USHL: Green Bay Back on Track

In 2007-08, the Green Bay Gamblers finished with a league-worst 13-41-6 record and missed the playoffs. New head coach Jon Cooper has cleaned house and appears to have righted the Gambler ship early in 2008-09, as the team had a 7-2-1 record 10 games into the young season with a balanced scoring attack. Leading the charge, though, is Atlanta Thrashers prospect Michael Forney, who appears to have bought into Cooper's systems since the Fall Classic, as he leads the team in scoring, and is proving why he was once considered a potential first round pick heading into his 2006-draft year.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to catch the Green Bay Gamblers in action and enters notes on several prospects including Atlanta Thrashers draft pick Michael Forney (pictured), defensemen Nick Jensen and Robert Shea, plus 2010-draft eligible Christopher Crane.

Michael Forney (Atl), RW, Green Bay

Completely different player than at the Fall Classic and in a good way .. played an active game on the forecheck and backcheck .. played on the penalty kill and was willing to block shots .. has quick feet laterally, good for manning the point on the penalty kill .. initiated physical contact for the puck and even away from the play .. finished checks when able, but lacked force .. gets a little upright accelerating, but still showed good quickness in races for the puck .. generates good acceleration in his crossovers, although a bit upright .. did a good job to use his body and shield the puck near the boards with swivels and stickhandling .. showed why Atlanta drafted him and why North Dakota originally wanted him .. at Green Bay's 10-game mark, he led the Gamblers in scoring with three goals and nine assists.

Nick Jensen (2009), D, Green Bay

Showed his defensive prowess in this viewing .. does not backtrack early and has the backwards acceleration not to .. relies more on power than quick feet accelerating backwards .. keeps his gaps short .. able to angle opponents to the boards with his short gaps and good speed backwards .. decent hip checker .. has a fairly powerful stride forwards and good extension to translate to good speed .. generally makes fairly simple plays, but passes are crisp and on the tape .. has good cruising speed with the puck and can get off a good wristshot .. good two-way defenseman has a legitimate shot of selection in the later rounds of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. at Green Bay's 10-game mark, he had five assists in nine games.

Robert Shea (2009), D, Green Bay

Still with the team after the roster finally shook out after the Fall Classic .. a rock defensively .. aggressive in stepping up in the neutral zone to make hits, or intercept passes, or at least make a poke check .. excellent defensive reads to time stepping-up to make defensive plays in the neutral zone .. keeps gaps low .. fairly power backwards acceleration allows him to keep gaps short .. overall, very adept at preventing opponents from gaining the neutral zone .. playing a bit of a fighter role in 2008-09, but this is a miscasting .. has a bad habit of skating or circling backwards at initial engagement of a fight, putting him in a position of weakness for the first blows .. moves the puck reliably and makes hard, crisp passes .. has a hard shot from the point and a decent wristshot .. does not play on the powerplay despite mobility, reliable passing, and show power, which is disappointing .. deserving of consideration of selection in late rounds of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but is not getting the opportunities he is worthy of offensively, as he is pointless in seven games.

Christopher Crane (2010), C, Green Bay

Always gives his very best .. hustles and is active on the forecheck and the backcheck .. creates some turnovers on his forechecking and backchecking efforts .. stickhandling is an area with needed improvement .. loses control of the puck too often, stifling the effectiveness of his forechecking and backchecking .. has a little speed, power, and acceleration, but does need to improve in all of these areas .. edge control may be an issue .. willing to engage physically to get the puck and works hard along the boards .. defensive effort carries over to execute leg drags to clog passing lanes and prevent shots .. real potential as an effective defensive forward if he focuses on improving his stickhandling and also works on his skating .. has scored three goals at Green Bay's 10-game mark.