WJC: Fritsche, Stafford Lead USA

Chris Bourque (Wsh), LW, Boston University

A sneaky skater and shooter, very adept at maneuvering his body into shooting positions and then releasing all in one fluent motion .. shows equally swift release on passes .. strong skater, uses long, powerful strides .. stout and compact with excellent balance and center of gravity .. unusually long arms and stick extension given body size .. industrious, always finds ways to get himself involved .. operates more like a torpedo at times with the BU Terriers, hammering out hits deep on the forecheck and along the sideboards, but is playing more of a preventive role here .. a gifted passer, always dangerous, especially when he patrols the neutral zone and focuses on hitting the homerun feed to release a linemate .. progressively showing more and more traits similar to his dad, among the best passers ever to play the game .. still needs to learn how to make the simple play and not always go for the showstopper .. can really rip long, tape-to-tape passes with a swift flick of the wrist.

Ryan Callahan (NYR), LW, Guelph

The engine room at the heart of the American checking contingent .. forms tough energy line with Mike Brown and Jake Dowell .. also used on the second power play unit .. fearless, tenacious, always goes headfirst into traffic .. intelligent along the boards and is quite adept at getting the cycle started down low as he has an ability to protect the puck and buy space for his linemates .. not blessed with blazing speed, but is another, like Fritsche, who appears to get quicker when he has the puck on his stick .. frequently looks to be tied up and dispossessed in traffic, only to recover and win the puck back .. perseveres, sacrifices body to keep plays alive .. excels on forecheck, adept at using stick to block passing lanes .. possesses strong stick skills and is a creative playmaker with an underrated shot, likes to step in from the sideboards and let probing slapper go .. reads game well .. uses linemates effectively .. unselfish player who will consistently take a hit to make a play.

Danny Fritsche (CBJ), C, Sarnia

Centering a line with Phil Kessel and Kevin Porter .. missed much of this season with shoulder problems, but you'd never know it based on his performance early at the WJC .. scored a pair of goals against the Russians in the opener, including the shorthanded winner in the third .. gutsy, heart-and-soul type, always gives second and third efforts, never gives up on plays .. seems to gain speed and energy while carrying the puck .. inherently shields the puck well because of his body position and skating style .. able to extend his arms and stick forward, carrying the puck well ahead of where his feet are, yet still maintaining good balance .. this forces defenders to back off and try to contain him as he boasts the power and desire to drive inside if they overcommit .. opportunistic around goal with solid finishing skills in close, works tirelessly to outrace opposition to loose pucks and rebounds.

Phil Kessel (2006), RW, USNTDP

Seventeen-year-old phenom is easily making plays and overpowering defenders despite playing against elite under-20 competition .. a fabulous skater, explosive acceleration, rapid turns, naturally elusive .. keeps his feet moving and striving to get more speed with each step, a trait which has drawn comparisons to former NHLer Pat Lafontaine .. though his ability to execute with the puck in top gear is certainly Lafontaine-like, Kessel brings more power to the plate, perhaps more along the lines of a Dale Hawerchuk .. gained confidence as the game progressed against the Russians and really toyed at times with the Swiss .. goes to the net with reckless abandon, possessing the delicate puckhandling skills to carve through traffic like a warm knife through butter .. particularly dangerous when he isolates a defender one-one-one, as he is very quick to spot vulnerable areas and possesses a talent for getting inside a defender and opening up shooting lanes .. classic combo of speed, skill and grit.

Patrick O'Sullivan, (Min), C, Mississauga

Smooth and slick, and can sting like a bee .. likes to play the 'lurker' role, hovering in the weeds and then spurting into open spots .. but is steadily developing into a solid linkup player in the process, holding good defensive positions and giving his wingers easy outlet options .. great upper-body control .. tremendous fluidity and coordination between his arms and stick .. disguises his intentions remarkably well - often very difficult for defenders to predict what he's got up his sleeve .. relies on anticipation and lightning hands to win the 50-50 puck battles as he doesn't have the body mass to overpower one-on-one confrontations .. an outstanding shooter and passer .. pinpoint accurate with blistering release speed, while his play selection has notably matured over the past year .. set up opening goal against the Russians with brilliant, against-the-grain feed to Stafford.

Drew Stafford (Buf), RW, North Dakota

Looks inspired playing on home ice .. a gritty catalyst virtually every time he's on the ice .. capable of playing either a power or finesse-oriented game, though the former provides better benefits .. tenacious along the boards, dished out stiff checks and pursued the puck like a man possessed .. learning when to switch on the finesse mode .. still could use smarter defensive decisions at times, failed to effectively clear the puck out of his own zone on a few occasions .. appeared sluggish to start this season, but has regained that spark and explosiveness in his step .. scored similar looking goals in each of first two games, including the opener against the Russians .. took charge in the Swiss game with a decisive, tide-turning marker .. punctured the defense with a rapid burst of acceleration and blew a rocket shortside, his early release freezing the goalie .. strong leader who plays a solid two-way game .. displays great determination on the backcheck.