USHL: Anderson Cup Stops at Waterloo Station

The Waterloo Black Hawks will be the No. 1 seed heading into the Clark Cup Playoffs after capturing their first regular season title (Anderson Cup) on the final game of the season. McKeen's was on hand for a recent contest that featured the Black Hawks taking on the Green Bay Gamblers, who head into the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the East Division and reviews several players on both teams.

Podge Turnbull (2007), LW, Waterloo

Passed over in the 2006 draft, Turnbull had an excellent year in his rookie season in the USHL and he will likely be a late-round pick in this years draft .. best attribute is his ability to finish .. blessed with a great release and a shot that is both heavy and accurate .. also crashes the net as hard as anyone .. possesses soft hands with a few tricky one-on-one moves .. stride is quick and he never stops driving his feet giving him deceptive speed despite lacking power and a sub par top-gear .. anticipation is top notch, as he can read the play before it happens allowing him to be around the puck at all times .. is pesky, likes to finish his checks, and will bump the opposition after the whistle .. competitive and very vocal on the ice .. style is comparable to T.J. Oshie, although he is not as explosive .. committed to the University of Wisconsin.

Blake Kessel (2007), D, Waterloo

Has come a long way over the past year from being a long shot to make the USHL, and now a legitimate NHL prospect .. his best ability is playing the point on the powerplay .. has a quick release and does a great job of getting all of his shots through accurately .. poised with the puck and sees the ice well giving him the ability to quarterback the play .. possesses soft hands, makes quick decisions and never seems to be stripped of the puck .. a heads-up, outlet passer giving him a good first pass .. has a good-sized frame with an adequate physical edge, as he covers his crease well and does a decent job along the boards .. still needs to trim some baby fat .. knows when to attack and when not to defensively .. will take a poor angle to his man at times but doesn't get beat at this level however, he will need to correct this as he moves up against better competition.. is a decent skater with an upright stride that is fluid enough, as his agility has improved vastly since the beginning of the season .. New Hampshire recruit is definitely rising.

Craig Smith (2007), C, Waterloo

One of the best kept secrets of the draft and is a diamond in the rough .. blessed with an ideal stride that already packs a nice burst out of the gates .. already a good skater but should turn into a great skater, as he adds power to his stride by bulking up his skinny legs .. patient with the puck and sees the ice very well emerging as a creative playmaker .. gritty kid who is always working hard with or without the puck .. exceptional defensive awareness and commitment making him a very mature two-way player .. goes to the net and his hands are soft enough to finish .. one of the youngest players in the draft and it is evident he still will grow, as he is still physically immature, but he has all the tools to be a legitimate NHL prospect .. offensive totals are good considering he is always on the fourth line .. committed to the University of Wisconsin and could hear his name called in the late rounds on draft day.

John Lee (2007), D, Waterloo

University of Denver recruit has used the Waterloo Black Hawks as a before and after team, as he spent most of the season playing for Moorhead in Minnesota .. is extremely thin and lanky, and will need to bulk-up his tall frame .. has a very quick stride for a big man with fluid agility .. will be a commanding skater once he adds some lower-body bulk to increase the power behind his stride .. sees the ice adequately and is a decent passer .. has a cannon slapshot that he must learn to harness, as he struggles to find shooting lanes and seems a bit hesitant to use it .. jumps up into the rush at appropriate times and can recover thanks to his superb skating ability .. possesses good hands .. needs to get more physical defensively but his skating allows him to stay with his man one-on-one .. is too reliant on his skating at times .. style resembles Christian Ehrhoff if he bulks up and increases his physical tenacity.

Matt DiGirolamo (2007), G, Waterloo

Passed over at last years draft, DiGirolamo has had a strong year carrying the young Black Hawks on his shoulders and even made the USHL All-Star game .. mechanically strong goaltender with splendid legs and anticipation .. fully aware of the developing play around him .. does a good job staying square to the puck .. possesses good leg quickness and lateral mobility .. both glove side and blocker side are strong and he possesses good rebound control up high .. controls rebounds well down low as well .. recovers quickly from the butterfly back to his stance .. patient with the first shot and will stay on his feet to make a save .. smallish goaltender that will resort to flopping off rebounds and could be exposed up high at a higher level of hockey .. does not react well to tips or shots off a broken play .. usually plays on the top of the crease but fell back to far on one odd-man rush .. has an outside shot at being drafted.

Kyle Reeds (2007), LW, Waterloo

Strong skater with a terrific wristshot that is bone rattling and accurate .. he possesses all the sniper-like qualities .. does a good job driving the middle and is useful away from the puck .. possesses a swift and strong stride making him a good skater .. the combination of speed and shooting ability makes him an intriguing late-riser, as he seems to be putting all the pieces together lately.

Keegan Meuer (2007), RW, Waterloo

Still a long shot to be drafted but Meuer has progressed well this season with noticeable improvement on the ice .. his skating in particular has come a long way, as his stride is stronger and more compact than it was earlier in the season .. anticipates the game well and is usually in position at both ends of the ice .. difficult to knock off the puck thanks to his fine balance and he does a good job holding his own in traffic despite the modest frame .. possesses a quick release with good accuracy and was a scorer in high school .. does not see the ice well and takes to long to find an open man, which leads to him being stripped of the puck too often .. still on the fourth line.

Derrick LaPoint (Fla), D, Green Bay

Plays as if he's 5-foot-10 instead of using his 6-foot-4 frame to his full advantage .. needs to add bulk to his skinny lower body .. must also add strength to his upper body to help his physical game, as he can be too soft on his man .. poised and patient with the puck, he sees the ice well and makes a strong first pass .. shines while quarterbacking the powerplay, as he is a threat to make a nice pass or shot .. keeps his shots low looking for rebounds, as he does a good job releasing the puck quickly and finding shooting lanes .. picks his spots well when deciding to join or lead the offensive rush and pinches in down low astutely .. possesses soft hands with a great reach .. covers a lot of ice with just a few strides, as he is an agile and smooth skater for a big man .. with added lower-body strength, his stride should be more powerful .. receives icetime in all situations .. a smart defender with good positioning who uses his long reach and swift skating to be difficult to beat one-on-one .. fatigue seems to be setting in, as he is still playing solid but is not the dominant defenseman he was earlier in the season .. when he is on his game, he is the second-best defenseman in the league only behind Jeff Petry .. will play for the University of North Dakota next fall.

Ryan Santana (2007), LW, Green Bay

Strong skating up-and-down winger with an impressive motor .. plays an abrasive style and uses his size well .. backchecks and forechecks with vigor and always finishes his checks .. has improved since the beginning of the season but he still lacks an offensive game, which should keep him from being drafted.

Anthony Hayes (2007), C, Green Bay

Big kid with a fine physical edge and a fluid stride that produces impressive power .. drives the net and opens up the ice for his linemates .. plays a reliable two-way style but has no offense to his game now .. will not be drafted.

C.J. Lee (2007), RW, Green Bay

Joined the Gamblers midway through the season .. physical in-your-face-kind-of player that is stocky and very sturdy on his feet .. left the game early with an injury and was not able to showcase anything else.

Mike Sislo (2007), RW, Green Bay

Possesses a smooth and strong stride with a fine top gear that allows him to beat the defender to the outside .. stride also produces an exceptional lateral burst .. has a quick and accurate shot .. competes and plays physical as well as solid away from the puck .. was not selected at last years draft but his offensive game has come such a long way this season that he might be on some team's radar.

Steve Silva (2007), LW, Green Bay

Small and skilled with quick feet, Silva can be a dynamic offensive player when the effort is there .. committed to Northeastern University where he should play an offensive role immediately .. can get a bit gritty at times and his heavy wristshot is attract