USHL Fall Classic: Green Bay Gamblers Prospects

Like the Des Moines Buccaneers, the once struggling Green Bay Gamblers have a new head coach in Jon Cooper, and he's looking to stamp a new identity on the team. Green Bay has a new logo, colors, and jerseys this season, but they also have only three returning players from 2007-08 after prospects Chase Drake, Max Cook, and Keegan Flaherty were all traded following the 2008 USHL Fall Classic, in addition to the placement of strong defensive defenseman Robert Shea on the affiliate list. The Gamblers do still have a few prospects worth monitoring as potential late-round picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and the team has a third-round NHL draft pick in Michael Forney that is trying to get his game on track after two dismal seasons at the University of North Dakota.

McKeen's correspondents Kevin Wey and Max Giese continue their series on the USHL Fall Classic with notes on the new-look Green Bay Gamblers and several of their new prospects eager to make an impact this season.

Michael Forney (Atl), RW, Green Bay

Nowhere near the caliber of player one would expect out of a third-round NHL Draft pick with two seasons (sort of) of college hockey under his belt .. effort is inconsistent, as the goal he scored involved a significant personal effort and paying the price around the net, but often visibly reacts negatively when plays don't go his way and it takes a few seconds for him to quit sulking and recover .. still tries playing a style that might have worked in high school, a style that includes standing still and calling for the puck from a standstill on occasion .. has nowhere near the separation to be a stand-still player at the USHL level .. shows glimpses of speed and acceleration when he wants to, usually if it directly results in an offensive chance, and shows glimpses of stick skills when he actually got the puck .. was fairly invisible most of the time, as he often was not involved in the play in any manner offensively or defensively .. fairly upright skater and needs to increase lower body strength for additional power, speed, and balance .. 6-foot-2, 191-pound winger has some talent but must improve his work ethic and attitude on the ice .. in 2007-08, he was help pointless in three games with the University of North Dakota .. undecided if he'll return to UND or transfer .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-1-0-1, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Is long-legged with decent speed and acceleration for a player of his height .. funky out of the gates and has a hitch in his first few strides that prevents him from being explosive .. skilled with soft hands and the ability to shield the puck with his gangly arms .. owns a nice shot and release, but he is guilty of trying to do too much on his own .. doesn't involve his linemates properly, although he displays flashes of creative playmaking down low around the net .. awful defensively and remains static in his own zone while giving a minimal effort away from the puck .. soft and easily disinterested when body contact is established .. his body language is terrible and he takes far too long to get back into the play after being checked .. will pay the price to score, however he won't finish a check, as he will close the gap but not finish his man .. has a lot of maturing to do.

Nick Jensen (2009), D, Green Bay

Unheralded defense prospect out of Rogers High School put himself on the prospect map at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic .. offensive defenseman generally makes crisp, accurate passes, be it on the breakout or at the point .. displayed some stickhandling prowess with a few moves, but spin-o-ramas and the like may not work much in the USHL .. every shot in his arsenal is hard .. snapshot is hard and quick, wristshot is crisp, slapper is hard, and one-timer is, too .. a fairly smooth skater with good all-compass mobility .. noteworthy for his offensive skills, the 6-foot-1, 187-pound blueliner does play with some physicality and is adept in using his stick with pokechecks and also executes leg drags at the proper times .. warrants monitoring for purposes of late-round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. in 2007-08, he scored 15 goals and 15 assists in 27 games for Rogers/Zimmerman of the Minnesota High School Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 4 pim.

Sean Little (2009), LW, Green Bay

Brother of former Green Bay Gambler defenseman Ryan Little poised to be a contributor in his rookie season .. has a good work ethic and hustles on the forecheck and the backcheck .. more than willing to play the body, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound winger can make some big hits, or at least separate opponents from the puck .. stickhandling was inconsistent, as he undressed a veteran USHL defensive defenseman through the legs in style on one occasion and then mishandled the puck and mishandled passes at other times .. generally makes crisp passes .. has decent shot power .. demonstrated some prowess cycling the puck and appears to be at home along the boards with the puck or as a forechecker .. not a certainty to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but is worth monitoring as a potential late-round pick .. in 2007-08, he played Midget AAA with the Madison Capitols .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0

Kevin Albers (2009), D, Green Bay

Difficult to pin down what Albers' role will be with Green Bay precisely, as he seems to have some skill but not the developed hockey sense .. a little upright accelerating backwards with the puck, but a smooth skater backwards and does not make many crossovers .. displayed the ability to angle and rub out opponents along the boards, but also started backtracking too early at times and created a gap that was still fairly large at the blueline .. willing to drop and block shots and knows when to do so defending the rush (at the hash marks) .. has a quick wristshot with a quick release .. fairly adept at avoiding checks with spin moves and side steps .. has the talent to be a good two-way defenseman in the USHL, just needs to adapt and know that he has the skating ability to keep his gaps short .. 5-foot-11, 185-pound blueliner is a long shot for selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but warrants monitoring .. in 2007-08, he played Midget AAA for Belle Tire of the Midwest Elite Hockey League and scored 2 goals and 12 assists in 26 MWEHL regular season games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 4 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A sharp skater with quick feet .. not the most purely-skilled defenseman, and his hockey sense is questionable .. likes to involve himself offensively and actively jumps into the attack .. undersized, but he is tough and gritty.

Jacob Johnstone (2009), C, Green Bay

Improved over last season and looks poised to play a bigger role in Green Bay in 2008-09 .. 5-foot-11, 182-pound center still needs more lower body strength to increase power and speed in his stride, but he's not as upright of a skater as last season and shows more speed .. displayed some playmaking ability with some crisp, well-timed passes .. puts himself in a position to contribute offensively in front of the net as a scorer or off the half-boards as a playmaker .. played on the penalty kill, was active and hustled .. unselected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Johnstone is still a long shot to be drafted in 2009, but he's starting to show why Michigan Tech had interest in him .. in 2007-08, he scored 2 goals and 3 assists in 52 games for Green Bay .. committed to Michigan Tech University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-1-1-2, 2 pim.

Christopher Crane (2010), C, Green Bay

Looks set to be a physical, checking-line center for Green Bay in 2008-09 .. 6-foot-0, 178-pound pivot plays a physical game .. he's physical in the faceoff circle, finishes his checks, and gets involved in scrums .. often plays a dump-and-chase style and typically does not try to get very fancy with the puck.. skating and speed are adequate, but could be improved .. has an okay wristshot, but appears as if he will need to improve his shooting and stickhandling to make an offensive impact this season .. has the opportunity to play two seasons in the USHL before the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to improve his skills, skating and to raise his stock .. in 2007-08, he played Midget AAA hockey with Honeybaked of the Midwest Elite Hockey League and scored 4 goals and 6 assists in 18 MWEHL regular season games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Needs to work on his skating, as he lacks a top gear and is heavy-footed .. helps compensate for his lack of speed with a strong work rate and motor .. stiff handling the puck and is guilty of skating with his head down when in possession, limiting his vision and dead-ending his options in the process .. provides energetic play away from the puck and saw time on the penalty kill, although his sluggish mobility prevents him from sustaining healthy defensive positioning .. like a football player, Crane just plows into guys at any possible moment and would rather go through defenders than around them when he has the puck.

Robert Shea (2009), D, Green Bay (placed on affiliate list)

Despite what appeared to be a good showing at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic, Green Bay placed Shea on their affiliate list .. defensive defenseman was showing more offensive involvement at the Fall Classic and was making crisp, accurate pass after crisp, accurate pass .. looked confident walking the blueline with the puck .. displayed excellent agility and lateral mobility in reacting to loose pucks and got to loose pucks quickly .. demonstrated good quickness accelerating backwards and good all-compass mobility .. has a hard slapshot from the point and a very hard wristshot from the point .. 5-foot-11, 195-pound blueliner plays with some physicality and can get a little dirty . willing to drop the gloves, although he was pummeled by Lincoln's Mike Dalhuisen for ducking a Corey Chakeen hit and sending the Star head over heels .. appeared poised to be a top-three defenseman for Green Bay and provide a strong defensive game with reliable puck movement, but it may not be in 2008-09 .. in 2007-08, he scored 2 goals and 8 assists in 55 games for Green Bay .. committed to Bowling Green State University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 35 pim.

Chase Drake (2009), D, Green Bay (now with Sioux City)

Played with Green Bay at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic, but was traded to the Sioux City Musketeers Sept. 29 .. able powerplay quarterback .. makes crisp, accurate passes on the breakout and in distributing the puck from the point .. has soft hands for stickhandling and receiving pucks .. displays good offensive vision and also does a good job taking looks skating back for pucks so that he knows what he's going to do when he gets the puck .. shooting at the Fall Classic was terrible, as he flubbed and misfired on numerous occasions, but shooting mechanics indicated he should actually have a decent shot .. a smooth skater with good all-compass mobility .. 6-foot-1, 170-pound defenseman was traded by Green Bay because he was not aggressive enough defensively and allowed the play to come to him too often .. ranked 136th amongst North American skaters by CSS entering the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but went unselected .. talented, offensive defenseman has a chance at selection in 2009 if he puts up good numbers with Sioux City and increases his assertiveness defensively .. in 2007-08, he scored 12 goals and 19 assists in 24 games for Mosinee High School of the Wisconsin High School Hockey League and tallied no points in 10 games with the Gamblers .. committed to University of Wisconsin .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1

Max Cook (2009), LW/C, Green Bay (now with Indiana)

Played for Green Bay at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic but was traded to the Indiana Ice Sept. 30 .. ranked 190th amongst North American skaters by CSS entering the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but went unselected .. 6-foot-1, 175-pound forward still needs additional lower body strength, but Cook has made some improvement .. still fairly upright in his skating and turns are a bit shaky at times, but starting to show good speed and some agility with the puck .. was a playmaker on the powerplay and made crisp, accurate passes and showed a penchant for connecting on cross-zone passes .. a long shot to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Cook is worth monitoring to see if he plays a top-six role for Indiana and if he can improve his skating an strength during the season .. in 2007-08, he scored 5 goals and 11 assists in 56 games for Green Bay .. committed to Miami University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-1-1-2, 4 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Still rail thin and the major concern here is will he be able to add weight to his gangly frame .. skating better with the puck and is handling it with more composure .. his deft passing game is beginning to shine through more this season.

Keegan Flaherty (2009), RW, Green Bay (now with Fargo)

Played for Green Bay at the 2008 Fall Classic but was traded to Fargo for a draft pick Sept. 30 .. has very good speed with some explosiveness and power in his strides .. generates power in his crossovers .. puts in a good defensive effort, as he uses his speed on the forecheck and is also a threat to strip the puck on the backcheck .. 6-foot-0, 180-pound right-winger will fight through checks .. has a fairly hard wristshot and snapshot, but not yet a dangerous scorer .. offensive awareness is somewhat suspect .. unselected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, he is a long shot to go in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but a change of scenery may be the ticket .. in 2007-08, he scored 4 goals in 47 games with Green Bay .. not committed to college program of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic Stats: 3-1-0-1, 2 pim.