USHL Fall Classic: Tri-City Storm

As we continue with our 12-part series on the USHL Fall Classic, McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey, reviews several Tri-City Storm players looking to make an impact this season, including Minnesota Wild 2006 draft pick Chris Hickey.

Chris Hickey (Min), RW, Tri-City

Power forward with good speed, a powerful stride, and relentlessly pursues the puck .. has soft hands and can make some nice moves .. able to handle passes at top speed .. has impressive shot power, be it his quick wrist, snap, or slapshot .. battles hard along the boards for the puck .. able to lay-out some nice hits .. propensity to go into dangerous areas means he is leveled from time to time, too .. forechecks hard and finishes his checks .. committed to Wisconsin .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 6 PIM's, 5 shots).

Troy Mattila (FA), LW, Tri-City

Power forward whom looks set to have breakout year in the USHL .. has good speed and a powerful stride .. able to make nice moves with the puck, especially with his toe drag .. has a hard wristshot and a hard snapshot, both with a quick release .. also has a heavy slapshot and one-timer .. responsible defensively and finishes his checks, but could afford to be a little more physical .. became a free agent after he had not committed to a college before June 1 after his draft year and did not receive a Bona Fide offer from the New York Islanders per Section 8.6(c)(iii), Section 8.6(a)(ii), and Section 8.6(d) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement .. committed to Dartmouth .. (Fall Classic stats: 3- 4-1-5, 14 shots).

Michael Cichy (2008), C, Tri-City

Playmaker with high-end offensive awareness .. anticipates the play well and can make passes to zones where he knows a teammate will be in a second or two, thus able to lead his passes .. has very soft hands for passing and stickhandling .. has a quick shot with a quick release .. combination of agility and stickhandling allows him to evade checkers, but does not have high-end speed - his main weakness .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-4-4, 9 shots).

Josh Berge (2008), C, Tri-City

Small forward with good speed, quickness, and agility .. able to handle the puck while skating in top gear .. has good shot power and can snipe it .. hustles into the corners in pursuit of the puck .. has good offensive awareness, but also uses his speed to hound opponents on the backcheck .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-1-0-1, 6 shots).

Greg Thocker (2008), D, Tri-City

Big defenseman with decent all-compass mobility .. backward skating form and power are decent, but relies on crossovers too much, while skating backward on rushing opponents - leaving him susceptible to moving in the wrong direction .. puckhandling is inconsistent, as his puck movement at the point, receiving passes and taking a shot looks good, but he also mishandles the puck at times in the defensive zone .. has decent shot power .. willing to play a physical game and will drop the gloves .. (Fall Classic stats: 2-1-0-1, 6 PIM's 1 shot).

Diederick Hagemeijer (2008), LW, Tri-City

Dutch power forward .. skates with decent acceleration, power, and speed .. forechecks hard and finishes his checks with force .. works well along the boards and battles hard .. does have some offensive upside .. an able fighter who can use his reach and strength and throw with considerable force .. has a good command of the English language .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-0-0, 2 PIM's, 1 shot).

Chris Franks (2008), D, Tri-City

Big offensive defenseman .. has good backward skating form and can keep gaps short and angles well, but occasionally relies upon backward crossovers too much against rushing opponents .. has decent speed and can skate the puck into the offensive zone himself and even circle the zone with the puck .. passes the puck well and accurately .. possesses a good pointshot .. shows a tendency to circle back and regroup with the puck on the powerplay, similar to classic Soviet players .. able to avoid checkers with a nice spin move, which may not work at higher levels .. has a tendency to make tight circle turns on the PK instead of stops and starts .. has some upside with additional strength and high-level experience .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 2 PIM's, 1 shot).

Nick Jaskowiak (2008), D, Tri-City

Skilled offensive defenseman .. mobile skater with good speed, quick feet, and agility .. has good backward skating mechanics and can utilize foot speed when necessary, but could afford to further increase power .. skilled puckmover from the point who can move the puck quickly, but not haphazardly .. has good offensive awareness, makes accurate breakout passes, and is a playmaker from the point .. shot power is fair .. has the agility to make tight turns with the puck to evade checks .. suffered a concussion in the opening game of the season, Oct. 5 against Omaha .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-2-2, 8 PIM's, 6 shots).