USHL: Daniels, Daniels and Helgeson Serving Notice

Daniels, Daniels and Helgeson isn't a law firm, they're the top prospects for the Sioux City Musketeers. San Jose Sharks draft picks Justin and Drew Daniels have acquitted themselves well in their rookie (and only) USHL season by averaging a point per game early in the season and providing steady two-way play. Even more noteworthy is big defenseman Seth Helgeson, who continues to impress with his combination of size, skill, mobility, and disciplined physicality, so much so that he's garnering attention as a potential first-round draft pick and perhaps as the top USHL prospect for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Sioux City Musketeers in action one month after the Fall Classic and tracks the progress of several first-year, draft-eligible Musketeers including Justin Daniels, Drew Daniels and Seth Helgeson.

Justin Daniels (SJ), C, Sioux City

More dominant than he was at the Fall Classic .. has exceptional patience with the puck .. adept playmaker picks up assists from all over the offensive zone .. so patient with the puck that he can be tripped, assess his options while falling, get up, and then make the pass without looking rushed .. has good cruising speed with the puck .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has soft hands for receiving hard passes .. decent wristshot .. good commitment to the defensive zone and hustles on the backcheck .. finishes checks, but capable of making big hits, and continued to prove he makes at least one per game .. on-ice vision makes him an excellent playmaker and is very poised for a USHL rookie coming out of prep hockey .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark he had one goal and nine assists.

Drew Daniels (SJ), RW, Sioux City

Excellent winger that to no surprise complements his twin brother .. has good speed with the puck .. strides have very good extension .. can change gears and utilize notable speed bursts to separate from opponents .. active on the forecheck and can also use speed bursts for loose pucks .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has soft hands for receiving hard passes .. does a good job shielding the puck along the boards .. finishes his checks and can level opponents .. similar to his brother, he seems to make one big hit per game .. muscles into opponents to get to the puck .. uses his speed on the backcheck to knock opponents off the puck .. largely the same player in terms of skating and stick skills as Justin Daniels, but perhaps a tad less offensive vision but a little more physical .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark he had three goals and six assists in nine games.

Seth Helgeson (2009), D, Sioux City

Big defenseman continues to grow, now at 6-foot-4.5, and 221 pounds .. exceptional mobility for his size, or any size .. gets very low backwards and maintains a wide track .. able to go down to one knee quickly to block shots or clog passing lanes .. maintains a short gap and does not backtrack early .. does a good job keeping eyes on chest and not buying stickhandling moves .. able to launch into checks or, a la Chris Pronger, push opponents over .. generates significant power in his strides and in turns .. very mobile manning the point .. a powerplay weapon due to mobility and shot power .. keeps his hard slapshot low .. also has a good wristshot from the point .. passing game in this viewing was a bit off, as at the Fall Classic .. breakout passes were just off the mark .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark, he had two goals and three assists in eight games .. played for Team USA at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge in early November and went pointless in five games .. in a battle with Chicago's John Moore as arguably the top USHL prospect for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Click the link for a recent interview with Seth Helgeson

Austin Mattson (2009), LW, Sioux City

Almost unbelievable this speedster had no points for Sioux City at the team's 10-game mark .. has very good speed thanks to long, powerful strides .. has good speed with the puck and can beat defenders wide .. displays patience with the puck and a little playmaking ability .. plays an active game and creates chances around the net .. not uncommon for him to pour on the speed and then hold up and assess options while opponents stop .. does a good job to swivel and protect the puck .. able to use speed to disrupt opponent's breakout or later on the backcheck .. also quick to his assignments on faceoffs .. not far from having Danny Kristo or Josh Birkholz-like speed .. a possibility to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft if he starts putting up points commensurate with his ability.

Matthew Kinman (2009), D, Sioux City

Skating flaws becoming too big for a strong Fall Classic performance to outweigh .. forward skating needs significant work .. skates a bit upright, does not have full stride extension, and does not bring his legs all the way back in during recovery phase .. does show skating mechanics closer to optimal from time to time, showing he can do it .. backwards skating is good, though .. has decent backwards acceleration and speed, keeps a fairly wide track, and does not rely on crossovers .. could use a little more power accelerating backwards and rely a little less on quick feet, but not too bad at this point .. did not appear to be as confident as at the Fall Classic, and his passing game seemed to suffer as a result .. did not receive much icetime late in the third period and none in overtime .. needs to work on forward skating stride with a power skating instructor, feed those improvements toward regaining confidence, and then start to reach his full potential .. currently, a long shot to be drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Dan Ford (2009), D, Sioux City

Doing many things right but needs more strength .. maintains a wide track backwards and minimizes crossovers, but lacks the strength to have the necessary speed .. speed backwards is only average .. needs better backwards acceleration to rely less on momentum .. speed forward is also only average .. attempts to skate the puck and beat opponents wide, but lacks speed to do so .. has good extension to his strides, but lacks the power and quick-enough leg recovery phase to be fast .. is beaten in races to the corners, not because of speed, but because he hesitates to engage in the physical battle .. tends to make crisp, accurate outlet passes .. poised with the puck more often than not and saw a little time on the powerplay .. a bit hunched over skating the puck, though .. received regular icetime late in the game and in overtime .. needs more strength to bolster his decent skating mechanics and for more confidence to engage in physical battles .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark, he was pointless in nine games .. currently a long shot to be drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Tommy Olczyk (2009), LW, Sioux City

Playing a defensive role and putting his whole effort into it .. plays on the penalty kill and is very active manning his point .. drops to one knee or to a full-out slide to block shots or passes without hesitation .. almost borders on reckless in his sacrificing of body to block shots .. has good speed and very good quickness .. finishes his checks .. has a little offense to his game and can create some prime chances for opponents with centering passes .. played in the final minute in the third period going into overtime .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark had one goal in nine games .. although vastly improved from 2007-08, he remains a long shot to be drafted because he lacks size (5-7, 177), and isn't putting up offensive numbers.

Adam Schmidt (2009), RW, Sioux City

Saw limited icetime .. put in a good effort defensively .. tall forward puts in a good effort on the forecheck and creates some offensive chances doing so .. good quickness off faceoffs and has good lateral quickness to do so .. willing to drop to a knee to block shots or take away passing lanes .. at Sioux City's 10-game mark had one goal in five games .. a long shot to be drafted at this point as a fourth-line/depth player on Sioux City.