USHL: Bucs Still Worth Watching

The Des Moines Buccaneers are off to a difficult start in 2007-08 and have generally lacked offensive firepower. The Bucs' do not have the draft-eligible talent compared to the 2006 season, when the team had Kyle Okposo, Trevor Lewis, Jeff Petry, and Shane Sims, however, the Bucs' feature some impressive talent for the 2009 and 2010 drafts. The most notable is Alexander Denezhkin, a 16-year-old Russian who embodies the fusion of the classic North American and European styles. The team also features goaltender Fredrik Bergman that could easily follow Alex Kangas, as a USHL goalie selected in his second year of draft eligibility.

Ben Blood (Ott), D, Des Moines

Has not been as impressive during regular season viewings as he was at the Fall Classic .. demonstrates good decision-making with the puck, whether it is assessing passing options, springing forwards for breakaways with long passes, or choosing to circle away from a check and regroup .. outlet passes are typically crisp and accurate .. stickhandling is inconsistent, as he mishandles it at the point or when laying down dekes from time to time .. long reach allows him to sweep the puck wide and recover some of his mishandling .. like most young defensemen, he is still learning, as he does a good job of angling opponents and maintaining defensive positioning at times and allows forwards to get in behind him at others .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge.

Taylor Matson (Van), C, Des Moines

Probably the Buccaneers' best all-around forward .. Matson uses his speed and effort to be very pesky on the forecheck and the backcheck creating turnovers .. finishes his checks and can layout a big hit from time to time by thrusting into his checks.. intelligent in the faceoff circle by knowing where he should draw the puck .. has good two-way awareness, but has been unable to finish his chances on too many occasions, which has been true of the Buccaneers in general so far in 2007-08.

Trent Vogelhuber (CBJ), RW, Des Moines

Was looking good as a power forward for the Bucs, and even playing the point on the powerplay before blowing out his knee in practice on a harmless drill .. the knee was the same one that he injured in 2006-07 playing for the St. Louis Sting of the NAHL, which begs the question of how healthy the knee was to begin the season.

Austin Handley (2008), D, Des Moines

Des Moines' top-defensive defenseman, who is playing better than he did at the Fall Classic .. plays a physical game and often pinches for hits in the neutral zone .. can also down a nice hip check .. backwards acceleration needs work for better gap control, but can get some momentum going .. adept at blocking shots and blocking passes, be it with a leg drag or a textbook drop at the hash marks when skating backwards .. needs to lengthen his stride by bringing his skates back in all the way after extension .. not an overly creative player offensively, as he tends to dump the puck in on the powerplay.

Andrew Panzarella (2008), D, Des Moines

Has not progressed much since the Fall Classic .. puck movement is inconsistent, as he can make a crisp pass, but fans or passes it to "Ghost Buc" too often .. still relying too much on crossovers when accelerating backwards, this hurts his gap control early in the play .. does demonstrate good shot power from the point, although he has averaged less than a shot per game.

Brad Walch (2009), D, Des Moines

A regular on Des Moines' first powerplay unit .. has a hard pointshot, which is blocked too often .. moves the puck well from the point .. maintains poise with the puck, which is impressive for such a young defenseman at the USHL level .. defensive game is not nearly as bad as his terrible plus/minus (team worst -10 after 13 games) would indicate .. demonstrates good gap control and has demonstrated ability to angle opponents into the boards as early as the neutral zone.

Ryan Walters (2009), LW, Des Moines

A good two-way player as a 16-year-old, playing primarily on the fourth line .. continues to show good speed with the puck and maintains poise when under pressure .. has a little dangle to his game and can make veteran junior defensemen look foolish at times .. often fills in holes for pinching defensemen .. played for Team USA at the 2007, U17 Five Nations Tournament.

Alexander Denezhkin (2010), RW, Des Moines

The main reason to watch the Buccaneers as a scout in 2007-08, as he almost has every tool in the toolbox as a late-1991 DOB .. has very good speed and maintains a power position in his skating stride - translating into a powerful stride .. starts and stops are explosive and he change directions quickly, with or without the puck .. shows a consistent willingness to initiate contact with the puck and fight through traffic with a combination of speed and force .. forechecks hard, is very aggressive in the corners, and can launch into big hits to gain control of the puck .. has often skated on a line with fellow youngsters Ryan Walters and Matt White .. Moscow native is a prime example of the hybrid of the classic North American and European games .. very limited knowledge of English language, but has an opportunity to get a head start before the 2010 Draft .. apparently plans to play two years of USHL hockey and then major juniors .. heaven help the USHL if this kid skated on a line with top USHL offensive talent.

Fredrik Bergman (Undrafted), G, Des Moines

No reason this kid should not gain the attention of NHL scouts, let alone college scouts, as Alex Kangas went in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in his second year of draft eligibility .. excellent rebound control .. gets down low when anticipating a shot, which allows him to go down very quickly .. able to get back up quickly, too .. gets compact when he goes into the butterfly and eliminates the five-hole quickly .. tracks the puck well and stays poised in net .. able to push off well with either leg when in the butterfly to adjust his position or move across the net laterally .. high academic marks and standardized test scores (according to Washington Jr. Nationals' Recruiting Guide last season) open up many college options for Bergman.