USHL: NHL Sons Surge in Chicago

Chicago Steel defenseman John Moore took home USHL Defenseman of the Year honors and is likely the top USHL prospect heading into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. However, one would be remiss if they did not mention the solid seasons three NHL sons crafted with the Steel in 2008-09. Left winger Dean Chelios, son of future Hall of Famer Chris Chelios, went from spare part in Cedar Rapids to a point-per-game player in Chicago, impressing with his stickhandling prowess and poise with the puck. Fellow left winger Alex Krushelnyski, son of Mike Krushelnyski, started the season a bit slow and missed significant time midseason, but finished strong with 11 points in his final 13 games. Last but not least of the three was defensemen Philip Samuelsson, son of Ulf Samuelsson, who was a model of un-flashy consistency and played twice for Team USA and once for Team Sweden in international play.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to see the Chicago Steel twice in the second half of the season, and enters notes on several players. John Moore (pictured), who looks to be a good bet to go in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft is featured along with Philip Samuelsson, Alex Krushelnyski, Dean Chelios, and a number of other Steel prospects, including two already drafted by NHL teams.

John Moore (2009), D, Chicago

Still the odds-on favorite following the USHL regular season to be the first USHLer selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. Chicago's captain .. did not finish the season as strong offensively as he started .. had 10 goals and 17 assists in his first 29 games of the USHL season and 4 goals and 8 assists in his final 28 games .. no denying Moore has exceptional mobility .. smooth backwards, keeps a wide base, and lets his gaps close near the blueline .. has a long stride that can help him cover significant ground at great speed with each one taken .. also has very good agility to make tight switchbacks to evade checkers .. mobility off of faceoffs if he gets the puck is smooth, which helps him transition the puck well .. his mobility gives him poise with the puck .. makes very crisp, hard passes .. breakout passes are often to the right wing .. moves the puck well with his d-partners and is also an adept one-touch passer .. plays on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. mobility makes him similar to Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer, but while Moore has good two-way hockey sense, it is not elite .. reminds this scout more of a potential slight upgrade over Brendan Mikkelson and what Mikkelson projects to be with his mobility, hard and accurate passes, and size (Moore is 6-foot-3, 195, Mikkelson is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds), and neither Mikkelson nor Moore play an aggressively physical game .. Moore looks more of a future third or fourth defenseman .. Moore is a fairly safe pick, though, as Trevor Lewis was when he was selected out of the USHL .. projected to go in the middle of the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and had 2 assists in 5 games .. played for Team CCM (East) in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. named USHL Defenseman of the Year .. named to RBK All-USHL First Team.. finished the season with 14 goals and 25 assists in 57 games, fourth in USHL defenseman scoring .. committed to play for Colorado College in 2009-10.

Philip Samuelsson (2009), D, Chicago

Continued to be what he was the first half of the season, an un-flashy defenseman who was generally reliable .. passing game needs continued refinement .. makes hard, crisp passes, but sometimes he leads his man just a little too much .. able to transition the puck fairly quickly .. has decent offensive vision to find the open man .. listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, but still appears to need additional lower body strength .. needs more speed backward and forward and stride can be a bit clunky at times .. pivots are decent, though .. has good defensive awareness .. knows when to use leg drags to block shots or clog passing lanes .. plays his odd-man rushes well .. not overly physical, but does engage physically and separate opponents from the puck .. .. plays on the second powerplay unit and on the penalty kill .. has a hard shot from the point that he's conscientious in trying to get off quickly .. plays a fairly composed game, doesn't take many stupid penalties and doesn't panic with the puck .. with continued steady development in college and later in the pro game, he could develop into a fifth or sixth defenseman at the NHL level, but is probably five or six years from that .. projecting Samuelsson to be a sixth-round pick .. played for Team Sweden at Four Nations Tournament in November and had no points in four games .. named to play for Team CCM (East) in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game in early February but instead played with U.S. Under-18 Team at Five Nations Tournament, where he had no points in four games .. playing for Team USA at World Under-18 Championships in Fargo .. finished season with 0 goals and 22 assists in 54 games .. committed to play for Boston College in 2009-10 .. major junior rights are held by the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Alex Krushelnyski (2009), LW, Chicago

Not overly impressed with Krushelnyski at the Fall Classic and took few notes on him, but he really impressed in the March viewing .. missed most of November and December .. finished 2008-09 strong with 4 goals and 7 assists in his final 13 games .. made things happen offensively and was reading the play to put himself in a position to create or finish chances .. made crisp passes, both on centering passes and in utilizing his points .. able to make some nifty passing plays .. displayed slipperiness down low with swivels and switchbacks .. showed soft hands to receive passes and quickly move the puck up on the attack .. has a nice set of hands to evade checks with lateral moves and to get shots off .. has a decent wristshot and snapshot .. played on the penalty kill and even created some chances there by intercepting passes and displaying his speed on the forecheck .. also saw some powerplay time .. was a very well-rounded, two-way player at the end of the season .. a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds at this point, but frame isn't prohibitively limiting .. father, Mike, played in the NHL and Alex has a legitimate shot as a late-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. finished the season with 7 goals and 11 assists in 38 games .. has not committed to a college program .. probable return to Steel in 2009-10.

Josh Balch (2009), C, Chicago

A hockey player in its truest sense .. traded from Des Moines to Chicago Feb. 5, just before the roster freeze deadline on Feb. 6 .. has very good speed and consistently displays it on the forecheck and on the backcheck .. able to catch even speedy USHLers on the backcheck .. very nice speed bursts thanks to explosive acceleration .. has excellent top speed with the puck, but can also be shifty with his speed with the puck .. not overly big at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, but does play with a bit of a physical edge and finishes his checks, often with some force .. displays good two-way awareness .. gets himself open but is also a heads-up stickhandler to assess his options when he has the puck .. arsenal of shots are all hard and will use opponents to set his screen .. plays in all situations .. impressed with Des Moines in 2007-08, and would consider him an upgraded Taylor Matson (Vancouver prospect who played for Des Moines) .. second year of draft eligibility, and may have a shot at selection thanks to his well-rounded, speedy game and his point-per-game production in 2008-09 .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 2 goals in 5 games .. scored 11 goals and 9 assists in 18 games with Chicago and 10 goals and 11 assists in 23 games with Des Moines .. finished the season with totals of 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games .. committed to play for Yale in 2009-10.

Dean Chelios (2009), LW, Chicago

Looked good in final two viewings of 2008-09, but perhaps not good enough to be selected in third year of draft eligibility .. continued to display the calm he showed early in the season with Chicago and did a good job shielding the puck and creating chances .. as in an earlier report, stickhandling may now be his forte .. able to stickhandle through traffic or make lateral moves to get shots off .. makes crisp, accurate passes and drives the net .. plays on the powerplay .. can be a bit invisible at times, but did end the season on a seven-game point streak .. was out in the final minute of both viewings .. possible that he'll be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but may be more of a candidate to be monitored in the college game and to sign a free agent contract afterward .. scored no goals and one assist in six games with Cedar Rapids .. scored 19 goals and 34 assists in 49 games with Chicago .. finished the season with totals of 19 goals and 35 assists in 55 games .. committed to play for Michigan State in 2009-10.

Matt Lindblad (2009), C, Chicago

A solid hockey player with a real future as a defensive center .. F1 on the forecheck often, thanks to his speed bursts, hustle and defensive awareness .. even hustles off the bench to quickly join the play .. is on opponents quickly .. intelligent in his forechecking and does not run around .. a threat on the backcheck to strip opponents or intercept passes .. sees significant time on the penalty kill, as he should .. always helps his defensemen down low .. capable offensively .. able to unleash a heavy, low shot skating in .. crisp, accurate passer able to generate chances from his defense-first game .. sees some powerplay time .. a dream third-line center for a USHL coach and hopefully promotes to a solid top-six role in 2009-10 .. second year of draft eligibility and is a real long shot to be taken in 2009 NHL Entry Draft, unless an NHL team has an eye out specifically for an ace defensive centerman .. finished the USHL regular season with 5 goals and 20 assists in 51 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Hudson Stremmel (2009), G, Chicago

Finally got a real viewing of Stremmel .. butterfly goaltender that does a good job of staying compact .. decent push-offs with his legs to get across the crease .. does a good job of allowing no rebounds or quickly covering them .. stays fairly calm in his crease, but will get aggressive in coming out for dumped pucks .. can get very aggressive in skating out on opponents sprung for breakouts and will dive at the puck and take the man with him .. able to clear his zone with crisp launches up the boards or down the ice .. an extreme long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but does have a decent set of tools .. isn't small at 6-foot-0, 185 pounds, but isn't big by goalie standards anymore, either .. finished the season with a record of 18-14-1, two shutouts, 3.19 G.AA, and a .895 save percentage in 35 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Armand Deswardt (2009), LW/RW, Chicago

Started the season with a leg injury suffered at Indiana Ice's main camp and added to Chicago's roster Dec. 29 .. has okay stride extension and a little top speed, but acceleration is severely lacking .. separation with the puck is almost nil .. tries to change speeds with the puck for some shiftiness, but lack of separation makes him largely unsuccessful doing so at USHL level .. 6-foot-5, 205-pound winger has some size to work with and finishes his checks, but they lack oomph .. not certain the extent that the leg injury hampered him after he returned, due to limited viewings .. virtually no chance of being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. finished the season with 2 goals and 1 assist in 29 games .. committed to Cornell for 2010-11.

Ben Hughes (2009), D, Chicago

Was scratched in late March game, but looked decent in late January viewing .. made crisp, accurate breakout passes .. threaded a couple nice saucer passes to break the puck out .. also made crisp d-to-d passes to transition the puck .. decent slapper from the point .. did a good job of taking looks when skating back for the puck to start the breakout .. also did a good job pinching in from the point to keep the puck in .. stood out in offensive categories in this viewing despite finishing the season with only one point .. virtually no chance of being selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but should be a good two-way defenseman for the Steel next season .. finished the season with 1 goal and 0 assists in 43 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Kevin Lind (2010), D, Chicago

Successful transition from midgets to USHL after starting the season playing U18 and playing U16 last season .. now doing a better job of reducing crossovers backwards .. showing some mobility backwards in that he was able to stay with opponents who tried to open the gap by stopping just past the blueline .. skating forward and backwards is still a bit upright .. despite being a slightly upright skater, he still does a good job of fielding bodychecks .. needs to improve stickhandling, as he lost control of the puck bringing it across his body and skating it out from behind the net on some occasions .. was also stripped trying to skate the puck out of the d-zone .. makes crisp breakout passes and crisp short passes .. able to catch hard passes .. despite some stickhandling errors, he did show some patience with the puck out-waiting shot blockers .. release on his wristshot from the point needs to be quicker .. plays on the penalty kill and sees a little time on the powerplay .. 6-foot-3, 200-pound blueliner already has good size and looks poised to be a good, top-four, two-way defenseman in the USHL next season .. finished the season with 2 goals and 3 assists in 50 games .. started the season with Chicago Mission's midget major team and played sporadically during the season .. no college commitment of yet .. probable return to Steel in 2009-10.

Jamie Oleksiak (2011), D, Chicago

Second-youngest player in the USHL in 2008-09 behind Omaha's Seth Ambroz .. scratched in late January viewing and limited notes from late March viewing .. had the wide base backwards that he showed in midgets earlier in the season, but was still a bit upright backwards .. wristshot from the point is average by USHL standards, and also had a tendency to go high .. did make a nice read on a sliding block to prevent a dangerous shot .. saw some time on both the penalty kill and powerplay .. already listed at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds as a 16-year-old .. likely a fifth defenseman in the USHL next season, but has time on his side before the 2011 NHL Entry Draft .. finished the season with 0 goals and 4 assists in 29 games .. played roughly 30 games for Little Caesar's midget major team .. .. no college commitment of yet .. slated to return to Steel in 2009-10 .. major junior rights are held by Saginaw Spirit.

Max Nicastro (Det), D, Chicago

Ended up Chicago's number two defenseman behind John Moore and was a solid two-way player with a physical edge .. minimizes crossovers backwards, fairly smooth backwards, and lets gap shrink by the blueline .. 6-foot-2, 200-pounder steps up for some big hits near the blueline .. is also a threat for a huge open-ice hit .. passing in late March viewing was smooth .. makes hard, crisp passes that are on the tape and is much smoother than he once was .. also made very hard, crisp d-to-d passes .. hard shot from the point is well known .. will pinch in from the point and join the offensive play low and was doing this more than he used to .. played in all situations for Chicago .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 3 assists in 5 games .. played for Team CCM at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the season with 9 goals and 22 assists in 57 games, 10th in USHL defenseman scoring .. committed to play for Boston University in 2009-10.

Mark Goggin (Bos), C, Chicago

Played split season between Chicago and Choate Prep .. looked very good in late March viewing .. confident with the puck, doesn't rush things, and was a playmaker .. made hard, crisp, accurate passes and was able to do so at speed on the attack to advance to the attack zone .. has good speed with the puck .. has a decent snapshot and a crisp wristshot .. adept stickhandler able to roof it from in close .. put in a good effort on the forecheck and backcheck .. Chicago can only wish Goggin had played for them the entire season as the second-line center behind Andrew Miller .. most certainly worth the seventh-round pick Boston drafted him with .. finished the USHL season with 5 goals and 4 assists in 17 games .. scored 14 goals and 20 assists in 25 games for Choate and was named to New England Prep School West All-Star Team .. committed to play for Dartmouth in 2009-10.