Game played on 10/5/2024.
General Game Notes: Neutral Zone was in attendance for this early season USHL matchup between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Chicago Steel. A hard fought, one-goal game from start to finish, Chicago jumped out to an early lead on a first period goal by Luke Goukler. Muskegon was able to answer with seven minutes remaining in the third period on a deflection out in from by Teddy Spitznagel. The game went to overtime where Goukler assisted on the GWG, with a brilliant flip air pass over the head of a defenseman to find Hudson Gorski breaking to the net for the game winner. Goaltenders took center stage this evening as Louka Cloutier (Chicago) and Shikhabudtin Gadzhiev (Muskegon) battled each other shot for shot, which came down to the last minute of overtime. Additionally, Muskegon’s Tynan Lawrence also stood out as an underaged (2008) to watch. Scout: Nicholas Marzec
Louka Cloutier (G, L, 6’2″, 168, Chicago Steel, 08/22/2006, Nebraska Omaha)
Grade: A-
Comments: Louka stopped 28 of 29 shots on the night (.965 SV%) and earned himself 2nd star of the game honors. A butterfly style goaltender, he stayed square to shooters for the majority of the night and often came out to the top of the crease to challenge. One of his best examples of this came on a partial breakaway, where he kept the game lockdown and his team up 1-0 until late in the third. The one goal he did allow was on a deflection in front, which came on a low wrist shot from the middle of the blue line just as a Muskegon powerplay was expiring. His rebound control was solid, as he limited second chance opportunities, primarily in his ability to take away attacking forward’s angles at the top of the blue paint. The recent Colorado Avalanche draft pick is off to a hot start on the year in his first three starts posting a .229 GAA and a .923 SV%.
Hudson Gorski (D, R, 6’3″, 183, Chicago Steel, 09/05/2005, Cornell)
Grade: B+
Comments: Hudson is an above averaged sized (6’3′) defenseman who plays a heavy, no-nonsense type of game. He plays defensively tight in his own end, pushing attacking forwards wide, cancelling them out, and often times finishing them off with physicality. He could often be found getting in the middle of an altercation, or ultimately causing one due to this ability to really put a shoulder into his opponent. Hudson has a forward lean, profiled style of skating which you do not always see in a defenseman of his size, but he makes it work well for him. A strong showing tonight, he ended up named the first star of the game, as he scored the game winning goal with a minute remaining in overtime. Hudson snuck through the neutral zone as Goulker made a crafty play to flip the puck up and over a defenseman’s head in the neutral zone, while Hudson slipped by his opponent’s right flank for a breakaway. Retrieving the puck on his backhand, he quickly went to the forehand and slipped it 5-hole for the win. He’s flown under the radar most of his young hockey career going undrafted virtually everywhere, but if he can pickup his offensive tempo paired with his bruising defensive game, he will be sure to turn heads as he prepares to play for Cornell in the upcoming years.
Luke Goukler (LW, L, 5’11”, 173, Chicago Steel, 08/11/2006, Merrimack)
Grade: A
Comments: Luke was arguably the best player on the ice tonight (1G, 1A). He picked up a nice goal in the first period after Mutryn sent him a pass from one end of the neutral zone to the other, which sprung him down the left-wing wall. Luke entered the zone with speed and ripped a wrist shot from the top of the far circle, low side/far post for a goal. He would factor onto the scoresheet again as he assisted on the game winning goal in overtime. He was able to find Gorski breaking through the neutral zone, while he flipped the puck a mile high in the air, over the defenseman’s head for a breakaway chance. Speed and puck possession are his best attributes, and he can wheel all over the ice and cover a lot of ground. Luke was able to circle the offensive zone numerous times, trying to create time and space for his teammates. He was slippery and elusive on the perimeter, while also able to dip the shoulder and drive the net when needed, all while doing a good job at protecting the puck with one hand on his stick. Luke played big third line minutes and was noticeable each and every time he stepped on the ice.
Tobias Ohman (C, L, 5’7″, 154, Chicago Steel, 01/12/2006)
Grade: C+
Comments: Tobias is an undersized (5′ 7′), quick thinking winger from Sweeden, who is now in his sophomore USHL season. Looking to build on his success from the previous season (19pts in 54 GP), he is playing on the first line with Owen Tylec and Aidan Dyer. Tobias was noticeable right out of the gate primarily because of the chemistry he showed with his linemates. The three forwards could move the puck quickly creating odd man breaks and made several tic-tac-toe passing sequences in front of the net for scoring chances. On one occasion, Tobias nearly had a tap-in goal at the far post in the first period but was unable to get enough lumber on the puck and pushed it just wide. He saw a good amount of time on the powerplay and did a good job at distributing the puck from the tops of the circles. His play sort of trailed off in the third period and he did not appear to be as involved in the offense as he was in the first two periods. He also did not see any ice time in overtime and did not make it onto the scoresheet. Tobias has strong hockey IQ and crafty puck handling abilities. We believe he will be a player to watch this year as he does not yet have a NCAA commitment and will turn 19 years old this season.
Shikhabutdin Gadzhiev (G, L, 6’2″, 170, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 10/26/2004, Michigan Tech)
Grade: B+
Comments: Gadzhiev is an average sized goaltender out of Russia, who is quick, agile, and even acrobatic. He makes himself look bigger than he actually is at times, and he gets such powerful t-pushes in the blue paint, which show not only his strength to get across the crease quickly, but his ability to take away second chance opportunities. Gadzhiev made several dynamic saves throughout the game, with his most impressive coming late in the third period (1 goal game), where he looked down and out, then went post to post with that powerful pushoff, stretching out his catching glove, with his entire body fully extended to make a highlight reel save. He stopped 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV) on the evening. Unfortunately, the last goal he gave up just happened to be the overtime winner on a breakaway, with about a minute left. He is undeniable a competitor and came to battle tonight. Gadzhiev shows that he has the agility and competitiveness to be a difference maker for his club.
Teddy Spitznagel (F, L, 6’2″, 187, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 04/06/2006, Michigan)
Grade: B
Comments: Teddy is an oversized (6’3′, 187lbs) winger who is looking to play the prototypical power forward role. He got off to a slow start in this game, but he undoubtedly got better as the game went along. Quick on the forecheck, Teddy did a good job ‘banging bodies’ around below the goal line and tried to force Steel defensemen to make mistakes with the puck. He saw a good amount of powerplay time where his primarily job was to go right to the front of the net and park himself in front of the goaltender. He picked up his first goal of the season as he deflected a shot from Aucoin, middle blueline, that went 5-hole just as his team’s powerplay expired to tie the game 1-1 with 7 minutes left. Later on, he had a fantastic second effort as he rushed back to the blueline to just stop the puck from leaving the offensive zone, then spun back and drove right to the net for a shot on goal, which would then ensue a late third period goal mouth scramble. Teddy appears to have graduated to more of an ‘average’ speed of skating at the USHL level, but the majority of his skating game is just a north/south style. He did not see any ice time in overtime as well. Teddy plays at a consistent pace and with snarl, but it is his skating which will separate him from the pack. He has long strides which help him get around, but he needs more energy transfer. This will help him take his game to another level.
Tynan Lawrence (F, L, 6’0″, 168, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 08/03/2008, Boston University)
Grade: B+
Comments: Tynan is an average sized centerman who is off to a great start in his rookie USHL season. Already centering the first line and playing meaningful special teams minutes, Tynan ate up a lot of ice time in this game. He did not factor onto the scoresheet, but he led both teams in shots on goal (6) and started overtime while having two long shifts. Tynan was exciting to watch as he quarterbacked the powerplay from the half-wall and then slid down to set up shop for one-time chances at the far dot. He had quite a few sequences where he was able to rip some quick heavy shots from this location, but Cloutier always had an answer. Tynan can motor on his edges and leans into his crossovers with ease. He fights hard along the wall and keeps his feet moving, forcing defenders to use more energy to try and cancel him out. On one occasion he drew a penalty from his hard work. Another shift we watched him sprawl out for a great shot black on a teammate’s giveaway in the high slot; only to get back up, join the counterattack, and rip a wrister from the high slot, blocker side that went out of play. Tynan’s compete level was on full display, and he is showing that he can skate, play physical, and think the game at the USHL level. As an underaged 2008, he will be a prospect to keep an eye on. **He started overtime and had two long shifts.**
Rudolfs Berzkalns (F, L, 6’3″, 201, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/03/2008, Boston College)
Grade: C
Comments: Rudolfs is an above average sized, left shot winger out of Lativa. A point per game producer last year with the Bishop Kearney U15 team, he appears to be having a few growing pains at the USHL level. It is no secret that size is his biggest attribute right now, but his skating is currently below average. On a couple occasions he would retrieve the puck on his stick and look to exit his defensive zone by attempting to turn towards the boards and move the puck out, however his feet were not generating enough acceleration on his crossovers. Due to this, opposing defensemen were able to pinch in on him quickly and hold the zone. It also seemed as if he was playing to the perimeter too much in the offensive zone, not driving the net and not trying to get pucks to the net. Rudolfs ultimately needs to improve his skating (primarily his first couple of steps) and better utilize his body, as he posed no physical threat to his opponents. He does not turn 17 until March, so he has quite some time to figure things out. If he can put it all together relatively soon, it would be fun to watch him develop into a great power forward.
Cameron Aucoin (D, L, 6’0″, 180, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/20/2007, Notre Dame)
Grade: B+
Comments: Cam is an average sized, strong skating defenseman, who played on the third pairing tonight with Berry. He displayed good gap control tonight, but his active stick was probably the most noticeable aspect of his game this evening. Cam could be seen taking away shooting/passing lanes in his defensive zone, along with breaking up passes between the goal line and the hash marks. One standout play was when made a nice sprawling shot block on a tic-tac-toe play from Chicago’s first line to take a way a prime scoring chance. He picked up an assist on Muskegon’s lone goal late in the game as he was able to get a quick wrister off from the middle of the blueline, which found its way to the net, where Spitznagel deflected it five hole. His long reach aligned with a strong defensive hockey IQ make him an interesting prospect moving forward as he can play in all types of situations. He currently has 3 points in 5 games and is on pace to shatter his previous USHL season offensive numbers of 9 points in 47 games.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images