USHL: Costello No Laughing Matter to Opponents

In regards to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, there's no question who's on first for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - Jeff Costello. Costello's hard-hitting physical game is no laughing matter to opposing defensemen trying to break the puck out, and the former Wisconsin high school standout has made matters even worse for the opposition by demonstrating a nose for the net teaming with two veteran, skilled speedsters and has solidified his standing for the upcoming draft along the way.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch Cedar Rapids three times in the first half of the 2008-09 season and enters notes on several players including Jeff Costello, Paul Phillips, Cody Murphy, Matt Donovan, and a few other Roughriders' prospects.

Jeff Costello (2009), LW, Cedar Rapids

Stout 5-foot-11, 194-pound left winger plays a power forwards' game .. plays a physical game and is good for one highlight-reel hit per game .. finishes his checks and thrusts up into most of them .. hustles into corners .. has good speed for both the forecheck and the backcheck and is aggressive on both .. also plays his power game in the offensive zone by fighting through or around checks and driving the net .. also has strong shot power .. has a fairly hard slapshot, but also has some speed to his wristshot and snapshot .. has the hands to keep control of the puck around the net or to drag it around defensemen while using his cruising speed with the puck .. sees time on both the powerplay and penalty kill .. willing to drop the gloves and is a difficult opponent with his strength and well-distributed mass .. stats have taken a boost since mid-November, when he was placed on a line with Mike Seidel and Kyle Flanagan .. named to play for Team East at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. as of Jan.24, he had 16 goals and 5 assists in 30 games .. committed to Notre Dame .. at midseason, he is looking like a strong candidate for selection in the fourth or fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Paul Phillips (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Playing a more offensive role in 2008-09 and is playing in every situation for the RoughRiders .. breakout passes are generally on the tape, crisp, and hard .. equally comfortable making the short pass or the long-distance pass .. does need to improve passing precision a little more, as one or two passes per game are slightly off the mark and cause icing or a bad turnover .. adept one-touch passer to transition the puck to the attack .. quarterbacks one of Cedar Rapids' powerplay units .. makes very crisp, accurate point-to-point passes .. has a hard one-timer that he keeps low .. mobility at the point allows him to adjust his positioning to make sure he gets off a good one-timer .. has decent speed and acceleration with the puck and can skate it successfully .. will pinch down from the point some and has the snapshot and wristshot to be a scoring threat .. not afraid to join in on the attack if he's in position to be the second or third man in .. defensively, keeps his gaps short and gets quite low and has decent speed backwards .. makes timely pokechecks .. able to stop quickly and stick with opponents who attempt to use agility to beat him .. rarely falls for stickhandling maneuvers and just plays the body .. showed a real penchant for physical play in the defensive zone in 2007-08, but this is not as common this season .. fully capable of being difficult to play against down low and would like to see more of this in his game to become the elite two-way defenseman in the USHL he has the potential to be .. just under 6-foot, his 195 pounds would still make him undersized by NHL standards, but not prohibitively so .. as of Jan. 24, he had 5 goals and 14 assists in 33 games (8th overall in USHL defenseman scoring) .. committed to Denver .. a real possibility to go in the sixth or seventh round, especially if he can successfully add the physical game he played last season to the puckmoving game he's playing this season.

Cody Murphy (2009), RW, Cedar Rapids

Hustle, speed, and agility are Murphy's bread and butter .. often F1 on the forecheck and uses his speed and effort to pressure the opposition into mistakes .. a certainty to create problems on the backcheck .. very active on the forecheck, but isn't guilty of running around aimlessly .. a regular on the penalty kill .. also uses his speed with the puck .. has quick strides that still have decent power to give him strong separation, even from a standstill .. useful quickness out of the gates complemented by good top speed .. able to make tight turns to evade checkers and has a little dangle to his game as well .. not big at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, but will still fight through checks and can shield the puck effectively .. possesses a quick, crisp wristshot .. also makes crisp passes .. statistics belie his offensive abilities, because he's bought into his more defensive role with the RoughRiders and does it well .. as of Jan. 24, he had 5 goals and 5 assists in 32 games .. fully expect Murphy to put up good number in 2009-10 with Cedar Rapids when his role will expand .. committed to Miami-Ohio starting with the 2010-11 season .. still worthy of late-round consideration for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, despite averaging less than a point every other game.

Brett Gensler (2009), RW, Cedar Rapids

Has surpassed expectations from his since viewing at the Fall Classic .. heads-up stickhandler who has a little playmaking ability and decent offensive awareness .. shows hustle into the corners and driving the net, including after making plays to teammates .. only 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, but will fight around checks .. sees a little time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. as of Jan. 24, he had 7 goals and 7 assists in 30 games .. no college commitment of yet .. a real long shot to be drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but is having a good rookie season in the USHL and shouldn't be ignored.

Brock Carlston (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Has seen limited action as a depth defenseman for Cedar Rapids .. in lone viewing in first half of the season, he looked a bit overwhelmed .. backtracked too much and did not keep his gaps on opponents short .. could be pressured into turnovers along the boards or to make a pass off target .. lost his defensive positioning too often .. effort was there, he was just struggling to adapt to the caliber of play in the USHL .. as of Jan. 24, he was pointless in 11 games .. no college commitment of yet .. almost no chance of being taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Nick Oddo (2009), C, Cedar Rapids

Playing in a defensive role for Cedar Rapids in second season with the RoughRiders .. puts in a very good defensive effort .. helps his defensemen down low and plays the body .. engages physically on the forecheck, too .. sees a lot of time on the penalty kill .. willing to sacrifice his body and block shots .. utilized on important draws and wins his share of them .. has good speed and decent quickness with a the puck, but seems to lack confidence in his stickhandling .. does see some time on the powerplay .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge but went without a point in five games .. as of Jan. 24, he had 6 goals and 6 assists in 29 games .. committed to Nebraska-Omaha .. despite continuing to show up in Central Scouting's rankings and playing his role with Cedar Rapids very well, he is a long shot to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Eric Robinson (2009), LW/RW, Cedar Rapids

Lanky 6-foot-2, 185-pound winger putting up some goals for Cedar Rapids .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. also mans his point with pressure .. engages physically along the boards and in the corners .. despite low assist totals, he has shown some ability to create prime scoring opportunities with centering passes off the boards .. demonstrates good hand-eye coordination .. seeing some time on the second powerplay unit .. as of Jan. 24, he had 10 goals and 3 assists in 29 games .. no college commitment of yet .. second year of eligibility and a real long shot to be taken, but has some positive qualities.

Bryce Aneloski (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Started the season at Providence College, but has returned to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of 2008-09 .. still a bit upright when skating, but better than last season .. slightly upright in his crossovers, but does have quick feet and does not look awkward .. lateral movement at the point taking pucks off the walls looks much improved .. now doing a good job of staying with opponents who try to use agility to beat him .. generally make crisp, accurate passes to transition or break out the puck .. can connect on long-distance passes to spring teammates .. had he looked like this last season, his odds of being selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft would have been higher .. had 1 assist in 16 games for Providence College before re-joining RoughRiders .. as of Jan. 24, he had 1 goal and 1 assist in 11 games for Cedar Rapids .. a college transfer, he has almost no chance of being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but has shown notable improvement since last season.

Matt Donovan (NYI), D, Cedar Rapids

One of the USHL's top defensemen in 2008-09 .. defensively, he reduces crossovers past the center line, stays low, keeps a wide base, and has good speed and power backwards .. mobility allows him to angle opponents, but isn't an overly physical blueliner .. powerplay quarterback has very good lateral movement at the point to get off shots, make plays, or keep the puck in .. slippery with spins, swivels, and switchbacks .. passes are generally on the tape and crisp .. has a hard slapshot and one-timer, but must improve the accuracy of these two shots .. also has a hard wristshot that has more accuracy and is dangerous when he pinches in .. able to get shots off quickly after receiving passes, even difficult passes .. does a good job to keep his head on a swivel skating back for the puck to make good breakout passes .. Cedar Rapids' number one defenseman and receives a lot of icetime in all situations .. played for team USA at the World Junior A Challenge and was named to the All-Star Team after leading the Challenge in defenseman scoring with 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. selected to play for Team East at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. as of Jan. 24, he had 10 goals and 13 assists in 30 games and was first in USHL goal-scoring amongst defensemen and third in overall defenseman scoring .. will play for Denver University in 2009-10.

Scott Winkler (Dal), C, Cedar Rapids

Limited viewing in the first half of the season (once out of three RoughRiders' games viewed) but has not looked as good as at the Fall Classic .. played for Team Norway at the Division I Group B World Junior Championships and scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games .. as of Jan. 24, he had 5 goals and 13 assists in 29 games .. committed to Colorado College.

Greg Burke (Wsh), C, Cedar Rapids

Has been hampered for most of the year with shoulder problems and has opted for surgery .. only saw Burke for limited time in one game in the first half of the season, in which he suffered a shoulder injury but came back later in the game .. showed good speed and agility in said outing, but very disappointing that injuries have hit him, as he was an impressive playmaker at the Fall Classic .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games .. as of Jan. 24, he had 2 goals in 8 games .. committed to New Hampshire.