USHL: Gregoire Drives Lincoln

Not only is Jason Gregoire the Lincoln Stars' scoring leader, he is among the USHL's scoring leaders. Gregoire, however, leads not only in production, but also in example. Lincoln's team captain takes his leadership role seriously and plays a dedicated two-way game, paying attention to the details. Drafted by the New York Islanders, Gregoire's work ethic serves as a model to prospects like St. Louis Blues draft pick Travis Erstad and the exceptionally gifted Jimmy Hayes, a midseason addition eligible for selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. McKeen's has had the opportunity to catch the Lincoln Stars in both the first and second halves of the USHL season and enters notes on Gregoire, Erstad and Hayes, along with several other Stars trying to make an impact this season.

Jason Gregoire (NYI), LW, Lincoln Stars

Perhaps the best overall forward in the USHL in 2007-08 .. has very good offensive vision and makes crisp, accurate passes .. dangerous with centering passes off the half boards or out of the corers .. shows patience with the puck and does not force bad plays .. has some stickhandling ability and can lay down dekes .. has a hard shot and a very hard one-timer .. demonstrates good defensive awareness and a commitment to the defensive end .. hustles on the forecheck and backcheck and does so intelligently .. will execute leg drags like a defenseman or block shots outright .. is able to strip opponents of puck on the backcheck .. 5-foot-11, 175-pound forward still needs to add some size and could use a bit more speed, but he is a very intelligent player with a strong work ethic and excellent leadership.

Travis Erstad (StL), RW, Lincoln Stars

Six-foot-four, 185-pound winger has significant filling out to do .. plays as the big man in front of and around the net and can create problems for opposing defensemen, although he has not created a great deal of offense this season .. able to use his reach to generate those chances he does create .. plays with some physicality and will fight, but this is not a consistent effort .. has a long stride, but is not particularly fast or quick .. must improve consistency of effort throughout a shift and shift-to-shift, as he appears lazy much of the time .. defensive game should improve significantly if his effort improves (will barely touch the ice at Wisconsin if both his effort and defensive game do not improve) .. additional lower body strength should help improve speed and quickness some .. St. Louis has a project player on their hands, but he is committed to the right school to improve in the areas he needs to.

Jimmy Hayes (2008), RW, Lincoln Stars

Joined Lincoln Feb. 6 from the U.S. National Team Development Program after the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets traded his rights to the Stars Jan. 15 .. big 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-winger who is an intimidating presence skating the puck down the alley .. has deceptive speed, because his long legs allow for fewer strides .. has good agility, especially for such a big player .. able to make tight, powerful turns with the puck .. can be seen coasting away from the puck a lot, but demonstrates quick feet when he needs to, such as getting open or adjusting his position to receive the pass .. a heads-up stickhandler who shows some creativity with the puck, although he is very effective using his size to shield the puck and drive the net .. makes crisp, accurate passes, including one-touch passes .. could afford to be more physical defensively and finish his checks with more force .. has the tools to become an elite power forward and looks likely to be the first USHL forward taken in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Click the link for a recent interview with Jimmy Hayes

Jared Festler (2008), LW, Lincoln Stars

Smaller left wing (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) that has quick strides and decent speed, but needs a little more speed for a player his size to succeed at the highest levels .. has good agility, but could use a little more acceleration to consistently win races to the puck .. demonstrates stickhandling prowess from time to time, but also loses control of the puck too often when trying to fight checks along the wing or splitting the defense .. shows some offensive creativity .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and the backcheck and does strip opponents of the puck from time to time .. a regular on the powerplay but also plays some on the PK .. has a spattering of multi-goal games, but has not been a consistent goal scorer in the USHL in his rookie season after decimating Minnesota high school in 2006-07.

Ross Henry (2008), D, Lincoln Stars

Solid defensive defenseman that plays a physical game .. a solid 5-foot-10, 190 pounds and can stand up opponents at the blueline or opponents driving the net .. also uses his strength on his skates to withstand hits from those trying to check him .. has good all-compass mobility and can stick with opponents .. keeps his head on a swivel defensively .. does a good job of looking with the puck or going to get the puck, although he generally makes one gaff a game with the puck when he goes against his better judgment and does not make the simple play .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has decent speed with the puck .. has a heavy slapshot .. able to clear the puck out of the zone with crisp banks off the glass if necessary .. as previously said about Henry, he is a late round pick if he is three or four inches taller.

Josh Myers (2008), C, Lincoln

Demonstrates decent quickness and acceleration with the puck .. has a hard shot .. wristshot is quick and crisp and can get it off in stride .. shot is hard enough to be a threat from the perimeter, but would score more if he drove the net more .. has reasonably soft hands for stickhandling and making one-touch passes .. able to maintain control of the puck and fight through checks, even when he is in a near standstill .. shows good hustle on the forecheck and the backcheck .. 5-foot-10, 168-pound center will need more size to become effective playing the body .. highly unlikely he will go in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but has some tools to work with next season for consideration in his second year of draft eligibility.

Kevin Murdock (2008), G, Lincoln Stars

His game has matured a fair amount over the course of his first USHL season .. doing a better job of getting compact for shots and not allowing rebounds .. able to get down and up quickly and across his crease quickly, but is not at the same level as Sioux City's Josh Robinson .. has the athleticism to make impressive splits saves if necessary .. able to make nice saucer passes and clears out of the zone, but will need to continue to improve moving it quicker .. has to be careful to avoid the urge to over challenge the shooter .. youngest goaltender in the USHL this season and has had to adjust to receiving only spot duty behind David Reekie, after being the starter for Shattuck St. Mary's U16 team in 2006-07.

Matt Bartkowski (2008), D, Lincoln Stars

Third-year, draft-eligible defenseman has made a significant jump with a larger role in his second USHL season .. 6-foot-1, 203-pound defenseman plays with physicality and can stand opponents up at the blueline or level them along the boards .. does not backtrack early and lets his gap close and keeps it close .. demonstrates proper backward skating form .. adept at making leg drags or using his stick to block passes .. passes are crisp and on the tape .. could afford to strengthen his wristshot from the point .. among defenseman scoring leaders in the USHL .. had just finished playing Pennsylvania high school hockey for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but worth NHL consideration for a team looking for a more mature defenseman in their prospect depth chart .. committed to Ohio State.