USHL: Lancers Break the Ice

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was recently on hand at the Mid America Center to watch the Omaha Lancers defeat the Indian Ice 3-1. McKeen's has notes on several players from both teams including Paul Carey and 2008 draft prospect John Carlson, who were just named offensive and defensive players of the week respectively.

Indiana Icing Two Top Talents

The Indiana Ice is a team worth watching in 2007-2008. Not because the team is off to a respectable start, but because they have one of the most impressive players in the league in Colorado Avalanche draft pick and Boston College recruit Paul Carey and perhaps the top 2008 draft-eligible USHL prospect in defenseman John Carlson. In addition, besides Carey, the team also features three more NHL-drafted prospects in Brett Bruneteau (Wsh), Brent Gwidt (Wsh), and Scott Darling (Phx).

Paul Carey (Col), LW, Indiana

Was dominant in this viewing and played at a level that few USHLers play at, and he is a rookie in the league .. displayed his smooth skating and powerful stride .. acceleration and sheer speed allowed him burn veteran USHL defensemen with ease but still looked very comfortable and in control when handling the puck at top speed .. also has the ability to slow the game down .. has very good agility, even at top speed .. a heads-up stickhandler with excellent on-ice vision who can spot open teammates and feed them with crisp, accurate passes, including cross-ice .. showed good defensive awareness in filling in for pinching defensemen .. although he has many more goals than assists at the time of this viewing, he looked like the USHL's version of Joe Thornton on this night.

Brett Bruneteau (Wsh), C, Indiana

First game back in Omaha and received a standing ovation by Lancer fans when announced as a starter for the Ice, but was largely invisible this game .. did demonstrate his typical speed, quickness, agility and patience with the puck on a few occasions .. did not play poorly but did not stand out.

Brent Gwidt (Wsh), RW, Indiana

Still playing in a defensive role for the Ice, and shows good hustle, quickness, and speed on the forecheck and the backcheck .. has quick feet, but should lengthen his stride .. at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, if he is to continue to play in this defensive role, he will need to become more effective physically.

Scott Darling (Phx), G, Indiana

Not particularly impressive in this viewing, as he became vulnerable when the play moved across the crease .. showed a tendency to scramble in the crease and was caught moving in the wrong direction on some quick plays and even ended up facing away from the play on a couple of occasions .. drops on nearly every shot and can be deked into dropping and then lunging for the puck, taking away the advantage of his big frame and leaving the top of the net open .. had difficulty in handling wraparound attempts by speedy forwards .. displayed his athleticism with a huge-split save, and his long legs took away everything low .. puckhandling this evening was poor.

John Carlson (2008), D, Indiana

Appears to have more than adjusted to the pace of the USHL and showed exceptional maturity in moving the puck .. smooth skating, power, and agility showed in his ability to gain control of the puck down low and circle away from checks, accelerate and make a crisp, accurate outlet pass, or skate the puck himself on occasion .. very advanced in his ability to look while racing back for the puck into the corners or along the boards, assess the play, and pick the puck off the boards knowing what play he is going to make .. has excellent peripheral vision and offensive awareness .. able to play the physical game and stood up for his goalie, but the subtleties in his transition game and outlet passing were most impressive .. selected to represent Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge.

Patrick Cullen (Undrafted), RW, Indiana

Undrafted player named one of Central Scouting's "Players to Watch," but you had to be looking for him this game, as he is buried behind a number of veteran USHLers and Paul Carey on the Indiana depth chart .. did show good quickness and speed and did not hesitate to race for the puck and generally hustled the entire night .. made a couple of heads-up plays created by his forechecking.

Lancer Regiment

The Lancers have been the top team in the USHL in 2007-08, starting with an impressive showing against major junior teams at the CCM Classic, winning the Fall Classic, and winning eight of their first ten regular season contests. Omaha has a number of veteran, undrafted players leading the charge, but the team also features three drafted players, headlined by second-round pick Nico Sacchetti, as well as one of the most sought after collegiate recruits in developing defenseman Patrick Wiercioch.

Nico Sacchetti (Dal), C, Omaha

Was not overly noticeable in Omaha's balanced attack .. did not handle the puck as much as he did at the Fall Classic, which was a significant part of his game in Minnesota high school .. still made some crisp, accurate, cross-ice passes and worked to setup teammates .. physical game is improving, but he could finish his checks with more force .. demonstrated good balance absorbing open-ice hits, including sending a much larger opponent to the ice on one occasion .. selected to represent Team USA at the World Junior A Classic.

Andrew Conboy (Mtl), LW, Omaha

Trying to make changes to his game and incorporate more offensive skill but maintain his physical presence .. working on becoming a more dangerous shooter from the perimeter, as he has an impressive shot .. still skating upright, but also still leveling opponents, especially opposing defensemen at the point or on the forecheck .. at his best when he levels an opponent two or more times on the same shift, which caused some opponents to hear footsteps on subsequent plays with Conboy closing.

Will O'Neill (Atl), D, Omaha

Had a sub par outing .. inconsistent in moving the puck, as he fanned on a couple of passing attempts, one of which caused the puck to go into the crease, as he attempted to pass while skating backwards .. passes with forward momentum tended to be crisp, but were inconsistent .. some were picked off, while others were impressive long-distance feeds .. also demonstrated some good d-to-d passing at times .. needs a bit more backwards acceleration and speed to be able to maintain a short gap and not be beaten wide or by an opponent who cuts back or moves laterally on him .. relies upon crossovers too much when skating backward to generate the speed that he does.

Patrick Wiercioch (2008), D, Omaha

Working to shore up his defensive game, less than a year from being in and out of Burnaby's lineup in the BCHL .. most of his shortcomings come down to needed improvements in lower body strength .. lacks the backwards acceleration and speed to maintain a short gap .. reliance on backwards crossovers to generate and maintain backwards speed allowed him to be caught moving in the wrong direction by veteran USHL forwards .. pivots from backward to forward must become quicker, or the need lessened by improvements in areas noted above .. did show some good speed racing for the puck once he got some momentum going .. appeared more discriminating in pinching deep into the offensive zone than he did at the Fall Classic .. projects well if he gains the requisite strength and power in the USHL and in college.

Matt Thurber (2008), C, Omaha

Did not particularly stand out in this outing, but was responsible in all three zones .. assistant captain helped his defensemen down low and on the backcheck with his speed and hustle .. cycled the puck well with linemates on a couple of occasions .. showed confidence in his backhand shot and was able to get in couple strong backhanders from 20 to 30 feet out.

Barry Almeida (Undrafted), RW, Omaha

Undrafted 5-foot-9, 185-pound forward whose size and ability to endure the physical game over the course of a season is in question .. has very good speed with the puck and can beat defensemen wide .. does not shy away from going into traffic with the puck, but must improve ability to hang on to the puck when he does and winning such battles .. smooth skater who has good agility and can be elusive with the puck .. willing to engage in physical battles with larger opponents, but must win more of these battles .. one of the top offensive threats in the USHL in 2007-08 .. selected to represent Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge.

Keir Ross (Undrafted), D, Omaha

Undrafted player listed as one of Central Scouting's "Players to Watch" .. physical defenseman who plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 188-pound frame .. has quick feet laterally, but needs more power in his backwards acceleration to hang with speedy forwards while controlling his gap .. pivots from backward to forward involve too many steps .. accurate passer.

Aaron Lewadniuk (Undrafted), RW, Omaha

Has many of the tools, but does need more game-to-game and shift-to-shift consistency .. has good speed, with or without the puck, and is a slick stickhandler who can get off a hard wristshot .. has good offensive vision and is generally aware of the play around him .. most effective when he is battling hard and adding a physical element to his game, which he can do very well .