| Cullen McCrate | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 194 | UMass Lowell | 2026 | Adrian, MI | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
McCrate earned 9:39 in ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit, He finished +1 with 0 points, 0 shots, 1 hit, 2 giveaways and 3 takeaways.
Impact Statement: As a 2007 playing his second USHL game he played relatively risk free hockey. Although he did try to go D-to-D along the offensive blueline with 7:05 remaining in the 2nd period that led to a three-quarter length 2 on 1 grade “A” scoring opportunity for Muskegon. For a long young defender he showed good speed on back pursuit but it also showed he needs to continue adding core strength so McCrate can maximize his stride lengthen. At this point the score was 4-1 Dubuque so he had more rope to play with but a play like that can not happen. He was +1 on Dubuque’s 7th goal of the night that came 0:23 after their 6th goal. As the game got out of hand McCrate earned more ice time which is exactly what you would hope for a young player adjusting to the league. He had 4 shifts in the first, 4 shifts in the second and 7 shifts in the third.
Comments: McCrate (#5) is a 2007 born, 2025 eligible defenseman. He stands 6’3″, 190lbs and is a fluid skater. He showed off some good edgework with the puck to escape pressure and made quick passes in his own end to keep play moving. His defensive play will need some work. He had a poor gap at times, getting too close to incoming opponents and also over committed at times in the neutral zone. He also looked a bit anxious in his own end and made late/reactionary plays on the puck. This was only his second game in the USHL and is obviously still getting used to this level of play. He has plenty of time to settle in and improve before his draft year.
| Colin Frank | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | R | RW | 5’7″ | 159 | Connecticut | 2025 | Mission Viejo, CA | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Frank earned 8:43 in ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished even with 0 points, 2 shots, 2 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: Frank finished 12th among Saint forwards with 8:43 in ice time on 12 total shifts broken up evenly over 3 periods. He did finish with 2 shots. The first coming off a set face-off play with 5:07 remaining in the 3rd that did not lead to a secondary scoring opportunity. His 2nd shot came later in the 3rd immediately after he had an offensive grey area turnover. Fortunately for him the puck was given right back to him in the royal road for a quick strike breakaway. The play occurred with 4:40 remaining in the 3rd and although we understand that he was trying to get on the score sheet late in a blowout win, his decision to make a hope play by moving the puck blindly and laterally along the offensive blueline rather than getting it deep is the type of play that leads to sitting on the bench or in the stands once he gets to UConn. Frank’s 1st turnover was a result of good 1 on 1 cycle defense by Muskegon in the 1st. While his second came during a 2on4 line rush where he tried to beat a defender with an under stick the move that normally stops working in peewee hockey. Muskegon did not capitalize on the turnover and take advantage of the numbers they potentially had going the other way, but Frank has to recognize the situation and make a higher percentage decision on the rush.
Comments: Frank played a very impressive game without the puck. He has a very high motor and was great on the forecheck. He battled hard along the boards and made second and third efforts to win possession for his team. He fought hard in the defensive zone and made it challenging for opponents to find space with the puck. He also won many races to loose pucks, showing great energy and effort all night. His offensive play was solid as well. He powered up ice with the puck on the rush. He also made some well-timed cuts in the offensive zone to become an option in front of the net. He carved out space well and made well timed cuts to the crease to screen the goalie and become a redirection/tip option. He overhandled the puck at times and is more of a bottom six grinding player based on his performance tonight. Great energy and compete.
| James Reeder | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | R | C | 5’10” | 168 | Denver | 2025 | Glenview, IL | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Reeder earned 19:33 in ice time (2nd among forwards) including 2:06 on the PP (3rd on team) and 1:43 on the PK (2nd among fwds). He finished +3 with 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 shots, 4 grade “A” opportunities, 1/1 on face-offs, game high 11 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: You can just look at his stat line and see how impactful Reeder was and the high level trust his coaching staff has in him as he is used in all situations and unusually first over the boards. Yes he led the game with 11 turnovers but none were in a grey area, none led to odd man rushes going the other way and 2 were shorthanded clears that led to Dubuque being able to get a PK unit change. Six of his turnovers came in the offensive zone while cycling and as a coach we would have no issues with that because Reeder kept the puck in 50/50 situations rather than firing blind passes into the slot.
Comments: Very productive night for Reeder who picked up 2 goals and 1 assist in a blowout win for Dubuque. He is a skilled player with a high motor that works hard to create chances and space for himself and his teammates. His assist came on the first goal of the night where he won a puck in a battle below the goal line and fired a quick backhand pass after spotting a teammate in the slot for a one-time finish. His first goal came on a play in the second period where he snuck behind the defense and set up back door to bury a pass from his teammate in the slot. This was a good showing of his ability to find and occupy quality space without the puck on his stick. His second goal came later in the third period where he picked up a loose puck on the wall and walked it down into the circle before firing a hard shot, picking the top corner. Reeder was given time on both special team’s units, but his most effective play was on the penalty kill. He worked hard to win battles and take away space in his own end. His best shorthanded play came in the first period where he made an aggressive step up in the neutral zone to strip his opponent and fire up ice with possession. He wasn’t able to get a shot off of his rush but held the puck in the corner under heavy checks and jabs to kill off some extra penalty time. Reeder is not the fastest or most skilled player which hurt him in transition. He drove wide a couple times but was not able to create enough separation with his feet or cut inside which led to very few chances created in transition. Productive night from Reeder.
| Charlie Arend | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 178 | Ohio State | 2025 | Wilmette, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Arend earned 12:03 in ice time (9th among fwds). He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished +1 with 1 goal, 2 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 4/9 on face-offs, 5 giveaways, 7 takeaways and for the season he is winning 50% of 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: Arend seems to have a knack for getting into the quiet area and finding the soft ice in coverage. His goal came late in the 3rd but we liked how he broke his skating down to let the coverage blow past him so he was alone in the slot. Of his 7 giveaways 5 were smart decisions as the puck carrier through the neutral zone and 2 were grey area turnovers that led to Muskegon transition. His 5 takeaways came from heads backchecking and smart pursuit angles.
| Sacha Boisvert | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | C | 6’2″ | 179 | North Dakota | 2025 | Trois-Rivieres, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B-
Boisvert earned 17:42 in ice time (2nd among fwds) including 2:33 on the PP (4th among fwds) and 0:10 on the PK. He finished -2 with 0 points, game high 6 shots, 4 grade “A” opportunities. 14/ 20 on face-offs, 1 hit, team high 9 giveaways, 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: In an 8-2 loss Boisvert was -2 with both goals coming in the 3rd. The fist minus came at the end of a Dubuque power play 60 seconds into the period while the game was still 4-2 and winnable. On the play there was confusion while defending a Saint line rush and Boisvert ended up on the wrong side of his man from the top of the circles in. His man did not score but he did net drive for a rebound to keep the rush alive. The second minus occurred because of a decision he made on a 50/50 puck as the F3 in the offensive zone. On the play both of his linemates were below the offensive goal line and Boisvert darted to the wrong side of the puck on the strong side wall. His decision led to a Dubuque zone exit and then as the F3 he was beaten up ice by the eventual goal scorer who was the low forward in Dubuque’s defensive zone coverage. Yes you can say his linemates should have beaten the goal scorer back up the ice but as a center and the F3 you have to make the nigh percentage decision to keep your team alive. He was tied for a team lead 6 shots with all of them coming in the 3rd period and 2 of them being grade “A” opportunities and an addition 2 being grade “A” opportunities that he fired just wide. There is no doubt that Boisvert is a shooter as he leads Muskegon with 19 goals so we have zero issues with a shooter shooting to score. Overall he won 70% of his face-offs including 3/4 in the offensive zone. Boisvert had a team high 9 turnovers with 5 coming in the offensive grey area. None really led to any damage heading the other way but 5 offensive grey area turnovers by your team’s leading scorer will undoubtably take away your team’s momentum and give the other team life. His 9 takeaways were a team forward high and all of them were a direct result of his puck anticipation and then using the combination of his length and strength to “out want” his opponent for the puck. We feel this is a really positive thing for a 2006 to consistently be doing in the USHL.
Comments: Boisvert had a bit of an off night in this game but was still able to generate some quality scoring chances with well-timed off puck cuts. He plays the game at a slower pace but does a great job on the rush to become a late option that fills space and opens up for a pass. He was able to generate multiple shots from the slot by slipping into open ice and firing a heavy, quick release wrister, 3 of which ended up on net. Early on he made a couple of manipulative plays with the puck where he cut inside to draw the defender over, then dropped the puck back to a teammate who now had a wide-open lane to skate through. His playmaking left a bit to be desired today as he threw multiple pucks away without looking and caused many unnecessary turnovers with better options available. He also fumbled the puck often under pressure resulting in multiple giveaways. He plays at a slower pace and has trouble beating opponents 1v1 on the rush. At times he looked a bit sluggish, leaving us wanting a bit more energy and intention behind his plays with the puck. One impressive play showed off great lower body strength and balance. He went to retrieve a puck along the wall and an opponent lined him up for a check with momentum. But when the opponent made contact, it looked as if he hit a brick wall and ended up on the floor. Sacha did not move at all and continued to play the puck. Not a very complete game from Boisvert as we would like to see some more energy and assertiveness, but based on his statistics this season, this was likely an off night, and he is a player we will definitely be checking back up on soon.
| Matvei Gridin | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | F | 6’1″ | 185 | Michigan | 2024 | Kurgan, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B-
Gridin earned 11:40 in ice time including 2:40 on the PP (3rd among fwds) and 0:01 on the PK. He finished -3 with 0 points, 5 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 3 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles. His 11:40 in ice time is well below his season average of 17:06.
Impact Statement: This was a lazy game for the highly touted and skilled Gridin. He was loopy turning his back to the play and consistently on the wrong side of the puck. He was -3 on the night and 2 of the goals against occurred after he had skated by the puck and was literally facing the wrong direction as the goal scorer fired the puck into his net. There is no denying his offensive abilities as he easily handles poor passes, can settle bouncing pucks in his feet with his eyes up, passes the puck with confidence & authority and has a heater of a shot that he can fire a shot through tight areas. But with all of that said tonight he was a perimeter player who consistently took the easy way out. And truthfully he is simply not skilled enough to that at higher levels and be successful. There was a reason why he almost played 6 minutes less than he season average and we will be looking to see how he responds tomorrow night in the back to back versus Dubuque.
Comments: Gridin is a highly skilled playmaker that plays a very similar game to Nikita Kucherov in the sense that he slows the game down and creates infinite chances through high IQ decisions and skilled hands to pull off tricky plays under pressure. He has a large frame and is very strong on his skates, making it very difficult for opponents to knock him off the puck. He has soft, skilled hands which he makes very precise moves with to avoid sticks and create space for himself to work with. It was very rare to see him lose the puck and it often felt like he was fully in control even in a battle with multiple defenders where the puck was loose momentarily. Gridin is an incredibly smart and skilled playmaker. His head is always up, he makes constant scans of the ice, and is consistently able to choose a great option to move play towards the goal with every pass he makes. One play in particular, he won a race to a loose puck in the corner. Before he retrieved the puck, he made a quick scan over his shoulder, saw a teammate crashing the net, then executed a spinning no-look pass on the backhand around an opponent which landed right on the tape of his teammate for a dangerous chance in the crease. On another play he broke up ice on a 2v1. The defender was playing him tight, but he made 2 quick stick handles to reposition the puck around his opponents stick, holding the puck slightly behind his body, and hit his teammate on the other side for another high danger chance in tight. Matvei was given time on the powerplay where he snapped the puck around quickly from the half wall and set up a couple of chances using shot passes, seeking a redirection in front. Gridin is not a very high energy or quick player but the way he uses his brain and skill allows him to be one of the most effective playmakers in this year’s draft. Defensively he could be a bit more involved, but he made a couple of great plays where he read the opponents pass and was able to jump into the lane for a steal and turn the play the other direction. No points in this one but still a very impressive showing for Gridin.
| Jack Galanek | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | C | 5’11” | 173 | UMass Amherst | 2024 | Hopkinton, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Galanek earned 10:47 in ice time (11th among fwds) including 1:33 on the PP (6th among fwds). He did not play while shorthanded. He finished -1 with 0 points, 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 1/3 on face-offs, with 2 giveaways, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 48% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: The forth line center was -1 on Dubuque’s 8th goal of the game so there was little impact in the game’s outcome but the goal occurred due to defensive zone confusion as he tracked back to the low slot. Simply put Galanek was puck watching as he was drifting into the defensive zone as the low forward and skated past Dubuque’s goal scorer in the slot. As a young player trying to gain the coach’s trust and confidence this type of play can not happen at any point in a game. He went 1/3 on face-offs including cleanly losing a defensive zone draw after an icing that led to a one-timer from a Dubuque defenseman in the high slot. Both of his 2 turnovers occurred late in 1st period power play with the first being an icing during a breakout from his defensive zone and the other coming in the offensive grey area later in the same power play. Galanek’s shot came with 11:14 to go in the 1st period. The play was a quick action 2on1 with a back checker where he was coming down the his strong side left dot-lane. After receiving the pass Galanek stickhandled twice which allowed the Dubuque defenseman to close on him and eliminate a real scoring threat. At this level and higher levels that opportunity needs to be a smooth catch and release snapshot that is a grade “A” opportunity and generates a secondary scoring opportunity for his net driving teammate.
| Xavier Veilleux | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 190 | Harvard | 2024 | L’Ancienne-Lorette, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Veilleux earned 21:25 in ice time (2nd on team) including 1:28 on the PP (4th among D) and a team high 2:20 while shorthanded. He finished -2 with 0 points, had 2 shots blocked, 3 giveaways, 7 takeaways and for the season is winning 61% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: He was -2 on the night with first coming in the opening minute of the game and the second coming on the 6th goal of the game in the 3rd. On the play Veilleux pinned his man to the wall while there was a point shot that was tipped by an open man in the slot. Two of his three giveaways occurred in the defensive zone after a team breakdown. On both we would like to have seen him show more puck poise to get the puck out of the defensive zone. His 7 takeaways occurred on puck retrievals in both the defensive zone or neutral zone. As an undersized two-way defender NHL teams will be watching for high percentage plays and him having 2 point shots blocked is the type of play hurt his chances on being drafted and his offensive impact at higher levels.
| Teddy Spitznagel | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | F | 6’2″ | 187 | Michigan | 2025 | New York, NY | 2006 | 2023-2024: No Grade |
Spitznagel earned 8:58 in ice time. He did not play on either special teams unit. He finished -1 with 0 points, 0 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, received 2 hits, 8 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact Statement: His 8 giveaways placed him 2nd on the team in just under 9 minutes of ice time. The breakdown on his giveaways are: 4 in the defensive grey area, 1 offensive grey area on a 3on2 and 3 were strongside chips out of the defensive zone after receiving a clean breakout pass. Simply put, the grey area turnovers are a career killer.
| Ryan Koering | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 187 | Colorado College | 2024 | Eden Prairie, MN | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Koering earned a game high 22:42 in ice time including 1:43 on the PP (2nd among D) and 2:20 on the PK (team high). He finished -1 with 0 points, with 1 shot, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, 12 takeaways and for the season he is winning 61% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Impact statement: He played a game high in minutes and finished -1 in a game where the opponent scored 7 even strength goals. Koering has an NHL frame and is +29 which +14 more than his closest teammate. His 12 takeaways occurred because of good gap control and excellent routes on puck retrievals. He is not a banger but he under stands how to skate through his opponent’s hands and then start transition. Standing at 6’3″ he will continue to have NHL eyes on him for the rest of the season.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Impact Statements: Ian Moran
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence