USHL: Green Bay Prospects a Gamble

Aside from speedy split-season forward Jake Youso, the Green Bay Gamblers have no sure bets to go in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The team has struggled in 2007-08, but it is not without a few first-year draft eligible players with some upside. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to catch Green Bay in action and enters notes on forwards Keegan Flaherty, Max Cook and defensemen Robert Shea and Taylor Johnson.

Keegan Flaherty (2008), RW, Green Bay

Showed why he was selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge in November .. a smooth skater with good speed and who has some power in his strides .. has good quickness, but does not require many strides, as he has good first-step quickness and separation .. however, he has put up hardly anything in the way of offense, which will likely prevent him from going in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft .. uncommitted to a college program.

Robert Shea (2008), D, Green Bay

His plus/minus with Green Bay this season does not reflect his defensive abilities .. plays a physical game and can angle opponents into the boards and rub them out or outright stand them up .. able to layout a good hip check .. does well to subtly interfere with opponents to buy his teammates time, but not to a level that draws a penalty .. shows confidence in skating the puck and is a crisp, accurate passer who can execute a nice saucer pass or backhand pass .. somewhat similar to Lincoln's Ross Henry, but like Henry, may lack the size to play his game, as he plays it at higher levels.

Taylor Johnson (2008), D, Green Bay

Smaller defenseman has shown solid improvement since the beginning of the year .. although he does not win every one-on-one battle, he has improved significantly in battling along the boards and down low .. also demonstrated the passing ability to warrant the icetime he received at the Fall Classic as the powerplay quarterback .. makes quick, crisp, accurate passes .. also demonstrates good agility with the puck, utilizing spins to evade forecheckers .. defensively, he relies some on crossovers backwards, but they are smooth and have some power .. does a good job to not rely on crossovers when he has generated some momentum, though .. has good speed backwards and can hang with most USHL forwards .. pointshot has some power and he did a better job keeping it low than previous viewings .. committed to St. Cloud State University.

Max Cook (2008), RW, Green Bay

A lanky forward who obviously needs more leg strength .. legs look a bit thin and he is upright in his skating .. despite this, he shows some speed and shows a good effort .. must avoid a tendency to feather passes, as they often come at unadvised times and are intercepted or go to nobody .. passing game in general is inconsistent, as his passes are wobbly at times .. shows some flashes that makes one wonder, "What could he do if he had the requisite muscle?" .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. would be advised to skate a second season in the USHL to improve strength and physical maturity prior to going to a strong Redhawks program.