USHL: 1994 Showcase

USHL Central Scouting recently held their 1994 showcase in Woodridge, Illinois and McKeen's director of scouting Max Giese was on hand to locate a handful of promising prospects. Several players have already been drafted by WHL teams and the rest are probable selections for the OHL and QMJHL priority drafts next season.

Drew Newmeyer (2012), D, Phoenix Firebirds

A pure skating defenseman with good offensive upside .. a great skater that is agile in his pivots and has the confidence in his skating ability to hold the offensive zone .. boasts textbook backwards skating form and he doesn't rely on cross overs to accelerate, which allows him to control gaps with ease .. skilled with the puck and he moves it well while displaying good poise and puck smarts .. defensively, his game requires work and he must get stronger .. while defending one-on-one situations, Newmeyer does not square up to his mans chest and he can even get caught defending with his back facing the puck .. a promising defenseman with flourishing mobility .. his WHL rights are held by Prince George.

Vincent Hinostroza (2012), RW, Chicago Mission

An exciting player that is noticeable every shift, Hinostroza manipulates the puck on his blade as if it was attached to a string and he's capable of undressing defenders with some electrifying moves .. has a good burst of speed in the open ice and his peers seem incapable of defending him in one-on-one situations .. his feet are quick out of the gate and then he lengthens his strides in the open ice .. flat out can score and he's capable of making something out of nothing .. on the small side, but he plays and hits hard while also being fearless to the net .. gives a commendable effort on the backcheck and he offers solid defensive support.

Brian Morgan (2012), C, Boston Jr. Bruins

A good all-around player that is very clever in the offensive zone .. his most distinguishable asset is his on-ice intelligence, as Morgan sees the ice and deciphers the game at a high rate .. boasts a strong stick along with smooth hands and puckhandling moves .. a solid set-up man, Morgan is also an accurate shooter that can pick corners with his accuracy and he does a nice job finding shooting lanes for himself .. his stride is fine, although he will need to work on his foot speed.

John Sloan (2012), D, St. Louis Blues

A tall defenseman that likes to get involved offensively, Sloan is blessed with great size and this coupled with his proactive offensive nature gives him a vast amount of upside .. loves to jump into the offensive attack and he isn't hesitant to lead the charge himself with his big shot .. still growing into his gangly body and his agility and first step can be awkward, although he does skate well for a player of his size and age .. has a long reach and he effectively takes the body, although shifty opponents can beat him and he will need to continue to work on his skating .. will only get stronger and he already bulls his way around traffic.

Adam Gilmour (2012), RW, Thayer Academy

A lanky winger that boasts a lively stick and rangy puck skills .. has a nice touch around the net with the ability to put the puck top shelf from within tight .. he has the height, but he's gangly and skinny .. currently, Gilmour is very weak and while he tries to get physically involved, he ultimately gets pushed aside by stronger opponents .. his feet are nimble, however he will need to add requisite lower body strength for him to acquire strength in his stride.

Jack Rowe (2012), RW, Chicago Mission

Plays with a high motor and is a healthy skater with a nice stride .. can unleash an accurate shot while coming down the wing at full speed .. he has a stealth-like quality to him in the offensive zone, as he works well in space and maneuvers himself into scoring areas .. the type of player that has a solid dose of skill and hard work, but doesn't overwhelm you with either attribute.

Garret Cockerill (2012), D, Detroit Compuware

An above-average-sized defender with a knack for the open-ice hit .. the type of kid that continuously finds himself in large collisions and he's often the aggressor .. an average skater that moves around okay, but he needs to work on his lateral agility because quick and speedy opponents can give him trouble .. a studious defender that does a solid job one-on-one and maintains an active stick .. his offensive abilities are limited and he needs to work on his first pass.

Alex Roos (2012), C, Team Illinois

Skates with serviceable feet and aggressive strides, although he lacks that pull away gear to make him dangerous .. lacks size and is prone to getting tossed off of his feet, although he will get his nose dirty and dig in for the puck .. competes especially hard around the net and he's programmatic enough to understand this is how he will score most of his points .. has some puck skills and he can execute at full speed.

Tyler Pham (2012), LW, Team Illinois

The type of player that jumps out and makes you take notice .. boasts fast feet and impressive jets out of the gate .. an industrious winger that plays with a spark and he will cover for his pinching defenseman .. offensively he displays good vision and patience with the puck while sending the puck on a rope through miniscule lanes to teammates in prime scoring areas.

Nick Chiodini (2012), LW, Team Illinois

The type of player that is all about speed and hard work, Chiodini has good acceleration out of his crossovers and flourishing open-ice skating ability .. plays with some jam and a high-running motor .. offensively, he does a good job avoiding dead ends and he will show some patience by controlling the puck until his teammates open themselves up for the pass .. aware defensively and will cover for the pinching defenseman.

Robert Harbison (2012), D, Pittsburgh Hornets

A handsy defenseman that is also a tough customer and hits hard .. opponent forwards will go to finish their checks on Harbison and he'll end up hitting them back and getting the best of them .. the type of player that is rattling the glass on most shifts with body contact .. not a good skater and his lack of quickness is evident, but his flashy hands enable him to carry the puck with some success.

Nicholas Schilkey (2012), LW, Detroit Honeybaked

A small, but slippery forward that is skilled and creative offensively .. has some jam, will play in traffic, and is greasy for opponent defenders to handle down low in the offensive zone .. both an accurate shooter and passer, Schilkey is also a flashy puckhandler that innately switches the angle of his blade to use a defender as a screen while getting pucks on net .. more quick than fast, Schilkey is especially dangerous from the blueline in .. size isn't too big of a concern because he will take a big hit and then pop right back up .. at times, he becomes overly cute with the puck and can be borderline selfish, as he needs to begin to identify when the simple play is the right play .. defensively, he's lazy and floats around while doing circles in the defensive zone.

Alec Vanko (2012), D, Madison Capitals

A defender with decent size that can skate, Vanko has the physical tools and good upside but he remains very raw because of his limited hockey IQ .. an encompassing skater with smooth, long strides and good lateral agility .. his pivots are clean and he can skate with the puck, but his sub par vision of the ice lets him down and makes him erratic moving the puck .. not blessed with a great deal of hockey sense and he must keep his game simple to maintain effectiveness .. defensively, he does a nice job locking on his mans chest and taking the body, but he lacks the upper body strength to physically rub his man off.

Judd Loewenstein (2012), D, Team Illinois

A quick all-access skater that is comfortable working the offensive blueline .. his lateral mobility allows him to open up the oppositions defenses and gets pucks onto the net, although his offensive creativity is mild at best .. despite being a quick skater, Loewenstein doesn't escape pressure well .. however, he is an accurate stick-to-stick passer when giving time and space to operate .. is only average-sized, but he's fairly sturdy and can successfully angle his man off to the wall.

Christopher Buchanan (2012), D, San Jose Jr. Sharks

A fairly physical defenseman that has decent size and he plays the body .. an effective one-on-one defender that physically neutralizes his man .. will need to work on his feet and clean up his skating overall .. a bit stiff with the puck and his decision making could be quicker .. his WHL rights are held by Spokane.

Jarrid Privitera (2012), C, North Jersey Avalanche

A clever centerman that is smart with the puck and sees the ice well .. he's a solid set-up man that still needs to work on his skating by lengthening his strides.

Hayden Stewart (2012), G, Madison Capitals

The most impressive goaltender at the showcase, Stewart is an athletic hybrid .. slightly undersized, but his quickness and the way he battles in the crease makes up for it .. a good skater that is strong down low and is capable of making fast reactionary stops .. has the coveted flexibility in his lower extremities along with a fast glove hand .. his focus is one of his top assets and it allows him to find pucks through traffic that most goaltenders cannot .. does a good job tracking pucks and putting his whole body in motion to make the save, this gives him range in the crease and the ability to control the game to his liking .. has the tools of a good young goaltender in the making.

David Zevnik (2012), G, Milwaukee Jr. Admirals

An average-sized, butterfly goaltender that is calm and efficient between the pipes .. reads the game well and this allows him to minimize all of his movements .. in his stance he advertises the five hole before taking it away quickly .. controls rebounds well and is in and out of his butterfly quickly .. utilizes quick, short lateral steps to maneuver himself in the crease .. has a good glove hand and he tracks pucks in well .. seemingly anticipates where the shooter is going at times .. needs to challenge the shooter more proactively and begin to play outside of his crease when the situation calls for it .. guilty of committing early at times and he needs to polish his puckhandling skills.

Joe Lappin (2012), LW, Chicago Mission

The son of former NHLer Peter Lappin, Joe is a raw player but one that has upside because of how well he thinks the game .. does an admirable job analyzing game situations and his ability to see the ice is impressive .. very immature physically, but the defensive polish to his game bellies his age .. on the small side, although he goes into the dirty areas and he drives his feet through checks .. his feet are okay, but he needs to get stronger in his lower body to upgrade his speed .. one of the most vocal players at the showcase.

Nikolas Olsson (2012), RW, LA Selects

A-plus skater if he's moving his feet, Olsson's game is periodically plagued by laziness, especially on the defensive side of the puck .. in the offensive zone Olsson will play hard whistle to whistle and will attack the net .. he has a decent outside step of speed and he can get feisty on occasion, but he must stop cherry picking and commit himself to defensive hockey .. his WHL rights are held by Red Deer.

Austin Ho (2012), D, LA Selects

A gritty defenseman with good instincts but only average feet .. makes healthy decisions with the puck while under pressure and he will eat it if needed instead of throwing the puck away .. he's a tough enough player, although he does need to get more physical in front of his crease .. his hands and puck moving capabilities are adequate but are nothing special .. he's not a bad skater, however he needs to get lower and extend through his stride more .. will get himself into trouble by trying to accomplish too much on his own and will take himself out of position .. his WHL rights are held by Medicine Hat.

Nicholas Anderson (2012), C, San Jose Jr. Sharks

A large centerman that would be better suited playing on the wing, because he is a physical player that lacks high-end skating ability and skill .. an honest two-way player that comes deep in his own end to support in defensive coverage .. a cumbersome skater with a hitch in his first few steps, Anderson has no glide to his stride and his skating is the main area of his game that needs to be upgraded, however his size and physical streak make him an attracting prospect .. his WHL rights are held by Medicine Hat.

Nicolas Kerdiles (2012), RW, LA Selects

A promising winger with good size and hand skill .. Kerdiles is an effective player when utilizing his size to his advantage along the wall and he does have slick puck control .. capable of being a strong wall-to-net-type-of-player .. still needs to learn how to use his size even more to his advantage by driving the net with more conviction and finishing all of his checks .. a decent skater once he picks up a head of steam, but he will need to work on his first step quickness .. defensively, his game requires a lot of work, as he tends to leave the zone prematurely and commits to many bad touches around his own blueline .. his WHL rights are held by Kelowna.

Austin Carroll (2012), LW, PF Changs

Has above-average size and decent ability around the net .. has a good snapshot and he never hesitates to use it .. he has serviceable puck skills and he's difficult to contain when he's playing the wall and attacking the slot area .. the problem is he only does these things in waves and he has a selfish, lazy undertone to his game .. will finish his checks, but his defensive work is simply non-existent and he's a bit heavy on his feet.

Grant Webermin (2012), D, Detroit Honeybaked

A physically strong defender that can skate and hit, but ultimately his game is held captive by his terrible hockey sense .. he's a blockhead with a horrendous tactical game .. while defending odd-man rushes, Webermin will attempt to play man-on-man .. he's awful with the puck and he treats it like it's a hot potato, plus he has hands of cement .. on the positive side, he has above-average size and strength .. a crisp all-access skater that can execute deep cuts .. a difficult player to play against that hits hard and is always seeking to dole out the physical punishment .. keeps his gaps tight and doesn't surrender open ice without body contact.