn't stand out during the USA tournament opener against Slovakia, but filled his role well and registered a number of shifts where he played very solidly .. a decent game against Finland, but was hampered by a lack of passing accuracy .. a strong face-off player in the third match-up against Switzerland .. played a solid game in the match-up against the Czech Republic, but should have fired the pucks more often .. played an average contest in the semifinals against Sweden, where he needed to create more chances in the offensive zone .. held his own in the gold-medal game against Canada, even if he didn't impress with his prowess once on a scoring chance .. didn't send his stock soaring, but wasn't a disappointment on the tournament .. ranked first on Team USA in face-offs (.5789).

Scouting: blessed with solid skating skills .. capable of sharp turns on his skates .. above-average agility .. solid top-end speed .. adequate but not outstanding first-step quickness .. decent balance, but still could further upgrade his lower-body strength .. adequate stickhandler, but should upgrade his ability to deal with difficult passes .. an okay puckhandler who doesn't lose possession of the puck when pressed by an opponent .. can be sneaky with the puck in traffic .. solid playmaking ability ..adequate in one-on-one situations .. willing to forecheck .. returns back to his own end to help out the defense .. still raw in his defensive positioning .. doesn't play afraid, but should crash the net with more authority and determination .. willing to battle for the pucks in the corners .. doesn't take shifts off .. a good asset in the face-off circle.

Jason Lawrence, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: looked a bit rusty in the opening match-up against Slovakia, but displayed some slick puck moves late in the game .. pulled off a good performance in the next game against Finland, showing up in the offensive zone and deftly dancing around the Finnish defensemen .. only a so-so showing in the third contest against Switzerland .. an okay factor in the contest against the Czech Republic, keeping up with the pace and generating offense .. played a decent semifinal contest against Sweden and registered a number of good shifts, but could have used more strength in order to outmuscle the bigger opponents .. delivered an okay showing in the gold-medal contest against Canada to close out the average tournament showing .. ranked third on Team USA in goals (3 goals).

Scouting: an okay skater .. solid acceleration and first-step quickness .. could use slightly better top-end speed to gain an advantage over the opposing players .. sharp agility and turns .. could use more balance and strength in his lower body .. strong puck-carrier with soft hands .. capable of tricky stick moves which can surprise the opposing defensemen .. doesn't have the strength to run people over, but uses his quick moves to sneak through .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. a creative passer .. utilizes his solid variety of shots .. decent, hard snap shot with a quick release .. should work on his slap shot .. solid in-close finishing skills .. isn't playing afraid despite average size but could be more determined in the opposing slot .. average in the defensive zone .. tends to float on the periphery sometimes instead of helping out on the backcheck .. should mark his man faster and limit the options of the opposition more effectively .. shoots right.

Justin Mercier, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: proved solid progress in his play since his international showing in August .. made use of his upgraded bursts of speed .. filled a checking role adequately well in the opening game against Slovakia and added a better offensive prowess to the mix .. registered a solid showing in the second match-up against Finland .. faded in the contest against the Czech Republic, not making use of his skating or his tenacity .. a limited factor in the semifinal game against Sweden, not making much of his ice time offensively, but still serving well as a grinder .. second-most penalized player of the tournament (29 PIM's) .. along with teammate Jack Johnson and Finnish Oskar Osala was the only player in the tournament to receive a game misconduct penalty for delivering a nasty hit on Canadian forward Colton Yellowhorn.

Scouting: a solid skater with quick bursts of speed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. solid first-step quickness, but could use better top-end speed .. able to sneak into the odd breakaway situation thanks to his propulsion .. decent puckhandling skills .. can cover the puck adequately well .. isn't a liability with the puck in traffic, but still could develop softer hands .. needs to find the scoring lanes more often .. fires a hard slap shot .. solid character player .. emerges as a strong checking unit player .. mucks in the corners for the puck .. plays the body well and shows a consistent mean streak .. a good hitter both along the boards and in open-ice .. a very tenacious player who stands up to protect the teammates .. doesn't stop working hard in any situation .. okay defensive awareness .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. plays an energy style in his own end, blocking the opposing shots and closing the passing lanes.

Benn Ferriero, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: filled a depth role on the USA squad .. worked hard for the success of the stars of the team, sacrificing his body and playing a diligent style .. didn't turn heads in the USA tournament opener against Slovakia .. upgraded his checking play in the second contest against Finland, showing up in traffic regularly .. delivered a decent showing against the underdog Swiss team, punishing the opposing players and performing adequately well on the defensive end .. stuck to his usual role in the important match-up against the Czech Republic .. filled his duties well in the two playoff games against Sweden and Canada, but was outplayed by Justin Mercier in the checking role .. a tireless worker who needs more offensive prowess to be more useful.

Scouting: an adequate skater with good balance .. solid lower-body strength .. still needs to improve his first-step quickness and top-speed, but made strides in this asset over the course of the season .. able to sneak into the odd breakaway chance .. average puckhandling skills .. shows trouble when having to corral a difficult pass .. emerges as an okay passer .. tends to pass the puck rather than shoot it .. aware of the position of his linemates .. adequate vision and hockey sense, but won't ever become a scoring star .. possesses a sharp accurate wrist shot go, but doesn't impress with his sniper instincts .. unleashes a hard slap shot with decent accuracy .. could use smoother in-close finishing skills .. the mean streak is always present in the corner battles .. a fearless hitter, but could use better timing with his hits in order to avoid falling out of position .. tends to take occasional undisciplined penalties .. a right-shooting forward.