USHL: Matikka, Finley, Machu, Laubach, Lachance & J. Fisher - Neutral Zone

Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images

On October 13, 2022 the Madison Capitols travelled to Youngstown to take on the Phantoms. In this game Ian Moran primarily focused on the six players who have already bee drafted breaking their impact on this game down accordingly and how their game translates to professional hockey.

vs Youngstown: 17:12 TOI, 6:09 PPTOI, 1 goal, +1, 5 SOG, 4 PPSOG, 2 Grade A, 1 hit, 3 shots blocked, 4 give aways / 3 take aways. Won 40% of his puck battles.

Matikka is a long right wing who showed good straight line speed while the puck was on his stick and a sneaky wide dribble when a defender was in his face. In the defensive zone we liked his patience as both the strong side or weakside wing while in coverage and we liked his vision to find his activating defenseman along weakside when breaking out. His passes were flat and where his teammates wanted them. Even under duress or through tight areas Matikka showed the passing skills to put pucks through legs and under sticks. We liked his willingness to attack the middle lane as the puck carrier through the neutral zone as he did not blindly skate full speed into the defender’s poke check but instead adjusting his pace to manipulate the gap before he kicked it wide to a linemate. After making the pass to the wide wing we would like to see him use his size and strength to be consistent middle drive rather than slowing down looking for a youth hockey drop pass. At 6’3′ and 200lbs there were times when he dominated along the walls and in front of Youngstown’s net which is exactly where he scored his goal from. On the play he positioned himself to the right of the goalie at the top of the crease. When the point shot created a soft rebound Matikka used his long reach to corral the puck and extended the puck beyond the sprawling goalie into an open net. He finished the night with five shots on net. They came on a variety of opportunities including a quick snap shots off a wide dribble power play one-timers and shooting for rebounds from just outside the scoring area but the thing that was consistent was his shooter’s mentality. We feel that his shoot first mentality will help him at higher levels especially in professional hockey where his wide dribble may not be so effective. One thing we will continue to watch is his shots blocked as he had three shots blocked in this one. One came in the slot after a wide dribble the second came on a 3on1 and third was an attempted power play one-timer. Obviously blocked shots happen but failing to reach the net on a 3on1 is something that can come back to haunt you in professional hockey. His role in the NHL will be that of a power forward and although we feel his hips may be a little stiff while accelerating from a stand still we do feel that he has the posture to effectively carry more weight as he continues to train. Grade: B

vs Youngstown: 20:05 TOI, 5:50 PPTOI, -1, 3 SOG, 2 PPSOG, 3 Grade A, 1 hit, 7 give aways / 6 take aways. Won 57% of his puck battles.

Finley is a smooth skating average sized left wing who wears the ‘A’ for Madison. He has an easy glide that allows him to be at top speed in a single stride as well as the ability to maintain pace by using subtle heel pushes in any of the three zones. He had three Grade A scoring opportunities in this one with all three being a result of his overall skating ability and speed. The first came off a face-off while on the power play. He was positioned as the right point and his elite feet allowed him to catch a bullet pass to his left skate’s inside edge. Finley easily handed the puck from his skate to his fore hand from which he fired a rocket backfoot snapper that generated a rebound opportunity. On the second Grade A he was engaged in the lower left circle with Youngstown’s defender. While he battled his way to the net front he recognized a breakdown in coverage and pivoted to slide uncovered into the high slot. Finley was prepared for a one-timer but received the pass deep in his shooting area and fired a high hard snap shot that Youngstown’s goaltender deflected over the net with his glove. The third Grade A came as a result of solid defensive zone coverage as the strong side winger. Youngstown’s right defenseman tried to handle a bouncing pass when Finley’s speed overwhelmed him and forced a poor pass that his teammate picked off. Finley recognized the turnover and flew the zone looking for the breakaway pass which he received in stride. On the breakaway he showed tremendous speed as he pulled away from Youngstown’s back checkers as he went in alone firing a knee height snap shot from the slot that required a glove save. His speed also provided an opportunity in the second period as he cleanly received a pass while at top speed in the neutral zone and looked as though he was going to beat the defender wide to the far post but instead he opted for an in stride snap shot from the dot lane. As he gains strength and mass to his frame we would love to see him lower his shoulder to drive to the far post but on the play he did show real explosiveness and hit the net with the shot. Over the course of the game Finley was very aware of Youngstown’s defensive zone coverage and he did an excellent job of getting lost in the offensive zone which allowed him to find the quiet areas in the high slot or along dot lane. On the negative side he did have three offensive grey area turnovers and another on the offensive side of the redline. Each of these occurred when he was trying to do too much after recognizing he had a Youngstown defender caught flat footed but what he failed to recognize was the back pressure that limited his options. At higher levels these turnovers will end his night on the ice and eventually lead to watching games from the crowd. With his speed and lateral explosiveness we would like to see him utilize a soft strongside chip for offensive zone puck retrieval. We feel this simple play would lead to Finley generating offensive zone puck possession or drawing penalties. His minus occurred on broken defensive zone coverage where he flew the zone after accelerating through strong side point coverage. Finley did generate a breakaway in the third period by flying the defensive zone so maybe it is a gamble his coaching staff is willing to take but on the goal against Finley’s premature exit allowed the Youngstown goal scorer to roll through the high slot and fire it. Grade: B-

vs Madison: 22:07 TOI, 4:30 PKTOI, -1, 2 SOG, 1 hit, 3 shots blocked, 10 give aways / 7 take aways. Won 60% of his puck battles.

Machu is a long lean 6’4′ 189lbs right shot defenseman. He is looking to continue gaining confidence and build on his experiences after being drafted by the Islanders in the 7th round of the 2021 draft and playing 2021/22 in Youngstown. He has a wide base skating posture that will allow him to carry more weight as he matures. We did notice that he was knocked down a few times after receiving a crosscheck to his lower back but we feel as he gains core strength and grows into his body this will not continue to be an issue. In the defensive zone we liked how he worked to be an outlet for his partner whether that be below the goal line for D-to-D passes or working on a hinge on an extended regroup. Although there were times we feel he held the puck too long we did like how he used his hips and body to protect the puck while spinning off contact. While rolling off the forechecker Machu kept his eyes up looking for a passing option. He consistently looked to join the rush and seemed to understand that he needed to fill lanes while joining his forwards rather than skating right next to a teammate. Machu also looked to be active and involved in the offensive zone. In the first period he activated through the weakside dot lane and fired a rocket one-timer from just below the dot. After receiving passes at the point he was very willing to move laterally along the blueline while looking for tips and shooting lanes. This is an area that he will need to continue developing as he had three point sots blocked and two of them went off shinpads into the neutral zone. Machu also had four turnovers in his defensive end. On two of them he had his stick lifted from behind after trying to make poised play with the puck. We feel there is no doubt that what you’re seeing now is far from a finished product and after spending consistent time building his base of power he will be an impactful defensive defenseman in college and possibly beyond. Grade: C

vs Madison: 11:12 TOI, 1:04 PPTOI, 1:36 PKTOI, -1, 1/5 face-offs, 0 give aways / 1 take away. Won 40% of his puck battles.

Laubach is a smooth skating right shot center who absolutely dominated U18 hockey last year with Northstar Christian Academy to the tune of 102 points in 57 games. Through three USHL games played he is still adjusting to USHL defenders but there were glimpses of his overall offensive game. In the offensive zone he did not loop or circle. He played in straight lines and used his strong edges for leverage to cut hard through the Madison defender’s hips taking their legs away from them. As a penalty killer he used his agility and quickness to force bobbled pucks taking away both time and space. Along the walls he also created space for himself with a few well placed cross checks that allowed Youngstown to kill valuable time and have 200′ clears while a man down. In defensive zone coverage Laubach maintained net side positioning and did not turn his back to the puck. He showed the strength to pin opposing forwards to the wall and sorted out scissor plays with his defenseman fairly quickly. Laubach finished the game -1. At the end of a long shift his line was involved in an offensive zone cycle. The breakdown occurred when Youngstown’s right defenseman crashed down through the dot lane and all three forwards crashed the net looking for a rebound. With no F3 in the high slot Madison was able to capitalize on a full ice 2v1 to make the score 4-2. An interesting side note that no doubt impacted the goal is that Laubach started his shift with 14:33 remaining in the third period and the goal against was scored at 13:12. We understand that there are times when players get trapped in the defensive zone but this shift was not one of those times. From Youngstown’s perspective the puck had travelled from the offensive goal line to the defensive goal line to the neutral zone to the defensive end and back into the offensive zone. In this situation not changing at an opportune time led to dead legs and getting trapped below the puck in the offensive zone before Madison’s goal. As the season progresses we feel Laubach will be an impactful offensive player for Youngstown. We like his motion in the offensive zone and his ability to switch gears without noticeable effort. He handled pucks off the wall cleanly and did not need to stickhandle to settle the puck down before making the next play. We also liked that the coaching staff trusted him with a key defensive zone face-off while the team was shorthanded in the third period. We fully expect his overall game to grow by our next viewing. Grade: C

vs Madison: 12:20 TOI, 0:39 PKTOI, 3 SOG, 1 Grade A, 1 hit, 5 give aways / 3 take aways. Won 62% of his puck battles.

Fisher is a 6’2′ 190lbs winger who has the stick skills to play both wings effectively. After spending three years playing New England Prep hockey we feel he is still adjusting to the physicality and lack of space in the USHL but that he has the strength and athleticism to be a force below the tops of the circles in the offensive zone once he finds his footing. He had three shots on net in this game with two of them coming on the same in zone possession and from below the face-off dots off the cycle. On the first shot he picked up a loose puck at the left hash marks and rolled on his backhand towards the net. He took a poor angle shot that generated a net front bouncing rebound. On the play we would have loved to see him lower his right shoulder and use his physical gifts to drive the puck to the far post but on the play he did generate a shot a secondary scoring opportunity and net front confusion for Madison’s defensive zone coverage. The second shot was a continuation of the same play. The net front confusion from his backhand shot allowed him to win a race to another loose puck on the right face-off dot. He then athletically spun around protecting the puck on his forehand before firing a quick snap shot to the strong side post. Fisher’s third shot came on aa clean zone entry after he cleanly handled a cross ice pass in the neutral zone. On the play he quickly recognized that Madison had numbers so he changed the angle of the puck and fired a 16′ snapshot off the far pad. The shot generated a royal road rebound but unfortunately for Youngstown Madison’s right defender got his stick on the puck first which allowed the puck to clear the zone. On the night Fisher was credited with one body check that resulted in a turnover. Again at 6’2′ 190lbs we would like to see him be more involved physically. This does not mean running around mindlessly looking for big hits but it does mean using his body to separate opponents from the puck capturing the puck and then using his puck skills to capitalize on the open ice created. On the night Fisher had two offensive grey area turnovers and he went offsides once. On a positive note he was strong along the walls in the defensive zone and he showed the awareness or puck poise to not force breakout passes into the middle when they were not there. Instead Fisher cleanly pulled the puck off the wall and air mailed it into the neutral zone to alleviate pressure and allow for Youngstown to make a change. This was his third USHL game and there were a lot of positives to build on. Grade: C+

vs Madison: 20:23 TOI, 3:06 PPTOI, 4:33 PKTOI, 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 3 SOG, 1 PPSOG, 2 Grade A, 6/10 face-offs, 2 hits, 1 shot blocked, 5 give aways / 5 take aways. Won 50% of his puck battles.

Lachance is a 6’4′ 220lbs left shot power forward starting his second year in the USHL with Youngstown. He finished the game with a goal and an assist but quite honestly he was a major factor in all three Youngstown goals. His goal in this game came as a result of strong defensive zone coverage. On the shift Madison had been cycling the puck in Youngstown’s end for approximately 15 seconds. Lachance was positioned as a the strong side left winger and a bouncing puck came to him on the wall. Rather than trying to settle the puck he understood that Youngstown was running around in their end so he chipped the puck so he used a strong side chip to switch the pressure onto Madison’s right defenseman. After the chip Lachance kept his feet moving through the neutral zone eventually picking up a loose puck in the offensive zone near the left face-off dot and then firing a quick release snap shot five-hole. It is a play that is not going to make a lot of high-light reels but it it showed his in game awareness and maturity to not force a puck blindly into the middle while his teammates were scrambling. His assist may have been a fluky one off of a tip that went wide but he was dominating the shift cycling below the offensive goal line before it happened. On the shift he used his body to extend puck possession and to wear Madison’s defender’s down and eventually positioned himself as a net front presence that was too big and strong to handle. Youngstown’s third goal came late in the third period while their goalie was pulled. On the play there was a Youngstown turnover high in the offensive zone. Lachance tracked the loose puck using his strength and reach to separate the Madison player from the puck which allowed his teammates to have a quick 3on1 and score on a rebound. Lachance did not get an assist on the play but without his effort and anticipation the goal never happens. He finished the game with three turnovers in the offensive grey area. Two occurred on line rushes and the other coming on a mid-wall cut back while cycling. All three came as a direct result of him trying to do too much with a puck that was bouncing in a dangerous area. None of the turnovers led to goals against but they are the plays that will lead to less ice-time in professional hockey. A real positive for us is his willingness to engage with Madison’s players after the whistle. He used his size to grab jerseys give subtle chin music and generally intimidate. This attitude will serve him well in professional hockey. Grade: B+

Photo Credit: Dan Hickling / Hickling Images