USHL: Dalhuisen’s Dedication Paying Dividends

Mike Dalhuisen's USHL career has gone from fighter for the Chicago Steel, fighting to stay in the league, continuing the fight for cancer research after losing his mother to leukemia, to fighting for consideration in the NHL Entry Draft after a successful 2008-09 with the Lincoln Stars. After moderate numbers in 2006-07 and 2007-08, Dalhuisen played for Team West at the 2009 USHL Prospects/All-Star game, finished with a career-high 5 goals and 14 assists in 51 games and a team-leading plus-22 rating, and helped lead the Stars to the top record in the USHL's West Division to close the regular season. The Stars were eliminated by the hot Fargo Force in the second round of the 2009 Clark Cup Playoffs, but doesn't detract from the fact that the dedicated Dalhuisen has become one of the most complete defensemen in the USHL.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the chance to catch the Lincoln Stars in action once in March and once during the Clark Cup playoffs and enters notes on several players. Mike Dalhuisen, impressive two-way winger David Gerths, physical forward Garrett Peterson, and a few other Lincoln prospects making blips on the radar are featured.

David Gerths (2009), LW, Lincoln

Has everything except the statistics (except at WJAC) .. went through a ten-game pointless streak Feb. 20 through March 27 .. body language with the puck is that of a skill player .. confident stickhandler with some soft hands .. heads-up stickhandler .. regularly demonstrates impressive hand-eye coordination to bat down errant passes .. adept at bringing the puck in and across his body .. has a hard wristshot and a decent snapshot .. regularly comes off the half boards for shots or to drive the net .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. defensive effort is superb .. regularly F1 on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. incredibly active on the forecheck and the backcheck, but not in a run-around sort of way .. pressures down low on the forecheck quickly, and then next thing you know he's right on somebody on the backcheck .. difficult to knock over with the puck and can lay out some big hits without the puck .. intense in his hitting frequency, but plays a very fair game .. a definite threat to make a hit from the side on the backcheck .. played on the second powerplay unit and on the PK .. has decent size at 6-foot-0, 195 pounds and uses it .. the only weakness in his game is that the stats don't reflect his offensive capabilities, yet .. won't be surprised if he puts up strong offensive totals in 2009-10 .. with higher offensive numbers, he starts looking like a potential third-round pick .. however, Gerths is definitely worthy of a fifth-round pick .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. played for Team Reebok (West) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 12 goals and 24 assists in 52 games .. finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 0 assists in 7 games .. committed to Notre Dame for 2010-11.

Mike Dalhuisen (2009), D, Lincoln

Dutch defenseman took the next step in 2008-09 .. 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, but pretty mobile .. maintains good knee bend forward for powerful strides, good stride extension, and good speed .. powers out of his crossovers .. gets low backwards, wide base, no crossovers, lets his gaps shrink and engages physically .. also has smooth, powerful pivots .. has good agility with the puck to make powerful switchbacks to evade forecheckers .. sometimes makes one too many switchbacks and gets stripped of the puck .. has powerful stops and starts .. does a good job of maintaining a power position at all times .. able to skate the puck, but also has a good first pass .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. has a hard, crisp wristshot from the point that appears to take little effort .. has a huge slapshot from the point .. also has a hard snapshot that comes from significant stick bend .. played on the second powerplay unit and a regular on the PK .. physical down low, dropping opponents along the boards and in front of the net .. effective in separating opponents from the puck, but can also lay out some big hits .. willing to drop the gloves, but a little more choosey than in his first two seasons .. has put in a concerted effort to reduce over-aggressive, stupid penalties .. 20-year-old has a more mature, powerful game than many rookie defensemen in the AHL .. has sixth or seventh NHL defenseman potential, but fifth defenseman is also a possibility .. worthy of late-round consideration .. played for Team Reebok (West) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 5 goals and 14 assists in 51 games .. led Lincoln in plus/minus with a plus-22 rating .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 3 assists in 7 games .. committed to Quinnipiac for 2009-10 season. Click the link for a recent interview with Mike Dalhuisen

Garrett Peterson (2009), C, Lincoln

Listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, but you'd swear you're watching a 6-foot-1 player .. excellent effort on the forecheck and the backcheck .. finishes his hits and lays out some big hits .. able to really thrust into his checks .. a threat to make open-ice hits .. adept at bodying into opponents on the draw to win faceoffs by kicking it back or leaving it open for a teammate to swoop in .. has good speed with and without the puck .. has nice acceleration with the puck, getting to top speed quickly .. has an adequate wristshot, but it could be improved .. able to protect the puck along the boards with swivels .. sees a little time on the powerplay, but is a regular on the penalty kill .. a possibility to go in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but teams may also wait until another season of USHL hockey to see how his production is .. if he were born three days later, he'd be eligible for the 2010 Draft .. played for Team USA Select U18 Team at Ivan Hlinka Tournament and scored 0 goals and 0 assists in 4 games .. finished the regular season with 7 goals and 13 assists in 49 games .. finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 2 assists in 6 games .. committed to Notre Dame for 2010-11 season.

Eric Alexander (2009), RW, Lincoln

Traded from Chicago to Lincoln Feb. 2, a few days before the USHL roster freeze .. 6-foot-2, 190-pounder can disappear for portions of the game, but then show flashes of being an extremely dominant power forward .. has good cruising speed and is at his best when he's using it to drive the net with force and with wide stickhandling .. has some agility with the puck and can sidestep opponents .. can also bowl over good-sized defensemen while carrying the puck .. finishes his checks and will do so with considerable force if he's ticked off .. has a hard wristshot driving off the half boards or out of the corners .. also has an impressively hard backhand .. a danger to make centering passes form the corners for prime chances .. played on the powerplay and saw a little penalty killing time .. would like to see Alexander play with more intensity at all times for better shift-to-shift consistency .. a potential late-round pick because of the tools he displays, but more probable that NHL teams will pass in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft but continue to follow him in college .. third year of draft eligibility .. finished the regular season with 8 goals and 8 assists in 22 games for Lincoln and 17 goals and 16 assists in 38 games with Chicago .. finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 3 assists in 7 games .. committed to Ferris State for 2009-10 season.

Michael Sdao (2009), D, Lincoln

Skated at Minnesota Wild's development camp last summer, but unlikely to be selected in 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. big at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, but still must improve mobility .. an upright skater at most times, both forward and backward .. does get low backwards from time to time for pokechecks or big hits .. also upright in his pivots .. able to make some thunderous hits that level opponents .. physical around the net and can clear opponents or at least make them pay the price .. will pinch in and join the rush if he's in the place to do so .. first pass needs refinement .. able to make a hard pass, but slightly off the target at times, either in the skates or leading a bit too far .. makes crisp, accurate d-to-d passes .. wristshot from the point is adequate .. sees a little time on the powerplay, but a regular on the penalty kill .. willing to drop the gloves and is strong doing so .. Dalhuisen is definitely the superior of the two big Lincoln defenseman, as he's a much more powerful skater, has a harder shot, and has a better passing game .. size and physical game make Sdao intriguing, but a long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and more likely to be monitored as a free agent in college .. finished the regular season with 3 goals and 7 assists in 51 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 0 assists in 7 games .. committed to Princeton for 2009-10 season.

Garrett Vermeersch (2009), LW, Lincoln

Had a successful season with Lincoln after a limited role with Cedar Rapids in 2007-08 .. the skill he showed in Cedar Rapids came together for production with the Stars .. still shows the agility down low along the boards with switchbacks .. does a good job of taking looks over his shoulder to assess the play while down low .. adept at maintaining possession of the puck with opponents right on him .. has a quick slapshot that requires little wind-up .. has a decent wristshot that he can snipe .. a regular on the powerplay and sees a little time on the PK .. second and final year of draft eligibility as a late 1989 DOB .. still a long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but will warrant continued monitoring in college as a free agent if unselected .. finished the regular season with 17 goals and 28 assists in 56 games .. finished the playoffs with 6 goals and 1 assists in 7 games, leading Lincoln in playoff goals and tying for first in points .. committed to Northeastern for 2010-11 season.

Ross Henry (2009), D, Lincoln

Stout, 5-foot-10, 200-pound defensive defenseman saw his offensive production increase, but offensive role wasn't much higher than last season .. established as a fairly accurate passer .. makes crisp, accurate breakout passes .. also makes crisp d-to-d passes to transition the puck .. can connect on long-distance passes, but generally makes the simple play .. didn't seem quite as physical in 2008-09 as in previous seasons, but still took out a lot of the USHL's best by angling them into the boards or battling along the boards down low .. able to tie up sticks out front in timely fashion to prevent shots .. has decent speed and stride extension .. hard to know if Henry is on the verge of plateauing .. attended Columbus' NHL development camp last summer but is a real long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. the next step for Henry is to become a phenomenal defensive defenseman or to add more offense to his game .. finished the regular season with 3 goals and 10 assists in 59 games .. finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 1 assist in7 games .. committed to Western Michigan for 2009-10 season.

Brett Chartier (2009), LW, Lincoln

Started the season as a hot hand with 8 goals and 10 assists in his first 19 games, but offense was far more sporadic after that, but bolstered by four multi-point games .. role diminished some when Ryan Kretzer was added Nov. 5 and even more when Eric Alexander was added .. played a fourth-line role in March viewing and was a scratch for playoff viewing .. seemed like a shell of his early-season self .. finished his checks, but didn't have the same spunk as at the Fall Classic and early in the season .. displayed a little of his playmaking prowess, but also made a couple "interesting" plays offensively, including running into Kretzer on the powerplay .. did see some time on the powerplay, still .. showed a little tenacity and slipperiness in the corners to emerge from puck battles with the biscuit, but overall wasn't the same Chartier .. virtually no chance of being selected in 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. for his sake, hopefully he rebounds in 2009-10 .. finished the regular season with 12 goals and 20 assists in 50 games .. only played one game in the playoffs, going without a point .. no college commitment of yet .. probable to return to Lincoln in 2009-10.

John McCarron (2010), LW, Lincoln

Joined Lincoln following the Christmas Break after starting season with Little Caesar's midget major team .. comments from Midget Buc Bowl included McCarron needing more speed and acceleration, and this did develop some in USHL .. displays good hustle on the forecheck and the backcheck .. finishes his checks .. will come across the zone to make a big hit .. able to build nice speed without the puck, but does still need to work on acceleration with the puck .. 6-foot-3, 215-pound left-winger fulfilled his role as a physical force for the Stars well .. showed some passing prowess, but more offensive involvement is the next step for McCarron next year .. appeared to have adapted to the speed and pace of the USHL well by the end of the season .. definite potential to be selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, depending on his offensive production .. finished the regular season with 2 goals and 0 assists in 19 games for Lincoln .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 2 assists in 7 games .. no college commitment of yet.