USA Select 17: Whitneys Prerogative

In our final look at Team Red's forwards we highlight Joe Whitney of Massachusetts who is eligible for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. We also have notes on Owen Carpino of New Hampshire, Matthew Quigley of Pennsylvania and Tommy Wingels of Illinois.

Owen Carpino (2006), F

Produced 24 points (14-10-24) in the same number of games for coach Peter Kravchuk at Governor Dummer Academy last season .. boasts blazing top speed .. really can close the gap on the forecheck thanks to exceptional mobility and acceleration .. has good touch with his passes .. does a solid job shielding the puck from checkers .. generally takes what the goalie gives him and has a decent enough of a shot to be somewhat dangerous .. needs to play with more spark to his game, at least away from the puck .. wore #17 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 1-3-4-2).

Matthew Quigley (2006), F

Had 51 points (19-32-51) in 73 games for the Pittsburgh Hornets .. splendid skater with pretty good mobility and acceleration, especially deft at making the turn and building up speed .. takes the pass well at top speed .. gets in quickly on dump ins, however will need to build up his strength to compete more effectively in traffic .. closes the gaps and puts pressure on the puckcarrier .. has some imagination with the puck .. makes the transition from defense to offense smoothly .. handles the puck easily at top speed .. distributes the puck nicely to his linemates .. saw some time on a line with Joseph Harren and Owen Carpino .. wore #18 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 5-1-6-2).

Joe Whitney (2006), F

Chipped in with 29 points (14-15-29) for Lawrence Academy last year in 25 games .. undersized, but speedy forward .. conscientious defensively and keeps his eyes moving in order to stay on top of things .. very mobile, with good acceleration .. supports the puckcarrier .. boasts a dangerous wrist shot .. won't back down, but due to his size does take some abuse .. has the ability to be used at the point on the powerplay .. is fairly dangerous around the net .. on occasion finds himself overmatched physically .. wore #19 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 2-6-8-4).

Tommy Wingels (2006), F

Racked up 66 points (28-38-66) in 81 games for Team Illinois .. puts some zip behind his wrist shot .. extremely mobile and really gets his jersey rustling in the wind when he's at top speed .. has a good eye for finding the top corner .. takes his man well and has the strength to not get overmatched easily, although that being said he will need to get a bit stronger to be able to fight more effectively through the opposition's roadblocks .. has good hockey sense and seems to learn from his mistakes .. definitely has some upside to his game if he continues to put in the time and effort .. wore #20 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 3-5-8-2).