USHL: Proving Their Worth

The Sioux Falls Stampede do not have the first-year draft eligible prospects that they had in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, such as Jake Hansen, Corey Tropp, and Brad Malone but they are not without talent. Hansen is back for a full season of USHL action after a split season in 2006-07 and is joined by Montreal Canadiens seventh round pick Scott Kishel and third-year forward Nick Dineen (pictured). Further, the efforts of a few USHL rookies that were passed over while playing in other leagues in 2006-07 caught our eye in a recent viewing. McKeen's has notes on several Stampede prospects eager to make an impact and prove their worth.

Jake Hansen (CBJ), LW, Sioux Falls

Hansen's speed down the wings with the puck is still evident .. demonstrated the ability to start and stop quickly .. offensive awareness is good, but not exceptional .. plays the point on the powerplay and moves the puck efficiently .. demonstrated the awareness to make one-touch passes to teammates with more momentum, but then later did a "Gretzky circle" entering the zone and passed it to nobody, which was easily intercepted for a breakout by the opponent .. likes to be around the net .. focusing on gaining muscle and strength .. committed to the University of Minnesota.

Scott Kishel (Mtl), D, Sioux Falls

Looked better than he did at the Fall Classic, but it still no standout at the USHL level .. passes were generally on target, but were not very crisp .. shows a little speed with the puck, but lack of size makes it difficult for him to fight through checks, as he is not super fast .. seemingly became a target for opponents to lay big hits on .. attempted to stand-up opponents, but was generally ineffective in doing so .. transition from circling backwards to forward while skating the puck had a hitch at the point of pivot .. would be well advised to wait to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth until he can add some more size, as he is barely holding on at the USHL level.

Nick Dineen (Undrafted), RW, Sioux Falls

Solid all-around player .. has good speed and adds to it with good hustle in all situations .. demonstrates good defensive awareness, as he hustles on the forecheck and the backcheck but is smart and disciplined in how he does it, as he does not run around .. defensive awareness further displayed in how he picks up assignments on the backcheck .. a regular on the powerplay and the penalty kill, including the 3-on-5 PK .. hustles to loose pucks and shows good quickness doing so .. has good patience with the puck, even with checkers approaching .. creates many opportunities with his two-way effort and can bury his chances .. has a quick wristshot .. unselected in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, but is making a bid for 2008, as one of the leading scorers in the USHL .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge .. committed to Colorado College. See recent Nick Dineen interview.

Patrick Divjak (Undrafted), LW, Sioux Falls

Speedy Austrian is helping anchor the second line and the second powerplay unit for the Stampede .. may be Sioux Falls' most skilled forward .. smooth skater with good speed and agility .. can stop on a dime from full speed while handling the puck .. has poise with the puck .. despite lack of size, does not shy away from the physical game and has the presence of mind to skate the puck out of a scrum and make a play instead of just slapping at it .. initiates physical contact and makes some big hits from time to time .. an NHL team may take him if they think he can become the Austrian Chris Conner.

Kristof Reinthaler (Undrafted), D, Sioux Falls

Austrian defenseman who has been passed over the previous two drafts but has some impressive, subtle raw tools .. played Midget AAA in North America in 2006-07 for Dallas Stars AAA .. at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he already has the size of a professional defenseman .. also demonstrates the backward skating mechanics of a professional defenseman .. has decent power and speed backwards, but must work on his gap control, as it could be smaller to begin the play .. backward skating mechanics do not break down when handling the puck .. shows decent acceleration and speed with the puck skating forward and makes a good first pass .. tends to make simple, but effective plays offensively .. defensive awareness is probably developing, as he was textbook in keeping his eyes on the opponent's chest the whole time and then separating the opponent from the puck on a couple occasions, but also showed a tendency to chase too high in the defensive zone .. stepped up on one open-ice hit in the neutral zone that absolutely leveled an opponent and sent the opponent's stick flying .. worth late-round NHL Draft consideration, especially if he continues to improve as much as he has since the Fall Classic, and had this scout eagerly wanting to see his development later in the season.

Eric Hartzell (Undrafted), G, Sioux Falls

Encouraged to see Hartzell relying less on his athleticism and little more on positioning, which helped make him an excellent first-save goaltender in this viewing.. did not show the diving and flopping he showed at the Fall Classic, although he was caught too far over in a left-leg-kick-out while moving laterally on one goal .. gave up virtually no rebounds on this evening .. displayed his athleticism in his flexibility and in his quick movements .. showed a tendency to stay a bit deep in the crease .. needs to work on playing the puck, as he touched the puck on a couple of occasions and broke the momentum that his defensemen had generated skating back for the puck .. still a long shot to be drafted, but showed some improvement in parts of his game that needed development .. named USHL Goaltender of the Week after this particular weekend.