USHL Fall Classic: Waterloo Black Hawks

The USHL Fall Classic (formerly known as the Buc Bowl) was held in Sioux City, Iowa, on September 27-29. Over 150 NHL and NCAA scouts were at the preseason tournament including McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey. In a 12-part series, McKeen's will be featuring top prospects from each USHL team beginning with Drew MacKenzie and the Waterloo Black Hawks.

Drew MacKenzie (Buf), D, Waterloo

A strong two-way defenseman with good size .. skates with good all-compass mobility .. backward skating mechanics and form are good, generating good power, speed, and allowing him to stay in a power position .. has good defensive awareness and angles opponents to the boards well and finishes his checks .. plays two-on-ones well and can intercept passes with his stick or drop in the proper places in the defensive zone to eliminate passing options .. also possesses a strong offensive game .. pinches into the zone with the puck well .. distributes the puck well in his zone, whether from down low after pinching or from the point .. crisp, accurate passer .. has a good pointshot and one-timer and has a nice one-timer wristshot, where he receives the pass and fires a wristshot in one motion .. committed to Vermont .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-3-3, 6 PIM's, 4 shots).

John Lee (Fla), D, Waterloo

Lanky offensive defenseman who is refining his defensive game .. a good powerplay quarterback, as he can move the puck quickly and accurately from the point and find the open man .. has good shot power from the point, which creates offensive chances from rebounds and deflections .. also has a quick, crisp wristshot from the point that serves the same purposes .. blueliner who skates well and has decent speed and power in all directions .. similar to a forward in that he will sacrifice himself to make a play .. (Fall Classic stats: 2 0-4-4, 2 PIM's, 1 shot).

Blake Kessel (NYI), D, Waterloo

Good two-way defenseman with some bulk .. did not receive the icetime he is likely to receive during the season, as the Black Hawks gave some talented young rookie defensemen who were less proven a good look .. quite reliable, so much so that he can go unnoticed .. a team leader that leads by example and also sticks up for teammates, as he stood up to Andrew Panzarella after the Des Moines defensemen knocked Jan-Mikael Juutilainen out of the game with a high hit that involved a stick to the jaw .. has decent speed and mobility, but relies more upon his size and hockey sense .. reliable in his puck movement, be it on the point or breaking the puck out .. committed to New Hampshire .. (Fall Classic stats: 3-0-1-1, 7 PIM's, 5 shots).

Jordan Samuels-Thomas (2008), LW, Waterloo

Power forward who makes things happen around the net but whose talent is still very raw .. skating needs some work .. has decent speed if he can build some momentum, and occasionally shows some acceleration, but generally lacks first-step quickness and top speed. agility needs even more work, as his stops and starts when changing directions are somewhat awkward and slow .. tight turns often involve a swivel with skates pointing in opposition directions, which lacks power and leaves him out of a power position .. cycles the puck around the net and in the corners well .. works hard along the boards and in front of the net .. has soft hands and can make some plays and quick, accurate passes .. wristshot is quick and quite powerful for outside shots, but also has a quick stick around the crease .. able to lay out some nice hits, but would be able to hit even better if skating were improved .. not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 2- 1-1-2, 6 shots).

Nick Larson (2008), RW, Waterloo

Budding two-way forward with good size.. skates hard and has good speed .. forechecks hard and finishes his checks .. works hard covering the points on the penalty kill .. defensively responsible in his own zone and appears to take pride in his defensive game .. finishes his chances on offense with his quick and accurate shot .. (Fall Classic stats: 2 -2-0-2, 2 PIM's, 7 shots).

Joe Howe (2008), G, Waterloo

Good down low .. quick with his pads and can go down into the butterfly quickly and get back up quickly, too .. good lateral movement, as he is easily able to get across the crease with one push off .. has the flexibility to make nice splits saves if necessary .. has a quick glove hand but appeared vulnerable up high, which was exploited by Des Moines .. quite good in controlling rebounds and covering them quickly, even when there is significant traffic around the crease .. (Fall Classic stats: 90:07 min, .872 SvP).

Brett Beebe (2008), C, Waterloo

Speedy forward who can burn defensemen with sheer speed but can also be very shifty in his skating, lulling defensemen and then accelerating quickly with the puck .. very good about stopping and starting if there is a turnover or if he is defending, instead of circling, and saves considerable time doing so .. has soft hands, with the stickhandling ability to deke-out defenders who focus on the puck and not the body .. demonstrated good offensive awareness in trailing teammates to pick up loose pucks and in positioning himself in the offensive zone when he does not have the puck .. not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 2-2-1-3, 2 PIM's, 5 shots).

Patrick Wey (2009), D, Waterloo

Young Waterloo defenseman on the fast track toward becoming a good two-way defenseman .. moves the puck well and can make a crisp, accurate pass through traffic .. has good shot power and can also take a nice wristshot from the point for deflection and rebound purposes .. operates the point well and distributes the puck well .. smooth skater with all-compass mobility and good speed ..has good backward acceleration, useful in keeping gaps low .. should become even more of a physical force in angling opponents as he becomes more accustomed to the pace of the USHL .. already has good size as a 16-year-old .. has not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 6 PIM's, 2 shots).

Michael Montrose (2009), D, Waterloo

Young defenseman who appears to be making a very smooth transition from minor midget straight to the USHL .. good skater with all-compass mobility and good power for a 16-year-old .. has quick feet and good lateral movement, which was very noticeable while carrying the puck comfortably .. has an accurate breakout pass and distributes the puck from the point well .. showed good defensive awareness in his own zone with his positioning .. will need to add more size to become a physical presence, although he was not manhandled by any stretch of the imagination .. appears on his way to becoming a very reliable two-way defenseman .. has not committed to a college .. (Fall Classic stats: 2-0-0-0, 4 PIM's, 2 shots).