Upper Midwest High School Elite League: Wisconsin

Team Wisconsin has produced several NHL draft picks over the last few years and McKeen's correspondent Max Giese had the opportunity to catch their U-18 squad in Verona Wisconsin including: Nolan Kirley, Shayne McLaughlin, Alex Amundson, Wes Wauters, Cody Strang, Matt Paape and Ethan Nauman.

Nolan Kirley (2010), D, Hayward/ Team Wisconsin

A natural athlete with a mean streak, Kirley oozes potential yet remains raw in many facets of the game .. a thoroughbred skater with powerful acceleration, strong all-access edge work, and exceptional recovery speed .. effortlessly fast in all directions, the opposition seemingly will have a breakaway before he rapidly catches up to shut it down .. overly reliant on this great recovery speed to mask some of his tactical errors .. prone to errors of judgment, as he will get impatient and over commit .. naturally aggressive and hits to hurt .. lacks height, but has a muscular frame and is a thunderous open-ice hitter .. maintains tight gaps with good stick level and effectively angles off his man before neutralizing him with a punishing bodycheck .. sees time on the powerplay and he does a solid job getting his crisp shot on net .. marries his soft hands with his prodigious mobility to provide himself with slick escape-ability .. assertively attacks the offensive zone with the puck on his blade and forcefully drives the net if he gets a step on a defender to the outside .. his vision is questionable and he will put his teammates in awkward positions, like a quarterback leading his receiver into a big hitting defensive back .. dead-ends himself at times skating the puck and overall needs to keep upgrading his puck-moving tempo and execution .. drafted by the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL and should be a highly sought after commodity in the recruiting circles.

Shayne McLaughlin (2010), LW, Eau Claire Memorial/ Team Wisconsin

Finesse winger that is currently too timid about utilizing his big frame to drive the net .. wide-tracked skater with poor acceleration and slow feet in the open ice .. footwork out of crossovers is okay and he displays glimpses of increasing strength in his stride when motivated .. most distinguishable asset is his puck protection abilities aided by his soft hands, strong stick, and long reach .. displaying some touch and poise in scoring areas, McLaughlin is a solid setup man and finisher that owns an accurate shot with a deceptive release point .. because of his skating deficiencies, he is more effective below the hash marks than in the open-ice .. disconcertingly hesitant to drive the net, as he would rather slow things down and survey his passing options instead of deploying his vast frame to power himself through the open lane to the net .. this often becomes predictable to the opposition and is rarely effective .. must do a better job consistently fighting off checks .. simply too soft at times, will have the opposition lined up in his crosshairs and then let up at the last second .. played on the penalty kill and for the most part was properly positioned defensively .. however, he does leave the zone too early and needs to stop and start away from the puck instead of using wide turns .. the talent and upside is here, but he must get tougher.

Alex Amundson (2010), D, Brookfield/ Team Wisconsin

Gangly two-way defenseman .. displays fairly fluid and nimble feet for his height with prosperous pivoting ability, but he could still lengthen his stride and can be overly reliant on crossovers while skating backwards .. also needs to upgrade his balance, but this should come once he fills out .. possesses a decent amount of skill for a larger defenseman, as he can see the ice well and deliver accurate tape-to-tape passes coming out of his own end .. likes to jump into the rush and never hesitates to swoop in down low from the point, however he does not always pick his spots appropriately, as he tends to go without recourse .. owns deceptive escape ability and effectively takes a little off his shots to get them low and on net consistently .. still, could make quicker decisions at times and must be careful not to stop moving his feet when he goes to make a play with the puck .. overall, steady in the defensive zone, Amundson needs to strengthen his body and avoid the lapses of intensity .. in and out physically, but his long reach makes him a solid one-on-one defender .. similar to a poor mans Derrick LaPoint.

Wes Wauters (2009), C, Ashwaubenon/Team Wisconsin

An exciting offensive talent that is guilty of coming through only in waves, but there just might be something here .. an attractive skater with the prototypical stride, Wauters elegantly eats up the ice with his long strides .. faster than he appears because of his relaxed stride, as he consistently gains separation from multiple opponents with little effort .. what separates him is his ability to execute at his top-gear .. can execute skilled moves and crisp passes at full-flight .. dangerous one-on-one in the open ice, as he made multiple defenders miss with his patented outside, inside move that allows him to attack the net with room to operate .. patient distributor of the puck, especially on the powerplay where he can deliver nice passes to the back door or run give and go's out of the corner .. activates himself in space and is a deft in-close finisher that is not hesitant to drive the net .. can take the game over at times and score two-goals on one shift, and then disappear for periods of time .. utilizes his speed to backcheck, but is also guilty of floating too high in the defensive zone .. must continue to add strength and improve on his defensive play.

Cody Strang (2009), C, Madison Edgewood/ Team Wisconsin

A clever playmaker worth monitoring if he adds strength and improves on his mobility .. lacks dynamic foot speed, yet maneuvers around defenders using his guile and protection skills .. his acceleration is a bit sluggish .. blessed with soft, quick hands and a deft playmaking touch in traffic .. his hockey sense is exceptional .. displays both poise and impressive attack savvy in possession, as he is a resourceful playmaker that can also make defenders miss with his sharp stick fakes .. grades out high on stick and body preparation .. especially effective operating in tight spaces and is strong in the faceoff circle .. not a physical player and he lacks strength, but he owns a deceptively strong stick and his tremendous puck focus allows him to win his fare share of one-on-one confrontations .. doesn't hit much, but he's competitive and doesn't quit driving his feet when absorbing a check .. does an adequate job defensively because of his knowledgeable approach .. supports both his defenders and wingers appropriately .. time will tell if he is committed to bulking up and working on his skating.

Matt Paape (2009), RW, Appleton United/ Team Wisconsin

A clumsy skater despite his smallish frame, Paape appears to be almost falling at times, because his stride is overly upright and he needs to get lower and bend his knees more .. can be slippery at times, thanks to decent acceleration out of his turns .. not the type to carry the puck up ice and spearhead the offensive attack on his own, Paape is methodical in approach and usually trails the play just enough to be a part of it .. expertly finds the quiet ice around the net and is tough enough to pay the price to score .. prone to being dormant offensively for periods at a time, but does flash some execution with the puck, mostly on the powerplay and when his intensity rises .. utilized on the penalty kill for his knack of creating turnovers, however he is guilty of floating too high in the defensive zone five-on-five.

Ethan Nauman (2009), LW, Mosinee/ Team Wisconsin

Somewhat catches your attention with his low center of gravity and good feet that propel his fast top speed .. utilizes his speedy top gear well as a defensive asset on the penalty kill, although he is still figuring out how to deploy it as an offensive weapon .. guilty of becoming static in the offensive zone and must get better at working in space without the puck .. has a gift for coming out of scrums unscathed with the puck on his stick, although he is not a good finisher and his hand skill is sub par .. at his best when he's using his speed to draw the opposition to him before delivering a pass to an open teammate.