USHL Report: Cedar Rapids and Lincoln

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on Cedar Rapids left winger Sam Warning, who's elevated his game to become one of the top forwards in the USHL since mid-January, and Lincoln center Ryan Dzingel, who has been amongst the league's scoring leaders all season. Several other RoughRiders and Stars eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft are also featured.

Cedar Rapids

Sam Warning (2011), LW, Cedar Rapids

Has taken his game to another level and has been Cedar Rapids' most impressive forward since mid-January .. now playing at one of the highest paces in the USHL .. has explosive acceleration and a powerful stride with good extension .. very good cruising speed with the puck and is often successful beating defensemen wide and then driving the net .. able to explode forward and laterally with the puck, giving him excellent separation .. makes hard, smooth passes .. does a good job of receiving hard passes on both the forehand and the backhand .. has a hard, crisp wristshot that he can get off in stride .. does need to improve his shot accuracy, as he misses the net high and/or wide too often .. upgrades in his top speed and explosiveness have resulted in greater confidence with the puck, as he's able to open up more time and space for himself .. does a good job of maintaining possession of the puck when engaged physically .. 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, and appears to be getting thicker and more powerful .. physical game has toned down a bit with his larger offensive role, but his compete level is well-established over the previous year and a half .. known for coming crashing in on the forecheck and also makes open-ice hits from time-to-time .. doesn't drop the gloves often, but has shown he won't back down .. now performing as one of the top forwards in the USHL .. on his way toward firmly establishing himself as a late-round pick in the 2011 Draft .. committed to Minnesota (2011-12).

Josiah Didier (2011), D, Cedar Rapids

Is visually bigger than when he started the season and shows flashes, but still needs to improve in some key areas .. skating is still pretty upright, which is likely in part due to the fact he's continuing to increase in height .. upright skating stride and stance gives him poor balance .. is muscled off the puck in 50/50 battles too easily .. center of gravity is further compromised by the fact he drops his chest .. has such long legs, but his stride is pretty choppy at times .. does flash some speed and stride extension now and again .. ends up on the ice way too much and needs to get stronger on his skates .. also upright skating backward and is not in a power position to successfully engage physically .. base backward could be wider, especially given the length of his legs .. does do a good job of minimizing crossovers and also puts in a concerted effort to let his gaps close .. skating deficiencies and physical game could easily improve quickly once he stops growing in height and can finally fill out, particularly in his lower body and core .. listed at a bit over 6-foot-2 and at 200 pounds, but visually appears to be close to 6-foot-3 .. passing game has some potential .. generally makes hard, crisp passes, but occasionally flashes a high-caliber pass that is very hard, very crisp, and on the tape .. must reduce turnovers, though .. seems to be guilty of a bad turnover, be it having a pass easily intercepted in his defensive zone or moving it right to the opponent, once a period .. prone to mishandling the puck in close quarters, which also leaves him susceptible to being stripped of the puck .. is often guilty of not moving his feet before he makes a pass .. when he has some space, does display an ability to make tight switchbacks to circle away from and evade forecheckers .. has a crisp wrister from the point .. injuries to teammates have allowed Didier to see top-four icetime in recent games and see icetime in all situations .. a potential late-round pick, but decision-making (turnovers) currently keep him from being a certainty to be selected in the 2011 Draft .. committed to Denver University (2012-13).

Cason Hohmann (2011), C, Cedar Rapids

Offensive production has cooled some and has clearly been passed by Warning .. has good speed and quickness with the puck, but not the same top speed and explosiveness as Warning .. able to make tight turns with the puck .. displays good lateral quickness with the puck .. guilty of dropping his chest while skating, giving him a bit of a hunch skating the puck .. a heads-up stickhandler who can continually assess his offensive options .. displays good patience with the puck .. likes to hold up just past the blue line and make centering passes .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. able to make quick toe drags around opponents and can keep his head up doing so .. doesn't drive the net with the same authority that Warning does and isn't as consistently involved in the play .. does put in a decent effort helping his defensemen down low in the defensive zone .. makes good reads on the forecheck and puts himself in a position to intercept the puck .. short at 5-foot-8, but also fairly slight at only 160 pounds .. named a USHL Mid-Season All-Star in mid-February .. a potential late-round pick, but is inching closer toward a long-shot pick, particularly when compared to Warning .. committed to Boston University (2011-12).

Lincoln

Ryan Dzingel (2011), C, Lincoln

One of the most skilled forwards in the USHL, but consistency of effort has not been as solid as in his rookie season .. has a smooth, powerful skating stride and also makes smooth turns .. even his tight turns are smooth .. nice cruising speed with the puck and can build considerable speed .. displays some explosiveness with speed bursts now and again .. poised with the puck and has good offensive vision .. an adept playmaker around the net who is dangerous with passes across the net .. also a threat as a playmaker off the half boards .. excellent peripheral vision to spot teammates for passes on the breakout and the attack .. poised with the puck and doesn't rush plays in the offensive zone .. makes smooth, crisp, accurate passes .. an adept stickhandler who can lay down some sick moves that have faked out even some of the USHL's best .. has decent size at 6-foot-0, 185 pounds .. able to play a physical game, but isn't as consistent with it shift-to-shift and game-to-game as he was last season .. capable of exploding for some big hits, but just appears less interested in defense and the physical game this season .. strong on his skates and can withstand attempted hits on him .. has proven himself skill-wise, but would like to see a return to the commitment to defense he displayed last season and to the consistent physical presence he added late last season .. named a USHL Mid-Season All-Star in mid-February .. a potential late-round pick .. committed to Ohio State (2011-12).

John McCarron (2011), RW, Lincoln

Apparently caught McCarron in some sub-par viewings during a time when he's otherwise been putting up solid offensive numbers .. seemed to be a step behind the play or was invisible much of the time in these viewings .. speed was oftentimes only adequate after displaying nice cruising speed earlier in the season .. dropped his chest when skating during these mid-season viewings, giving him a distinct hunch while skating .. hunch while skating forced him to correct his posture before thrusting up into hits .. at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he is capable of making big hits and can thrust into his hits .. listed size is the same, but he appears thicker than earlier in the season .. makes hard, crisp passes .. has good shot power .. slapshot and one-timer are both hard .. also has a hard, crisp wristshot .. hope to see the McCarron from early in the season in remaining viewings this season .. named a USHL Mid-Season All-Star in mid-February .. in his second year of draft eligibility and is a potential late-round pick .. committed to Cornell (2011-12).

Dominik Shine (2011), LW, Lincoln

Got off to a strong start offensively, but has been a streaky scorer in his second season in the USHL .. always displays a good compete level .. always puts in a concerted effort on the forecheck and disrupts the opponent's breakout and creates turnovers .. also puts in a good effort on the backckechk .. skating has improved a little bit .. has decent speed with the puck and is now showing a little explosiveness .. does still need to improve in both of these areas, though .. needs to make sure he keeps his head up while stickhandling .. shot power appears to be improving a bit, as he's displaying a decent, crisp wristshot now .. still slight at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, but plays a physical game .. able to line up opponents for big hits in open ice .. finishes his checks on the forecheck .. well established as being willing to drop his gloves .. has had two suspensions during the season for a total of three games .. has some energy line upside, but offensive numbers make him a long shot for selection in the 2011 Draft .. committed to Ohio State (2011-12).