Game played on 11/16/2024.
General Game Notes: Neutral Zone was in attendance for this USHL matchup between the Lincoln Stars and the Chicago Steel. A back-and-forth scoring affair, which saw a total of 13 goals scored, due largely in part to goal mouth rebounds/scrambles and special teams play. Lincoln’s Gio Digiulian took center stage as he netted a hat trick (2 goals on the powerplay), with his teammates Jack Pechar (1 goal, 2 assists) and Dashel Oliver (2 goals) serving as his supporting cast. Recently just turning 19 years old, Digiulian made a statement tonight as to why he should be a prospect to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Ashton Schultz (RW, R, 5’11”, 180, Chicago Steel, 10/03/2006, North Dakota)
Grade: B
Comments: Ashton is an average size, skillful forward, with a right shot. He is adjusting better to USHL action this year after he saw 11 games in the 2023-2024 season. He consistently plays with pace and speed, pushing defenseman back on their heels, all while getting pucks to the net. He had 7 shots on goal in this contest alone, one which was a goal. Ashton motored over the line, on the near side wall, where he toe-dragged a defenseman at the top of the circle and ripped a snapshot that was blocked in front. He continued to push to the net and was able to find his own rebound laying in the top of the crease and slammed it home for his lone tally of the night. It is clear he possesses multiple shot types (wrist/snap) with a relatively good release, but too many of these shots are coming from the outside of the perimeter. Ashton rarely cut to the middle of the ice, or the high slot area to try and create higher end scoring opportunities. With his profound ability to shoot the puck on the outside and push defenseman back, if he can begin to mix it up more and start shooting from inside the dots, it is highly likely his offensive numbers will further improve.
Reid Conn (D, R, 6’4″, 205, Chicago Steel, 02/01/2004, New Hampshire)
Grade: B-
Comments: Reid is a large bodied, two-way defenseman, with a right shot. He is surprisingly mobile for a defenseman of his size and showed good decision-making skills (puck-movement) as when to rush the puck through open lanes or move the puck quickly through the neutral zone. He uses his body to his advantage in his own zone as he makes forwards fight for net front position. It looks as if he was really trying to be involved with the offensive play in tonight’s game, as we often found him pinching in from the line, and even below Lincoln’s goal line. Reid had several scoring opportunities, one of which was a nice one-time chance where he jumped into the rush, and another was when he somehow managed a breakaway not even a minute into the second period. Although these were intriguing plays to watch, we believe his decision making in these types of situations may need some revisiting as it did appear he was maybe trying to do too much. This was capped off by a bad decision to lunge at a Lincoln player in the neutral zone, well after the puck was gone, and take a bad head-contact penalty/misconduct. The hit took him well out of position, which led to Lincoln’s, Oliver, easily moving in for a goal. To make matters worse, Lincoln capitalized on the major penalty he took, putting the game out of reach. Make no mistake, Reid is tough to play against, but his offensive zone positioning/decision making skills still need some fine tuning.
Owen Tylec (C, L, 5’11”, 175, Chicago Steel, 10/16/2006, Notre Dame)
Grade: B+
Comments: Owen is an average size, two-way forward, with a left shot. He had several scoring opportunities in this contest and was able to light the lamp only a minute after Lincoln’s, Oliver, scored on a penalty shot (wrist shot from the high slot after catching a goal line feed). He was also able to pick up an assist on the powerplay to bring the Steel within 1 goal early in the third period. Owen continued to drive the net and was also stonewalled on a breakaway opportunity. He’s a calm and poised presence on the ice, yet he crashes the crease and uses his quick hands to maneuver pucks out of tight spaces. He finished the night with 2 points (1G, 1A), 2 shots on goal, and a plus 2.
Jacob Rombach (D, L, 6’6″, 202, Lincoln Stars, 04/01/2007, Minnesota)
Grade: B
Comments: Jacob is an above average size, stay at home defenseman, with a left shot. At 6’6′ and 200 lbs, he moves surprisingly well for his size and saw considerable ice time on the penalty kill. His long reach helps him control gaps, take away space, and therefore cover a lot of ground. He was defensively sound in this game as he bailed his defensive partner out twice. On the first occasion, his partner was burned to the outside, but Jacob was quick to read the play and was able to get over to the far side in a hurry and cut off the attacking forward. The second occasion, Jacob found himself defending a 2 on 1, where his active stick took away the pass at just the right time, deflecting it high in the air and negating the rush. In a back-and-forth scoring game, he was an even in the plus/minus category and he did a fantastic job at cancelling opposing players out along the wall and forcing them to run out of time and space as he chased them down. Jacob likes to shoot pucks low towards the net, but he could look to get some more power in his shot. For a player of his size, he might benefit from utilizing a slapshot more often. Jacob projects as a bottom 6 defensemen going forward and could play himself into a Nolan Allan type of role if he can pick up a little more on the offensive side of the puck.
Giovanni Digiulian (C, R, 5’11”, 180, Lincoln Stars, 09/25/2005, Cornell)
Grade: A
Comments: Gio is an average size, skillful centerman, with a right shot. He took center stage in this offensive onslaught as he posted a hat trick tonight, with two of his goals coming on the powerplay. Gio continued to demonstrate his exceptional ability at identifying prime scoring chance areas and recognizing when to take advantage of defensive breakdowns. On the powerplay, he not only can quarterback, but he can also slide up and down the wall as needed. For instance, on his first powerplay goal, he recognized an open seam, moving down from the blueline, to the near dot, where he caught a feed from Lessard and ripped a quick wrister, glove side top shelf. His second powerplay tally came after a teammate’s failed stuff attempt bounced off a skate and came right to him, where he tapped it home. One would think it was lucky, but in actuality Gio had the instinct to move in from the top of the far circle to the bottom of the circle, as he once again was able to quickly identify the breakdown of coverage in front of the net. His game tonight was characterized by strong offensive instinct, quick shot releases, and his ability to score in different ways. Currently, he may be on pace to be a middle round selection in the upcoming NHL entry draft.
Lefty Markonidis (LW, L, 5’10”, 195, Lincoln Stars, 04/29/2005)
Grade: B
Comments: Lefty is an average size, energy-type forward, with a left shot. His compete level is what makes him noticeable right from the start, and it was his fourth line (Kohanski and Janz) that set a tone early in the night. Lefty’s game looks best away from the puck and is consistently active in pursuing the puck. He did a good job at taking the body and smothering opposing players in the corners and along the wall in the defensive zone. What we liked most about his game tonight was his consistency on the backcheck, his defensive angling, and his chippy aggression. He picked up an assist on Janz’s goal early in the game and finished as a plus 1. Lefty played strong fourth line minutes and has been putting up some nice offensive numbers to complement that.
Jack Pechar (RW, R, 6’1″, 197, Lincoln Stars, 03/20/2005, Northeastern)
Grade: A-
Comments: Jack is an average size, skillful forward, with a right shot. He showed a keen ability to snap both shots and passes off in a hurry, with both speed and accuracy. He finished the night with 3 points (1G, 2A), as he was very active with puck movement especially on the powerplay. He picked up a secondary assist moving the puck from the far side half wall, back to the point, who moved it across quickly to the goal scorer. He then picked up another assist as he went for a stuff attempt from the near side post, which rebounded and popped loose outside the crease, where Digiulian banged it home. Jack moves the puck quickly in the offensive zone, and it is his mobility/scoring touch that make him a danger from anywhere inside the blueline.
Dashel Oliver (RW, R, 5’10”, 187, Lincoln Stars, 02/24/2005, Notre Dame)
Grade: B+
Comments: Dashel is a borderline average size, two-way forward, with a right shot. He is a speedy winger who can play in either a top 6 role, or a third line grinder. It is his mobility and decision making with the puck that allow him to stand out. For example, Oliver has good instinct at when to drive the net, lowering the shoulder and using his footwork to try and obtain an extra step on a leaning defenseman. This was on full display, when Oliver burned a defenseman, making his way to the net, only to have his legs taken out, thus drawing a penalty shot. He then made good on his attempt as he slowed up and went five-hole, where the puck just squeaked through. Dashel can handle the puck at high speeds and although he has the ability to dip the shoulder and drive, his smaller frame does make him vulnerable for opponents to knock him off the puck. He finished the evening with a two-goal effort, both which started with his keen decision-making capabilities.
Brady Cunningham (D, L, 6’0″, 183, Lincoln Stars, 03/18/2008, Bowling Green)
Grade: C+
Comments: Brady made his USHL debut over the weekend (2 games), while getting the call up from the Chicago Mission AAA program. Playing as the seventh defensemen, we could tell that he was playing a very simplistic, defense first type of game tonight, which is different from the generally offensive/puck moving game he plays. Tonight, he focused a lot on defending against the rush, smothering attacking forwards, and making small chip-like outlet passes to his forwards in the neutral zone. Due to the back-and-forth high scoring affair, it was clear he was not seeing a lot of ice-time for obvious reasons. Skating wise, Brady looked patient and poised as he always did, and he was able to keep up with opponents as he adjusted to the speed of the USHL game. Because of the aforementioned, it is too early to say what type of defensemen he may blossom into.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images