Lincoln played Waterloo on December 7, 2019. Jordan Power, Zack Urdahl, Christian Sarlo & Travis Treloar all made positive impressions on Neutral Zone’s scouting staff. Here is a look back at a few previous evaluations on these players combined with our current evaluations to see why we feel these 4 players are getting NHL looks.
Jordan Power (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
Jordan displayed hockey sense and distributed the puck very well up ice tonight. You can see why he has 16 assists in just 23 games as he put pucks on the tape allowing his forwards to attack with speed. On the power play he took command and was able to relieve any pressure that Waterloo came with. He got the puck to his play makers and allowed them to make plays. His feet were mobile and he read the play in front of him well which put him in position to defend. He finished the game +1 and chipped in on the power play with an assist. GAME GRADE: B
All told Neutral Zone has 5 amateur reports on Jordan on our Men’s Hockey side. Here are a few quick past evaluations;
From January 2017: Power has good size, defended well around his net by picking up sticks and keep his head on a swivel and was physical down low in the corners and behind his net.
November 2018: Was good at boxing out forwards in the defensive zone and was constantly disruptive. He finished hits, made strong stick checks and just got in the way to slow down offense. Was a good skater so he could easily take away space as well as join rushes beating forecheckers up the ice. Was good on the power play, made crisp passes and unleashed a bomb of a one timer for a nice score. Grade: B+
Zack Urdahl (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Zack is an interesting prospect as he is still slight and has a lot of room for
growth as he gets stronger. He showed quickness and speed through the neutral zone on a
couple of occasions when he his feet were crossing over. His offensive production wasn’t there tonight as he wasn’t able to get much for scoring chances. There were short burst of energy and speed from him tonight, but he can continue to work on being more consistent. A player with upside down the road. GAME GRADE: C+
All told Neutral Zone has 3 amateur reports on Zack on our Men’s Hockey side and 1 evaluation on our NHL site. Here is a past evaluation on Zack;
National Camp in July of 2018: Urdahl is a first-year camp invite who has really come onto this scene this past year with Team Wisconsin. He showed really well at Nationals U16 which led to him getting drafted in the USHL by Lincoln. He’s still a bit raw and has a tall, thin frame but his skating ability and athleticism point to a high ceiling. He’s more a skater and puck carrier than a play maker at this point, but all the tools are there. He handles the puck well, he has the speed to get around opponents and a quick release. With that being said he only registered 1 assist in 5 games and was quite offensively. He needs to continue to develop his play making ability as his speed and athleticism won’t put pucks in the net on its own at the higher levels.
Christian Sarlo (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Christian was the best all-around player on the ice tonight for our money. He has some size to him, but skates like a smaller player. His skating was strong and he separated from defenders with a bit of ease. He finished checks and relished in the physical part of the game without the puck. With the puck he was very dominant as he can fire it or find the open man. He buried one on the power play showing off his release in the 1 st period and then sprung Treloar on breakaway to score in the 2nd period with a 70-foot pass catching Waterloo off guard. He is in his second year of eligibility but he had a strong year last season with a very deep Chicago team and is now showing he can take on a top role with great production. Finished with a game line of 1-1-2. GAME GRADE: A
All told Neutral Zone has 18 amateur reports on Christain on our Men’s Hockey side. Here are a few quick past evaluations;
From March 2017: Chistian scored on a nice shot late. He can fire the puck when given space and created some other chances. His skating needs work and we’d like him to play his power game more but the potential is there for a good power forward with some work.
April 2017: The captain of the Avs, Sarlo is not a flashy player but used his high hockey IQ to make an impact. He was more of a passer than shooter and made nice, flat passes with good pace. His shot is good and we would have liked to see it more. We liked how he sensed pressure. If he can find a better balance between attacking the net and buying time, he will diversify his game further as we felt D waited on him a bit. He has a great frame and a balanced stride.
July National Camp 2018: Sarlo is a big, strong, hard to play against forward who has a nice combination of power, skill and work ethic. He’s strong on the puck, he can make plays in traffic and can snap passes off to his teammates and then fight to get open and get the puck back. He goes hard to the net and is willing to take the punishment to get in front of the goalie and take away his eyes; his effort led to Newton’s goal from the point. He has a wide stride which limits his speed and explosiveness but he was all over the ice here and made a lot of plays. He got pucks out of his end, he pressured defenders on the forecheck and he skated through checks in his own end and in the neutral zone. He showed a scorers touch here scoring 3 goals in 5 games all from in tight around the net, one from a deke and other off a rebound. He shoots the puck hard, he follows up plays to the net for rebound chances and stops on the net instead of skating past as many players did here. The three-year National Camp invitee was listed as undecided as to his plans for next year but he’s ready for junior hockey with his size, compete and skill.
Travis Treloar (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
Travis played really well along side of Sarlo tonight. His best asset was his quick stick. He was able to make some dynamic plays with little or no time. None better than the finish up top on his backhand to score on a breakaway in the 2nd period. With the quickness on his feet and stick he was able to get shots to the net with little or no time. He registered 4 shots tonight and finished the game with a 1-1-2 line. When he was skating and working, the puck found him a lot and made him dangerous. GAME GRADE: A-
All told Neutral Zone has 7 amateur reports on Travis on our Men’s Hockey side. Here are a few quick past evaluations;
From an August 2017 report: A new player for NZ via Sweden, we liked his game here. He played fast and with a lot of grit. Scored a nifty goal on a breakaway featuring patience and a quick stick to score. He did a nice job finding soft/productive spots without the puck. He isn’t big but size did not limit. He was aggressive, prepared and played all 200 feet. A rugged player with high compete and clever stick skills. We will need more but he is interesting. Our Atlantic staff will be watching him as he comes to the US to play midgets
As a U16 playing in November 2017: Won MVP honors in the finals. Travis was noticeable all weekend and had a strong game on Sunday. He is skilled and makes plays by using his above average hands. He controls the puck well in stride and does a good job facilitating the offense off the rush. Plays the point on the Power Play and does a good job finding open passing lanes. Has a good shot but is more of a pass first player at this time.
From January of 2018: Travis showed a dynamic stick with great puck possession. He often toyed with defenders as the puck was glued to his stick. He has the ability to make something out of nothing by beating defenders in one on one situations. A quick release allowed him to get pucks to the net with little or no time. As he gets stronger and puts on weight he can develop into a real difference make at the higher level.
**Originally posted in December 2019**