USA: Midget Minors Have Some Rust

McKeen's correspondent Max Giese continues his look at the top-1992-born prospects in the U.S.A. by focusing the microscope on some of the top Midget Minor Teams, such as Detroit Honeybaked, TPH Thunder, and the Chicago Mission.

Kurt Scipione (2010), D, Detroit Honebaked

Confident and athletic puck rushing defenseman with a cannon slapshot .. owns arguably the biggest pointshot of his age group but he needs to keep it low, as most of his shots are often head-high .. loves to jump into the offensive rush and display his impressive offensive skill set .. tough and competitive one-on-one, although he is a bit loose defensively in a positioning sense.

William Kessel (2010), LW, Detroit Honeybaked

Big winger with immense skill and the ability to dominate when his passion is not wavering .. possesses supple hands and owns some slick moves that he uses to maneuver around the opposition in heavy traffic.. strong goal scorer and set-up man in-tight, where his ability to shield the puck buys himself time to make a play.

Andrew Sinelli (2010), C, Detroit Honeybaked

Smart and competitive two-way center with a mature game .. does not have any glaring flaws but does not stand out in any one area as well .. crafty on the puck with deceiving one-on-one moves and the ability to move the puck well.

Bryan Rust (2010), RW, Detroit Honeybaked

Strong, power winger who uses his big frame and exceptional puck protection ideally to stimulate his ability to generate offense below the hash marks .. creative, in-tight goal scorer with soft hands .. should begin to use his size more and finish his checks to become more of a physical presence.

T.J. Tynan (2010), C, Chicago Mission

Small but competitive center with exceptional skill and skating ability .. possesses amazing hands that he displays with his sick one-on-one dangles and unreal in-close puck control .. powerful skater with a quick stride and the ability to turn on a dime .. always has the puck and is a deft playmaker that can finish with his slick touch in front .. competes hard and is a well-rounded, two-way performer.

Christian Hilbrich (2010), RW, Chicago Mission

Towering winger with tremendous upside, although he is still moons away .. pretty good skater for a player of his size though he needs to display more fortitude with the puck .. stays on the perimeter too much but he shows his true potential when he applies himself and can be very difficult to stop going to the net.

Kevin Lind (2010), D, Chicago Mission

Athletic defenseman with good size, mobility, and strength .. loves to jump and carry the puck up the ice .. moves the puck efficiently but is not a creative quarterback type .. defensively, he plays with toughness and angles his man to the outside well, although he needs to tighten his gaps.

Jamie Hill (2010), C, Comcast

Diminutive but highly skilled and savvy offensive center .. has a lot of sand paper to his game, as he likes to get under the oppositions skin with his never-back-down attitude .. possesses great feet with exceptional quickness and agility .. patient and creative playmaker with great vision and skill.

David Bondra (2010), LW, Maryland

The son of Peter Bondra .. has the exact same stride as his father, although he does not own that third gear yet .. displays good offensive instincts and he finishes his chances .. uses his muscular frame well in the trenches and can land some stiff body checks.

Scott Howe (2010), LW, Maryland

Possesses good height and adequate strength that he uses well to buy himself time and shield the puck well along the wall .. owns quick start-up strides that propel his strong straight-line speed that he uses well when pursuing the puck

Alex Larson (2010), G, TPH Thunder

Playing for former NHLer Uwe Krupp's TPH Thunder .. tall and gangly netminder with all the natural athletic ability you look for .. exceptional footwork and leg quickness makes him nearly unbeatable down low .. mechanics need refining, as his stick work is shaky, leading to some bad five-whole goals .. he has what you cannot teach and a good goaltending coach could do wonders with him to harness his ability.

Stanislav Galiev (2010), C, Russian National 1992

The most talented Russian in the 1992 age group also happens to be the most egotistic .. possesses powerful skating ability and amazing hand skill that can yank you out of your seat with electrifying one-on-one ability .. selfish with the puck although he is a great passer when in the sharing mood on top of being a dangerous goal scorer .. does not know what his own zone looks like and floats with incredible frequency.