USHL: Gamblers Down the Stretch

It has been a long and trying season for the Green Bay Gamblers, as they sit last in the East Division and coach Mark Mazzoleni was fired. Nevertheless, plenty of scouts flocked to their games down the stretch to catch late season additions Chase Drake and Jake Youso two players that should garner NHL attention at the 2008 Draft. Along with Drake and Youso, McKeen's has notes on several Gamblers and their play down the stretch.

Chase Drake (2008), D, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: His first game in the USHL and was eased into the lineup .. light-footed big man that moves with fluidity and strength in all directions .. was guilty of coughing up the puck a couple of times but he also displayed the ability to see the whole ice and make some cross-ice, outlet passes .. struggled to utilize his impressive skill set to generate offense, as he tended to stop moving his feet when going to make a play with the puck .. rail thin up top and was weak defensively around his own net .. the speed of the USHL caught him off guard a few times and a goal against was a direct result of him giving too wide of a gap off the rush .. still flashed a lot of talent and upside.

VS. Omaha: Received brief time on the powerplay where he displayed his exceptional lateral mobility to open up lanes to unleash his bomb of a pointshot .. utilized his soft hands, long reach, and good agility to stimulate his impressive escape ability .. watched the puck instead of playing the man defensively, which led to him being beaten one-on-one by stick fakes .. weak around his own net and still giving to wide of a gap.

VS. Lincoln: Was especially poised with the puck in his own end while making a crisp, tape-to-tape first pass .. still prone to playing the puck and not the body while defending one-on-one, and was forced into taking a bad penalty because of it .. unfortunately has not received time on the powerplay and has not had an opportunity to display his bomb from the point.

Summary: Drake's solid adaptation to the USHL coming from Wisconsin high school will make him a player coveted late in the 2008 draft in some scouting circles.

Jake Youso (2008), LW, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Omaha: Busy skater with fast feet and the ability to explode through the neutral zone .. played with a lot of energy and was all over the ice looking to get involved in every battle for the puck, although at times, he overexerted himself .. his defensive coverage was awful, as he often lost his man and made multiple careless turnovers in his own end .. boasts a lean body, which needs to add considerable muscle from head to toe.

VS. Lincoln: His hands are quick and what makes Youso so intriguing is his ability to execute at full speed .. displayed a quick release while firing a crisp snapshot while in full flight screaming down the wing .. always has a spring in his step and should develop into an explosive skater once he physically bulks up.

Summary: After dominating the Minnesota High School scene, Youso added some skill to a Gambler's lineup that was desperate for it and remains an intriguing mid-round prospect that is committed to the University of Minnesota.

Max Cook (2008), RW, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: Still growing into his body and seems a bit awkward on his skates, however his feet are becoming quicker and his top gear has improved .. doing a better job keeping his feet moving when in possession of the puck .. creative set-up man that distributed the puck well on the powerplay .. appeared stronger and more physical in the trenches this game than in previous viewings .. doing a better job sensing the developing play away from the puck, which allowed him to be in position and around the puck more often .. would like to see him play like this more often.

VS. Omaha: His recently improved play has led him to being moved up to the first line .. displayed good timing around the net when he scored the games first goal by arriving at the right place at the right time for a goalmouth tap in .. owns a long reach, soft hands, and a hard shot that just needs to become more accurate .. gangly and still easily out muscled by opponents smaller than he .. like Bambi, he displays glimpses of blossoming mobility but still appears clumsy at times and loses his balance .. continues to refine his marking skills, as he did a fine job picking up the proper man on the back check.

VS Lincoln: Seemingly came back down to earth and was invisible all night before being benched for most of the third .. carelessly over handled the puck and seemed to be stuck in quicksand while skating the puck .. defensive game continues to improve, as he did commit a nice shot block.

Summary: Cook flashed his ability down the stretch but he is still a gangly and wildly inconsistent kid that makes his upside difficult to gauge. Some team might bite on his upside late in the draft but they would be wise to take a wait-and-see approach to see if he begins to put it together next year before rolling the dice on him.

Keegan Flaherty (2008), LW, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: Displayed good outside speed utilizing his quick feet and sharp acceleration to burst around a few defenders carrying the puck up ice .. pigeonholed himself offensively and his poor on-ice vision suffocated his own options with the puck .. gritty and competitive winger that played with a lot of sandpaper .. committed away from the puck, as he was the first man in on the forecheck and first one to get back on the backcheck.

VS. Omaha: Quick skater that utilizes his speedy feet to win foot races while pursuing the puck and to pressure the opposition's point men .. despite his good speed, he is ineffective at making things happen offensively because of his troubling habit to skate the puck with his head down.

Summary: Flaherty will receive NCAA consideration but because of his questionable hockey sense and lack of ability to see the ice, he will go undrafted this year.

Jacob Johnstone (2008), C, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: His lack of a third gear was evident in his inability to beat the defenders to the outside .. he got to the puck in the trenches but he never finished and did not compete hard enough to win the one-one-one battles .. was invisible all night.

VS. Omaha: Worked the point during the powerplay and excelled in this role where his finesse passing skills and ability to see the ice helped create a few scoring chances .. skating is fluid but not dynamic .. coaching staff still hesitant to use him in defensive situations and was invisible five-on-five.

VS. Lincoln: This was his best game of the season and yet, he failed to register a point because of his inability to finish, despite his compact release and quick shot .. finally began to attack the zone with the puck and generated the most scoring opportunities of any Gambler .. skates fairly well with the puck and has a few one-on-one moves, although his lack of strength on his feet still makes him too easily knocked off the puck .. was going to the net more and was competing harder in his own end.

Summary: Possesses some skill but his physical immaturity and lack of consistency has left Johnstone ineffective almost all season. Committed to Michigan Tech, Johnstone is a solid collegiate prospect but has not shown enough to warrant NHL consideration.

Robert Shea (2008), D, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: Crisp all-access skater with tight footwork .. did not rush himself into mistakes moving the puck but did struggle to make a clean first pass and generate any offense through the passing game .. a physical one-on-one defender that competes with tenacity around his own net but overexerts himself at times and loses his assignments.

VS. Omaha: Lined up against Omaha's top line all night and effectively shut them down .. frustrating player to play against, as he is very physical and tenacious in one-on-one situations .. plays bigger than his size thanks to his good core strength, which allows him to gain leverage on larger opponents.

Summary: Committed to Bowling Green, Shea will make a strong collegiate defenseman and his development is worth monitoring over the successive seasons as a potential free agent pick up down the road.

Taylor Johnson (2008), D, Green Bay Gamblers

VS. Chicago: Displayed good vision and poise while breaking the puck out of his own end .. a skilled passer that effectively created offense through the passing game while quarterbacking the powerplay .. naturally works the blueline, as he utilizes his fluent lateral mobility well to open up passing and shooting lanes .. displayed above-average quickness and skill to elude the oncoming forecheck .. his lack of size left him ineffective against larger opponents near his own net.

VS. Omaha: A defensive liability that was caught chasing the puck in his own zone, which took him out of position .. too easily out muscled around the net and committed a few bad turnovers right up the middle while attempting to break the puck out of his zone .. was caught up ice trying to force things offensively .. displayed a heavy shot and a quick one timer while working the point on the powerplay.

VS. Lincoln: Was error prone all night coughing the puck up at the opponents blueline and routinely being at fault for an odd-man rush heading the other way .. got in a fight and more than held his own by making his opponent turtle early into the altercation.

Summary: Committed to St. Cloud State, Johnson is a promising collegiate prospect that could contribute on the powerplay. However, he is a defensive liability that lacks size and should not receive NHL consideration.