USHL notes: Not a great year in the "U"

Red Line's Max Giese also briefly talked about the USHL and what he saw at the Fall Classic earlier this month:

"After (Scott) Mayfield and (Seth (Ambroz) there's a huge dropoff," he said. "Then you get to (Colten) St. Clair, and after him, there's another huge dropoff."

Youch.

But, let's take a look at these guys and what the early returns are on them. Giese has been a supporter of Mayfield's from jump street, and that's big because if Mayfield ends up going top-10, then you'll be able to look back at what Max was saying about him over the summer and realize he had the inside track on this big, mobile PMD from St. Louis. Ambroz is someone Giese has been less impressed with, and his reasons are pretty much the same I'm hearing from other scouts in the community: simply put, Ambroz hasn't progressed. He's essentially the same player he was a couple of years ago when he was bulling his way through the USHL as a manchild. Only problem is-- now the physical gap has decreased. And, he's in for a real awakening when he heads off to Minnesota and the NCAA next year.

Here are some snippets from Max's reports he filed and which appear in the October issue of Red Line Report. For more, you can go to www.redlinereport.com -- it's a pay service, but you can't beat the depth of analysis the RLR staff provides every month.

Scott Mayfield, RD Youngstown 6-4, 185 14 Oct. 92

A huge workhorse on the backend. A commanding skater with a long, powerful stride. Shows terrific lateral agility and strong edgework...

(And that only scratches the surface of the writeup)

Seth Ambroz, RW Omaha 6-3, 210 3 Apr. 93

Heavy power forward with a nose for the net. He's the same skater he was two years ago-- hasn't improved his quickness, still labors to accelerate and struggles to gain separation. ...

(Again- there's more, but it's proprietary information, so that's about all I can do)

Colten St. Clair, RC Fargo 5-11, 180 22 Nov. 92

Played with a healthy chip on his shoulder and is embracing a leadership role this year. Made opponents' blood boil with his tenacious puck pursuit and by finishing his checks...

Giese said that two players from the USHL available in next year's 2012 NHL draft are worth paying attention to this season: Sioux City defender Jordan Schmaltz (6-3) a smooth, cerebral puck-mover who just could be one of those special talents with the size and skills to be a high pick, and Latvian forward prodigy Zemgus Girgensons, a big, skilled creative center who is already having an immediate impact with expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints.

I saw Girgensons last spring when he was the best player on an overmatched Green Mountain Glades team in the EJHL-- they got manhandled by the Charlie Coyle and Chris Wagner-led South Shore Kings, but Girgensons was noticeable, and he's a smart kid who's on the fast track to be at the University of Vermont next year.

USHL notes: Ambroz held scoreless in Omaha win

Seth Ambroz is the prohibitive favorite to be the top player out of the USHL to be taken in the 2011 draft, but the big, skilled power forward from New Prague, Minnesota was held off the scoresheet in his team's 3-2 win over the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Justin Crandall (a '92 from Lakeville, Minnesota) had two of Omaha's goals (he scored on both of his shots), and Dubuque defenseman Joakim Ryan is a player of interest. The son of a Swedish tennis pro, but born in the USA and a native of the Garden State, Joakim was snubbed by the U.S. NTDP, so Team Sweden grabbed him. He had an assist in the loss. He's a pretty slick two-way defenseman who is a product of the N.J. High School and N.J. Jr. Devils AAA program, but I like him as a prospect. He's worth keeping tabs on as a mid-rounder in the draft.

But the real story of the game was Latvian forward Zemgus Girgensons, who figured in both of his teams goals: tallying a goal and assisting on John Gaudreau's score. I saw him when he was with the Green Mountain Glades of the EJHL last year and he's a beast- big (6-1), fast and skilled. The plan is for him to play in Iowa this year, accelerate and be at the University of Vermont next year. As a '94 birthdate, he's not eligible until 2012, but put this kid on your watch list now, because you'll be hearing his name quite a bit over the next 18 months.

Gaudreau is very skilled, but tiny. Like Cedar Rapids forward Cason Hohmann, he really played well at the Ivan Hlinka for Team USA (and like Ryan is from Jersey) but when you're about 5-6 and less than 150 pounds, it's a real tough sell to get drafted.

You won't see Ambroz held scoreless much this season with his size, talent and experience/superior physical maturity, so take a snapshot of this and save it. I'm sure we'll be talking a lot about his scoring exploits a lot this year.