USHL Report: Indiana Ice

p>The Indiana Ice has been one of the top teams in the USHL the past three seasons and are once again icing a balanced roster thus far in 2010-11. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on several Indiana Ice prospects such as Jarrod Rabey, Sean Kuraly, Jon Gillies, and Adam Erne, as well as the drafted Nick Mattson and a couple more prospects of note for the 2012 Draft.

Jarrod Rabey (2011), D, Indiana

One of the more intriguing USHL prospects eligible for the 2011 Draft .. has decent speed with the puck .. displays some quickness laterally .. walks the blueline with the puck well .. consistently makes hard, crisp passes, be it at the point, transitioning the puck, or on the breakout .. possesses a decent, crisp wristshot and slapshot .. gets down reasonably low backward, maintains a wide base, and lets his gaps close .. has decent speed backward, but could afford to back in less often .. presently has a lot of size at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, but isn't an overtly physical defenseman and is actually more of an offensive defensemen .. appears to have some non-quality mass to lose, and the positive ways his game could change with improved body composition makes him a prospect to follow .. played midget major for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals in 2009-10 and averaged nearly a point per game .. committed to St. Cloud State.

Sean Kuraly (2011), LW, Indiana

Put up solid offensive numbers in midget major, but is starting the season in a third-line checking role .. despite dropping his chest some when he skates, he has good speed and power in his strides .. displays good quickness and acceleration .. has good cruising speed with the puck .. didn't appear to have the stickhandling prowess at this time necessary to beat experienced USHL defensemen one-on-one .. plays with some physicality .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and will also do so at the point when the opportunity presents .. also a threat to play the body on the backcheck .. has good size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds .. played midget major for the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets in 2009-10 .. played for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August .. committed to Miami-Ohio.

Jon Gillies (2012), G, Indiana

Big goaltender with big potential .. already huge at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds .. is calm and composed in his crease movements, but also pretty quick .. able to quickly take away the five hole .. does a good job of keeping his torso upright and using his size to his full advantage .. able to reset quickly after making a save .. adept at directing butterfly saves into the corner .. quickly covers any rebounds in front of him .. his poise is one of his best attributes .. maintains calm on dangerous scoring chances and with traffic around him .. does a good job of tracking the puck .. able to get behind his net quickly to stop pucks .. also has nice stride extension for a goaltender and can get to his bench quickly .. no real weaknesses detected after these viewings .. played prep hockey for Salisbury School in 2009-10 .. skated at the USNTDP Evaluation Camp last March but was not selected to skate at The Program .. committed to Northeastern.

Cody Bradley (2012), C, Indiana

Son of former NHLer Brian Bradley shows potential, but needs to fill out a lot .. one of the slightest players in the USHL at 5-foot-9, 145 pounds .. heads-up stickhandler who can assess the play off the half boards .. despite slight frame, he has decent speed and quickness and displays them often down low in the offensive zone .. executes some nice speed bursts .. makes crisp passes and receives passes well, too .. needs to make sure he consistently puts some oomph on his passes, though .. able to bring the puck across his body quickly .. despite his lack of size, he is willing to engage physically in the corners, although his effectiveness is presently limited .. already does a lot of things right, mainly needs to mature physically .. played midget minor for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in 2009-10 .. no college commitment of yet.

Ian Spencer (2012), D, Indiana

Displays good two-way awareness, but needs to improve his speed .. isn't particularly fast with the puck and has little separation .. lack of speed forward can result in him taking penalties if he gets opened up or is backchecking on recovery .. despite lack of speed, lets his gaps close defensively and is fairly consistent in engaging near the blueline .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a fairly hard wristshot from the point .. plays with some physicality .. listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds .. played midget minor for the North Jersey Avalanche in 2009-10 and helped them win a silver medal at Tier I U16 Nationals .. committed to Vermont.

Adam Erne (2013), RW, Indiana

Impressive for any age, let alone a 1995 .. has good cruising speed .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. able to corral passes that are off target and bring them in .. a good one-touch passer .. has a hard wristshot that he can get off in stride .. also sports a strong one-timer .. willing to venture into traffic with the puck .. able to play at a high pace, made more impressive by his young age .. plays with a physical edge .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can create turnovers and generate scoring opportunities .. uses his speed on the backcheck to strip opponents of the puck .. will also play the body on the backcheck .. can really thrust into his hits .. has great size for a 15-year-old at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds .. great compete level and is fearless as the youngest regular in the league .. displays advanced hockey sense, particularly for his age .. already plays a complete game .. a strong prospect for selection to the USNTDP next year .. Connecticut native played bantam major for the LA Selects in 2009-10 .. already committed to Boston University.

Nick Mattson (Chi), D, Indiana

Game now strongly resembles Nick Jensen's .. continued his strong development with the Ice last season through the summer .. excellent all-compass mobility .. superb skating allows him to easily keep his head up while handling the puck and to assess the play .. very confident with the puck now and is able make the subtle jukes like those that Matt Donovan and Nick Jensen made their second and final years in the USHL .. smooth, efficient skating gives himself excellent speed and he can go coast-to-coast .. able to evade opponents with his quick hands .. his ability to make tight turns and spins makes him quite slippery .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. similar to Jensen with Green Bay last season, it's possible Mattson's offensive numbers won't reflect his prowess, but he's one of the very best defensemen in the USHL .. selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge .. committed to North Dakota.