USHL Report: Omaha Lancers

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on the 2011-eligible Seth Ambroz and John Keeney, the 2012-eligible Adam Chlapik, and Detroit Red Wings draft pick Ben Marshall after seeing the Omaha Lancers numerous times over the course of the preseason and the first third of the regular season.

Seth Ambroz (2011), RW, Omaha

Started the season off a bit slow, as did the team, but has picked it up after the World Junior A Challenge .. continuing to make incremental improvements to his skating .. is not appearing as heavy-footed .. quickness without the puck has improved a tad, too .. displaying improved lateral mobility along the boards .. cruising speed without the puck is decent .. turns are becoming smoother .. still has average speed with the puck, though .. seemed to have a bit of a sprinter's kick in his stride at the Fall Classic, but this has not been as noticeable since .. still needs to get lower with the puck and extend his stride more with the puck .. finishing ability is showing up again now that his inexperienced teammates are coming into their own .. scoring goals around the net again .. well-established that each shot in his arsenal is hard and crisp, and also well-established that most of his goals are scored in close by receiving passes or hammering home rebounds .. starting to show increased ability to buy more time for his teammates by protecting the puck longer along the boards and in the corners .. using his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and long reach even better in shielding the puck .. passing game needs honing, as some of his passes are off target .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can lay down some stiff shoulder checks .. also makes big open-ice hits in the neutral zone from time to time .. a staple on the first power play unit .. does see a little PK time and is willing to block shots .. willing to drop the gloves, but fewer opponents are accepting his challenge when he stands up for teammates .. currently appears on track to average a point per game after a slow start .. bears some similarity to San Jose's Ryane Clowe, a power forward whose skating wasn't considered the best in his draft year but has steadily improved and is having a big year for the Sharks .. selected to the U.S. Junior Select Team and played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge in November .. selected to the U.S. Under-18 Select Team and played for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in August .. committed to Minnesota (2011-12).

John Keeney (2011), G, Omaha

Technical goalie is fairly strong in all areas .. fairly quick in his crease .. able to go down and up quickly .. makes smooth, composed pad slides across his crease .. able to load up and get across his crease well from the butterfly .. demonstrates the ability to change directions mid pad slide .. gets across his crease fairly quickly on his skates, too .. maintains a compact butterfly and takes away the five hole quickly .. does a good job of directing saves toward the boards and toward the corners .. minimizes rebounds from the chest protector .. able to stick pucks into the corner quickly if the rebound does drop in front of him .. makes crisp glove saves .. directs blocker saves to the corner .. plays a calm, collected game in net and stays poised on dangerous chances .. 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and does a good job of keeping his torso upright and maximizing coverage .. appears to have filled out compared to last season .. calm about playing the puck behind his net and moves it effectively .. able to launch saucer pads up to his forwards, if need be .. plays a technical game, but does display the athletic back to make big splits saves and the like .. strong positioning means he rarely has to make highlight-reel saves .. no college commitment of yet.

Adam Chlapik (2012), LW, Omaha

Young Czech is on par with the best forwards on the USNTDP Under-17 team this season .. has good speed with the puck and can be shifty .. displayed good quickness at the Fall Classic, but is now getting outright explosive for loose pucks .. quick off the faceoffs and immediately gets to his assignment and pressures .. nice patience with the puck and doesn't panic when pressured .. able to shield the puck down low with his positioning of his body and with spins .. possesses quick hands .. guilty of over handling the puck at times .. does a good job of starting and working the cycle .. makes smooth, crisp passes .. executes some slick drop passes .. able to corral difficult saucer passes and passes slightly off target .. conscientious defensive player puts in a good effort on both the forecheck and the backcheck .. engages physically going for the puck .. lays out some hard hits and seemingly throws himself into some hits .. has a little sandpaper to his game and will stand up for teammates .. not big at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, but not small, either .. brings a good mix of skating, skill, and physicality .. played midget major for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in 2009-10 and scored 15 goals and 17 assists in 43 games .. played for the Slavia Praha organization in the Czech Republic prior to coming to the United States .. has played for both the Czech U-16 and U-17 national teams .. no college commitment of yet.

Ben Marshall (Det), D, Omaha

Small defenseman who is explosive in nearly every aspect of his game .. has smooth cruising speed with the puck and always appears in control .. able to explode with the puck, which he does often from behind or beside his net .. excellent separation .. agile on his skates .. makes smooth turns forward and backward .. agility and strength on his skates allow him to swivel easily to make passes, receive passes, or get shots off quickly from the point .. able to explode laterally walking the puck .. listed at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, but his shot power is exceptional .. triggerman on the power play and has a hard, crisp slapper that flies off his stick .. does a good job of keeping his slapshot low and getting it on net .. also sports a hard, crisp wristshot .. even his off-foot wrister from the point is strong .. able to fire hard one-timers .. makes smooth, crisp, accurate passes, but they could be a little harder for the USHL level .. confident with the puck and can skate the puck out of his zone reliably .. does a good job of creating plays down low when he skates the puck in deep in the offensive zone .. already makes the fakes at the point that the best who have come through the USHL made in their time in the league .. gets down low backward, maintains a fairly wide base, and lets his gaps close .. utilizes stick checks a lot, but can thrust into his hits and take opponents off their skates .. Omaha's top offensive defenseman by a wide margin and is amongst the top in the league .. led the USHL in plus/minus heading into the Christmas break .. played Minnesota high school hockey for Mahtomedi in 2009-10 and scored an impressive 20 goals and 40 assists in 29 games .. committed to Minnesota (2011-12).