General Game Notes: This was a crazy game between the Buccaneers and the Stars with a last minute power play goal that decided the winner. After the Stars scored, the all out fury that the Buccaneers applied was intense and close but not enough and Sioux Falls was able to close out two points.
Ben Kevan (RW, R, 6’0″, 179, Des Moines Buccaneers, 01/03/2007, Arizona State) 2024-25 NHL Grade: C: Kevan is a hardnosed underager who’s playing at just under a point per game pace during his rookie USHL season. He plays his entire shift at full speed with the mindset to get the puck to the net early and often. By NHL standards he is slightly undersized to play as fearlessly as he does but he has the skating posture to carry more weight while keeping his speed and explosiveness.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Kevan is a very speedy skater with excellent work ethic. He showed tonight that with the puck he is shifty and plays with plenty of intensity. Has a decent scoring touch, but can also play in his own end with his speed. Has a unique combination of being big and mobile. With top speed he makes himself hard to play against by driving his shoulder through people but also having the deception and skill to slip it through a defenders skates.
Adam Zlnka (LW, R, 6’0″, 177, Waterloo Black Hawks, 02/28/2004) 2022-23 NHL Grade: C+: Zlnka was a 2022 7th round selection by Arizona Coyotes. He is a creative skilled forward who got off to a very slow start with Waterloo but seems to have found his footing or at least a place to start in Des Moines as he has 4pts in his first six games. He plays with a shooter’s mentality and is averaging just under four shots per game.
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Tonight in Zlnka’s game he was able to show that his motor carries him up and down the ice and he rarely lets up. He forechecks at speed, attacks at speed, and defends at speed, with quick stops and starts. Intelligent support player who scans the ice before entering the puck battle with a shoulder check before most possessions he obtains other than passes.
Liam Watkins (C, L, 6’1″, 199, Des Moines Buccaneers, 07/13/2004, Nebraska Omaha) 2023-2024NHL Grade: C, 2022-2023 NHL Grade: C+, 2021-2022 NHL Grade: C: Watkins has an NHL frame and has put up good numbers during his three seasons in junior hockey. Last year he had 67 points in 54 games playing in the AJHL and this year he has 25 points in 41 games. Where we notice the biggest difference from last year to this year is his ability to get shots off from inside dangerous area as he has only 83 shot attempts from inside the house with 48 hitting the net. For a player averaging 2:34 on the power play we would expect more.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Watkins plays a big bodied role when he has to. In the offensive zone, he knows his options, prepares his passes with deception, and pulls them off with good timing, waiting for lanes to open, moving his feet to find those lanes, and move the puck rapidly before they close. He has a good sense for positioning, for where the play is heading next, and how to support that play. Showed this sense of positioning defensively by being able to break up multiple passes with a simple stick in the lane.
Ilya Protas (LW, L, 6’4″, 184, Des Moines Buccaneers, 07/18/2006) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: B: Protas is a long athletic left shot forward with the passing ability and deception to sell a shot when in reality he is getting the defender to over extend before he passes through the defender’s triangle or feet. Around the offensive net he establishes his ice early and uses his reach to control rebounds or hard passes to then change the shooting angle as he buries it. He is still growing into his body and there times in open ice when he looks a bit stiff but he has a knack around the net for arriving at the right time and holding off a defender as he shoots it.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Protas seems to spot and execute the best play in most offensive sequences. He attacks goalies with a variety of wrist shots and one-timers, shift the defense around with clever skating patterns, orchestrate passing plays in transition, and then drive the net to get his stick on a rebound in the offensive zone. He was able to show in his game that he brings pace with a big body that allows him to get inside on defenders with bad gaps, and you can add a high-energy forechecker consistently.
Lucas Massie (G, L, 6’1″, 190, Lincoln Stars, 04/11/2003, Union) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free Agent: Massie is a slightly below average sized left catching goalie with an .891 svp. Positionally he is very sound and he shows nice puck anticipation on line rushes.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: The technical aspects of Massie’s game are very polished. He does a lot of the little things right, such as sealing the post and smooth transitions from a low to high stance. He stays composed during scrambles in front of him not flopping everywhere, and often falls back on his technical foundation to make saves. You will not see him make any desperation moves unless it is absolutely necessary.
Adam Kleber (D, R, 6’5″, 203, Lincoln Stars, 03/24/2006, Minnesota Duluth) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: B: Kleber is a 6’5″ right shot defender winning 59% of his 50/50 puck battles. In the NHL he will not be asked to tun a power play but NHL teams have to be intrigued over his 18 points in 33 games. His point totals show he can move the puck efficiently but when looking into the number 91% of his passes are completed. Physically he’s averaging over 1 hit per game while winning 59% of his 50/50 puck battles. Like we said, there is a lot to like about his game.
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Kleber can get you a couple different ways. He has the size and strength to out muscle you but he did a good job tonight at being active and using his long stride to out skate opponents into areas where his teammates could find him to make plays. He wins battles in his own end and will make breakouts by himself then, if he has the step, stride it out into the offensive zone. If he finds a way to step into a shot, he can put some power behind it.
Justin Mexico (LW, L, 5’10”, 170, Lincoln Stars, 12/05/2003, AIC) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free Agent
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Mexico did a good job at showing how to break defenses and manipulate gaps off the rush by moving ahead or behind teammates, how to manage the puck well, and when to reload back defensively. He works hard first and foremost and get into position with his speed and ethic. He does not have the most skill on the team but will out compete the others when going toe to toe in a battle.
Keaton Peters (F, R, 5’10”, 187, Lincoln Stars, 03/01/2004, Northern Michigan) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free Agent
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Peters is a speedy winger with natural offensive instincts. Has a really good shot and knows how to find open ice. He finds this ice by playing tight to opponents, giving himself the most ice to work with once he has beaten them. His quick jump he has makes him hard to be physical against. Had a weak physical game that usually stands out in his own end and, relied on an active stick or positioning to defend.
German Yavash (F, L, 6’3″, 209, Lincoln Stars, 05/07/2003, AIC) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free Agent: Yavish is a 6’3″, 2003 who is in his forth year in the USHL. This season he is averaging 1.5 hits per game while winning 40% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Yavish does not just pressure opponents, he guides them into traps. He anticipates plays, racking up interceptions on the defensive end and poking away pucks just as opponents receive them. He is physical with his larger size and always enters battles with the purpose of winning body positioning and securing possession. And he brings the energy consistently every shift.
Ryan Spinale (RW, R, 6’5″, 205, Lincoln Stars, 02/09/2004, Colgate) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free Agent: Spinale is long right shot forward with soft hands and quick stick. Over the past few seasons he has added more physicality to his game to the point that this season he is averaging just under one hit per game while winning 48% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Spinale showed tonight that with his size he is able to lean in on defenseman and use his footwork to keep control of the puck. His quick reactions in front of the net help him pick up rebounds that are loose around the crease. he was able to log big minutes on the kill and during the kill he will sacrifice his body to get in lanes. Scored game winner on the power play. His size allowed him to get net front space and capitalize on his opportunity. His ability to be effective on both ends of the ice is key to not only his game but his teams.
Kai Janviriya (D, R, 5’8″, 170, Lincoln Stars, 04/02/2005, Connecticut) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: Free agent: Janviriya is a smooth skating quick processing undersized defender who is averaging 21:35 of total ice time per game while winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles. At his size we love that he is willing to take a hit to make a play but he is averaging being on the receiving end of 1.15 hits per game.
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Janviriya was able to show tonight that his range is impressive due to a impressive mobility. He can cover more ice all around him, faster than the opposition and this allows him to be first on loose pucks in the neutral zone. This agility translates to effective rush defense where his gaps are tight and needs to break plays up earlier rather than later to avoid physical play down low. He is gifted laterally with a balanced skating posture.
Blake Montgomery (LW, L, 6’3″, 181, Lincoln Stars, 05/04/2005, Wisconsin) 2023-2024 NHL Grade: C: Montgomery is having a productive offensive season with 14 goals and 28 points through 36 games. He is also averaging 1.11 body checks per game which tells he is becoming more comfortable with his role of being a power forward but at this point he is winning 40% of his 50/50 puck battles so that also tells us he is still developing and learning how to use leverage to his advantage.
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Tonight, Montgomery was all about being in the right place at the right time, supporting the puck low in the defensive zone and below the hash marks in the offensive zone. He is always offering himself as an outlet to his defenseman in transition. Probing for and finding shooting opportunities off-puck, sneaking in and out of negative space to pop open for scoring chances.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Ben Marshall