USHL Report: Green Bay Gamblers

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on Green Bay's A-Team of prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft: Adam Wilcox, Austin Czarnik, Andy Welinski, Alex Broadhurst, and Aaron Harstad.

Adam Wilcox (2011), G, Green Bay

Backup to veteran Ryan McKay and has developed nicely so far in his rookie USHL season .. game has improved noticeably in almost all areas .. quick crease movements .. executes quick, smooth pad slides .. able to go post-to-post quickly .. maintains a compact butterfly and directs pad saves toward the corners and the end boards .. does a good job of absorbing pucks to the chest protector .. able to go down and up quickly .. resets quite quickly .. strong technically, but has a solid athletic base to work with .. displays very good flexibility in his splits saves and the extension of his kick saves .. able to spread out and make big saves when necessary .. makes crisp gloves saves .. directs blocker saves toward the corners .. conscientious in coming out and stopping pucks wrapped by the opponent .. able to adequately move the puck up to his teammates, but more often lets his defensemen or the center come take the puck .. very adept at using his stick to make poke checks .. able to "throw" his stick forward (catching it by the knob) well and clear the puck from out of his crease, and sometimes out of the zone .. sufficient size at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds .. most starts come against "weaker" competition, but has still proven to be a strong number two and solid all around .. a possibility Wilcox is named to the USHL All-Rookie Team at the end of the season .. at this juncture, a potential late-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Minnesota (2011-12 or 2012-13).

Austin Czarnik (2011), RW, Green Bay

Not too far behind Cedar Rapids' Sam Warning in terms of how he looks on the ice, but doesn't have the numbers Warning has established .. has nice speed with the puck and can be shifty .. has quick skate turnover, but also has a powerful stride .. has good explosiveness to separate from opponents .. gets low in his crossovers and powers out of them, building significant speed .. smooth and explosive lateral agility .. able to use his agility and quick hands to weave around opponents in tight quarters .. possesses a hard wristshot .. makes smooth, hard, crisp, and accurate passes .. a heads-up stickhandler who is poised with the puck .. able to make well-timed centering passes off the half boards .. will try to take the team on his back late in the game if his team is trailing and likes to have the puck on his stick under such circumstances .. in general, hasn't been as scrappy as he was with the USA U-18 team .. does display his physical game from time to time, though .. listed at 5-foot-8, 140 pounds by Central Scouting, but can explode into his hits and is effective doing so .. listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds by Green Bay, and this doesn't look implausible visually .. uses his speed and agility to be effective on the forehceck and the backcheck .. sees fairly regular time on the penalty kill, where his powerful stops and starts allow him to man the point effectively .. is also a regular on the first powerplay unit .. named a USHL Mid-Season All-Star .. missed a month from late January to late February due to a broken hand .. a probable late-round pick for those who believe his offensive production with the USNTDP the past two seasons is more indicative of his talent .. may only be a potential late-round consideration for those concerned about his underwhelming production with Green Bay so far this season .. committed to Miami (2011-12).

Andy Welinski (2011), D, Green Bay

A decent, serviceable two-way defenseman .. has decent cruising speed and acceleration, but could improve in these areas .. skating is a bit upright .. fairly poised with the puck and doesn't panic under pressure .. capable of making hard, crisp passes and did so consistently in the preseason, but now many of his passes could afford to be harder .. has a smooth, crisp wristshot form the point .. also has a smooth one-timer that's fairly hard .. sports a decent slapshot .. backward skating is a bit upright and needs to get lower .. could afford to employ a wider base backward to maximize laterally agility .. consistently lets his gaps close in the neutral zone and engages at or near the blueline .. physical effectiveness engaging physically at or near the blueline is compromised by the fact he's not in a power position .. employs poke checks often and is effective using them .. plays with some physicality and can make some big hits in the neutral zone and down low .. CSS lists Welinski at just over 6-foot-0 and just under 190 pounds .. Gamblers list Welinski at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds .. sees time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. at this juncture, he projects as a potential late-round pick .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth (2012-13).

Alex Broadhurst (2011), C, Green Bay

Stats are underwhelming, but has made subtle, encouraging progress .. good cruising speed with the puck and displays decent speed bursts to loose pucks .. brings his skates up a bit too high at times, giving him a bit of a "sprinter's kick" .. calm and confident with the puck .. maintains poise when fielding hits or temporarily losing possession of the puck .. a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options .. makes smooth, crisp passes .. plays a two-way game .. forechecks and backchecks intelligently .. smartly angles opponents who are faster than him or who have more momentum .. a threat to strip the puck .. hustles to loose pucks .. centers the third line and sees some time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. physical attitude now exudes the confidence of a veteran USHLer, which bodes well for 2011-12 .. listed by Green Bay as 6-foot-0, 165 pounds and appears to at least be very close to this .. a potential late-round pick, especially with the real potential that he slightly exceeds his brother Terry (a potential free agent signee out of college) .. committed to Nebraska-Omaha (2012-13).

Aaron Harstad (2011), D, Green Bay

Has all the tools, just needs the toolbox .. smooth all-compass mobility, shot power, stick skills, and physical game are all well-established, but decision making is still questionable .. latest viewing harkened back to last season's viewings, when Harstad turned the puck over way too often .. a heads-up stickhandler who will still pass the puck right to the opposition on occasion .. has too many passes that are slightly off target and/or picked off .. also has too many of his hard shots from the point blocked early and out of the offensive zone .. has all the physical tools to equal or exceed former teammate Nick Jensen, but needs to reduce turnovers significantly .. named a USHL Mid-Season All-Star .. at this juncture, he projects as a potential late-round pick in his second year of draft eligibility, but borders on long shot .. committed to Colorado College (2011-12).