USHL Report: USNTDP Under-17 Report

In part two of a three-part series on the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 Team's prospects, McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey enters notes on the USA U-17 defensemen, led by Jacob Trouba, Brady Skjei, and Seth Jones.

Jacob Trouba (2012), D, USA U-17

The most impressive of the Under-17 team's defensemen .. has nice cruising speed with the puck .. displays decent acceleration with the puck and has some separation .. poised with the puck and doesn't rush plays or force plays .. able to spin away from checks .. consistently makes crisp, accurate passes .. very reliable on the breakout .. isn't risky, but can thread some hard, crisp passes through traffic up to the neutral zone .. sports a hard, crisp one-timer .. also has a hard, crisp wristshot from the point .. lets his gaps close and engages at the blueline .. already has decent size at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and plays with some physicality .. able to make some big open-ice hits .. wearing an "A" during these viewings .. solid all-around defenseman with good offensive upside .. had 3 goals and 3 assists in 21 total games with the Under-17 team prior to the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge .. had also played in three games for the Under-18 team, most of any Under-17 player, and had an assist .. played midget minor for Compuware in 2009-10 and scored 25 goals and 31 assists in 71 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Brady Skjei (2012), D, USA U-17

Talented young offensive defenseman .. maintains a low stance in his stride and has decent power in his stride and good extension .. smooth walking the blueline .. makes smooth turns and can get out on his edges well .. pivots in all directions are smooth .. makes smooth, crisp passes .. transitions the puck well with his d-partner, but also moves it up to his forwards well .. able to spring forwards for breakaways when he sees the chance .. puck flies off his stick with seemingly little effort when firing shots .. wristshot and snapshot are both hard and crisp .. also possesses a hard, crisp slapper .. a heads-up stickhandler who is smooth with the puck .. able to make nice toe drags .. confidence with the puck bites him now and again at the USHL level .. seemingly prone to one offensive gaff per game that leads to a goal by USHL opponents .. lets his gaps close defensively, but isn't overtly physical .. an effective poke checker .. able to efficiently steer opponents toward the boards and separate them from the puck, but isn't a punishing hitter .. has decent size at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds .. defensive reads in his own zone could improve some, such as not leaving to take a man when his d-partner already has .. wearing an "A" in these viewings .. offensive upside is potentially the highest of all USNTDP Under-17 defensemen, and all-around upside appears to be good, too .. leading up to the WU17HC had 3 goals and 8 assists in 21 total games for the Under-17 team .. played Minnesota high school hockey for Lakeville North in 2009-10 and scored 11 goals and 19 assists in 30 games .. committed to Minnesota (2012-13).

Patrick Sieloff (2012), D, USA U-17

The Under-17 team's most physical defenseman .. maintains a wide base backward, gets down low, and lets his gaps close .. steps up to engage in the neutral zone when he sees the opportunity .. makes good defensive reads and can intercept passes .. plays his 2-on-1's well .. not huge at 6-foot-0, 175 pounds, but he's extremely effective physically .. excellent lateral mobility and can explode into his checks at the blueline .. plays a physical game in the corners and along the boards .. strong on his skates and can level opponents trying to level him .. doesn't have a history of putting up points, but he has decent offensive tools .. transitions the puck well and makes crisp passes doing so .. has a hard slapshot and one-timer from the point .. doesn't panic with the puck when pressured and can evade forecheckers with tight circles .. will stand up for himself and for teammates .. doesn't have faux toughness but, instead, is a strong combatant once the gloves come off .. was injured during the pre-season, but only missed three games .. had 1 goal and 3 assists in 18 total games for the Under-17 team prior to the WU17HC .. had also played in 1 game for the Under-18 team in November .. played midget minor for Compuware in 2009-10 and scored 2 goals and 8 assists in 37 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Dakota Mermis (2012), D, USA U-17

Exceptional skater .. stays low and has a powerful stride .. very mobile backward .. maintains a wide base backward, stays low, eliminates crossovers, and lets his gaps close .. has good speed backward .. one of the in subtly directing himself with one skate backward .. each skate is a rudder for Mermis, and he's a master helmsman .. makes smooth, quick one-foot stops backward in all directions .. smooth all-compass mobility .. makes crisp passes, but they could be a little harder .. transitions the puck well with his d-partner and also moves it up to his forwards well .. sheer skating ability will take him far .. a tad undersized at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds .. leading up to the WU17HC had 4 goals and 3 assists in 21 total games for the Under-17 team .. played midget minor for the St. Louis Amateur Blues in 2009-10 and scored 12 goals and 26 assists in 48 games .. committed to Denver University (2012-13)

Matt Grzelcyk (2012), D, USA U-17

Serviceable two-way defenseman .. skating technique needs a little work .. is a little upright and his skating can get a little "railroadish" .. despite the former, still has decent speed with the puck and displays some quickness .. gets down low backward and lets his gaps close .. needs to make sure he doesn't back in as often after he lets his gap close .. decent poke checker .. undersized at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, but still plays with some physicality .. consistently makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a reliable first pass and transitions the puck well with his d-partners .. shows some poise at the point making fakes .. at his size, will need to improve his skating and increase his offensive upside, but receives a regular shift for the Under-17 team as one of its top-five defenseman .. leading up to the WU17HC had 0 goals and 8 assists in 21 total games for the Under-17 team .. played prep hockey for Belmont Hill in 2009-10 and scored 2 goals and 18 assists in 31 games .. committed to Boston University (2013-14)

Connor Carrick (2012), D, USA U-17

Decent two-way defenseman .. stays low backward, maintains a reasonably wide base, and lets his gaps close .. engages near the blueline .. stout at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds .. plays with some physicality in his own zone .. able to knock opponents over down low along the boards .. steps up to play the body off of faceoffs now and again .. makes hard, crisp passes that are generally on target .. has a crisp, fairly hard wrister from the point .. displays some poise with the puck, spinning away from checks, but isn't a flashy player with the puck .. needs to improve his speed so that he wins more races to the puck at the USHL level .. leading up to the WU17HC had 0 goals and 6 assists in 21 total games for the Under-17 team .. played both midget minor and midget major for the Chicago Fury in 2009-10 .. scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 22 games of midget minor and 7 goals and 15 assists in 37 games with the midget major team .. committed to Michigan (2012-13).

Gavin Stoick (2012), D, USA U-17

Brings a lot of size, but has a lot of improving to do as the eighth defenseman .. currently the team's biggest defenseman at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds .. minimizes crossovers and lets his gaps close, but has insufficient speed backward and is often opened up .. angles are off at times and he can be cut back on in addition to beaten wide .. upright skater who lacks speed and acceleration .. a result of being an upright skater and not being in a power position, he's knocked off the puck too easily .. shows a knack for making nice outlet passes up to his forwards .. makes crisp, accurate passes and can connect at a distance .. improvements in skating will allow his potential in all other areas to shine through, because he has some definite upside .. leading up to the WU17HC had 1 goal and 2 assists in 21 overall games for the Under-17 team .. played midget minor for the Colorado Thunderbirds in 2009-10 and scored 27 goals and 56 assists in 75 games .. helped the T-Birds win the 2010 USA Hockey Tier I 16 & Under National Championship .. no college commitment of yet.

Seth Jones (2013), D, USA U-17

Still a little raw, but receives a lot of icetime nonetheless .. consistently makes smooth, crisp passes, but they need to be harder for the USHL level of play .. transitions the puck well with his d-partner and often uses this option .. however, breakout passes to forwards are also smooth, crisp, and on target .. good size at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds and is very rangy .. mobile for his size .. smooth laterally and covers a lot of ground quickly .. has good stride extension .. displays some speed and quickness, but does need to improve in these areas .. able to shield the puck wide with his long reach and by using his considerable frame .. maintains a reasonably wide base backward and minimizes crossovers .. plays with some physicality, but wasn't a physical force in these viewings .. willing to block shots .. wore the "C" in these viewings .. father played in the NBA and was 6-foot-8, 265 pounds .. first-round pick of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft by the Everett Silvertips .. the defenseman of most intrigue on the Under-17 team because of the potential for him to be similar to Tyler Myers and Zdeno Chara if his height approaches his father's .. heading into the WU17HC had 3 goals and 10 assists in 21 total games for the Under-17 team .. played midget major for the Dallas Jr. Stars in 2009-10 and scored 5 goals and 13 assists in 42 games .. no college commitment of yet.