USHL: Whitney Advances Interchangeable Parts

In the late 1700's and the early 1800's, Massachusetts native Eli Whitney advocated and advanced the idea of interchangeable parts in the manufacturing of firearms. The idea being that firearms could be mass produced and easily repaired if the parts were of identical specifications and each firearm was not unique, and in so doing created the precursor to the American industrial revolution in the 19th century. Fast forward about 200 years, and Massachusetts native Steven Whitney is a prime example of an interchangeable part in hockey. With specifications including offensive vision, playmaking prowess, and soft hands, Whitney is easily and successfully inserted into most any lineup. The offensively gifted Whitney led the U.S., U-18 Select Team in scoring at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament last August, he excelled in his senior season at Lawrence Academy, and he averaged over a point per game in his 12 regular-season contests for the USHL's Omaha Lancers down the stretch.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to catch the Omaha Lancers twice in March, and enters season-ending notes on several players. Steven Whitney, likely first-rounder Louis Leblanc, 2008 second-rounder Danny Kristo, and a number of other talented Omaha prospects are featured.

Louis Leblanc (2009), C, Omaha

Pivot plays a strong all-around game .. skating not really an issue anymore .. has decent speed and stride extension skating the puck .. also has decent acceleration with the puck .. has some agility with the puck to side-step opponents or to evade checkers with switchbacks .. possesses some playmaking ability and creates chances around the net both with shots and passes .. also a playmaking threat out of the corners and off the half boards .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. has a hard slapshot that requires little wind-up .. as noted before, plays a strong defensive game .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and can creates turnovers doing so .. quick to pressure opponents in all three zones .. will engage physically .. conscientious in helping his defensemen down low .. active pressuring the points on the PK .. will drop to block shots .. plays on the powerplay and sees significant time in all situations .. wins many faceoffs .. no major holes to Leblanc's game, just will get a little better as he adds more meat to his 6-foot-0, 178-pound frame and gains even more experience .. a little flash, and a whole lot more substance .. even though Harvard rarely has incoming recruits taken in the first round, Leblanc probably will be .. very confident Leblanc will at least become a strong third-line NHL center, and could bump up to a second-line NHLer .. played for Team Canada U18 Team at Ivan Hlinka Tournament and scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 games .. played for Team Reebok (West) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. named The Collegian Group USHL Rookie of the Year .. named to Center Trophy USHL All-Rookie Team .. finished the regular season with 28 goals and 31 assists in 60 games, 11th in USHL scoring and tops for Omaha .. scored 2 goals and 1 assists in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to Harvard for the 2009-10 season .. major junior rights are held by Val-d'Or.

Patrick Mullane (2009), LW, Omaha

Benefited greatly from skating with Leblanc most of the season .. injured for a couple weeks the second half of March and thus only saw him in early March viewing .. stood out in this viewing with playmaking .. demonstrated strong patience with the puck along the boards and did not panic with checkers bearing down before making a play .. made some nice centering passes that created dangerous chances .. passes are on the tape .. good acceleration and quickness with the puck in this viewing, closer to Fall Classic viewings .. played on the powerplay .. averaged over a point per game for the season, but left me wanting more in a some viewings this season .. second-year draft-eligible winger has a legitimate shot of being selected in the later rounds, but NHL teams may still take a wait-and-see approach until after his freshman year of college .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 1 goals and 3 assists in 5 games .. played for Team Reebok (West) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 23 goals and 34 assists in 54 games, 14th in USHL scoring and third for Omaha .. scored 0 goals and 3 assists in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to Boston College for the 2009-10 season.

Steven Whitney (2009), RW, Omaha

Acquitted himself fairly well down the stretch after playing for Lawrence Academy .. strong offensive awareness .. does a good job of filling holes, finding open teammates with passes, and creating rebound chances .. moves the puck quickly and makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. has a crisp wristshot, a hard snapshot, and a decent slapshot .. shot power overall is fairly strong .. displayed decent speed, but is not overly fast by USHL standards .. excellent agility on the forecheck, as he can execute turns at speed with a very tight radius .. also displays strong agility with the puck .. plays on the powerplay and saw a little penalty kill time .. size is an issue for the 5-foot-7, 160-pound right-winger, and will need to add more explosive power and top speed to succeed at higher levels, but the hockey sense and hands are definitely there .. has some upside because of what he could become if he does add that speed and power .. possible late-round selection .. played for Team USA with U18 Select Team at Ivan Hlinka Tournament in August and led team in scoring with 2 goals and 4 assists in 4 games .. finished the regular season with 4 goals and 10 assists in 12 games .. scored 0 goals and 1 assist in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to Boston College for the 2009-10 season .. major junior rights held by Rimouski. Click the link for a recent interview with Steven Whitney

Ian Ruel (2009), D, Omaha

If Ruel goes undrafted, it will not be a surprise if/when he signs a two-way NHL contract out of college .. as previous reports on Ruel stated, puck skills are not reflected in his stats .. fairly confident skating the puck and demonstrates the agility to evade checks down low to then break the puck out .. makes hard, crisp, accurate passes .. passing game will translate even better at higher levels where more teammates can catch them without issue .. has a hard slapshot from the point and a hard wristshot .. 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is an imposing physical presence and plays a physical game and can lay out big hits .. wide base backwards, reduces crossovers, and angles opponents well to rub them out .. willing to drop the gloves and can land some heavy shots .. played on the PK .. NHL teams need defensemen like Ruel on their depth charts, as big, physical defensive defensemen who move the puck reliably are very important for playoff success .. finished the regular season with 2 goals and 7 assists in 52 games .. scored 0 goals and 0 assists in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to Bowling Green for the 2009-10 season.

Ryan Daugherty (2009), LW, Omaha

Late-March viewing was the most impressive viewing of the season .. started to show a little speed .. built a little speed on the forecheck and actually won some races for the puck .. still needs to improve acceleration and also needs to become stronger on his skates .. showed a little speed with the puck driving wide and using his reach .. finished his checks .. displayed some shot power .. both wristshot and slapshot had some force .. will have surgery on his left knee soon after the season and faces a summer of rehab .. additional lower body strength should help him develop better acceleration, more top speed, and lower his center of gravity to become stronger on his skates .. CSS has him at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds .. a package to consider if an NHL team is confident Daugherty can make those gains in the next five years, but I'd wait until after his second season in the USHL .. played for Team Reebok (West) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 6 goals and 10 assists in 46 games .. did not play in the playoffs .. committed to Northern Michigan for the 2010-11 season .. scheduled to have knee surgery after the end of the season .. slated to return to Omaha next season.

Dakota Eveland (2009), RW, Omaha

Earned an expanded role down the stretch and was impressive doing so .. had 5 goals and 7 assists in the final 14 games of the season .. was a significant presence on the powerplay from the point .. hard slapper from the point that he can snipe .. also a threat to pinch in from the point and score with a wristshot .. at forward at even strength, he battles down low and is a threat to make centering feeds from the corners .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. able to connect on nice saucer passes .. saw time on the penalty kill too, thanks in part to his speed and hustle .. listed at 5-foot-7, 156 pounds, but still plays with a little physicality .. uses his speed and hustle on the forecheck and backcheck and makes some hits doing so .. putting himself in a position to be a top-six forward for Omaha all of next season, and could average a point per game doing so .. probably too small for NHL Entry Draft consideration, but has proven he can succeed in an expanded role in the USHL .. finished the regular season with 8 goals and 15 assists in 51 games .. scored 0 goals and 0 assists in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to Colorado College for the 2010-11 season .. slated to return to Omaha next season.

Seth Ambroz (2011), RW, Omaha

Role diminished a little bit down the stretch from what it was midseason, but still on track as the youngest player in the USHL .. turned 16 April 1 .. was a regular on the penalty kill .. 6-foot-3, 198-pounder shows decent straight-line quickness and top speed now, but still needs to work on edge control .. turns on the forecheck to change assignments are a little shaky .. has a little trouble with tight turns at speed .. plays a physical game for Omaha and finishes his checks .. also saw some time on the powerplay .. did a good job all season getting shots on net regardless of icetime .. finished the regular season with 14 goals and 17 assists in 60 games .. scored 0 goals and 0 assists in 3 games in playoffs .. committed to Minnesota for the 2011-12 season .. slated to return to Omaha next season.

Danny Kristo (Mtl), RW, Omaha

Kristo can score at the USHL level .. had six multi-point games in a row March 17 through April 3 .. eight of final eleven games of the season were multi-point games .. speed is just too much for many USHL defensemen to handle .. able to drive wide and do laps in the zone almost at will evading or fighting around attempted checks .. also able to stop quickly and powerfully and maintains control of the puck .. a bit upright in his skating, but not really any more so than a number of NHLers who also have significant wheels .. has patience with the puck and buys time for teammates skating it in the offensive zone .. plays on the powerplay and also sees some time on the PK .. great confidence-building year before going to college .. played for Team USA at World Junior A Challenge and scored 3 goals and 4 assists in 4 games .. played for Team Reebok (West) at USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. finished the regular season with 22 goals and 36 assists in 50 games .. scored 3 goals and 0 assists in 3 games in the playoffs .. committed to North Dakota for the 2009-10 season.

Joseph Lavin (Chi), D, Omaha

One of the top defensemen in the USHL in his half season after leaving Providence College .. as previously reported, he gave Omaha a true number one defenseman in the USHL .. defensively, strong mobility, keeps a wide base, no crossovers past the center line, angles opponents well, and steps up to play the body after letting gaps shrink by the blueline .. demonstrates the agility to hang with opponents who stop and start or move East to West .. very crisp clears and can launch the puck .. smooth mobility at the point and saw powerplay time because of it .. uses size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) physically, but also in shielding the puck .. makes crisp accurate passes and can find teammates at long distances .. also played on the penalty kill .. expect success at Notre Dame from Lavin .. finished the regular season with 7 goals and 16 assists in 33 games .. scored 0 goals and 4 assists in the playoffs, tops in Omaha playoff points scoring .. committed to Notre Dame for the 2009-10 season, transferring from Providence College .. 1 assists in 12 games with Providence College after 0 goals and 8 assists in 36 games his freshman year.

Drew Olson (CBJ), D, Omaha

Smart move by Olson to play in the USHL in 2008-09, as he was only marginally ready for the USHL to start the season .. gradual improvement continued to final viewing, but was injured down the stretch and in the playoffs .. did a good job of angling opponents in early-March viewing and played the body .. allowed his gap to shrink near the blueline .. showed a little speed to recover from teammate's turnovers and still rub out opponents .. made hard, crisp, accurate passes .. generated decent speed rounding his own net, but crossovers were a bit short .. saw time on the penalty kill .. would almost like to see one more USHL season for Olson, but that'd result in Columbus losing his rights similar to Brett Bruneteau (Wsh), Brent Gwidt (Wsh), and Troy Mattila (NYI) .. finished the regular season with 2 goals and 6 assists in 39 games .. missed the playoffs due to injury .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth for the 2009-10 season.

Jeff Teglia (2009), G, Omaha

Became the backup to the experienced Kris Lazaruk down the stretch and in the playoffs, which may have been a mistake .. didn't get to see Teglia in final two viewings of the year, as Lazaruk played .. named USHL Scholar Athlete of the Year .. finished the regular season with a 20-9-7 record, a 3.00 G.AA, and .892 save percentage in 41 games .. saw 16:35 of relief action in the playoffs and saved all four shots he faced .. no commitment to college program yet .. slated to return to Omaha next season.