USHL Fall Classic: Sioux City Musketeers

The Sioux City Musketeers had a rough go at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic, losing all three games as the host of the event, but new coaches Todd Knott, Rick Comley Jr. (both with Des Moines in 2007-08) and Cam Ellsworth have a decent roster to work with. The "Muskies" have twin brothers and San Jose draft picks Justin and Drew Daniels to draw some attention, but second-year defenseman Seth Helgeson is real the headline prospect on the Sioux City roster due to his impressive combination of size, skating, and skill. In Helgeson, the Musketeers have a prospect that could follow in the foot steps of Max Pacioretty and go in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.

McKeen's correspondents Kevin Wey and Max Giese had the opportunity to catch the Sioux City Musketeers in action at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic and enter notes on several prospects.

Justin Daniels C, (SJ), Sioux City

May have been a bit of a surprise in the third round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but it is evident what the Sharks saw in him .. has good offensive vision and is a heads-up stickhandler who can assess the play at all times .. patient and poised with the puck, as he does not force plays .. adept at distributing the puck from the half boards on the powerplay .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has good speed and agility with the puck .. utilizes Gretzky circles well and can make plays to streaking or trailing teammates .. 6-foot-2, 170-pound pivot does play with a little physicality at times and can lay out some nice hits .. combination of hockey sense, hands, and potential size makes Justin Daniels a nice early mid-round selection .. in 2007-08, he scored 17 goals and 37 assists in 25 games for Kent School of the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association .. committed to Northeastern University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 4 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A cerebral playmaking centerman .. swift in full flight with long strides, Justin also possesses the acceleration and agility to slither away from checkers .. his first step is fine, although quickening his feet will prove beneficial .. he has great hockey sense, creativity in tight confinements, and is never pigeonholed while carrying the puck .. can control the pace of the play when the puck is on his stick thanks to his tremendous poise and patience .. disguises his intentions and sees lanes that most can't .. can deliver tape-to-tape passes through congested areas and utilizes secondary options innately .. skillful with nice moves, but his shot needs work .. anticipates the play well and properly employs his elongated reach as an asset in his own zone .. lacks physicality, however he does come deep into his own zone to aide in defensive coverage .. protects the puck well and does an excellent job escaping traffic while retaining possession, although he is more slippery than overpowering .. needs to improve on his consistency and become more physical, as he puzzlingly only finishes his checks when his brother is on the ice with him .. played on both special teams and should be the key offensive catalyst for the Sioux City Musketeers this season.

Drew Daniels RW, (SJ), Sioux City

A smooth skater with deceptive speed .. has fairly soft hands and can make some nifty stickhandling moves .. not the playmaker his twin brother (Justin) is, but still has some playmaking ability and can make crisp passes to set up teammates .. 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-winger plays a more physical game than his brother and laid out a couple of huge hits .. able to utilize size and skating along the boards to maintain possession of the puck .. also has the agility to side-step opponents .. as might be expected, he demonstrates very good chemistry with his brother and may help give Sioux City its own USHL version of the Sedin's in 2008-09 .. in 2007-08, he scored 12 goals and 35 assists in 25 games for Kent School of the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association .. committed to Northeastern University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-1-0-1, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A physical winger .. an upright skater that still needs to get lower in his stride, as he's not as quick or fluent of a skater as his brother .. not as skilled as his brother either, but he is the better finisher of the two and remains a solid presence with the puck .. owns a nice repertoire of slick stick fakes and assertively uses his big frame to attack the net .. a decent set-up man on the powerplay with above-average on-ice vision and puck smarts .. comes deep into his own zone to aide in defensive coverage and authoritatively utilizes his big frame to punish opponents by throwing jolting bodychecks .. goes hard to the net and is difficult to budge once there .. he has strong puck-protection capabilities, which allow him to cycle the puck well, and he should prove capable of carrying defenders on his back to the net once he fills out .. more combative and physical than his brother, but doesn't share the high-end playmaking skills.

Seth Helgeson (2009), D, Sioux City

Big, 6-foot-3, 220-pound defenseman looks like a defenseman out of major juniors, but hasn't made a great deal of improvement over last season .. played a bigger role offensively, but puck movement was not as sharp as last season .. does have a huge, heavy shot from the point .. has some agility with the puck, as he's adept at executing switchbacks to evade checkers and protect the puck .. plays a physical game and can stand up some of the USHL's best .. willing to bowl over opponents while skating the puck .. also willing to drop the gloves if needed .. has very good all-compass mobility backwards and does not require crossovers to maintain speed backwards .. advanced in how he can execute leg drags and then quickly move laterally in any direction .. appeared to be using a shorter stick than one might expect and was hunched over in his skating with the puck .. if he regains the polish to his passing game, he has a strong shot at being a first-round draft pick .. in 2007-08, he scored 3 goals and 8 assists in 58 games for Sioux City .. committed to University of Minnesota .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-0-1, 9 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Big and mobile two-way defenseman .. a flourishing skater for a larger defenseman that can carry the puck with a head of steam and stay with his man step-for-step defensively .. uses a short stick and is a hunched-over puckcarrier with a hard shot that is an asset to the powerplay .. sees the ice well and is an accurate passer, whether he is distributing from his own-end or on the point .. needs to become more urgent with the puck on his blade and push himself further to become the prominent offensive catalyst that his skill-set should dictate .. a textbook shot blocker that hits one knee and takes away the puck carriers options .. maintains a healthy gap and angles his man off well before stapling him to the wall .. has the size to stand his ground and is becoming more physical this year .. clears his crease assertively and has a burgeoning nasty side .. defends speed well and utilizes his reach well .. one of the top draft-eligible defenseman out of the USHL this year.

Matthew Kinman (2009), D, Sioux City

Unheralded defenseman put in a strong showing at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic as a rookie defenseman .. has strong mobility with the puck .. able to transition the puck well off faceoffs because of good backwards acceleration and lateral movement with the puck .. also able to use strong lateral movement to keep pucks in the offensive zone that others might not .. has good speed and acceleration for getting to loose pucks or recovering on turnovers .. forward skating can look awkward at times, though .. has decent speed backwards and does not rely on crossovers .. makes hard, crisp passes that are on the tape .. also possesses a hard slapshot from the point and a solid wristshot from the point, both of which he can keep low .. also adept at executing one-timers while skating backwards .. smart at using his hands by keeping pucks in the offensive zone and getting them out of the defensive zone .. not a flashy puckmover, but a very effective one .. no notes taken on physical play, which suggests Kinman could engage more physically .. 6-foot-2, 190-pound blueliner is a prospect to watch due to his combination of size and potential as a good two-way defenseman, or at least a defensive defenseman with a polished passing game .. in 2007-08, he played Midget Major AAA for the Chicago Young Americans of the Midwest Elite Hockey League and scored 2 goals and 6 assists in 26 MWEHL regular season games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A pleasant surprise that played a lot of minutes .. not a bad skater, he's just not the prettiest one either .. his pivots are fine and his stride is fairly crisp for a player of his size, but he's awkward looking at times and is far from effortless .. has workable hockey sense, as while he doesn't create anything with his puck skills, he isn't going to hurt you either .. has an okay shot and usually makes the first pass, although he is guilty of forcing both at times .. controls gaps adequately and utilizes his long reach well .. has big size and is a raw stay-at-home defenseman in the making.

Adam Schmidt (2009), RW, Sioux City

Not an overly fancy forward, but the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Schmidt gets the job done .. has decent speed and can beat opposing defensemen wide on occasion .. is a smooth skater with the puck and can fire shots with good velocity while in stride, and even on his off-foot .. able to use his size to shield the puck from opponents .. uses his speed on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. no guarantee to be drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but his development in Sioux City will be worth watching because of his combination of size and speed.. in 2007-08, he played Midget Major AAA for the Valley Forge Minutemen and scored 25 goals and 37 assists in 37 games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-0-1

Additional Comments by Max Giese

For his size, Schmidt moves well at full flight and has a deceptive change of pace to the outside .. doesn't handle the puck well and is guilty of keeping his head down, dead-ending himself in the process .. mobility out of the gate needs work .. strong on the wing and is mildly effective if he plays a strict north/south type of game .. played on the penalty kill and is most prominent when his occasional physical side blossoms.

Austin Mattson (2009), RW, Sioux City

Although his stride started to approach a hybrid of skating and running at times, this smaller forward has very good speed .. has good speed with the puck and can look very speedy without the puck, such as in races for the puck or fearlessly rushing into corners .. willing to fight through checks, and can get through, but then loses the handle just afterwards at times .. demonstrates some dangle and agility with the puck, but must be able to hold onto the puck through physical battles .. has a quick wristshot, but accuracy needs to be improved .. 5-foot-10, 160-pound right-winger lacks size but he does have some talent .. is worth monitoring over the course of the season to see if he improves sufficiently in his rookie USHL season for draft consideration .. in 2007-08, he scored 5 goals and 14 assists for the Marquette Rangers of the North American Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Having the speed to make things happen and beats defenders to the outside, Mattson should become a prodigious skater with requisite strength .. not the most skillful player, yet he is guilty of over handling the puck and attempting to do too much on his own .. will need to bulk up, as while he will finish his checks and attempt to play the physical game, ultimately he is unsuccessful because of his lack of strength .. lacks the muscle to drive the net after his speed gained him a step on a defender .. the type of player that will be dormant for the better part of the game and then jump out with a nice burst of speed up the ice.

Tommy Olczyk (2009), LW, Sioux City

Looks significantly better than last season and now looks to be the superior of the two Eddie Olczyk progeny in the USHL .. had a hitch in his stride last season, specifically in his right leg, but that appears resolved and he exhibited good speed bursts to beat opponents and also quickness down low on the forecheck .. engaged physically and finished his checks, although the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder is not yet a physical force .. showed some stickhandling ability in handling it wide and bringing it back into his body .. showing more playmaking ability, but still has the odd bad giveaway .. has decent shot power .. lack of size makes him a long shot to be drafted, but he's already improved a lot and another season of USHL development should make him a prime collegiate prospect by the end of the season .. in 2007-08, he scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 30 games for Sioux City .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Has advanced past his older brother who plays for Waterloo .. one of the pleasant surprises of the Fall Classic was how much better Tom Olczyk was this year compared to last .. has the quickness and speed to win foot races .. owns a quick shot, but it was his nice feeds in the offensive zone that stood out most .. his presence with the puck has improved immensely from last season .. short and stocky with a good motor, Olczyk is an energetic spark that finishes all of his checks and covers the puck well in traffic.

Dan Ford (2009), D, Sioux City

Did not live up to the expectations I had built for him given his numbers in the EJHL in 2007-08 and the fact he already had a college commitment to a good ECAC program .. 6-foot-0, 185-pound defenseman needs more leg strength .. legs appear thin, needs more knee bend in his skating, and better stride extension .. lack of strength and power gives him no separation and forces him into obstruction penalties defensively .. also lacks lateral movement to be a commanding presence at the point .. does possess a decent slapshot and one-timer from the point, but not overwhelming .. difficult to know what Ford might be if he makes the requisite gains in lower body strength, but is an extreme long shot to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at this point .. in 2007-08, he scored 5 goals and 34 assists in 43 games for the Syracuse Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League .. committed to Harvard University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A rough skater that moves well backwards for a player of his size, however he has lumbering pivots and his straightaway speed needs improvement .. provides his team with zero offensive ability except an okay shot .. his defensive coverage is sound and he has good size, but remains very raw and not an NHL prospect at this time.

Craig Kitto (2009), C/RW, Sioux City

Late addition to the Sioux City roster heading into the 2008 USHL Fall Classic and did not see a lot of icetime, but looked good when he did .. speed was fairly impressive, and he was willing to use it in his tenacious forechecking .. skates in a controlled cruise with the puck on his stick and does not have much wasted motion .. also demonstrates good agility with the puck and can fire hard shots in stride and moving laterally .. has a hard wristshot .. long shot to be drafted, because 5-foot-10, 170-pounder lacks size, and may have some trouble cracking the Sioux City lineup, even though he can hang in the USHL ..in 2007-08, he scored 19 goals and 17 assists in 31 games for Washington Jr. Nationals of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-1-1

Mitch Bruijsten (2009), LW, Sioux City

Garnered attention last year with a strong physical performance at the 2007 USHL Fall Classic, but fell short of that performance the rest of 2007-08 .. game is still inconsistent .. shows patience with the puck, some stickhandling prowess, and passing skills at times, and then makes blind passes and loses the handle of the puck at other times .. 6-foot-2, 190-pound Dutchman usually plays a physical game and usually asserts himself physically, but his shift-to-shift consistency is poor .. willing to drop the gloves .. has decent speed and fairly powerful acceleration, but does not always appear interested enough to use it .. has a hard shot, which is perhaps the most consistent part of his game .. a third-year eligible player who created some intrigue last season, probably working himself out of any consideration unless he improves his consistency, as he definitely has some tools to work with ..in 2007-08, he scored 14 goals and 16 assists in 56 games for Sioux City .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-0-1, 24 pim.