USHL Fall Classic: Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets

As we continue our 12-part series on the USHL Fall Classic, McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey, reviews several players from the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets looking to make an impact this season including New York Rangers prospect Danny Hobbs.

Danny Hobbs (NYR), LW, Ohio

Seems invisible at times, although that also means he is not making major mistakes .. has good speed and can really demonstrate it carrying the puck down the wing and then toward the net while fighting off checkers .. has a quick wristshot and a hard slapshot .. has good two-way awareness and can utilize his speed and hockey sense on the penalty kill, where it is common to see him block shots .. (Fall Classic stats: 2- 2-1-3, 4 shots).

Steven Spinell (2008), D, Ohio

Defensive defenseman with some offensive upside .. has a heavy pointshot and one-timer from the point .. good d-to-d passing skills from the point .. shows glimpses of offensive upside, such as skating the puck in and holding up to slow down the play and making an accurate pass toward the slot for a trailing teammate.. typically makes a crisp, accurate outlet pass, although he occasionally mishandles the puck .. smooth skater with decent power and good backward acceleration and mobility, although he must still improve his backward speed .. able to play a physical game and can level opponents along the boards or along the wings away from the boards .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 4 PIM's, 3 shots).

Greg Pateryn (2008), D, Ohio

Shows the raw talent to become an offensive defenseman or a two-way defenseman .. has a good pointshot and distributes the puck well from the point, whether its d-to-d passes or finding forwards down low .. needs to improve his offense awareness, as he circled himself into the boards on one occasion and made turnovers at the offensive blueline .. inconsistent on one-on-ones, as he does a good job to keep his gaps close on some occasions and attempts to angle people off, but plays a "matador style" of defense at other times by continuing to back in .. has average speed in both directions although his backward acceleration is good .. backward skating mechanics are good, but his pivots from backward to forward are labored .. shows potential, especially when one considers he is straight out of Michigan high school hockey .. committed to Michigan .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 0-0-0, 2 PIM's, 3 shots).

Luke Witkowski (2008), D, Ohio

Could develop into Ohio's top all-around defenseman in 2007-08 .. has good speed and can skate the puck coast-to-coast when necessary .. has a crisp, accurate outlet pass and moves the puck well from the point .. has a good pointshot and a strong one-timer and keeps both low .. backward skating is fundamentally sound and has good backward acceleration .. can be burned, though, by forwards with top-end speed .. can play a physical game and positions himself well to win battles for the puck .. committed to Western Michigan .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 0-1-1, 7 PIM's, 3 shots).

Tim Hall (2008), C, Ohio

Small forward with very good speed, quickness, and agility .. combines skating with soft hands and slick stickhandling to become difficult to contain .. an accurate passer who has good offensive awareness and can make plays but will regroup if he has no options, instead of forcing a low odd pass .. soft hands allow him to catch difficult passes ..pesky on the forecheck and the backcheck because of his speed .. shows a little scrappiness .. lack of size makes him a long shot to be drafted, but could force consideration if he puts up excellent numbers .. committed to Colorado College (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-2-2, 10 PIM's, 3 shots)

Alexei Dostoinov (Undrafted), LW, Ohio

Smooth skater with a powerful stride who has the agility to evade hits .. skilled stickhandler, especially on toe drags .. uses his speed and size to shield the puck from opponents and does so calmly, both when driving to the net and starting from a stopped position .. excels at using swivels and pivots while stickhandling to avoid defenders and buy teammates time .. has good shot power using all shots and passes the puck crisply and accurately .. does his job defensively and is not lax on the forecheck or backcheck .. skates backward remarkably well for a forward and has power and acceleration that would make most defensemen proud .. has the potential to be the same caliber of prospect as Andreas Nodl, if properly developed and given more teammates with anything close to his offensive ability .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 0-1-1, 4 PIM's, 7 shots).

Pasquale Terrazzano (Undrafted), G, Ohio

Swiss goaltender has dressed in six games as a backup for HC Lugano in the Nationalliga A, but has mostly played in Swiss juniors .. pad work is intriguing, as he is very deliberate in the positioning of his pads and their angles relative to the ice .. has good lateral movement and is quick down and up .. can go into a butterfly, cover the five-hole, and then fluidly extend his pads outward .. rebound control is inconsistent, as he appears to be an ace in directing his rebounds at times and not so good at others .. glove hand is somewhat inconsistent, too, as he can make a series of good gloves saves and then misjudge a couple and have them rebound off .. (Fall Classic stats: 2 gp, .897 SvP).