USHL: Dominant Donovan Deserving of D Award

Chicago Steel defenseman John Moore will go down as the 2008-09 USHL Defenseman of the Year, but the award could just as easily have gone to Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman Matt Donovan. The New York Islanders prospect joined Moore on the USHL First All-Star Team and he led the USHL in defenseman scoring with 19 goals and 32 assists, proving he was worthy of consideration, but his worthiness of the top honor was even more evident in how Donovan played. No other USHL defenseman displayed the same poise with the puck nor utilized the subtle moves to disguise his intents like Donovan, tricks of the trade numerous NHL defensemen don't have, not to mention the second-year USHLer is also decent defensively. That offensive awareness and that level of offensive execution led Donovan to All-Tournament status at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge, and it also helped Donovan keep the RoughRiders in contention for first place in the USHL's East Division while Moore's production trailed toward the end of the season and the Steel missed the playoffs.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders once in early March and once during the Clark Cup Playoffs and enters notes on several players. Matt Donovan, Dallas Stars prospect Scott Winkler, notable 2009 draft-eligible prospects Jeff Costello and Paul Phillips, and a number of other Cedar Rapids prospects are featured.

Matt Donovan (NYI), D, Cedar Rapids

As noted above, my pick for USHL Defenseman of the Year .. taking his offensive game to new levels .. now incorporating subtle head fakes and jukes that disguise where he'll be passing the puck .. consistently able to skate the puck through the neutral zone through deceptive speed and sheer calm .. so composed he can make a short saucer pass to himself over a checker's stick while he calmly goes around .. has good offensive vision from the point and distributes the puck well .. has a hard slapshot and one-timer from the point, but needs to improve the accuracy of these .. has a crisp wristshot that is dangerous .. makes smooth, crisp d-to-d and point-to-point passes .. able to execute powerful stops with the puck .. adept at keeping the puck in at the point .. sees plenty of icetime in all situations .. engages physically, but isn't overly physical .. good defensively, but his poised offensive game is what sets him apart .. Donovan is now a distinct possibility to turn pro after two years of college hockey, if he wants .. demonstrating NHL top-four defenseman potential .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. named to the WJAC All-Tournament Team .. played for Team CCM (East) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. named to RBK USHL First All-Star Team .. finished the regular season with 19 goals and 32 assists in 57 games, tops in USHL defenseman goal-scoring and points .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 4 assists in 5 games .. committed to Denver University for 2009-10.

Scott Winkler (Dal), C/W, Cedar Rapids

Put in a respectable rookie (and only) season in the USHL .. got into a slight funk after the Christmas break and didn't look as good, but looked good in the final two viewings .. has good speed along the wing to open up defensemen and to drive the net .. can also employ noteworthy speed bursts .. fairly smooth skater forward .. a bit upright in his crossovers at times, relying more on quick feet and short steps than powerful crossovers .. displayed some sweeping crossovers while handling the puck .. uses his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame to shield the puck along the boards .. makes smooth, crisp, accurate passes .. also a fairly smooth stickhandler .. has a crisp wristshot, but could use a little more velocity .. slapshot is fairly hard .. was very impressive at the Fall Classic, and didn't quite match that through the entirety of the season, but still a budding power forward .. played for Norway at the Division I, Group B, World Junior Championships and scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games .. finished the regular season with 10 goals and 26 assists in 55 games, fifth in RoughRiders scoring .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 2 assists in 5 games .. committed to Colorado College for 2009-10. Click the link for a recent interview with Scott Winkler

Jeff Costello (2009), LW, Cedar Rapids

Skated with Mike Seidel and Kyle Flanagan for much of the season, but was not always on the top line late in the season and in the playoffs .. had 2 goals and 0 assists in his last 12 regular-season games .. good acceleration and speed to get to loose pucks .. typically shows good hustle off faceoffs .. decent stride extension .. has good agility to sidestep opponents or to utilize switchbacks .. has fairly soft hands .. able to lay down some jukes, make one-touch passes, and finish his chances .. has a nose around the net .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and backcheck .. finishes his checks, including some a bit late .. will come across the zone for a big hit .. engages physically going for the puck and can generate some powerful shoulder checks .. makes crisp, accurate passes, but doesn't create a lot of offense himself at the USHL level .. generated very little offense when not with Seidel and Flanagan .. did not seem as physical in late-season viewings as in early-season viewings, but still a physical player .. has had viewings where he played like a wrecking ball, and his goal total is strong, so selection in the late third round is possible .. fourth or fifth round however would be more appropriate .. at this juncture, he projects to be a potential energy-line forward at the NHL level .. played for Team CCM (East) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 24 goals and 9 assists in 54 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 2 assists in 5 games .. committed to Notre Dame for 2010-11 .. slated to return to Cedar Rapids in 2009-10.

Paul Phillips (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

CSS was wrong not to rate Matt Donovan in 2008, and they're wrong to not rate Paul Phillips in 2009 .. poise with the puck has become exceptional .. remains calm under significant checking pressure and even after being checked .. does a good job to remain mentally impervious to hooking, slashing, etc .. makes crisp, accurate passes, be they breakout, d-to-d, or at the point .. able to connect on long-distance passes .. has good mobility with the puck at the point .. decent speed bursts with the puck when necessary .. gets very low backward, maintains a wide base, no crossovers, and keeps gaps short .. engages physically and can angle opponents into the boards .. also has the strength to throw some opponents off the puck .. played on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. played a hard-nosed defensive defenseman game last season, but has more than proven himself as a puckmoving defenseman, too .. listed at 6-foot-0, 195 pounds, but probably actually 5-foot-11 .. regardless, if Matt Donovan goes in the early fourth round and Shane Sims goes early fifth round in the 2006 Draft, then Paul Phillips is worthy of fifth-round selection .. played for Team USA U18 Select Team at Ivan Hlinka Tournament and scored 1 goal and 0 assists in 4 games .. finished the regular season with 8 goals and 25 assists in 60 games, eighth in USHL defenseman scoring .. finished playoffs with 0 goals and 0 assists in 5 games .. committed to Denver University for 2009-10.

Cody Murphy (2009), RW, Cedar Rapids

Played a fourth-line role for Cedar Rapids down the stretch and in the playoffs, but still looked good doing it .. always displays excellent quickness and speed, with or without the puck .. excellent hustle on the forecheck and backcheck and does so intelligently .. nice agility with the puck down low to emerge off the boards or sidestep opponents .. has quick hands to evade stick checks and is shifty side-to-side .. able to execute tight switchbacks at speed .. has a hard wristshot .. was a regular on the penalty kill .. a tad small at 5-foot-10, 179 pounds, but his quickness, speed, and effort make it a non-factor .. a long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but has the tools to break out in 2009-10 when his offensive role should be higher .. finished the regular season with 5 goals and 11 assists in 57 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 1 assist in 3 games .. committed to Miami-Ohio for 2010-11.

Matthew Tennyson (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Very consistent from viewing to viewing .. passing game quickly adapted to the USHL and was very consistent in making crisp, accurate breakout passes .. able to spring teammates for breakaways .. also makes crisp d-to-d passes .. slightly upright accelerating backwards and could utilize power over quick feet .. does a good job maintaining a wide base backwards, reducing crossovers, and angling opponents into the boards .. speed backwards seemed to improve and is now decent, but will only get better with more powerful acceleration backwards .. able to lay down some big hits at the blueline or make a hard shoulder check in the corner .. has a crisp wristshot from the point .. saw some time on the powerplay and fairly consistent time on the penalty kill .. should become even more imposing as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame .. second-year of draft eligibility and still a long shot to be selected in 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but could emerge with a two-way NHL contract out of college .. finished the regular season with 4 goals and 6 assists in 57 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 0 assists in 5 games .. committed to Western Michigan for 2009-10.

Bryce Aneloski (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Improved over last season, but still has some work to do .. skating is still a bit upright .. fairly upright backwards and looks like he could get destroyed by a shifty forward .. could also afford to maintain a wider base backwards .. also gets a bit upright out of his pivots, wasting some motion .. reasonably smooth skating forward, but still needs additional stride extension .. can build a little speed skating the puck .. skating is, however, better than last season .. generally makes short, crisp passes that are on the tape .. crisp wristshot from the point .. slapper is inconsistent .. sometimes slapshot is fairly hard, sometimes it's weak .. can still be pressured into turnovers, but not as much as last season .. looked a tad better in midseason viewings than late-season viewings .. 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman has good size, but an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. finished the regular season with 4 goals and 8 assists in 38 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 0 assists in 5 games .. no transfer announced of yet .. could return to Cedar Rapids for 2009-10.

Brett Gensler (2009), RW, Cedar Rapids

A respectable rookie-USHL season, but an extreme long shot to be taken in 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. shows a little quickness, but at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, he lacks the separation needed to be a real offensive force at his size .. does demonstrate good offensive vision and awareness .. is often in the right place at the right time offensively .. saw some time on the penalty kill .. finished the regular season with 10 goals and 8 assists in 50 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 0 assists in 4 games .. no college commitment of yet .. probable to return to RoughRiders in 2009-10.

Nick Oddo (2009), C, Cedar Rapids

Second-year player once rated by Central Scouting, but still more of a role player .. still a bit upright in his skating and legs still seem a little thin .. stride still needs better extension and power .. became a bit of a defensive specialist in his checking role and was a regular on the penalty kill .. engages physically, but not a bone-crushing hitter .. a threat with takeaways .. virtually no chance of being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and had 0 goals and 0 assists in 5 games .. finished the regular season with 10 goals and 8 assists in 50 games .. finished the playoffs with 0 goals and 1 assist in 5 games .. committed to Nebraska-Omaha for 2009-10.

Brock Carlston (2009), D, Cedar Rapids

Played sparingly, and seemed a bit over his head even in late-season viewing .. upright accelerating and skating forward .. needs more stride extension and additional speed .. hustles into corners and engages physically, but is often ineffective .. beaten wide too often and forced to open up .. have to wonder if playing at a lower level and getting more icetime would have been better for Carlston's development .. no chance of being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. finished the regular season with 0 goals and 0 assists in 17 games .. did not play in the playoffs .. no college commitment of yet .. may return to Cedar Rapids in 2009-10.