USHL: Waterloo Black Hawks

Head coach P.K. O'Handley has the Waterloo Black Hawks roster brimming with NHL prospects, as they ice one of the youngest lineups in the USHL including a dozen 2008 or 2009 draft-eligible players and four players that have already been drafted by NHL teams, such as New York Islanders prospect Blake Kessel.

Brock Montpetit (2008), C/RW, Waterloo Black Hawks

Wisconsin recruit is receiving plenty of icetime including a spot on the powerplay and penalty kill units .. possesses an industrious stride with nimble feet and decent quickness .. is not explosive out of the gate and is not a burner in the open ice either but is shifty and is squirmy in tight spaces, as he can make a guy miss one-on-one .. more of a playmaker than a finisher although, he is willing to go to the front of the net .. thrifty player that is on the puck a lot .. has a short but well constructed frame and is willing to give or take a hit .. looks to be just one-step behind mentally, as he is still catching up to the pace of the USHL and will need to turn it up to warrant a selection at the NHL draft.

Nick Larson (2008), C/RW, Waterloo Black Hawks

Hard working, defensive-minded forward with good size .. possesses quick foot speed for a big man but his skating needs improvement .. owns a galloping stride that needs to be compacted to improve his poor acceleration and wide turning radius .. makes up for some of his skating deficiencies through his hard work and non-stop motor .. his hands are made of stone and he displays zero offensive ability .. only effective if he is disrupting the oppositions attack .. displays good puck pursuit and uses his long reach to clog passing lanes effectively .. this late 1989 DOB has a long way to go before he is considered an NHL prospect.

Jordan Samuels-Thomas (2008), LW, Waterloo Black Hawks

Size and speed combination keep him worthy of monitoring as the season progresses but so far, he has not been able to put his physical gifts together to make much of an impact .. light on his feet and possesses quick start-up strides and crossovers .. displays decent acceleration and demonstrates good knee bend in his stride .. has a tall frame to grow into but currently lacks strength, as he will give a hit but ends up being the one falling to the ice and he struggles to fight through checks .. owns a good motor and attempts to utilize his speed to generate offense .. stops and starts away from the puck and does not neglect his defensive assignments .. intriguing but still unrefined prospect that is difficult to put your finger on.

Joe Howe (2008), G, Waterloo Black Hawks

Small standup goaltender that relies on sharp technique and staying square to the puck than pure athleticism and size .. possesses adequate feet and swift, lateral movement, although he tends to lose his angles when moving side-to-side .. challenges the opposition well off the rush but can be intimidated by traffic and seemingly is vacuumed into his net when the opposition attacks from in close .. owns a compact butterfly and keeps his shoulders square and upright, as he covers the upper portion of the net adequately .. skates well and is capable of catching the opposition on a line change by moving the puck up the ice .. looks uncomfortable and is not reading the play well, as there are times when he plays the puck when he should just cover the puck to get a needed line change.

Craig Smith (2008), F, Waterloo Black Hawks

Wisconsin recruit went unselected last year but might be worth a look this year as he continues to progress .. an upright skater with a lively initial burst .. gritty and competitive with relentless puck pursuit .. versatile, as he can play all three forward positions .. sees the ice well and is a decent setup man that can finish too with hard work driving the net.. sparkplug that goes all out every shift and every game .. well be a good collegiate athlete and is a possible energetic- role player down the road.

Michael Montrose (2009), D, Waterloo Black Hawks

Small defenseman with polished footwork but a horrid defensive game .. crisp and nimble skater with superb agility and quickness .. moves the puck well although he is not an established powerplay guy yet .. needs to be stronger in front of his own net, as he is boxed out by large forwards too easily and he must improve on taking away the oppositions passing lanes .. gets caught watching the puck and can let his man walk in clean behind him .. his mobility makes him worthy of following his progress but he cannot continue to be such a defensive liability to warrant a selection next year.

Blake Kessel (NYI), D, Waterloo Black Hawks

Poised puck-moving defenseman with a big frame .. has an awkward and hunched-over stride, which hinders his top gear, although, he pivots well and his footwork is okay .. vocal leader on the team .. ingenious puckmover that sees the ice superbly .. makes a smart first pass and can quarterback the powerplay .. attacks the opposition's box incisively and in the process, draws a man out of position before making a nice dish to an open teammate .. has a nice move on the point where he either extends his stick or draws it in to open a shooting lane .. fends off checkers well and possesses soft hands .. can beat the opposition with his passing game but not his feet .. finesse defender who uses his smarts to always be in position but has the size to play the body adequately .. makes up for his skating deficiencies with his intrinsic ability to anticipate the game, as he knows where the puck is going before it gets there.

John Lee (Fla), D, Waterloo Black Hawks

Tall and rangy, two-way defenseman with exciting raw athleticism .. owns a sloppy and overextended stride that somehow produces good straight-line speed thanks to his strides length and power .. has a hitch in his pivots and can be caught flat-footed by speedy opponents .. filling out his towering frame nicely and is assertively playing the body this season .. adventurous defensive game takes him out of position, as he goes overboard at times pressuring the puckcarrier .. uses his long reach well .. possesses a big and quick pointshot .. comfortable skating the puck up the ice but he can also stretch the ice with a nice outlet pass .. willing to take chances moving the puck however, he is also prone to coughing it up at times because of it .. progressing well and is an intriguing prospect with positive and negative attributes soaked in every aspect of his game.

Drew MacKenzie (Buf), D, Waterloo Black Hawks

Big and strong stay-at-home defenseman with a mature defensive game .. seems to always be on the proper side of the puck and does an exceptional job of boxing his man out while covering his crease .. does not chase the puck but instinctively knows when to attack the puckcarrier and take him out with a check .. demonstrates good gapping ability and does an exemplary job of angling his man to the outside before finishing him with a stiff jolt behind the net .. moves the puck safely, as he is very hesitant to force a pass into trouble .. executes very few north/south passes, as he often just moves the puck laterally to his partner .. does not find shooting lanes well, as his shots have a tendency to hit the opponents shin pads .. not a powerful skater but he has a nice compact stride .. changes direction fluidly and has a crisp burst of speed.

Jan-Mikael Juutilainen (Chi), C, Waterloo Black Hawks

Finds him self buried on the depth chart and is playing third/fourth-line minutes despite this being his second year in the league .. an effortless skater with good agility and quickness but he lacks a powerful top gear .. his skating ability goes to waste, as he never uses it to generate offensive opportunities .. does an adequate job killing penalties and his defensive awareness is up to par .. not a soft player but is not a gritty sparkplug either .. is not generating anything offensively and looks to be struggling to find his identity as a player.