USA Select 17: Team Royal and Team Navy

In our final installment on the USA Select-17 Festival, McKeen's correspondent Max Giese reviews Team Royal and Team Navy including: John Carlson, Nate Dewhurst and Danny Mattson, who were all recently announced to the 2007 USA Under-18 Team.

Team Royal

John Carlson (2008), D, NJ Rockets/ Indiana Ice

Big and strong with great upside although he is still very raw .. blessed with superb offensive instincts and vision .. sees the ice well and is a strong puck-moving defenseman .. owns a heavy pointshot .. possesses a long reach and good hands .. can elude the opposition one-on-one .. makes good decisions with the puck and will use the boards if he needs to .. displayed good backward and lateral mobility for a player his size .. inconsistent defensively, as he will take the body hard one shift and then be caught watching the puck on the next .. all around, he is a smart defender and did a nice job clearing out the front of his crease .. a player to keep an eye on.

Nate Dewhurst (2008), C, Des Moines

Short but stocky .. at his best when he plays with a feisty edge .. displays adequate quickness and mobility .. lacks top-end offensive ability .. must focus on keeping his energy level high away from the puck, to be an asset to the team.

Danny Mattson (2009), RW, Academy of Holy Angels

Blessed with nimble feet, is shifty and possesses a separation gear in open ice .. inconsistent defensive habits, as he will work hard in his own end on one play and then leave his zone early looking to go offensive the next .. sees the ice well and is a decent setup man .. poised with a nice touch in close around the net .. makes good decisions with the puck.

Robert Shea (2008), D, Detroit Belle Tire/ Green Bay Gamblers

Nothing fancy but he is solid as a rock .. good one-on-one defender .. plays the man not the puck .. stands his man up at the blueline effectively .. does a good job sealing his man to the outside .. not a mean player but he is strong and plays the body well .. quietly effective defensively .. great defensive awareness and positioning .. good gap control .. displays a healthy edge near his crease area and takes exception to the opposition taking liberties with his goaltender .. does a good job fronting the puck and blocking shots .. sees the ice adequately .. moves the puck quick and safely .. lacks the creativity to be an offensive defenseman .. does not like to skate the puck up the ice, as he is always looking to find the nearest open man to pass to .. possesses a strong stride and decent feet .. above average lateral and backward mobility.

Mitch Wahl (2008), C, Spokane Chiefs

Sees the ice exceptionally well and is a great playmaker .. possesses top-end creativity and a deft playmakers touch .. does a fantastic job quarterbacking the powerplay from the half wall or point .. owns a quick and accurate shot that he must learn to utilize more often .. pass first, shoot second mentality .. fluid skater with a decent first step .. speed is not his game, as he tends to coast .. if he does drive his feet hard, he emerges as a deceptively fast skater .. needs to keep moving his feet .. good acceleration and agility .. patient and poised with the puck .. can slow the game down while in possession of the puck .. blessed with velvety hands .. slick one-on-one threat .. great puck protection .. displays keen sense of offensive timing and has a high offensive IQ .. has enough grit and competes well .. will finish his checks and at times, displays surprising upper body strength .. does an adequate job in his own end although, he needs to refine his overall defensive play .. not a penalty-kill type but he is dependable.

Chris Bournazos (2008), F, Team Illinois/ Cedar Rapids

Extremely hard worker every shift and is tough to play against … plays bigger than his size .. tenacious two-way player with good quickness.

Tommy Olczyk (2009), RW, Chicago Mission/ Sioux City

Perceptive two-way winger who is gritty and competes hard .. finishes his checks with surprising force .. decent feet with fine quickness although, he lacks a top gear.

Team Navy

Ryan Grimshaw (2008), D, USNTDP

Committed to Harvard .. has good mobility with a swift top gear .. possesses agile and quick feet .. composed with the puck and sees the ice well .. not a creative offensive player but he moves the puck efficiently .. pinches in down low and joins the rush at appropriate times .. communicates well .. possesses good, soft hands and an all-around high skill level .. smart two-way defenseman .. barks out defensive orders to his teammates .. tough to beat one-on-one, as he maintains sound defensive positioning .. not a mean or physical player but he will play the body and not the puck .. sound gap control .. nothing sexy but he's an asset at both ends of the rink.

Adam Comrie (2008), D, Omaha Lancers

Raw defenseman with all the intangibles to develop into a player .. an intriguing project on the back end .. beginning to fill out his lanky frame .. proactive player with confidence .. likes to lead or join the rush .. makes a crisp first pass .. can stretch the ice with a long distance outlet pass .. sees the ice adequately but at times, he will force a pass into trouble .. fairly coordinated for his big frame .. feet are adequate and he owns a strong stride with great range .. pivots well, has decent agility, is strong on his edges and owns a prevailing top gear .. possesses a long reach and good hands .. has a bone-rattling pointshot .. displays some creativity on the point .. has all the tools to be an effective defenseman once he fills out .. can be caught out of position chasing the big hit .. good open-ice hitter .. competes hard and uses his long reach and big frame well in his own end .. can be caught chasing his man and needs to refine his defensive game but overall, he has tons of upside.

Steven Spinell (2008), D, Team Illinois/ Ohio Junior Blue Jackets

Will play for the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets next season, before attending the University of Miami-Ohio .. big and strong with a mean streak .. thunderous open-ice hitter .. clears his crease with authority .. can execute a stern hip check .. displays impressive lateral mobility for a player his size .. decent agility and okay feet .. possesses deceptive skill and ability to move the puck although, he likely will not be an offensive defenseman at the next level .. some offensive upside is hidden there somewhere .. good anticipation and timing .. adequate hockey sense.

Jesse Brown (2008), F, Syracuse Stars/ Cedar Rapids

Is an enigma, as he possesses all the tools to be a dominant player but his questionable on ice work ethic limits him .. owns great size with a tall and strong frame .. possesses unreal hands .. can perform sick dangles and undresses the opposition one-on-one .. can stickhandle in a phone booth .. strong on the puck, as he protects it well .. can drag the opposition to the net .. sees the ice well and is a slick passer .. owns a quick and accurate shot and has good touch near the net .. floats a lot and is lazy away from the puck.. feet are okay but he is slow because he simply will not move his feet when he is away from the puck .. great upside but will need a coach to work on his intensity away from the puck.

Nick Oddo (2008), F, Russel Stover/ Cedar Rapids

Displays enough speed to beat his man to the outside .. owns a good top gear .. protects the puck well and drives the net hard .. strong on his feet, despite his skinny appearance .. owns a deft touch in close .. can shelf the puck from in tight .. sees the ice well and is an adequate playmaker .. uses his prevailing top gear well on the backcheck .. works and attacks the puck hard, as he displays a good motor and puck pursuit.

Ryan Rashid (2008), F, Honey Baked

Owns a quick and accurate wristshot .. possesses nimble feet and a quick first step .. displays good hand skill and offensive awareness but overall, was ineffective at the camp.

Pat Arnason (2008), G, Grand Forks Red River HS

Raw goaltender with great reflexes but must improve his footwork .. stays square to the puck and plays big in the net .. competes hard and never gives up on a save .. patient in close and is tough to beat one-on-one .. owns fast limbs and possesses a great glove hand.