USHL Fall Classic: Tri-City Storm Prospects

Change is the byword around the Tri-City Storm, as former assistant coach Tom Rudrud is now the head coach after Bliss Littler left for Omaha and the team sports an inexperienced roster. Mike Cichy, the Storm's leading scorer in 2007-08, returns, but beyond Cichy, Tri-City has little in the way of USHL experience. Unfortunately, the team also has no blue-chip prospects coming in this season, although rookie pivot Eli Zuck gives the team a second Cichy at center, and goaltender Nick Maricic may be the best goaltender in the league in terms of technical ability. The Storm will also be hoping that one of a number of young defensemen could step to the plate by the end of the season.

McKeen's correspondents Kevin Wey and Max Giese were able to catch the Tri-City Storm in action at the 2008 USHL Fall Classic and enter notes on several prospects looking to make an impact.

Sean Escobedo (2009), D, Tri-City

Potentially a puck-moving defenseman, but has improvements to make and/or must adapt to the speed of the USHL .. passing game was inconsistent .. made crisp passes at time, but were slightly off the mark .. passes that did connect, often were not real fast .. similarly, connected on a couple excellent saucer passes and had others way too high and off the mark .. has a crisp wristshot form the point, but of average velocity .. speed is average, as he lacks separation with the puck .. does have confidence handling the puck, though .. speed backwards is average, and can be beaten one-on-one .. plays with some physicality and can stand up opponents if he times it right .. has some potential as a defenseman that plays a two-way game and who moves the puck well if he adapts his passing game to the speed of the USHL and adds some speed himself .. potential late-round pick if he makes necessary improvements during the course of the season, but also still slightly undersized at 6-foot-0 and 183 pounds .. in 2007-08, he scored 2 goals and 28 assists in 45 games for the New York Apple Core of the Eastern Junior Hockey League .. committed to Boston University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-1-1, 2 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

A wide-based skater that doesn't have the quickest feet, but his long and purposeful strides jettison him around the ice well enough .. possesses a good offensive tool set with a striking finesse passing game and the ability to see the ice well in possession .. makes bad defensive reads and becomes fixated on the puck too easily .. smallish and he struggles to defend around his net .. speed in the open ice also gives him headaches.

Matt Bailey (2009), C, Tri-City

Tenacious forechecker .. usually the first forward on the forecheck, finishes his checks, and can even lay out some big hits doing so .. can get overly active in the offensive zone and start running around and get out of position, including on the powerplay .. has good cruising speed with the puck but also possesses some explosive acceleration without the puck for short races to the puck or to make big hits, although he doesn't always display this acceleration .. not an overly fancy forward, will often dump the puck and then hustle to get it himself .. passing and stick skills are adequate and is more likely to be a defensive forward for Tri-City in 2008-09, but could put up decent numbers due to his effort and the chances his forechecking can create .. 6-foot-1, 179-pound center has a legitimate chance at being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft if he puts up decent numbers .. in 2007-08, he scored 13 goals and 15 assists in 56 games for Neepawa of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League .. committed to the University of Alaska-Anchorage .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-2-3, 8 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

An okay skater with momentum, however his first few strides need more burst behind them and he is overly reliant on crossovers to accelerate .. gets a lot of offensive opportunities because of his tireless work and adequate hockey sense, however he lacks finesse skills .. fairly stable on his feet and shields the puck well .. can execute solid passes up ice, however he lacks poise and often has more time with the puck than he thinks .. a strong defensive forward that works hard all over the ice and can kill penalties .. has a good motor and is often involved in the play.

Joe Zarbo (2009) RW, Tri-City

Was not very impressive at the 2008 Fall Classic, but did look better in a game-opening weekend .. has decent speed and puts in a good effort on the forecheck .. displays some speed bursts from time to time to keep up with some speedy USHLers, but does not appear to have the lower body strength to do this consistently throughout the game .. tries to play the body some, but a lean frame makes him largely ineffective .. possesses a good, quick wristshot and can fire it in stride, although he is not always a confident stickhandler .. not very dynamic in terms of offensive awareness, but demonstrates some defensive awareness in positioning to intercept passes .. a long shot to go in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, because it's hard to see him generating much offense in 2008-09, the two goals at the Fall Classic notwithstanding .. in 2007-08, he scored 13 goals and 12 assists in 42 games for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League .. committed to Clarkson University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-2-0-2, 6 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Needs to get quicker and his lack of a top gear is evident at this level, however his stride is fine and his skating should improve with requisite strength .. his hands could be softer and quicker, although he possesses deceptive strength on the puck for a player of his skinny stature .. owns a heavy shot, but it needs to be more accurate .. lacks offensive imagination and he doesn't see the ice well .. a gritty two-way player that can kill penalties and makes studious defensive reads .. needs to get stronger and he struggled here with the pace of the USHL.

Rick Pinkston (2009), D, Tri-City

Appears to have the potential to be a decent two-way defenseman, but its early in his adjustment to the USHL .. backwards skating is good, as he eliminates crossovers at his own blueline, then employs a wide stance for maximal mobility and gets fairly low for potential power to thrust up on checks .. must adjust timing of angling of opponents to ensure they cannot fight through his check .. demonstrates decent defensive awareness .. will join the play and pinch deep at times (this is how he scored his goal at the Fall Classic, putting a backhand home pinching), but does not appear to have the offensive awareness of a Matt Donovan .. long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but does have the size for consideration at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds .. in 2007-08, he played midget major AAA for Little Caesars of the Midwest Elite Hockey League and scored 2 goals and 7 assists in 25 MWEHL regular season games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-1-0-1, 8 pim.

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Has good straightaway mobility and reverse movement .. makes bad decisions with the

puck and appears rushed in the face of pressure .. can get nasty around his crease area.

Mike Cichy (2009), C, Tri-City

Still has the creativity on offense, still puts in a good effort defensively, but now skating is a non-issue .. skating is smooth now and has the speed and acceleration to separate from opponents .. also uses his speed on the forecheck and backcheck by stripping opponents of the puck .. plays with a little physicality and finishes his checks .. able to fend-off checks with his speed, agility, and hockey sense .. excellent offensive awareness and is a playmaker that can distribute the puck off the half boards well, make plays around his net, or skate it out of the corner or off the half walls by using his offensive vision to spot teammates and make crisp, accurate passes .. an adept drop-passer, as he often attracts more than one checker and then drops it to his open teammate .. also an adept saucer passer .. has good finishing ability, as he can snipe his quick wristshot .. also has a crisp backhand that is even a threat from a distance .. unselected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Cichy appears to have addressed any lingering concerns about skating, is one of the most dynamic forces in the USHL and will certainly deserve strong consideration in 2009 .. at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, size is not really an issue with Cichy, as he doesn't play small and his hockey sense more than compensates .. in 2007-08, he scored 16 goals and 29 assists in 59 games for the Tri-City Storm .. committed to University of North Dakota .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-1-2-3

Additional Comments by Max Giese

His acceleration appears crisper this year and he has noticeably bulked up since last season .. has a nice shot that he is beginning to utilize more and is disguising his release more fluently .. still overly unselfish with the puck at times .. sturdy on his feet and protects the puck well with the ability to grit out offensive scoring opportunities down low .. a fine set-up man with soft hands, Cichy also absorbs hits well and will once again be Tri-City's top player this year.

Eli Zuck (2009), C, Tri-City

Tri-City now has two Mike Cichy-caliber centers .. has good speed with the puck and does not give up on the puck .. will battle through checks, rush for loose pucks around goaltenders, and get back up quickly or still play the puck if knocked over .. an adept playmaker off the half boards and around his net .. makes crisp, accurate passes and is a major presence on the powerplay .. has a quick wristshot and a noteworthy one-timer .. very good in the faceoff circle, as he wins more than his share of draws and has a knack for winning it forward to himself if the situation calls .. unselected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft despite decent numbers for Shattuck St. Mary's, but certainly warrants consideration in his second and final year (born Sept. 20, 1989) of draft eligibility .. in 2007-08, he scored 27 goals and 47 assists in 60 games for Shattuck St. Mary's prep team .. committed to Minnesota State University-Mankato .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-1-1

Nick Maricic (2009), G, Tri-City

Very good technically and has some underlying athleticism .. butterfly goaltender who plays his angles well and generally does a good job staying square to the puck, taking it in the chest and eliminating the rebound .. gets into a fairly low V, similar to Ed Belfour and is able to go down and up quickly .. very good lateral movement .. very adept with pad slides, loading up with one leg, pushing off, and quickly moving across the crease .. able to quickly change directions laterally, both standing and in pad slides .. good at directing rebounds into the corners in butterfly position .. has the flexibility to make splits saves if it becomes necessary, such as when the defense in front of him isn't doing its job in clearing the crease or the puck .. if Maricic has a weakness, it may be his glove hand, as he does not always make crisp glove saves .. fairly active in communicating with his defensemen and other teammates down low .. ranked 28th by CSS amongst North American goaltenders but went unselected in 2008 NHL Entry Draft .. quite possibly the best goaltender in the USHL this season, especially in terms of the technical game, but does not have the team in front of him to allow the statistics to reflect such .. in 2007-08, he tended net for the U.S. National Developmental Team program and played 485 minutes, over 11 games and compiled a 4-3-0 record, a 2.97 goals-against average, and a .894 save percentage for the Under-18 team .. committed to Yale University .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 61:00 min, 1-0-0, 3.93 goals-against average, .882 save percentage.

Danny Heath (2009), D, Tri-City

Looked set to be Tri-City's top offensive defenseman before suffering an injury the first game of the regular season .. certainly not afraid to pinch in from the point, join the offensive play or skate in with the attack if he's one of the first three .. generally makes a very crisp first pass .. has the finishing ability to score on occasion when he's pinching .. a smooth skater with good all-compass mobility, but lacks breakaway speed and separation .. needs to improve defensive positioning, although he puts in a good effort to recover when he is out of position .. long shot to be drafted unless he puts up big numbers from the blueline upon his return, but is definitely a good NCAA DI prospect .. in 2007-08, he scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 32 games for Tri-City Storm after playing midget major AAA the first half of the season with P.F. Chang's .. committed to Minnesota State University-Mankato .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-2-1-3, 4 pim.

Radoslav Illo (2009), LW, Tri-City

Slovakian left-winger already has some North American experience and it shows .. has good speed with the puck and is a confident stickhandler .. agile and can make tight circles to ditch attackers .. an offensive threat off the boards who can make crisp, accurate passes and has a decent shot .. possesses a unique skill in that he can accelerate off the boards despite taking no strides, similar to how a defenseman can generate speed backwards without their skates leaving the ice .. does play with some physicality and can launch into his checks .. hopefully, Illo is on a line with either Cichy or Zuck in 2008-09, because he has some talent .. in 2007-08, he played for the Hampton Roads Junior Whalers, an independent junior team .. in 2006-07, he scored 9 goals and 14 assists in 26 games for Slovan Bratislava's J18 team .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 3-2-1-3, 2 pim.

Josh Berge (2009), RW, Tri-City

Small speedster makes himself noticeable .. 5-foot-8, 159-pounder right-winger has very good speed and combines that with top-notch effort on the forecheck and the backcheck .. finishes his checks and can angle opponents into the boards to rub them out on the backcheck .. has very good agility with the puck and can make tight switchbacks at speed .. active in the offensive zone and can get creative in some of the moves he tries to make plays or get shots off .. not afraid to go toward the net and serve as the screen, even though he's not a big player .. has a quick wristshot, a decent slapshot and one-timer .. a team-first-type-of-player, he even filled in at defense the first weekend of the season after Tri-City lost defensemen to injury .. second year of draft eligibility but its highly unlikely that he'll be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, as Berge does not have Garrett Roe-like offensive abilities (although the effort is similar) .. in 2007-08, he scored 6 goals and 14 assists in 59 games for Tri-City .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-3-3, 2 pim.

Charlie Dodero (2011), D, Tri-City

Very young, but already adapting to the pace of the USHL and will be an important cog in the Tri-City machine .. speed forwards and backwards is only average, but does have good lateral movement defensively down low and around the net .. has a little quickness and hustles into the corners to tie up opponents or make the hit .. gets a little upright in his acceleration, though .. 6-foot-2, 185-pounder plays an aggressive, physical game and can step up and make some big hits .. average speed backwards makes him susceptible to being beaten wide, and also seemed to second-guess himself when he did have the angle for rubbing out the speedier opponent .. offensive awareness is a work in progress, as he makes keen offensive reads at times and then makes elementary mistakes at others .. passes are generally crisp and on target, although does still need a little polishing .. when it is considered how young Dodero is and how bigger defensemen generally take longer to develop, he's well ahead of the development curve and should at least become a solid, physical, defensive defenseman that moves the puck reliably .. in 2007-08, he played midget major AAA for the Chicago Young Americans of the Midwest Elite Hockey League and scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 25 MWEHL regular season games .. no college commitment of yet .. 2008 USHL Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0

Additional Comments by Max Giese

Has good feet, although his hand skill is sub par and he didn't accomplish anything positive with the puck .. sees the ice adequately, but he lacks poise and wants the puck off his stick quickly as possible .. attempting to involve himself offensively and for the most part makes a decent first pass .. overly aggressive defensively and gets caught running around .. needs to let the play come to him more, as he tries to defend on his toes every time and often gets caught up the ice while the play goes around him the other way .. skinny, but proactive physically.