Upper Midwest High School Elite League: Minnesota

McKeen's correspondent Max Giese looks at the two most highly regarded 2009 draft eligible prospects out of Minnesota High School this year in Zach Budish and Nick Leddy. We also have a look at the next wave of talent in 2010 eligibles Max Gardiner and Nick Bjugstad.

Zach Budish (2009), C, Edina HS

Committed to the University of Minnesota, Budish captained Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka U-18 Tournament where he saw his stock rise while leading the Americans in scoring .. skating isn't a strength, but he still maneuvers himself efficiently around the ice for a big man .. strong stickhandler with supple hands that know how to protect the puck aided by solid upper body control and brute strength .. control type who knows how to use his strength and well-developed body to protect the puck and make articulate passes .. positions himself intelligently in the offensive zone and is quick to identify opportunities .. has a knack for getting himself open and having the puck find him in prime scoring areas .. a precise finisher with fast hands and a camouflaged release point that catches goaltenders off guard .. lacks a natural mean streak, yet is steadily grasping how to consistently apply his spacious frame .. still, could be more aggressive finishing his checks and his balance could be further upgraded .. a strong defensive presence at the center pivot for a high schooler, Budish uses his massive frame to suffocate his man one-on-one and properly comes deep into his own zone to support his defensemen in coverage .. dominant in the faceoff circle and well on his way to becoming an early round draft pick.

Nick Leddy (2009), D, Eden Prairie

A Minnesota Golden Gophers recruit that represented his country at the Ivan Hlinka U-18 Tournament .. agile, all-compass skater with deft footwork and multiple gears of acceleration .. a skilled, puck-moving defenseman that skates well in possession and owns sharp escape ability .. jump starts the rush remarkably well and is dangerous in transition, as he can execute the homerun long-distance pass or briskly accelerate around multiple opponents .. capable of going coast-to-coast at this level and with added leg strength, Leddy should translate as a commanding skater to higher levels of play .. poised with and strong on the puck with exceptional vision and passing skills .. owns a good release on his shot and the velocity is fine, however he would benefit from becoming more accurate launching them from the point .. his lack of size is the biggest issue moving forward, as he's physically weak right now and struggles to contain opponents around the net .. will look to deliver a hit but can get drawn out of position in the process, leaving him prone to getting beaten one-on-one in the open ice .. rangy and can be overly reliant on his exemplary recovery speed and must upgrade his defensive presence deep within his own zone .. upside is high and could be an early round selection.

Danny Mattson (2009), RW/LW, Academy of Holy Angels

Committed to North Dakota .. elegant and light on his turns with effortless propulsion and a separation gear .. his efficient stride provides him with dynamic lateral quickness .. dangerous one-on-one off the rush, as his hands are quick as his feet .. lacks great finishing abilities, although he does move the puck well from both sides of his stick and can set up his teammates with slick no-look passes .. exciting in the way he can go in and out of traffic while maintaining control the puck .. packing on upper-body muscle and filling out his slender frame would only aide in his effectiveness in traffic .. his speed is a defensive asset, although he needs to fine-tune the positioning in his own end and could become more physical.

Max Gardiner (2010), LW/C, Minnetonka

The younger brother of Anaheim Ducks' first-round pick Jake Gardiner, Max is a physical player that should become an influential power forward once he fills out .. looks like Bambi on his skates with his clumsy long legs and awkward mobility in tight confinements .. must upgrade his acceleration and first-step .. there is some upside to his skating, as he owns a good motor, adequate foot speed, and will only get better when he becomes more coordinated into his developing frame .. displays decent hand-eye coordination and handles the puck well in his feet .. hands are fairly soft and protects the puck well thanks to his enormous reach .. his bread and butter is attacking the slot before executing a toe drag around the defender to pull the puck in tight to his body before releasing a crisp snapshot .. vision with the puck is adequate and he can move the puck up ice through the passing game .. strong coming off the wall with the puck and is most effective when utilizing his strong power moves to the net .. utilized on the penalty kill and exploits his engulfing reach expertly to clog lanes .. his defensive game will only improve with upgraded initial quickness, which would allow him to sustain proper positioning longer.

Nick Bjugstad (2010), C, Blaine HS

Committed to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers .. a flourishing skater for a player of his size thanks to long, fluid strides that will eat up the ice once he physically matures .. his feet are fine and adequately agile in tight confinements with good first-step quickness .. stops and starts away from the puck .. a rangy puckhandler with a fantastic reach, Bjugstad is not a cerebral playmaking type and is most effective when planting himself in front of the opponent's net .. does deliver passes cleanly and astutely knows when to execute plays such as give and go's .. difficult to stop when he drives the net and owns quick hands in close to finish .. still lanky, but he has a sizable frame to develop into .. not a mean-spirited player and could be more overpowering physically given his size .. however, he does compete well and effectively utilizes his big frame and long reach to shutdown his man one-on-one defensively .. makes a positive impact in all three-zones and is strong in the faceoff circle.

Anders Lee (2009), RW/C, Edina HS

A multidimensional athlete .. a decent skater for his size with a stable stride and a deceptive outside burst that he uses to get a step on unsuspecting defenders .. there is some hand skill here, as he does display some slick one-on-one moves at times .. although, while they look pretty they rarely work in tricking defenders .. his instincts and awareness in the offensive zone are mediocre at best, as he seems robotic with the puck and will brain cramp when the puck finds him in scoring areas .. does own a good shot and is effective when using his athletic frame to drive the net or cycle the puck down low .. projects more as a plugger at the higher levels of hockey that can potentially check the opposition's top lines.

Marshall Everson (2009), LW, Edina HS

Committed to Harvard .. pretty good skater for a player of his size that accelerates well out of his crossovers and his long strides propel his decent top-gear .. however, he could still quicken and strengthen his first few strides .. a flashy puckhandler that is guilty at times, of trying to put on a show more than effectively making a play with the puck .. can be creative with a deft touch and would flourish more if he simplified things .. a natural goal scorer with an accurate, hard shot and a real presence around the net .. has good size and can fight off checks to score garbage goals .. will initiate body contact and finish his checks at times, although he lacks the competitive focus to retrieve the puck consistently .. at his best on the powerplay but displays minimal interest in anything behind his own side of the red line .. makes careless mistakes with the puck in his own end and doesn't win enough one-on-one battles along the wall that his size would suggest.

Alex Fons (2010), G, Hopkins HS

Wasn't tested much, but remained composed and controlled his rebounds well .. economical in his movements with a compact butterfly, but he tends to hold his glove too high .. keeps his shoulders up-right, and also does a good job of being patient and not going down too early .. played the puck adequately, but didn't necessarily stand out .. his foot-work is fluent and he remains a prospect worth monitoring.

Jacob Meyers (2009), G, Benilde S.M.

His foot-work must improve, as he's easily beaten if you get him moving .. his stick sways in the wind far too often when moving laterally, which makes his five-hole a glaring weakness .. catches left and effectively plays big on the first shot by challenging well, however he lacks focus and is prone to allowing sloppy goals during goal mouth scrums .. also struggled finding the puck through traffic .. very unimpressive showing.

Brendan Baker (2009), D, Edina HS

Smallish defenseman with good offensive exploits .. owns quick feet and above-average acceleration .. skilled and can execute equally well from both sides of his stick, which aides in his ability to make plays in the face of pressure .. can effectively rush the puck out of his own zone if the situation calls for it and he doesn't hesitate to activate himself in the offensive zone by pinching into the quiet areas and sneaking in the back door undetected .. his vision of the ice and ability to make the pass standout positively .. proactively tries to short circuit the opponent's rushes in the open-ice, however he loses inside positioning at times and can be beaten one-on-one off the rush .. needs to become more disciplined playing the body and not getting fixated on the puck .. his smallish frame limits him, as despite his willingness to battle, he is often overwhelmed when attempting to contain opponents around his own net.

Andrew Prochno (2010), D, Minnetonka

Assertive, but with a certain rawness to him .. just an okay skater heading in a straight line, as his choppy startup strides prevent his quick feet from guiding him around the ice briskly .. does pivot fluidly and his swift lateral mobility allows him to close gaps quickly and take opponents out with a hip check .. his vision and instincts with the puck are decent, and he displays burgeoning finesse passing skills .. effectively utilizes his own net to buy himself time when coming out of his own zone and for the most part makes a good first pass .. his shot is just average and can get overzealous at times, which leaves him prone to being caught up ice when his attempts to hold the zone don't succeed .. maintains an active stick defensively.

Patrick Borer (2009), D, Benilde S.M.

Small and skilled defenseman that can be a liability on defense .. blessed with good feet, nimble pivots, and swift all-compass mobility .. although, his short legs stunt his top-gear .. a skilled passer that is a natural on the point, Borer effectively opens lanes for his decent shot with his lateral mobility .. can skate the puck out of trouble if needed .. diminutive and gets easily blocked out around his crease by larger opponents when he fails to establish proper body positioning .. routinely out-muscled and beaten to his net .. struggles to anticipate the play in the defensive zone and gets caught reacting instead of initiating too often .. seems to be fake tough, as he'll get chippy after the whistle, but isn't effective playing the body anywhere else on the ice.

Jared Maetche (2009), D, St. Cloud Tech

Takes a few strides to get going, but his acceleration is fine after that .. his pivots and backwards mobility are average .. speed to the outside can give him trouble while defending in transition .. does an adequate job on the powerplay and pinches aptly for the most part, however he does get caught up the ice at times .. needs to pick his spots better .. owns a decent shooting arsenal and his hands are skilled enough to give him a few escape options .. a smallish defender with adequate defensive anticipation .. maintains a healthy stick defensively and is disciplined in taking the body and not the puck.

Berkley Scott (2009), C, Anoka HS

The definition in his game is the fact that he moves well for a big kid .. has a good set of first few strides and above-average length to his mobility .. his simplistic approach to the offensive game is what makes him effective, as he routinely makes the high percentage play .. orchestrates give and go's on the powerplay and astutely utilizes the point men to his advantage .. effective employing his speed on the forecheck, although he needs to use his size more to his advantage and finish his checks .. he's also guilty of being too unselfish with the puck in scoring areas and needs to shoot more .. consistent shift-to-shift and does an adequate job in his own end, although he requires further polishing in this aspect of the game.

Joe Rehkamp (2009), RW, Breck HS

A textbook skater with superb acceleration thanks to his proper knee bend and stride recovery .. has a nice glide to his mobility thanks to his strong edgework that jettisons a nice burst of speed out of his crossovers .. owns a quick stick and release along with the ability to execute accurate passes in the open ice and on the powerplay .. needs to compete with more fire and get stronger on the puck .. too easily neutralized when body contact is established and he loses the majority of one-on-one puck battles he takes on .. lazy defensively and needs to increase the work-rate in his own end.

Brett Patterson (2010), RW, Benilde-St. Margaret's

Catches your attention with his decent size and strength for a player of his age along with the occasional flash of offensive ability .. decent with the puck in traffic and displayed a flicker of a nice touch while controlling the puck at full-flight .. puzzling player, as at times he competes well in the trenches and then at others, he's terribly lazy moving his feet .. must upgrade his acceleration, foot-speed, and overall conditioning.

Andrew Pitts (2010), D, North Metro

Effective when keeping things simple and playing within himself, Pitts gets himself in trouble when he tries to get too cute .. awkward looking skater that stations himself too far on his inside edges, making him appear as if he is about to slip and do the splits .. yet, somehow he can muster enough speed to suit the situation and skate himself out of trouble .. solid one-on-one defender that maintains a tight gap and finishes his man abrasively .. not that big, but he's tough and physical with an active stick that breaks up plays .. most effective staying home, Pitts is often the last defender back and would benefit from upgrading his backwards mobility .. speed can beat him to the outside .. not afraid to skate the puck, but his vision is poor and he dead-ends himself .. doesn't make a clean first pass and struggles to make plays with the puck, often resorting to chipping the puck off the glass.

Cal Decowski (2010), C, Andover

Small, but talented pivot that has a real presence with the puck .. lacks speed and dynamic acceleration in his skating, although he does own a deceptive lateral burst, which can make him a slippery player to defend .. needs to improve his conditioning, as he can appear sluggish at the end of his shifts .. stealth-like with exemplary creativity and patience .. the puck chronically finds him in scoring areas and he can bury it with his accurate shot and deceiving release .. sees the ice well and is elusive one-on-one .. despite his small stature, Decowski can win the occasional one-on-one puck battle because he gets in quickly and establishes body positioning .. lack of strength and poor defensive play are his glaring faults right now .. floats around in his own zone playing with no rhyme or reason.