| Edison Engle | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 168 | Ohio State | 2026 | Arlington Heights, IL | 2007 | 2024-2025: B- |
Game Grade: C+
Engle earned 12:32 in ice time including 2:30 on the PP. He did not kill penalties. He finished even with 0 points, 4 giveaways and 3 takeaways.
Comments: Engle (#42) is a 2007 born defenseman with good size and confidence. He is a mobile skater who uses his feet to cover lots of ground. He is a bit slow in his reactions and will need to improve his footspeed to create more of an impact in his own end and on the rush. He was aggressive in the neutral zone while in defensive transition. Some of his attempts were well timed and he used an active stick to break out plays, but most were poor decisions that left his partner with an odd man rush. The same comment can be said about his play in the defensive zone. There were many times where he overcommitted to opponents along the boards and gave up far too much space in front of his net. Engle needs to learn to read his partners choices and cover for him when he chooses to go behind the net. Engle will also need to improve his play with the puck. He often attempted to rush the puck up ice but fumbled it often and rushed his pass attempts. He was given time on the second power play where he was able to move the puck around reasonably well, but not fast enough to help generate any chances. Engle is a young defender who has only played in 2 USHL games. As he gets more experience at the junior level and continues to improve his foot speed as well as puck skills, he should become a responsible two-way defenseman worth a pick in the 2025 draft.
| Theo Kiss | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 160 | UMass Amherst | 2025 | Kosice, SVK | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Kiss earned a game forward high 20:16 in ice time including 5:00 on the top PP unit. He did not kill penalties. He finished even with 1 primary assist on Des Moines’ 2nd goal of the game, 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 hits, received 2 hits, 7 giveaways, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Kiss is a 2024 draft eligible forward with a high motor and quick feet. He applied aggressive pressure on the forecheck and was able to force multiple turnovers from his effort. He consistently jumped into battles and won races to dumped pucks. He showed off good speed on the rush but had trouble beating opponents 1v1. He was a bit overconfident with the puck and tried to beat opponents with complex moves at the blue line which were easily shut down with a quick poke or body check. Kiss showed a consistent motor all game and great work on the forecheck but had trouble handling the puck under pressure.
Ilya Protas | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | L | LW | 6’4″ | 184 | Vitebsk | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: C
Protas earned 18:05 in ice time (5th among fwds) including 4:51 on the PP and 1:23 on the PK (3rd among fwds). He finished -1 with 0 points, 1 shot. 1 grade “A” opportunity, 1 hit, 1 giveaway, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Protas is a 2024 eligible forward with good size and playmaking ability. He has good vision and was able to set up a couple of chances through well timed passes. A major problem with Protas’ game is his skating form and lack of speed. He moves with a very stiff and awkward stride that does not give him enough speed to keep up with play. He attempted to forecheck and apply pressure without the puck but was unable to keep up with his opponents. He had a lot of trouble in transition as well. Protas attempted to rush the puck up ice multiple times but was not able to create any separation when attempting to drive wide and was shut down easily. We liked his passing decisions, but his lack of speed really holds him back from creating offense on his own.
| Connor Bewick | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | R | D | 5’11” | 170 | Penn State | 2024 | Gurnee, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Bewick earned 14:33 in ice time including 0:13 on the PP and 0:32 while shorthanded. He finished even with 1 secondary assist on Des Moines’s 2nd goal, 1 shot, 2 hits, 1 giveaway, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 58% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Bewick played fast and defended hard. We liked the routes he took on puck retrievals and the confidence he showed in his feet to beat the F1 by simply outskating him. His assist is a primary example of this. On the play he recognized his partner was on his backhand in the corner so Bewick called for a D to D at the near post. He received the pass cleanly, wheeled the net which allowed him to get two forecheckers going the wrong way. He then attacked the middle, snapped a pass to the far blueline which trapped all three Fargo forwards on the wrong side of the puck. He made it look simple. Defensively he played with a tight gap without being reckless which allowed him to move quickly onto loose pucks to start transition. His lone giveaway occurred on a poor pass into his feet that bounced from his defensive zone into the offensive zone.
| Nathan DellaDonna | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | R | C | 5’11” | 174 | Penn State | 2024 | Brewerton, NY | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
DellaDonna earned 9:34 in ice time including 0:11 on the PP. He did not play shorthanded. He finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 1/8 on face-offs, 4 hits, 2 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: DellaDonna utilized his quickness to force Fargo decisions in all three zones and then win the 50/50 pucks. We liked his willingness to stop on pucks and stay on his man but to really capitalize on his tenacity he will need to continue developing his strength and power. We know this will come as he matures.
| Brian Lonergan | Fargo Force | USHL | R | D | 5’11” | 170 | Michigan | 2025 | Montvale, NJ | 2005 | 2023-2024: |
Lonergan earned 4:19 in ice time including 0:52 on the PK. He did not play PP. He finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 2 PIMs, 0 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Lonergran is a quick footed defensive defenseman. Lonergran was very aggressive with his neutral zone reads looking to step up on just about every play in defensive transition and unfortunately did so at a few inopportune times. There were multiple occasions where he was too aggressive in his choices and was beaten in the neutral zone. On one 1st period play (11:45) he aggressively surfed across the ice onto his partner’s side attempting to hit the man carrying the puck on the offensive side of the red line (along the boards). His timing was off and his back pressure/support was still below or on the offensive side of the Des Moines’ forwards. In this instance the poor read did not result in a scoring opportunity because of an equally poor Des Moines pass but at higher levels we believe this type of read would have turned into a breakaway and potentially a game altering first goal of the game. Another ultra aggressive read took place on a clear 4on2 in the second period (8:04) where he jumped the puck carrier at the red line and missed. After the miss he was forced to use his elite skating ability to hook the opposing forward as he drove the net for an attempted tap in. It was 1-0 Fargo at this point and Des Moines did not score on the power play but theses are the types of decisions that lead to momentum swings in games. This was Lonergan’s last real shift of the game.
| Gavin Kor | Fargo Force | USHL | R | C | 5’6″ | 162 | Rochester, MN | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: Limited Viewing
Kor earned 3:57 in ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished -1 with 0 points, 0 shots, received 2 hits. 0 giveaways, 0 takeaways and for the season he is winning 46% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Kor is a 2007 born forward with lots of confidence. He is undersized, standing under 5’7″, but played a calm game with the puck on his stick. He rushed the puck up ice with speed and was able to execute give and go, moving the puck, then crashing the net. He skates with a wide and awkward stride but is still able to generate decent speed. He showed a good ability to read the ice when the puck was on his stick. While his passes did not hit their target every time, he seemed to have the right idea with each of his choices. One of his best plays of the night was when he pulled a puck off the boards and attacked straight towards the net, getting a decent shot on goal. He will need to improve his skating form and ability to escape from pressure, but his confidence is very impressive for his size and age.
| Mac Swanson | Fargo Force | USHL | L | F | 5’7″ | 157 | North Dakota | 2024 | Anchorage, AK | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B+
Swanson earned 16:37 in ice time (2nd among fwds) including 0:58 on the PP (6th among fwds) and 0:01 on the PK. He finished +2 with 1 goal, 1 primary assist off a backhand sauce pass into the slot, 4 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs for a hook in the high slot while backchecking a line rush, 1 hit, received 2 hits, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Swanson is a skilled playmaker that finished with an assist and an empty net goal. He has great scanning habits which allow for him to build a useful map of the ice before the puck reaches his stick. The puck is not on his blade for very long as he often has his next move planned before he receives the puck. He made consistent, smart, quick decisions with the puck all game and kept play moving with his passes. His assist came in the second period when he slid a puck off of the wall to an open teammate in the circle for a one-time finish. Swanson was given time on the first powerplay unit. He is not the fastest or most skilled player on the ice, but his high IQ and playmaking ability give him a great advantage, allowing to generate many chances with very little possession time needed.
| Eddie Revenig | Fargo Force | USHL | L | D | 5’10” | 176 | Bemidji State | 2024 | Edina, MN | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: Limited Viewing
Revenig earned 5:55 in ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, received 2 hits, 2 takeaways, 2 giveaways and for the season he is winning 51% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Revenig did not get much ice time but he played a direct game and made high percentage reads while defending. On a 1st period odd man line rush against he recognized a potential one-timer in the right dot-lane and took a knee to block the shot. Offensively he showed a good first touch and some wiggle along the offensive blueline and in the high slot. His passes were hard and flat while his sauce landed softly. With 13:39 remaining in the 2nd he made a poor read after receiving an errant pass along the offensive blueline. Rather than simply getting the puck deep he attempted a direct pass to the mid-wall that was picked off for a 2on1 heading the other way. Again he made a high percentage as he slid to take away the passing lane which forced the shot high and wide but these types of decisions lead to momentum swings and at higher levels can end up putting the player in the crowd. In our opinion this was Revenig’s only poor read of the game. Interestingly he had 3 shifts in the first, 1 in the second (his poor read at the offensive blueline) and 6 shifts in the third.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence