USHL: Tri-City Storm Notes

Tristin Llewellyn (2007), D, Tri-City

One bone-headed play summed up why his draft stock is falling when he was the last man back on a two-on-one and he decided to go for an open ice hit but missed and was beaten cleanly .. likes to stand up his man at the blueline and for the most part does an effective job but he was caught flat-footed twice and beaten to the outside .. that said he usually maintains a tight gap and takes the proper angle to his man before standing him up with a nice body check .. can get too aggressive seeking the open ice hit but that presence he brings is a plus .. has not added much upper body strength since coming into the league but he's well balanced with adequate leg strength .. skating is in need of improvement as he lacks that initial burst forward or backward and his turns are a bit choppy .. pinched in down low at odd times that led him to being caught up the ice on a few occasions .. composure with the puck has improved and he makes a strong first pass .. uses a long stick and has adequate hands and escape moves .. beginning to sense danger better .. he moved the puck very well all night but he still lacks the creativity to be an offensive contributor .. struggles to find shooting lanes and overall, his point shot is poor .. his decision-making is still very questionable and others have definitely past him.

Calle Ridderwall (2007), LW/RW, Tri-City

Stockholm Sweden native was passed up in last years draft but it doesn't appear likely to happen again as his subtle skill and skating ability is catching on with the scouting community .. the Notre Dame recruit is small but does not back down, as he will go to the net and in the corners .. gets knocked off his feet but bounces right back up .. possesses a silky-smooth stride that can deceptively accelerate to his top gear rapidly, allowing him to get around the opposition .. first step possesses a quick burst out of the gates .. has soft and very quick hands that he combines with a nice lateral burst to be shifty and elusive one-on-one .. displayed decent vision and at times moved the puck creatively but he looks to take the puck to the net himself first .. possesses a quick release with precision although his velocity is just okay .. can play both wings .. did not see any penalty kill time but he back checked hard and did a good job picking up his man .. anticipates the game well .. crafty player although he should finish his checks .. he is a great locker room guy and is very personable.

David Brownschidle (2007), RW, Tri-City

He will be a decent college player for Brown University but he is not an NHL level prospect .. he still has no offensive game whatsoever as his hands are made of stone and when he does get a chance he simply brain cramps and takes too long to make up his mind .. he does bring some intangibles to a team however as his on ice work ethic and toughness is second to none .. despite being choppy, he has a strong stride that produces a fine top gear, which helps his puck pursuit be an annoyance to the opposition .. it's just too bad he can't use that top gear offensively .. spark plug type .. committed defensively and is a good penalty killer .. still, his lack of offensive upside keeps him off our draft list.

Jesse Martin (Atl), C, Tri-City

Denver recruit has come a long way over the course of the season averaging a point-per- game .. has a hunched over stride but is quick with good agility .. lateral quickness is especially strong .. anticipates the game well and does a good job always moving his feet to be an option offensively even when he is without the puck .. forechecks well and does a good job winning races to loose pucks .. hands are soft and he showed a quick release in tight as he did a good job stopping at the net to cash in rebounds .. pass first, shoot later type .. sees the ice well and is a slick playmaker but lacks the top end creativity to be a great one .. is not big but he is hockey strong and has a low center of gravity .. competes hard in traffic .. was cut near the eye but showed toughness by not losing a shift or back down after that .. cheated a few of his defensive assignments in favor of offense but his defensive awareness is fine, just his commitment could use work .. an underrated prospect in the Thrashers organization.

Nick Oslund (Det), LW, Tri-City

He is a big strapping kid who will play for St.Cloud St. next fall .. swift skater for a big man with a nice initial burst and an attractive long and powerful stride .. has a wicked wristshot with a snappy release that he must try to use more as he seems hesitant to shoot and only does so from the outside .. despite his large frame, he was knocked off his feet too easily while cycling and needs to upgrade his balance .. does not play with an edge and tries to be too much finesse .. hands are soft but he is not a creative one-on-one threat .. is still very raw but the combination of size and skating is intriguing.

Andrew Sackrison (StL), RW, Tri-City

Blessed with a tall and very thick frame with fine balance .. tough to move from the front of the net, which is where he collects most of his points .. is not shy about trying to drive the net .. does a good job using his body to shield the puck .. not an explosive skater but he has a nice, long stride with decent power .. not a stand out finisher or playmaker but is slightly a better passer as his vision is adequate .. plays on the penalty kill .. finishes his checks but does not have a mean streak .. pursues the puck adequately where his fine top gear is commanding in the open ice .. is unable to use that top gear offensively though .. solid collegiate prospect but the pro upside is not evident.

Ian Keserich (Col), G, Tri-City

Left Ohio St. to come back to the USHL .. early in the season, he was playing too far in his crease and for a big goalie, he was not playing big .. he has worked that out of his game and is now playing big staying at the top of his crease .. a very good skater and has strong lateral movement .. recovers from the butterfly back to his stance quickly .. actively and effectively plays the puck as he can really move it up the ice with a crisp pass .. did a fine job identifying the opposition on a line change and exploited it by sending the puck up to his teammates .. blocker side was strong as he did a good job steering the rebounds to the corners although his glove side was not tested .. rebound control as a whole was good and used his stick well down low .. displayed impressive patience on the lone breakaway he faced making the shooter make the first move.