USA Select 17: Team Purple

Cody Murphy (2009), C, Cedar Rapids Rough Riders

Arguably the most competitive 91' born player in the country, Murphy is a 5-foot-10 189 pound power forward that competes for every square inch of the ice .. the type of player that busts his balls the instant the puck is dropped and you wish others would emulate his uncompromising spirit .. skilled with a nose for the net and an accurate shot that he utilizes the entire net to score with .. has velvety hands with the ability to execute shifty one-on-one moves in the open ice .. still over handles the puck at times, but not as much as he did a year ago in Midget hockey .. a cunning offensive player that creates a lot of nice plays and works intuitively in space to manufacture offense from anywhere on the ice .. a skilled and crisp passer that belongs on the power play thanks to his decisive and some times creative decisions with the puck.. sturdy on his feet and agile in tight spaces, Murphy is a difficult player to check .. owns quick feet and is a strong skater that could still lengthen his stride more .. it's difficult to find a tougher kid with more battle in his soul, as he's a fierce forward that plays bigger than his size and wins the majority of one-on-one battles he takes on .. competes equally as hard at both ends of the ice and is a real thorn in the opponents side .. definitely a prized prospect for the 2009 draft class.

A.J. Treais (2009), C, USNTDP

A small but talented two-way center that unfortunately is not the sum of his parts .. his skill-set seems compartmentalized and he never put it all together to emerged as a take charge force .. blessed with a high skill level, Treais is on the puck a lot and displays glimpses of the ability to run the power play .. handles the puck like it's on a string and is a resourceful distributor especially with open ice to work with .. an adequate goal scorer with a fast release that packs decent velocity .. more shifty and quick than fast, Treais lacks the speedy top-end gear to back the opposition's defenses off making it difficult to create the space for himself needed to become a consistent offensive threat .. short with decent strength and the ability to roll off this well thanks to his low center of gravity and agility, however his lack of size hinders his ability to manufacture offense, as he's a not an effective scoring threat inside the slot area or in traffic around the net .. a useful defensive player that is good on face-offs and helpful on the penalty kill .. his anticipatory skills allows him to create turnovers and transition defense into offense quickly .. plays a hard and smart game although he may be a tweener because of his lack of size and an extra gear.

Tyler Brown (2009), LW, Plymouth Whalers

An honest two-way player with exemplary hockey sense and character .. his skating is decent just not dynamic, as he is fine once he gets going but he lacks explosive quickness out of the gates .. has some fancy moves when alone with the goaltender and he cleverly utilizes his body to shield and cover the puck well from attacking opponents, however he's not a dangler and won't beat anyone purely with his skill .. poised with the puck, Brown displays good vision and passing ability, although he isn't a dynamic creative play making type .. not overly big or imposing, however he's tough and gives or absorbs hits to make a play .. gets his nose dirty and goes hard to the net to score a goal or open up the ice for his line-mates .. a matured winger away from the puck that displays a healthy defensive conscious .. not a game-breaker, Brown is however a player that could play an instrumental role on a winning team.

Brad Walch (2009), D, Des Moines Buccaneers

A solid all-around defenseman that does his job effectively at both ends of the ice .. owns sound pivots and all-access mobility .. currently distributes the puck safely on the point allowing his teammates to create the offense instead of displaying the assertiveness to attempt to do so on his own .. not an offensive defenseman, Walch's shot is decent but not a weapon .. composed and makes a good first-pass coming out of his own zone .. a polished defender that displays inherent timing on his hits, as he can really step up and land a heavy open-ice hit if he catches an opponent coming through the neutral zone with his head down .. fairly physical and while his size and strength are decent, he will need to continue to further bulk up .. defends well in one-on-one situations off the rush thanks to his physicality and footwork .. a fine collegiate prospect that is also worth monitoring this season as a potential draft pick.

Clay Witt (2009), G, Sioux Falls Stampede

A technically solid butterfly goaltender that needs to improve on his footwork and mental approach to the game .. effectively plays big on the first shot, but his first move is always down and this is a troubling habit that will be exposed further at the higher levels of play if not corrected .. his lateral mobility needs work, as he tends to just stretch out to instead of moving step-for-step with the puck carrier .. lacks quick recovery ability and he resorts to flopping too often .. owns a compact butterfly making him difficult to beat down low and his rebound control is solid .. both his hand and blocker are adequately quick .. at 6-foot-1 185 pounds, Witt has the size to keep him worth examining this year.

Jay Camper (2009), C, Lincoln Stars

A steady two-way center with good mobility and few glaring weaknesses .. owns a flourishing stride and displays the proper knee-bend to allow him to skate low to the ice and mobilize himself quickly in all-directions .. his acceleration is especially impressive, although he lacks a game breaking separation gear .. not a natural finisher, but he does move the puck productively in all three-zones .. not overwhelming physically, although he willing to compete with or without the puck and is well balanced in bodily confrontations .. a useful defensive player that isn't a vibrant force on the ice, but is a solid all-around player.

Garrett Orhn (2010), D, Greenway High School

A small defenseman that struggles to defend, but remains a prospect worth noting because of his phenomenal skating ability with the puck .. displays a swift top gear in possession, as he can skate the puck out of harms way and accelerate fluidly past multiple opponents .. his mobility is his strongest offensive and defensive asset, as his quick feet provide him with splendid recover speed .. boasts adequate poise with the puck and is a decent puck distributor from the point, but he often relies too much on his skating to move the puck up ice when a pass to an open teammate would be the well advised option .. frustratingly hesitates to shoot despite his quick and accurate shot when in tight .. tiny and simply unable defend around his own net, Orhn could be a legit prospect if he gets bigger and continues to refine his mental processing skills both with and without the puck.

Patrick Avery (2009), LW, Indiana Ice

A quick and fast left-winger that is ultimately ineffective and easily neutralized because of his lack of size .. does cycle the puck well along the wall and can be ballsy at times, but he's mostly kept to the perimeter.

Derek DeBlois (2009), RW, Hotchkiss School

He shields the puck well, but his skill set isn't that high .. his skating is adequate at best and he's overly reliant on crossovers to get going .. possesses okay hockey sense and is a gritty, tough competitor, but his lack of great skill and mobility hinders his status as a prospect.