USHL: The Omaha Trail

The Omaha Lancers continue to hold a slim lead in the USHL's West Division heading into the final weekend of the season. McKeen's reviews several Lancers including Nick Petrecki (pictured), who was one of seven USHLers to be invited to the NHL pre-draft combine, as well as Joe Beaudette, Mark Olver, Ben Arnt, Will O'Neill, Matt Thurber, Justin Johnson, Adam Comrie, Barry Almeida, Brett Bruneteau, Keir Ross and Jack Downing.

Nick Petrecki (2007), D, Omaha

Great skater with an upright but powerful stride that gives him an exceptional top gear and first step .. possesses soft hands and a long reach .. is rough when receiving the puck as his in-close coordination is awkward .. puck movement has come along nicely, as he now makes a heads-up first pass .. uses the glass and boards well when there are no open options .. distributes the puck adequately on the point and will likely be on the second powerplay unit in the NHL, as he also possesses a canonizing shot .. aggressive with or without the puck .. possesses a bone-rattling slapshot that is much more accurate now than it was early in the year .. possesses a quickly released snapshot that also carries good velocity .. guilty of the odd miscue while moving the puck on the point, as he can force a pass or shot into the oppositions legs .. vision is okay, as he can stretch the ice at times with a home run pass but can also struggle to find open lanes .. decision making with the puck is fine but he still makes a few questionable ones without it .. is caught up the ice to often .. will be caught out of position near his crease, as he gets to aggressive and skates too much in his own zone .. possesses freakish strength, as he is like a brick wall out there and will be huge when he plays in the NHL, as his frame is capable of adding another 15-25 pounds .. possesses the nastiest mean streak in the draft, but will take it too far with an undisciplined penalty, especially after the whistle .. nearly unbeatable in one-on-one situations, as once he locks on his man it is over .. neutralizes his man every time and often in the most physical way possible .. great one-on-one coverage down low and along the boards .. uses his long reach well and is unbeatable off the rush because of his fine gap control and superb mobility.

Joe Beaudette (2007), C, Omaha

Finished the season with his high school in Blaine Minnesota before joining the Lancers on the fourth line .. style compares to Blake Wheeler, as he is a tall kid with good skating ability and some raw offensive talent .. tall and lanky .. a superb skater for a big kid with a fluid but powerful stride and rapid acceleration . possesses good hands and likes to skate the puck up the ice on his own .. does not utilize his linemates well and his vision is questionable .. decent physically and despite being lanky, he is strong on his feet .. still very raw but possesses a lot of the physical tools scouts look for.

Mark Olver (2007), C, Omaha

Swift skater with a powerful stride .. owns a heavy shot with precision accuracy .. frail looking, as he is small and very skinny .. instinctive player in the offensive zone but lately has made a few bad mental errors .. a possible late-round selection after being passed up in last years draft.

Ben Arnt (2007), LW, Omaha

Does a good job down low and along the boards .. still on the fourth line .. recently his skating has improved as his stride has more of a burst to it .. comes back hard defensively and is making himself a possible NCAA candidate, but is still far being an NHL prospect.

Will O'Neill (Atl), D, Omaha

Since he has been moved back to playing defense, O'Neill is playing his best hockey of the season as a solid defensive defenseman .. maintains healthy defensive positioning and does a fine job standing up his man one-on-one .. good cap control and competes hard near his net .. uses his stick well .. all compass mobility is fine but he is far from an explosive skater .. not a poor passer but isn't a good one either, as he'll cough up the puck at times but can also make a decent first pass if given time.

Matt Thurber (2008), C, Omaha

A pinball out there who throws his weight around recklessly .. plays the pest role quite well .. good two-way player who gives a great effort away from the puck .. exceptional penalty killer with a great motor and is dangerous to create an offensive chance despite being short handed.

Justin Johnson (2007), RW, Omaha

Showed a surprising burst of speed to the outside that he did not display earlier in the season while playing high school hockey in Wisconsin .. good release but shot is inaccurate .. did a good job hemming the opposition down low with a strong job on the cycle .. sees the ice well and is a decent passer .. playing on the fourth line.

Adam Comrie (2008), D, Omaha

Has had an up-and-down season as he is still very young and raw but is a tremendous prospect on the back end that any NHL team would love to take on as a project .. will be an early-round selection in the 2008 draft .. possesses a big time slapshot that he is a threat to score with even from the neutral zone, as it is that heavy .. nimble feet for a big kid with fluid mobility in all directions and a fine top gear moving forward .. vision is okay, as he moves puck well for the most part including the ability to stretch the ice with a home run pass, but can also cough up the puck by forcing it up the middle at times .. does a good job on the point during the powerplay and there is a healthy offensive element to his game .. possesses adequate hands with a long reach and mild creativity .. lanky, with a lot of room to add strength that should compliment his decent physical edge .. needs to refine defensive positioning, as he is caught running around in his own zone.

Barry Almeida (2007), LW, Omaha

Boston College recruit is a crafty offensive player .. goes into traffic areas despite his modest frame and holds his own thanks to his stock frame combined with fine balance making him sturdy on his feet .. patient with the puck and possesses good hands .. dangerous one-on-one, as he is quick in tight spaces with good lateral cuts but lacks a top gear .. sees the ice and moves the puck well.

Brett Bruneteau (2007), C, Omaha

Gritty and savvy two-way center that has been inconsistent offensively all season .. possesses a quick release that produces fine velocity .. shot is accurate and he does a good job driving to the net .. holds his own in traffic and is strong on his feet .. an asset to the penalty kill with good defensive awareness .. decent on draws .. North Dakota recruit was better offensively earlier in the season than he is now.

Keir Ross (2007), D, Omaha

Diminutive stay-at-home defender with sound hockey sense but has limited upside that will likely keep him from being drafted .. poised with the puck and has decent escape ability .. plays a simple and reliable two-way game .. small and will need to add strength .. good first pass and will surprise you once in awhile with a good decision offensively that makes you think there is some untapped offensive upside .. defensive zone positioning is perfect, but he can still be beat by top-end speed or strength.

Jack Downing (2007), RW, Omaha

Vermont recruit could be a late riser come draft day, as NHL scouts should be drooling over his raw physical ability .. tall kid with great strength and the willingness to use it .. has a fluid stride that is powerfully producing a fine top gear .. owns a wicked wristshot with commanding velocity .. his hockey sense and vision are below average and he had a poor start to the season .. still struggling with inconstancy shift-to-shift, game-to-game.