USHL Report: Sioux Falls Stampede and Tri-City Storm

The Sioux Falls Stampede and Tri-City Storm are currently lean on top prospects for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, but each has one who's coming on, and both have prospects of note eligible for the 2012 Draft. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on Sioux Falls' and Tri-City's top prospects for the 2011 and 2012 drafts.

Sioux Falls Stampede

Stephon Williams (2011), G, Sioux Falls

Has successfully made a huge jump from midget minor and Alaska high school hockey in 2009-10 to undisputed number one in Sioux Falls .. decent lateral movement in his crease .. fairly strong pushoffs to get across from the butterfly position .. able to go down and up quickly and maintains a compact butterfly .. plays too deep in his crease at times .. needs to watch that his momentum isn't carrying him back into his net .. needs to work on his rebound placement .. rebounds aren't erratic, but needs to reduce the number of rebounds he puts in front of himself .. particularly susceptible to putting pad saves on soft shots in front of himself .. stays calm in his crease when the play collapses in on him .. able to make highlight-reel splits saves, but his torso lunges forward and gives up the top of the net .. conscientious in stopping wrapped pucks .. able to move the puck adequately up the glass, but needs to be able to do so with more force .. has decent size at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds .. one of the USHL's hottest goaltenders in January .. played midget minor for the Artic Lions in 2009-10 and sported a 1.25 G.AA and a .928 save percentage in 16 games, going 16-0-0 .. also played Alaska high school hockey for Lathrop and was named to the All-State Second Team .. no college commitment of yet.

Bryan Moore (2012), LW, Sioux Falls

Strong improvement since the Fall Classic and sees regular icetime .. decent speed with the puck and displays decent speed bursts .. confidence with the puck has improved over the course of the season .. trying to drag the puck around opponents more and displaying more dangle .. still mishandles the puck now and again, though .. displays calm in traffic with the puck and receiving the puck .. has adequate size at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and plays with a little physicality .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and can take opponents off their game .. good shift-to-shift consistency of effort .. limited time on the powerplay or on the penalty kill, but appears capable saw very regular time at even strength .. played midget minor for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes in 2009-10 .. no college commitment of yet.

Austyn Young (2012), C, Sioux Falls

Higher pure skill level than Moore, but isn't as consistent .. able to get down fairly low in his stride and can extend his stride well .. however, skating becomes more upright during the course of a shift .. sometimes employs a choppier stride that relies more on turnover than power and extension .. capable of decent speed, acceleration, and speed bursts .. makes smooth turns and can get out over his edges .. has fairly quick hands and can emerge off the boards and out of traffic with quick moves and also sweeping moves .. has a good wristshot and a decent backhand .. takes a lot of shots from near-impossible angles .. at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, needs to fill out some .. doesn't play with a lot of physicality, although doesn't avoid contact entirely .. sees regular time on the powerplay .. plays a top-nine role, but can be invisible for periods of time .. played Minnesota high school hockey for South St. Paul in 2009-10 and scored 26 goals and 20 assists in 27 games, leading his team in scoring as a sophomore .. no college commitment of yet

Christian Isackson (Buf), C, Sioux Falls

Impressed at the Fall Classic, but has been underwhelming since .. possesses a fairly powerful stride and has good speed .. good acceleration with the puck and can execute shifty speed bursts .. passing game seems a bit off .. able to make very hard, crisp passes .. displayed playmaking ability at the Fall Classic with strong vision off the half boards, but regular season viewings have haven't reflected that as much .. passes aren't finding his teammates' stick as often .. making a lot of backhand passes to his right wing that aren't strong enough .. also displayed playmaking prowess around the net at the Fall Classic .. plays on the powerplay, including semi-regular shifts at the point.. likes to try and drive wide and was successful doing so early, but is now only moderately successful .. has decent size at just over 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds and is able to shield the puck down low .. appeared primed to be Sioux Falls' top forward in the preseason, but appeared worn down in latest viewing and was largely invisible .. hope to see the speedy Isackson from the preseason who was often F1 on the forecheck and was a true offensive catalyst .. played Minnesota high school hockey for St. Thomas Academy in 2009-10 and led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 35 assists in 60 games.. committed to Minnesota.

Tri-City Storm

Brad Schierhorn (2011), LW, Tri-City

Started the season as a fourth-liner, but has worked his way into a larger role .. displays a little speed without the puck, but only has average speed with it .. shows some speed bursts now and then, but generally lacks acceleration .. lack of explosiveness gives him minimal separation .. gets upright under acceleration .. drops his chest when skating and needs to extend his stride more .. stride is a bit clunky and isn't real fluid .. upright skating stride makes him susceptible to being knocked off the puck by opponents who are strong on their skates .. needs to make sure he doesn't stickhandle with his head down .. when his head is up, he does display decent offensive vision and makes some nice plays .. played more of a physical game when playing a fourth-line role .. some hits are hard, but some also lack oomph .. has a decent wristshot .. makes crisp passes that are generally on target .. displays a willingness to block shots .. has decent size at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and is used as the big man in front on the powerplay .. also sees some time on the PK .. despite his lack of speed and acceleration, doesn't panic and is oftentimes doing the right things .. game could transform if and when he adds some explosiveness and more speed to his game .. played midget major for Belle Tire in 2009-10 and scored 18 goals and 19 assists in 48 games .. committed to Dartmouth.

Daniil Zharkov (2012), RW, Tri-City

Limited viewing of Russian who joined the team after the Christmas break .. skating is a bit upright and has some wasted vertical motion, but still has decent speed .. possesses slick hands .. able to make nice moves to drag the puck around even the best of USHL defensemen .. has a decent wristshot .. playing as a bit of a triggerman around the net .. has good size at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, and plays a physical game .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can do so with some force .. also a threat to play the body from the side on the backcheck .. played for the St. Petersburg Silver Lions of the Molodezhnaya Hockey League (new pan-Russian junior league) prior to coming to Tri-City .. no college commitment and is expected to aim for the major junior route.