USHL Fall Classic: Sioux Falls Stampede

The Sioux Falls Stampede does not have any big headline prospects in 2008-09, but they do feature an extremely young defense that is already pretty good and has the potential to be very good by the end of the season. First-year-eligible defensemen Blake Thompson and Marcus Perrier head that group from an NHL Draft standpoint, but the Stampede also have a number of 1990-born blueliners who are also looking to impress and establish themselves as potential late-round picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Sioux Falls has no first-year NHL Draft-eligible forwards early this season, but Swedish power forward Victor Anilane and skilled pivot Luke Greiner both look poised to impress and could establish themselves as NHL picks in the third and second go-rounds respectively.

McKeen's correspondents Kevin Wey and Max Giese were able to catch the Sioux Falls Stampede in action at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic and enter notes on several prospects.

Blake Thompson (2009), D, Sioux Falls

Big, defensive defenseman is probably Sioux Falls' top prospect for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. 6-foot-3, 206-pound defenseman has good size, but appears to need additional lower body strength .. long-legged and skates a bit upright .. has quick feet, but needs to generate more power accelerating backwards to cover more ground .. has average speed backwards and relies on crossovers a little too much, but does demonstrate good all-around mobility .. utilizes his quick feet aptly in his above-average lateral movement .. gets a bit upright in his pivots and needs to try to stay lower more often to keep himself in a power position .. needs to remember he has good mobility down low and in the corners and thus, need not give opponents too much respect so that he doesn't challenge them physically .. can make some big hits and stand up opponents at the blueline .. willing to drop the gloves .. passing game is inconsistent , as he makes crisp d-to-d passes but sometimes fans on longer passes .. hard to know where his shot stands, as he rarely takes any during games .. plays on the penalty kill, the 5-on-3 penalty kill, and was used in the final minute of the game .. looks set to be one of Sioux Falls' top defensemen in their young d-corps and has a legitimate shot of going in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. in 2007-08, he scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 27 games for Eden Prairie High School of the Minnesota High School Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 6 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Overly reliant on crossovers during his backwards skating and this leads to quicker opponents turning him inside-out in the open ice .. has a big frame and is a physically aggressive defender that protects his crease well .. difficult to beat one-on-one in the trenches, although speed in transition gives him fits .. has poor puck skills and his mental processor is too slow.

Marcus Perrier (2009), D, Sioux Falls

Youngest blueliner of Sioux Falls' young defense has a future as a mobile, stout, physical defenseman .. 6-foot-0, 202-pound defenseman has very good speed forward and backwards .. has good backwards acceleration, did not rely on crossovers, and kept a fairly wide base .. demonstrated good mobility and agility in being able to hang with speedy opponents and stop quickly when the held up .. all-compass mobility and speed allows him to maintain good gap control .. willing to play the physical game and will drop the gloves .. able to switch hands in a fight and has the strength and balance to hold his own if the fight moves more toward wrestling than throwing .. has a decent wristshot from the point and a good slapshot .. it will be unfortunate if Perrier receives less icetime than some of the 1990's on the Stampede, because Perrier could easily become Sioux Falls' larger version of Lincoln's Ross Henry .. in 2007-08, he scored 4 goals and 8 assists in 47 games for the Fort Williams North Stars of the Superior International Junior Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 9 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Limited viewing .. more than held his own in a fight and aggressively utilized his sizable frame to protect his crease area well .. wasn't all that visible or dynamic with the puck, but wasn't committing costly errors either.

Clay Witt (2009), G, Sioux Falls

Healthy-sized butterfly goaltender .. displays his sound pad control by angling pucks to the corners .. has a strong blocker and effectively squeezes in pucks up high with his gloves .. moves well laterally from the butterfly, although he is guilty of sinking into his stance during scrambles .. has a wide V and effectively takes away the lower portion of the net with his quick legs .. in 2007-08, he played 30 games, 1595 min., for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the Empire Junior Hockey League and compiled a record of 25-5-0, 4 shutouts, a 2.14 goals-against average and a.909 save percentage .. EmJHL National Conference All-Conference First Team .. finalist for EmJHL Goaltender of the Year .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 82:10 min, 1-0-0, 1.46 goals-against average .923 save percentage. – Comments by Max Giese

Dan Furlong (2009), D, Sioux Falls

Smaller defenseman has with some agility and offensive ability, but must improve his defensive game .. has quick strides and has some speed, which he uses to skate the puck or join the attack, but does not have breakaway speed .. plays an East-West game skating the puck at times .. demonstrates good mobility at the point with the puck and can evade attackers with his lateral movement and switchbacks, but is stripped of the puck at times when holding onto the puck too long and getting fancy .. generally makes accurate passes on the tape and sees regular time on the powerplay .. shot power is average .. has a little speed backwards, but relies on crossovers too much .. 5-foot-9, 165-pound defenseman tries to play the body, but with mixed results .. bigger opponents are able to fight through his checks fairly easily .. plays with some aggressiveness, but it's typically after the whistle and is more cheap than tough .. additional strength and size should help Furlong become more effective defensively and give him a little more speed for offense .. an extreme long shot to be drafted in 2009 NHL Entry Draft because of size and needed areas of improvement .. in 2007-08, he played for Governor's Academy .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-1-1, 6 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Lacks power in his skating, although his stride is fine and he gains adequate acceleration out of his turns .. an offensive defenseman that distributes the puck well from the point on the powerplay and can make the first pass .. likes to activate himself into the offensive attack and he does a nice job of trailing the play just enough to be a part of it .. still guilty of getting caught up ice and his defensive positioning is poor .. small and overmatched physically, Furlong simply doesn't defend well .. will take the body, but he's fake tough and takes stupid penalties because of his habit of hitting guys behind the play and when they are not looking.

Victor Anilane (2009), LW, Sioux Falls

Big Swede averaged over a point per game in Swedish J20's in 2007-08 and looks to be Stampede's power forward in 2008-09 .. can be invisible for much of his shift, hanging away from the play, but can then strike quickly .. rarely the player skating the puck on the breakout, he often becomes the trailer that the other team loses track of .. shows some good acceleration and speed bursts at times, but often cruises or coasts and is very much a positional player .. has decent stride extension and good power .. 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-winger is comfortable with the puck on his stick along the boards and uses his big body to shield the puck with his stickhandling and swivels .. is the big man in front on the powerplay and is troublesome for defensemen and the goaltender as a screen .. finishes his checks and also goes for open-ice hits, but his timing is a bit off for these in the fast USHL game .. can absolutely rifle wristshots and snapshots, but does not take many shots per game because he's often not involved in rushes .. third-year eligible player looking to gain NHL attention and adapt to the North American game before college, but he must alter his conditioning and style so as to be able to be more involved in the play in the fast USHL game and thus utilize his considerable skills more often .. speaks English very well .. in 2007-08, he scored 23 goals and 17 assists in 38 games for Rogle Swedish J20 and 2 goals and 0 assists in 19 games for Rogle in the Allsvenskan League (Sweden's second highest hockey league) .. committed to Bemidji State University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-2-0-2, 2 pim. Click the link for a recent interview with Victor Anilane

Luke Greiner (2009), C, Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls' most dynamic offensive threat .. excellent skater that maintains good knee bend and generates a lot of speed and power in his strides .. acceleration is fairly explosive and he can use his separation to beat defenders and create breakaways and offensive chances for teammates .. strong skater also has good agility with the puck and has far more than just straight-line speed .. conscientious backchecker and can use speed to strip opponents of the puck .. has a hard wristshot and slapshot, but is also a good playmaking center .. makes quick, crisp, accurate passes and is adept at making plays from behind the net or off the half boards on the powerplay .. despite small stature, this 5-foot-9, 180-pound forward is adept at using his body to shield the puck .. wins more than his share of faceoffs, including important draws .. put up big numbers with Shattuck in 2007-08 and is looking to establish himself as a late round pick in his second year of eligibility, as size appears to be the only real issue with Greiner .. in 2007-08, he scored 36 goals and 44 assists in 58 games for Shattuck St. Mary's prep team .. committed to Harvard University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-2-2, 2 pim.

George Michalke (2009), LW/RW, Sioux Falls

Impressed in 2007-08 with his skating and some of the offensive skills he showed in his limited icetime with the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets and looked good again at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic .. does have good speed and a smooth stride with the puck and some stickhandling prowess, but most of his offense comes from positioning around the net .. combination of skating and stickhandling allows him to emerge out of corners and drive toward the net .. has a decent wristshot .. displays excellent skating form on the forecheck and backcheck with good knee bend for maximum power and good speed .. uses speed to strip opponents of the puck on the backcheck .. will engage physically to get the puck .. still listed at 5-foot-11 and 158 pounds, but he does not appear that thin on the ice .. displays some two-way awareness, excellent skating, and some stick skills, but for some reason does not receive a lot of icetime in the USHL, thus killing his chances of going in the NHL Entry Draft .. in 2007-08, he scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 42 games for the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-2-3

David Donnellan (2009), D, Sioux Falls

Two-way defenseman was one of the top defensemen in Wisconsin high school hockey in 2007-08 .. defensively, stops crossovers at the blueline and then keeps a fairly wide base backwards and skates with proper form but only average speed .. appears to be conscientious in maintaining a short gap, but can be beaten wide by speedy attackers .. plays with some physicality and can be banked to make one big hit per game .. also adept at using his stick for pokechecks .. decent puckmover who makes crisp accurate passes, including passes off the boards .. wristshot from the point is average or slightly above average .. 5-foot-11, 180-pound defenseman in his second year of draft eligibility and is still a long shot to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but he is certainly an NCAA DI prospect .. in 2007-08, he scored 13 goals and 29 assists in 26 games for Eau Claire Memorial of the Wisconsin High School Hockey League .. selected by Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association as First Team All-Star .. named MVP of the Wisconsin State Tournament .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 4 pim.

Bo Dolan (2009), D, Sioux Falls

Good two-way defenseman may lack NHL size at 5-foot-10 and 179 pounds .. has strong all-compass mobility .. does not rely on crossovers and keeps a very wide base backwards and a short gap .. able to angle opponents and rub them out along the boards .. has good agility and can make tight turns at speed that send up considerable spray .. adept at moving laterally with the puck and getting off good shots from the point .. has good speed with the puck and some agility to avoid checkers .. snapshot, wristshot, and slapshot from point are all above average .. decent puck distributor from the point and makes hard, crisp passes .. has good two-way awareness and a little bit of playmaking in him .. good at transitioning the puck after gaining possession in either the defensive zone or neutral zone .. no glaring weaknesses to Dolan's game, but second-year-eligible blueliner is a long shot to go in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft due to size, but most certainly a NCAA DI prospect .. in 2007-08, he scored 5 goals and 21 assists in 31 games for Hill-Murray of the Minnesota High School Hockey League .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0.