USHL Report: Lincoln Stars

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on Lincoln Stars 2011-eligible prospects John McCarron, Ryan Dzingel, Dominik Shine, and Jared Hanson after multiple viewings between both the preseason and regular season.

John McCarron (2011), C/RW, Lincoln

Has proven that the strong finish to 2009-10 was no fluke .. now has good cruising speed with the puck and has decent stride extension .. 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and displays some quickness .. poise with the puck has steadily increased in the USHL .. able to shield the puck using his size and reach .. doesn't panic when backcheckers get sticks on him .. displayed some playmaking ability at the end of last year, but is now showing finishing ability .. doing a good job of putting himself in a position to be set up for goals around the net .. has a hard wristshot and a fairly hard slapper .. as a playmaker, makes smooth, crisp passes .. a regular on the Lincoln powerplay .. offense is up and physical game is still as high as last year .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can do so with force .. also finishes his checks at the point if he's playing wing .. attempting to make more open-ice hits now .. also brings the fighting element to his game .. even when playing right wing, he still takes a lot of draws .. in his second year of draft eligibility and may be the top second-year-eligible USHL prospect because of the all-around power game he brings on a consistent basis .. committed to Cornell for 2011-12 season, which choice is well-suited for the potential McCarron has as a strong fourth-line NHLer or possibly even third-line.

Ryan Dzingel (2011), C, Lincoln

Lincoln's top offensive threat and is among the USHL's top scorers, but has gotten away from the dedicated two-way game he showed as a rookie in 2009-10 .. has fairly powerful strides that produce good cruising speed with the puck .. good stride extension .. displays subtle explosiveness and speed bursts with the puck through power .. heads-up stickhandler who's in control thanks to his smooth skating .. able to make quick stickhandling moves, but also excels with sweeping maneuvers .. makes smooth, hard, crisp, accurate passes .. is playing center this year as opposed to left wing, which he played last season .. has the speed to be a threat on the backcheck, but seems less interested defensively than last season .. effort was more consistent as a rookie .. generally playing with less physicality this season, although he can step up for some big hits when he wants .. sees a lot of icetime on the powerplay and also some time on the penalty kill .. now listed at 180 pounds, but doesn't visually appear to be much bigger than last season .. selected to the U.S. Junior Select Team and played at the World Junior A Challenge in November .. averaging over a point per game a third of the way through the season, but still hope to see his compete level return to what it was in 2009-10 .. committed to Ohio State for 2011-12 season.

Dominik Shine (2011), LW, Lincoln

No questioning Shine's compete level .. skating has improved a little bit over last season .. edgework appears to have improved, as his turns are smoother .. starting to show a little more speed with the puck .. showing a little dangle now and is dragging the puck around opponents and weaving through traffic on occasion .. stickhandling under acceleration is a little sloppy, though .. able to make hard, crisp passes .. has consistently shown good peripheral vision in the USHL and can make plays to teammates in those areas .. shot power is questionable .. hustles on the forecheck and is often F1 .. quick to his checks .. hounds on the backcheck even though he doesn't have exceptional speed .. finishes his checks .. steps up for open-ice hits .. 5-foot-11 and is only listed at 165 pounds, but is full of fury and initiates contact .. willing to drop the gloves even though he gives up a lot of size to most everyone he fights .. still needs to improve his speed and explosiveness, but has qualities to become a potential energy-liner with continued development .. committed to Ohio State for 2011-12 season.

Jared Hanson (2011), RW, Lincoln

Has improved dramatically over his cup of coffee at the 2009 USHL Fall Classic .. much, much more comfortable with the USHL caliber of play now .. skating is still a bit upright and his stride could be lengthened, but does have good speed .. displays some agility to stick with opponents on the forecheck .. puts in a strong effort on the forecheck .. plays with a distinct physical edge .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can explode into his hits .. steps up to make open-ice hits often and is fairly successful .. has decent size at 6-foot-0, 185 pounds .. willing to block shots .. has a decent wristshot .. native Alaskan played midget major hockey for Team Illinois in 2009-10 after missing the first few weeks due to a back injury suffered with Lincoln during the 2009 preseason .. a prospect to watch, particularly if his offensive numbers increase as the season goes on like Chris Crane's did for Green Bay last season .. no college commitment of yet.