USA Hockey: Edina High School

Edina lost their top player and most promising draft-eligible prospect in Zach Budish for the season to a knee injury, yet they remain a team worth watching for scouts. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese files notes on several draft-eligible players such as Marshall Everson, Anders Lee, and Charlie Taft. Promising sophomores Max Everson and Michael Sit are also featured.

Anders Lee (2009), C, Edina High School

Edina's first-line centerman and is also the starting quarterback for the football team .. big and strong athlete that does his best work deep inside of the offensive zone .. sturdily balanced and strong on the puck making him effective on the cycle .. has a simple but effective north/south-type-of-offensive-game .. boasts good hand-eye coordination and shields the puck well .. manufactures most of his offense by coming off the wall and taking the puck to the net .. delivers accurate passes to teammates in scoring positions and isn't afraid to get pucks on net from any angle .. lacks a separation gear, although he's deceptively agile with a relaxed stride .. still, he is prone to taking stick fouls because he stops moving his feet .. a potential grinder at the higher levels of play that can kill penalties and hold his own in the faceoff circle.

Marshall Everson (2009), LW, Edina High School

One-dimensional player with strong individual skills that lost his running mate Zach Budish, a two-way playmaking centerman to a season-ending knee injury .. decent skater that would benefit from upgrading his foot speed .. marries his soft hands and long reach to supply him with rangy puckhandling .. can finish with his hard shot and is also a fairly creative passer, although he is also guilty of committing foolish plays with the puck .. has good size and is difficult to move away from the front of the net, although he needs to play more physical and with greater intensity .. playing on the penalty kill, however he is a defensive liability because he floats around and takes wide turns away from the puck .. appears soft and his toughness is questionable because he's easily disengaged when physical contact is established .. committed to Harvard and is a borderline NHL prospect.

Charlie Taft (2009), RW, Edina High School

Listed as a C-List player to watch by Central Scouting .. a lively skater with a nice glide of speed, Taft really extends his stride laterally and works off his inside edges .. his ability to see the ice and cradle the puck softly allows him to distribute crisp passes .. has soft hands with magnetic puck control .. intelligently curls and works in space .. reads the play well and supports a pinching defenseman .. cerebral player that tends to stick to the perimeter, as he's skinny and needs to add some sandpaper to his game by getting his nose dirty once in awhile .. must begin to compete on the defensive side of the puck and commit himself to backchecking .. needs to battle harder and improve on his defensive play to warrant NHL draft consideration.

Max Everson (20110, D, Edina High School

The younger brother of team captain and highly regarded prospect Marshall Everson .. projects to be a better all-around player than his older brother .. already boasts long and strong strides that stimulate his encompassing mobility, and he could become a powerful skater once he adds muscle mass .. has the height but not yet the strength, as while he can physically rub off guys along the wall, he can also get pushed off the puck .. displays adequate vision and poise while executing tape-to-tape breakout passes .. his mobility is a defensive asset in the way it allows him to maintain tight gaps and sustain positioning down low .. still green in his defensive reads and can become careless with the puck at times .. projecting as a rangy two-way defenseman, Everson has promising upside and is a prospect worth monitoring.

Michael Sit (2011), C, Edina High School

Sophomore that finds himself centering the first line .. skilled and has the ability to thread the needle with a deft pass .. instinctive in the offensive zone, as he identifies opening seams and exploits them .. aggressively gains speed out of his crossovers and boasts some flashy moves with the puck on his blade .. must add strength and improve on his defensive play, as he floats away from the puck and chronically attempts to leave the zone prematurely.