USHL Report: Sioux City Musketeers

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on the several players from the Sioux City Musketeers. Max McCormick, Jordan Schmaltz and a few other prospects eligible for either the 2011 or 2012 Drafts, as well as three Musketeers whose rights are already held by NHL clubs are featured.

Max McCormick (2011), LW, Sioux City

Wasn't able to play the entire season with the sheer physical intensity he brought early in the season, but was still a consistent performer for the Musketeers .. skating stride isn't textbook, but it doesn't hold him back .. utilizes quick skate turnover more than power and stride extension .. still manages to generate some power in his short strides .. explosive acceleration helps him win short races to the puck .. has decent speed with the puck and on the attack .. puts in a strong effort on the forecheck .. quickly pressures opponents on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. not particularly big at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, but is fearless going into the corner for loose pucks or in engaging physically .. despite non-textbook stride, is strong on his skates for making hits and absorbing hits .. also puts in a concerted effort on the backcheck .. quickness and hustle gave him regular time on the penalty kill early in the season, but this was reduced as he was utilized more and more for offensive purposes .. was a regular on the first powerplay unit .. has good offensive awareness and vision to see trailers or teammates through traffic .. makes things happen around the net in creating plays and havoc .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. a good one-touch passer and tip passer .. shot power is adequate, but not overpowering .. able to make quick toe drags around opponents .. a strong competitor who contributes in all facets .. finished the season with 21 goals and 21 assists in 55 games .. scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 playoff games .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goal and 2 assists .. named a Mid-Season All-Star by the USHL .. committed to Ohio State (2011-12) .. has real potential to be an energy-line forward at the NHL level who can chip in offensively, particularly if he improves his skating stride .. worthy of late-round selection in his second year of draft eligibility.

Larry Smith Jr. (2011), D, Sioux City

Carousel of injuries to Sioux City defensemen helped keep Smith Jr. in the lineup for much of the season and he made steady improvement .. gets fairly low backward, maintains a reasonably wide base, minimizes crossovers, and lets his gaps close .. has a tendency to continue to back in after his gap is closed .. needs to make sure he watches the opponent's chest and doesn't watch the puck .. has shown he can be successful engaging physically near the blueline, just needs to do it more often .. filled out a bit during the season, but is still lanky at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds .. skating is still a bit upright, but this has improved .. skating stride became much more fluid and he now has decent speed and quickness .. makes hard, crisp passes .. passing game and poise with the puck improved during the course of the season, but still needs to hone his accuracy .. didn't get many shots off this season, but does have a decent, crisp wrister .. displayed a little aggressiveness down low on occasion, but not consistently .. saw some time on the PK, but was used very sparingly on the PP .. came into the USHL very raw, but his progress during his rookie season made it a success .. finished the season with 1 goal and 5 assists in 42 games .. no college commitment of yet .. has some real upside, as he could become very rangy as he fills out, but he is a long shot for selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Jake Hildebrand (2011), G, Sioux City

Barely saw the ice as the Musketeers rode Matt Skoff hard to claw back into the playoff picture .. maintains a compact butterfly .. does a good job of preventing rebounds off of the chest protector .. able to get back up extremely quickly and two legs at a time .. strong rotational range of motion in his hips allows him to get very low in his butterfly when needed .. makes smooth, quick pad slides across his crease .. strong pushoffs .. resets quickly .. does a good job of directing saves away from the net .. directs butterfly saves toward the corners .. also directs kick saves toward the boards .. does a good job of keeping his eyes on the puck while his body is making saves and resetting .. tracks the puck fairly well, which allows him to read the play .. able to move the puck up the boards reasonably well .. has adequate size at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds .. had only one start after February 18 and only one other relief appearance after that time .. played over 21 games and finished with an 8-9-1 record with 0 shutouts, a 2.69 goals-against average, and a .901 save percentage .. did not play in the playoffs .. no college commitment of yet .. limited action down the stretch makes Hildebrand an extreme long shot for the 2011 Draft.

Jordan Schmaltz (2012), D, Sioux City

Did no less than lead the USHL in defenseman scoring and earn All-USHL First Team honors in his rookie season .. also named to the USHL All-Rookie Team .. even with his accolades, still has some important areas to improve in .. needs to fill out his frame, which is listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds .. a fairly upright skater who could afford to have more lower body strength .. has decent speed, but could afford to add more power to his skating .. skated the puck coast-to-coast a lot in the preseason and early in the regular season, but largely eliminated this propensity from his game .. able to weave through traffic in the neutral zone .. adept at evading forecheckers with spins and switchbacks, but also largely eliminated this tendency from his game in an effort to simplify his game .. able to evade opponents at the point with spins .. fairly upright when circling backward with the puck .. makes smooth, crisp, accurate breakout passes .. mans the point on the first powerplay unit and sees significant ice time with the man advantage .. distributes the puck well from the point .. able to incorporate fakes at the point and quickly pass or shoot the puck .. poised with the puck and can drag it around opponents, even from a standstill at the point .. able to protect the puck with wide, sweeping stickhandling .. his head fakes and such while skating the puck aren't as effective as his fakes at the point .. has a hard, crisp wristshot from the point, as well as a hard slapper .. will pinch in from the point or join the attack as a trailer and is a scoring threat when he does so .. gets a bit upright accelerating backward, which can put him off balance .. also gets upright in his pivots .. able to get down reasonably low backward and maintain a fairly wide base, but additional strength in his legs will allow him to be even stronger in this area .. does minimize his crossovers backward .. lets his gaps close and works to angle opponents toward the boards .. needs to work to make sure he has the proper angle so as not to get cut back on .. able to rub out opponents along the boards, but additional strength will allow fewer opponents to fight around his checks .. could be more effective physically down low in his own zone .. in the end, though, Schmaltz has the potential to be exceptional when he fills out .. finished the season with 13 goals and 31 assists in 53 games .. had 0 goals and 1 assists in 3 playoff games .. third in the USHL in points on the powerplay with 8 goals and 20 assists .. led USHL defensemen in goals, assists, and points .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge in November and scored 0 goals and 1 assist in 4 games .. named a Mid-Season All-Star by the USHL .. committed to North Dakota (2012-13) .. depending on what Sioux City has around him in 2011-12, could have the most impressive draft year a USHL defenseman has ever had .. surpassed the numbers John Carlson and Matt Carle put up in their draft years with his production this season.

Richard Zehnal (2012), C, Sioux City

Game seemed to take a step backward for most of the season after impressing in the preseason .. displayed a powerful stride and good speed early in the season, but it disappeared .. appeared to lack confidence at mid-season and his stride became a bit upright and lacked power and extension .. game rebounded some when Sioux City streaked late .. was making too many turnovers mid-season during his apparent crisis of confidence, but this got better by the end of the season .. displayed patience with the puck and created chances with some nice plays .. has decent size at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and can protect the puck with switchbacks along the boards .. has decent offensive vision when confident and can make smooth, crisp passes on the attack and in the offensive zone .. works the cycle well .. defensive game wasn't as impressive this season .. hustled on the forecheck and backcheck last season, but didn't seem involved in the play as much defensively this year .. saw regular time on the second powerplay unit toward the end of the season .. by the end of March, got his game back to where it was in September and early October, but this was a lost season for Zehnal .. finished the season with 7 goals and 11 assists in 55 games .. scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 playoff games .. no college commitment of yet .. has the potential to be a solid two-way center, and hopefully a new coach in 2011-12 will help Zehnal consistently perform to his potential during his draft year.

Caleb Herbert (Wsh), C, Sioux City

Sioux City's most consistent player offensively and was one of the most dangerous players on the powerplay in the USHL in 2010-11 .. superb skating stride .. stays low and has a fluid, powerful stride with good extension .. has standout cruising speed with the puck .. can incorporate explosive speed bursts with the puck and can slow it down to become very shift .. explosiveness allows him to emerge off the boards and from crowds with the puck .. also explosive laterally with the puck .. uses his acceleration to win a lot of races to the puck or quickly make up ground on the backcheck .. speed and agility allow him to quickly change assignments on the forecheck ..heads-up stickhandler who's smooth with the puck .. an adept toe-drager who can combine his smooth stickhandling and his speed to undress some of the USHL's best .. not big at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, but is adept at shielding the puck .. very confident with the puck and can maintain possession with swivels and switchbacks .. able to make quick, smooth maneuvers across his body .. extremely dangerous when he incorporates his slick hands with his shiftiness .. patient and poised with the puck and has excellent offensive vision .. maintains his calm with the puck when checked and even when knocked down .. dangerous playmaker on the attack and anywhere in the offensive zone .. makes smooth, hard, crisp passes .. has soft hands for give-and-go passes .. an adept saucer passer .. has a fairly hard, crisp wristshot with a quick release .. also sports a hard slapper .. excellent at exploiting the time and space the powerplay can afford him .. a staple on the first powerplay unit and tied Indiana's Blake Coleman for first in powerplay points (10-20-30) .. effective physically, as his strength on his skates allows him to thrust into his hits .. engages physically for the puck on the odd occasion his speed doesn't win it outright .. finished the season with 23 goals and 27 assists in 51 games .. went without a point in 3 playoff games, though .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge in November and scored 2 goals and 1 assist in 4 games .. named a Mid-Season All-Star by the USHL .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth (2011-12) .. the Musketeers faltered mid-season, but Herbert never did and was one of the best forwards in the USHL all season .. strong potential of being a top-six forward for UMD as a freshman.

Alex Velischek (Pit), D, Sioux City

Left Providence College after the first semester this season due to lack of playing time .. was the Musketeers' top defenseman upon joining the team after Christmas .. powerful skater who is very strong on his skates .. stays low in his skating stride and has a low center of gravity .. strong acceleration allows him to separate from opponents and successfully start the breakout .. able to make powerful cuts to weave through traffic when skating the puck .. has good cruising speed with the puck and is confident with the puck .. transitions the puck circling backward with power .. executes strong pivots .. has commanding acceleration backwards and stays low .. lets his gaps close early and oftentimes can engage near the red line, let alone the blueline .. strength on his skates allows him to successfully separate opponents from the puck and he can quickly get the puck moving the other direction .. has a sturdy 6-foot-0, 200-pound frame .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. also has good hands for receiving hard passes .. has a hard slapper from the point .. has a crisp wrister from the point that features a quick release .. looked like a pro and was very arguably the best all-around defenseman in the USHL the second half of the season .. finished the USHL season with 2 goals and 8 assists in 33 games .. had 1 goal and 0 assists in 3 playoff games .. suffered an ankle sprain in mid-October with Providence and missed a few games .. had 1 goal and 1 assist in 9 games with Providence .. has decided to rejoin Providence under new head coach Nate Leaman.

Max Gaede (SJ), LW, Sioux City

Looked impressive in the preseason and early in the regular season, but under whelmed for much of the rest of 2010-11 .. has a powerful stride that produces very good speed .. able to use his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame to power his way to the net .. explosiveness allows him to quickly separate from opponents or emerge off the boards .. didn't flash his powerful skating and speed much during most of the season, as he was oftentimes invisible and just seemed unmotivated .. able to use his size to fend off checks and maintain possession of the puck .. able to protect the puck along the boards with swivels and switchbacks .. good lateral mobility to sidestep checks .. served as a triggerman on the first powerplay unit early in the season, but was demoted to the second unit .. has an ultra hard one-timer, although his accuracy needs improving, and he flubs a percentage of them .. also has a hard, crisp slapshot .. wristshot is also very hard and quite crisp .. every shot in Gaede's arsenal is hard .. able to create plays with his puck protection skills and makes crisp, accurate passes .. brings a level of intimidation when he's playing with intensity .. able to make hard hits crashing in on the forecheck .. also a threat to take opponents down with a stiff check from the side on the backcheck .. saw some time on the PK .. should have been a dominant power forward in the USHL in 2010-11, but wasn't .. finished with 10 goals and 18 assists in 54 games .. went without a point in 3 playoff games .. tabbed by Team USA to play at the World Junior A Challenge in November and scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 4 games .. committed to Minnesota State-Mankato (2011-12) .. Sioux City's struggles appeared to get to him .. has the potential to be an impact power forward at the collegiate level, but needs to bring it every night.