USHL Report: USNTDP Under-17 Part 1

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on USA U-17 forwards Thomas DiPauli, Nicolas Kerdiles, Stefan Matteau, Frankie Vatrano, Kyle Osterberg, and Matthew Lane in Part 1 of a three-part series on the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 Team's prospects.

Thomas DiPauli (2012), C, USA U-17

One of the few USA U-17 players who already plays at the USHL pace of play in all aspects .. has good cruising speed with the puck .. smooth turning and circling with the puck .. able to make tight switchbacks to evade checkers and emerge off the boards and out of the corners .. smooth stickhandler who isn't afraid to venture into traffic with the puck and is confident he'll emerge with it .. able to make sweeping stickhandling moves .. shields the puck well and can fend off checks .. engages physically going for the puck .. finishes his checks and can do so with some force .. a threat to play the body from the side on the backcheck .. is a regular on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. adequate size at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds .. plays a well-rounded game .. looked like USA U-17's top forward overall at this early juncture .. had 3 goals and 8 assists in 18 games overall with the USNTDP U-17 team as of Christmas .. played two USHL games with the USNTDP U-18 team in mid-October and had 1 goal and 1 assist .. played midget minor for the Chicago Mission in 2009-10 and scored 29 goals and 41 assists in 49 games .. committed to Notre Dame (2012-13 or 2013-14).

Nicolas Kerdiles (2012), C, USA U-17

USA U-17 team's top pure offensive threat .. has decent cruising speed with the puck .. able to make fairly quick stops .. not afraid to skate the puck into traffic, although with only moderate success at the USHL level .. has quick hands and likes to make slick moves, but is stripped or loses the handle more often than not at the USHL level .. possesses a hard, crisp wristshot .. also has hard, smooth slapshot .. makes some nice plays, but plays the role of a finisher for the USA U-17 team .. active with his stick defensively in trying to steer the play .. sees time on the powerplay but is also a regular on the PK .. .possesses a frame to work with at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds .. led USNTDP Under-17 team in scoring with 8 goals and 6 assists in 20 overall games as of Christmas .. played in one USHL game for the USNTDP U-18 team in mid-November and went without a point .. played midget minor for the LA Selects in 2009-10 and scored 65 goals and 56 assists in 69 games .. committed to Wisconsin (2012-13).

Stefan Matteau (2012), LW, USA U-17

Has excelled in USHL regular season play .. has decent cruising speed with the puck .. gets a bit upright accelerating with the puck .. stride could be more fluid .. smooth stickhandler .. has impressive shot power .. fires hard wristshots and snapshots with seemingly little effort .. also able to fire hard slapshots in stride .. the puck just flies off his stick .. despite not having particularly good separation at the USHL level, maintains calm when engaged and can make nice plays .. sees time on the powerplay thanks to his cannon of a shot .. plays with some physicality .. finishes his checks .. able to explode into his hits and make opposing defensemen pay .. already has good size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds .. all 3 goals and 2 assists he's scored in 21 overall games for the USNTDP U-17 team as of Christmas have come in 14 USHL regular season games .. played midget AAA for Notre Dame College Hounds (Saskatchewan) in 2009-10 and scored 26 goals and 45 assists in 65 games .. son of former NHLer Stephane Matteau .. committed to North Dakota (2012-13).

Frankie Vatrano (2012), RW, USA U-17

Not tall, but still a power forward .. has decent speed with the puck .. also displays decent acceleration with the puck .. shows good speed without the puck and decent stride extension .. able to make sweeping stickhandling moves .. possesses a hard, crisp wristshot .. also has a hard off-foot wrister .. has displayed a bit of a habit of making an extra move before shooting the puck .. needs to make sure he doesn't put his shot right into the opposition .. sees time on the powerplay .. very stout at 5-foot-10, 215 pounds .. proactively engages physically with the puck .. able to level opponents who try dropping him .. bulls his way into traffic and can thrust into opposing checkers and knock them over .. also able to shield the puck with stiff-arms .. plays a physical game without the puck, too .. takes the occasional run at opponents .. nearly throws himself into some of his checks .. very strong on his skates .. displays some hustle off of faceoffs .. needs to reduce bad plays a bit, such as leaving the offensive zone too early on wrapped pucks only to have them intercepted by opposing defensemen .. amongst UNSTDP U-17 team's top scorers with 7 goals and 4 assists in 19 overall games as of Christmas .. played Tier III junior B for the Boston Jr. Bruins of the Empire Junior Hockey League in 2009-10 and scored 38 goals and 41 assists in 37 regular season games .. named EmJHL MVP and Best Forward .. also played eight Tier III junior A games for the Boston Jr. Bruins in the EJHL in 2009-10 .. committed to Boston College (2012-13).

Kyle Osterberg (2012), LW, USA U-17

Smaller forward contributes both offensively and physically .. has a powerful stride that produces good speed .. displays strong explosiveness and uses his quickness to hound opponents on the forecheck and the PK .. small in stature at 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, but is a wrecking ball .. ability to stay low in his stride allows him to thrust up into his hits .. lines up his hits early and finishes them .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and also makes open-ice hits .. uses his speed to play the body from the side on the backcheck .. has impressive lateral mobility and can use it to go for hip checks .. combination of speed and effort make him a dangerous threat to strip the puck .. sees time on the powerplay and is a staple on the penalty kill .. a contributor offensively and has good offensive vision .. makes crisp passes .. amongst USNTDP U-17 team's top scorers with 5 goals and 6 assists in 21 overall games as of Christmas .. selected to the U.S. Under-17 Select Team and played for Team USA at the Five Nations Tournament in Switzerland in August .. played Minnesota high school hockey for Lakeville South in 2009-10 and scored 19 goals and 44 assists as a freshman .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth (2013-14).

Matthew Lane (2012), LW, USA U-17

Great skater, but doesn't translate yet to results offensively .. appears to be the fastest skater on the USA U-17 team .. a smooth skater with a powerful stride and great extension and who stays down low .. gets down low in his turns .. able to make tight, tight turns because of how low he can get in his turns .. able to get out on his edges well .. displays nice speed bursts .. uses his quickness and agility well on the forecheck and on the penalty kill .. also demonstrates his impressive backward mobility on the PK .. a staple on the PK .. strong skating skills allow him to be patient with the puck .. able to drag the puck into his body well .. possesses a decent wristshot and backhand .. makes crisp passes .. despite skating and offensive tools, doesn't make a lot happen offensively .. regardless, even if offense doesn't develop, has real potential as a very effective defensive specialist .. had 2 goals and 5 assists in 21 overall games with the USNTDP U-17 team as of Christmas .. played midget minor for the Mississauga Reps in 2009-10 and scored 41 goals and 52 assists in 72 games .. no college commitment of yet.