USA Select 17: Team Green

In part five of a multi-part series, McKeen's correspondent Max Giese reviews Team Green from the USA Select-17 Festival including: Joe Gleason, Michael Fink, Danny Kristo, Connor Knapp, Steven West, Eric Ringel, Daniel Heath, Jacob Johnstone and Rocco Carzo.

Joe Gleason (2008), D, Edina HS

Small defenseman with exceptional skating ability and a proactive two-way game .. owns a special burst of speed and is a threat to rush the puck up the ice on his own .. all over the ice but has the speed to recover if caught out of position .. hands are above average .. sees the ice adequately and moves the puck well .. an asset to the powerplay .. aggressive defender always looking for the open-ice hit .. short but stocky and strong on his feet .. his quick stick allows him to strip the puck away from the opposition .. will be a very good collegiate defenseman but his lack of height may hurt his chance at playing in the NHL.

Michael Fink (2008), RW, Hopkins HS/ Waterloo Black Hawks

Committed to North Dakota .. blessed with superb hand skill and offensive instincts .. his lack of quickness is a glaring issue .. always looking to shoot .. displays fine in-close skills .. sees the ice well and is an adequate playmaker .. needs to compete harder and his defensive game needs a lot of work.

Danny Kristo (2008), C, USNTDP

North Dakota commit .. seems to generate scoring opportunities every shift .. blessed with great skill and is dangerous one-on-one .. game breaker with effortless and explosive skating ability .. shifty and accelerates swiftly .. uses his speed well at both ends of the ice .. displays superb offensive timing and touch .. creative playmaker with a soft touch in tight .. can be guilty of over handling the puck .. owns a quick and accurate shot with a real sneaky release .. not a hard player but he is not shy about getting his nose dirty .. his defensive game is okay but if he displayed more consistent fortitude away from the puck, he would be more of an asset.

Connor Knapp (2008), G, Boston Junior Bruins

Towering goaltender with impressive dexterity and athleticism for a big man .. does not possess great lateral movement but he covers the entire crease in just a few small side-to-side shuffles .. fluid lateral movement from the butterfly .. stays square to the puck and displays fine positioning .. strong first-save goaltender .. decent rebound control and both gloves are adequate.

Steve West (2008), D, USNTDP

Not effortless but he possesses good feet and is a strong all-compass skater .. displays the speed to recover if caught out of position .. poised and makes good decisions with the puck .. makes a crisp first pass .. will not force an errant pass and uses his secondary options well .. not a creative offensive type but he owns a heavy pointshot .. intense competitor and is tough to beat one-on-one .. plays physical and is a devastating open-ice hitter .. has a knack for catching the opposition with their head down and taking them off the puck with a thunderous body check .. always in proper defensive positioning .. committed to Ohio State.

Eric Ringel (2008), D, Mahoning Valley

Notre Dame recruit .. possesses nimble feet .. quick and fluid skater although he is not explosive .. sees the ice instinctively and is a good puck-moving defenseman .. poised with the puck .. needs to add strength and prefers to use his feet instead of his body while defending and can be guilty of watching the puck.

Daniel Heath (2008), D, PF Chang

Tall defenseman with good two-way upside .. possesses fluid but commanding mobility .. deceptively blows by the opposition and can rush the puck up the ice on his own .. hands are okay but the way he shields the puck is special .. owns some raw offensive instincts and talent .. does not see the ice very well but he plays inside himself and makes the safe pass .. owns a quick pointshot .. anticipates the play well and is a smart defender .. not a mean player but does a good job playing the body and not the puck .. healthy gap control .. does a good job using his reach to disrupt the opposition .. does a great job limiting the options of his man.

Jacob Johnstone (2008), F, Capital Center Pride/ Greenbay Gamblers

Possesses soft hands and is strong on the puck .. good one-on-one threat .. patient with the puck .. does a good job drawing the opposition to him and then dishing off a slick pass .. good in-tight skills .. draws penalties through his hard work .. owns a heavy slapshot .. unfortunately, his feet are not as quick as his hands.

Rocco Carzo (2008), LW, Philadelphia Little Flyers/ Lincoln Stars

Strong on his feet and goes hard to the net .. sees the ice adequately and moves the puck maturely .. protects the puck well .. displays good acceleration .. owns a quick and accurate shot.