USHL Fall Classic: Indiana Ice

As we continue our 12-part series on the USHL Fall Classic, McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey, reviews several players from the Indiana Ice looking to make an impact this season including Colorado Avalanche prospect Paul Carey.

Paul Carey (Col), LW, Indiana

Smooth skating power forward with a strong stride and above-average speed .. able to use his size and stickhandling to shield the puck but must do it with more consistency, as he lost the puck or was knocked down too easily on a few occasions .. plays the point on the powerplay and has a decent pointshot .. two-way player who can play physical and will play very physical if instigated .. looks set to be Indiana's top power forward in 2007-08 .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 6 PIM's, 5 shots).

Scott Darling (Phx), G, Indiana

Exceptionally tall goaltender whose height allows him to leave almost no room high in a butterfly, even when deep in the crease .. quick down low with his pads, especially for such a big goalie .. has a tendency to scramble after the first shot (but is not a flopper) and may rely on athleticism too much over technical play .. able to leverage his size to launch crisp passes to teammates at the opposite blueline .. committed to Maine .. (Fall Classic stats: 2 gp, .938 SvP).

Brett Bruneteau (Wsh), C, Indiana

Acquired in a trade that sent Nico Sacchetti to Omaha .. speedy two-way forward .. has a powerful skating stride and has above-average speed which is highlited with the effort he puts into forechecking and backchecking .. has the hockey sense to play the point on the powerplay .. has a fine selection of shots, as they all have good power and a quick release .. finishes his checks and scrappy, but does not pick up large numbers of penalty minutes .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 2 PIM's, 3 shots).

Brent Gwidt (Wsh), LW, Indiana

Has a powerful stride and decent top speed, but must continue to improve in these areas to utilize his 6-foot-3, 203-pound frame effectively .. has the agility and stickhandling to make some nifty moves with the puck and evade attackers .. although he was a big scorer in Wisconsin high school, his game appears to be making the turn toward defensive-power forward .. finishes his checks down low and can lay out a hard hit along the boards .. plays on the penalty kill and is willing to block shots .. has not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 6 shots).

John Carlson (2008), D, Indiana

Backward skating technique is sound and has good mobility and acceleration but needs more speed backward to keep up with speedy forwards or needs to maintain a smaller gap and angle them to the boards sooner .. has decent straight-line speed and can skate the puck into the zone himself .. makes crisp passes, but appeared to be adjusting to the speed of the USHL, as some were just off the mark .. has a hard pointshot, which he does well to keep low .. can lay out some heavy hits and makes some of his best hits in standing up opponents attempting to check him .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 0-1-1, 4 PIM's, 5 shots).

Ian Ruel (2008), D, Indiana

An unheralded defensive-defenseman who may have insured a spot in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft .. has decent speed but makes too many crossovers when skating backwards, which could leave him susceptible to getting caught moving the wrong direction by speedy, agile, intelligent forwards .. has good defensive awareness .. knows when to drop to block passes, blocks shots, and even plays well and maintains poise after losing his stick .. fight against Donnie Hallmark, one of the USHL's best fighters, to start the second period was one of the most memorable moments of the Fall Classic .. threw extremely hard punches, ripped the right shoulder cap off of Hallmark's shoulder pad during the fight, and won the fight convincingly .. injured his hand in the process, though, and did not return and did not play Saturday .. has not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 5 PIM's, 0 shots).

Nick Bailen (2008), D, Indiana

Undersized defenseman at 5-10, 175 pounds, but may be able to look toward Francis Bouillon for inspiration .. a strong skater with good speed and agility for use offensively and defensively .. able to execute sharp spin moves with the puck to evade checkers .. has the offensive awareness, passing ability, and shot power to play the point well .. has good defensive awareness and plays two-on-ones well .. scrappy defenseman who can lay out a mean hip check .. committed to Bowling Green .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 0-1-1, 4 PIM's 5 shots).