USA Select 17: Team Teal

The USA Hockey, Select-17 Player Development Camp was held July 7-13 at the National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University and featured many of America's best hockey players born in 1990. McKeen's was on hand for the 12-team event and in a multi-part series, McKeen's correspondent Max Giese, reviews the next wave of potential American-born stars beginning with Team Teal, which featured center Michael Cichy and goaltender Aaron Crandall , who were both recently announced to the 2007 USA Under-18 Team.

USA Select-17 Festival: Team Teal

Michael Cichy (2008), C, Tri-City Storm

Highly skilled and smart offensive center with an endearing amount of grit .. blessed with velvety hands that are capable of some deft in-close moves .. if he adds some speed, he will be a deadly one-on-one threat .. heady player with a high offensive IQ and a great sense of timing .. sees the ice very well and is a slick playmaker .. tough on the puck, he does not hesitate to drive hard into traffic and is tough to knock off his feet .. can execute in traffic and attacks the net or the defender hard .. possesses a quick and accurate shot with a deceptive release .. gritty and battles to stay on the puck .. difficult to contain below the hash marks .. strong on draws .. inconsistent defensively, at times he impresses with his awareness and commitment but others he is caught floating .. skating is the glaring issue, as he lacks quickness and a top gear .. great fortitude and skill .. committed to North Dakota .. player to keep an eye on.

Vinny Saponari (2008), RW, USNTDP

Plays a similar game to St. Louis Blues second rounder Aaron Palushaj .. lacks quickness but is deadly below the hash marks .. possesses excellent hands and hand/eye coordination .. owns an impressive array of one-on-one moves .. has a long reach .. creative stickhandler .. slippery in traffic and is tough to check .. strong on his feet and puck .. tough along the boards .. can stickhandle in traffic .. protects the puck well .. poised and patient with the puck .. has the vision to find the open man and hand skill to thread the needle .. not a top-end, creative playmaker but is above average .. owns a quick shot with decent accuracy .. dangerous in-close goal scorer .. owns a stable stride but he needs to keep his feet moving, as he lacks strength in his stride and his top gear is below average .. does own good lateral mobility for a player of his size .. possesses a decent initial burst .. competes hard and has a fair amount of grit to him .. will take a hit to make a play .. will need to improve his defensive game, as while he will work hard to come back and help, he does not mark his man quick enough.

Bryce Aneloski (2008), D, Team Illinois/ Cedar Rapids

Big and strong .. has some offensive upside, as he is a strong skater heading north and his hands are good .. loves to skate the puck up the ice on his own .. aggressive at both ends .. lacks the vision to make a consistent first pass .. lateral and backward mobility need improvement .. decent foot speed for a player of his size .. plays the body well .. competes and hits hard.

Sean Logue (2009), F, Foxboro Stars/ South Shore Kings

Possesses soft hands and is slippery one-on-one .. displays quick feet and good agility .. has the acceleration to beat his man to the outside .. moves the puck quickly and is an instinctive offensive player .. hits hard for a lanky kid.

Malcolm Lyles (2008), D, Deerfield Academy

Dynamic offensive defenseman that is like having a fourth forward on the ice .. explosive skater that accelerates to his exceptional top gear rapidly .. great lateral mobility, as he can explode side-to-side to get around the opposition .. good all-compass mobility .. can change directions without losing a step .. can go coast-to-coast .. possesses the hands of a skilled forward, as he can dangle around the opposition .. sees the ice well and knows where he wants to move the puck before he has it .. creative on the point .. owns a quick shot .. anticipates the game well and creates many turnovers .. his proactive offensive game does lead to some defensive issues, as he is caught up the ice at times .. does compete hard in his own zone and does a good job neutralizing his man in front of his net .. throws his weight around.

Brett Beebe (2008), RW, Anaheim Ducks Alliance/ Tri-City Storm

Lively skater with good acceleration .. can execute a nice touch pass but takes to long to spot the open man .. owns a quick release and accurate shot .. possesses supple hands .. does not like to pay the price .. his defensive game needs work .. lots of skill but questionable hockey sense and lack of grit hurt his stock.

Aaron Crandall (2008), G, St. Thomas Academy/ Green Bay Gamblers

Athletic goaltender with good feet but is very raw .. plays on the top of his crease and likes to challenge the shooter .. possesses good rebound control up high, as he does a good job using his glove to absorb the puck into his stomach .. good skater and is quick laterally .. questionable glove side .. will stay on his feet to make a save .. opens holes while moving laterally and is prone to weak goals .. patient with the shooter one-on-one and makes the shooter make the first move .. owns quick legs.

Marc Rodriguez (2008), RW, Team Illinois/ Sioux Falls

Gritty winger that plays bigger than his size .. plays with some jam .. has a quick first step and quick feet but he lacks explosiveness .. sees the ice fairly well and can execute a nice pass .. displays quick hands and a slick touch in front of the net .. good one-on-one threat .. slippery in traffic .. good two-way player who competes hard and smart in his own zone .. plays a hard-nosed style of hockey.