USHL Report: Muskegon and Des Moines

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on Muskegon Lumberjack and Des Moines Buccaneer prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, as well as one young Buc eligible for the 2012 draft that missed the preseason.

Muskegon Lumberjacks

Alexx Privitera (2011), D, Muskegon

Has established himself as one of the top defensemen in the USHL in 2010-11 .. powerful acceleration backward and can thus let his gaps close very early .. smooth backward, gets down low, maintains a wide base, and eliminates crossovers .. angles opponents very well and eliminates them with hard hip checks .. makes good defensive reads and has a good stick to intercept passes .. pivots in all directions are always smooth .. excellent mobility at the point .. walks the blueline smoothly thanks to his lateral mobility and his ability to stay fairly low .. ability to swivel and move laterally allows him to catch off-target passes to the point .. explosiveness with the puck allows him to separate from opponents and buy himself time and space .. patient with the puck and makes smart passes .. makes hard, crisp, smooth passes .. has a cannon from the point .. one-timer from the top of the circles and from the point is utilized often .. strength on his skates and stick skills combine to give him a quick release .. able to drag the puck in and out of traffic .. smaller defenseman at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, but is extremely effective at the USHL level .. plays with a physical edge and stands up for his teammates .. receives a lot of icetime in all situations .. definitely appears worthy of late-round selection like Ben Marshall in the 2010 Draft, but could bump up to late mid-round selection with a strong finish to the season .. committed to Boston University (2011-12).

Jaycob Megna (2011), D, Muskegon

Offensive numbers have picked up, but is still basically the same player he was to start the season .. confidence with the puck has improved a bit .. reacts well to surprise pucks that end up on his stick and quickly controls them and moves them .. has good cruising speed with the puck and is skating it out of the zone more .. has upgraded his speed a little bit .. needs to make sure he doesn't stop moving his feet when assessing his options .. displaying some ability to make sweeping stickhandling moves with the puck .. consistently makes smooth, crisp passes .. transitioning the puck with his d-partner is still a strength, but doing it a bit less now that he's skating it bit more .. speed backward has increased a bit too .. maintains a wide base backward, eliminates crossovers, and lets his gaps close .. as in the previous report, he needs to improve his angling defensively, as he gets too close to the boards too early at times and can be cut back on toward the middle .. still no notes on physical play, further emphasizing the fact Megna is not an overtly physical defenseman .. 6-foot-4, 200-pound defenseman is becoming rangy with the slight upgrades he's made in his mobility .. sees a little time on the powerplay, but is a regular at even strength and on the penalty kill .. despite current lack of physical game, he still has strong odds of being a late-round pick .. committed to Nebraska-Omaha (2012-13).

Des Moines Buccaneers

Ethan Prow (2011), D, Des Moines

An ace at the point on the powerplay, but skating deficiencies hurt him defensively .. is upright backward and not in a power position .. relies on crossovers backward too much .. base backward is too narrow .. is frequently reactionary in his defensive skating and doesn't really steer the opponent where he would want him to go .. limited effectiveness in standing up opponents physically, as he's not in a power position to do so with strength .. is a fairly upright skater .. drops his chest when skating the puck .. upright under acceleration .. displays a little quickness and some speed bursts from time to time, but oftentimes lacks separation .. despite skating deficiencies, swivels well at the point to receive passes, make passes, or take shots .. able to receive passes and make passes in one smooth motion .. consistently makes hard, smooth, crisp point-to-point passes .. typically makes crisp, accurate breakout passes .. makes smooth, crisp passes when transitioning the puck with his d-partner .. controls passes quickly and has a quick release from the point .. has a hard, crisp slapper form the point that he keeps low for deflections and redirects .. also sports a crisp, fairly hard wristshot from the point .. a regular on the powerplay, but icetime at even strength has decreased of late and is used sparingly on the PK .. despite abilities at the point, offense has dried up lately .. had a 10-game pointless streak Jan. 7 through Feb. 4 .. there is a risk that Prow becomes an occasional healthy scratch after Des Moines acquired Sam Windle from Chicago just before the roster freeze .. some potential to be a late-round pick in the 2011 Draft, but those odds appear to be decreasing .. potential goes up significantly if he improves his lower body strength and his skating mechanics .. committed to St. Cloud State (2011-12)

Kevin Irwin (2011), RW, Des Moines

Icetime has increased after the Christmas break is and is being used in offensive situations and the powerplay regularly .. has nice cruising speed with the puck .. a smooth, fluid skater with good stride extension .. able to drive wide with his speed and weave through opponents in the neutral zone .. builds speed in his crossovers and gets out over his edges well .. turns are smooth .. uses his speed and smooth turning to be F1 on the forecheck often .. adept at handling the puck wide at speed and shielding it from opponents as he drives the net .. likes to handle the puck away from his body, but his ability to draw the puck in or across his body gives him some dangle .. makes smooth, crisp passes .. has a hard, crisp wristshot .. also has a decent slapshot and one-timer .. displays some sniping ability with each shot in his arsenal .. trying to add some physicality to his game on the forecheck, but his hits oftentimes lack force .. physical effectiveness is improving, though .. potential late-round pick if he finishes strong offensively .. committed to Ohio State (2012-13).

Logan Nelson (2011), LW, Des Moines

Made a big impact early in the season with his physical game .. has a frame to work with at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and would make multiple big hits on the forecheck and in open ice each game early in the season .. stills adds a physical element, but few players can maintain the level he had early throughout an entire season .. pressures defensemen into turnovers on the forecheck .. a distinct threat to make a hard hit from the side on the backcheck .. not uncommon for him to come across a zone and make a big hit .. makes a lot of hits at the blueline .. stickhandling was a weakness early in the season .. would try to drag the puck around opponents, but would typically lose the handle or get stripped .. still stickhandles with his head down too often, but his success rate of dragging it around opponents and maintaining control of the puck at speed has increased quite a bit .. skating needs a little work .. has decent speed with the puck, but not enough to drive wide .. needs to improve his acceleration with the puck to give him better separation .. skating is a bit upright, both forward and in crossovers .. inability to successfully drive wide or through opponents forces him into take slappers from the perimeter .. does possess a hard, crisp slapper that he gets off in stride, but they're often perimeter shots with little real chance of scoring .. propensity to stickhandle with his head down and propensity to fire slappers in stride from a distance limits his ability to utilize his teammates .. is successful at generating offensive zone faceoffs .. displays some potential, but is a healthy scratch every third game or so for the Bucs .. currently a long shot for selection in the 2011 Draft .. played midget minor for Russell Stover in 2009-10 and scored 18 goals and 17 assists in 38 Tier 1 Elite League games .. no college commitment of yet.

Ray Pigozzi (2012), LW, Des Moines

Missed the preseason due to injury, but has impressed with his skill and quickness .. very explosive off the boards .. uses his quickness intelligently to separate from opponents in tight spaces .. has good cruising speed with the puck and can be very shifty with his speed bursts .. changes in speed can be very subtle, but very effective .. able to make quick spins and switchbacks along the boards to evade checkers .. combines his speed, quickness, agility, and stickhandling to be a like a water bug on the ice .. hands are very quick and is adept at drawing the puck in .. as the cliché goes, could stickhandle in a phone booth .. typically a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options .. poised with the puck and does not panic in tight spaces and can buy his teammates a lot of time .. a good playmaker off the half boards and from behind the net .. uses his speed on the forecheck and can quickly change assignments and pressure opposing defensemen ..plays with a little grit and physicality .. able to thrust into his checks .. has adequate size at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds .. is an occasional healthy scratch for the Bucs this season, but looks fully capable of being an impact forward for Des Moines in 2011-12 .. invited to the 2010 USNTDP Evaluation Camp in March, but was not selected to play for The Program .. played midget minor for the Chicago Mission in 2009-10 and scored 11 goals and 19 assists in 20 Tier 1 Elite League games .. no college commitment of yet.