Game played on 10/27/204.
General Game Notes: In a dominant performance, the Sioux Falls Stampede shut out the Omaha Lancers with a decisive 5-0 victory. The Stampede set the tone from the start scoring twenty six seconds into the game. Their goaltender was stellar, turning away every shot and frustrating the Lancers. Sioux Falls capitalized on power plays and turnovers, building a comfortable lead and ultimately completing the shutout win. Scout: Ben Marshall
Jayden Veney (D, L, 6’7″, 222, Omaha Lancers, 08/02/2005, Union)
Grade: C+
Comments: Veney was able to show tonight that he can be a physical presence in his own zone. His skating is definitely something that needs work on, as his game is so reliant on puck moving. He is solid good in his own zone, cutting angles for passes, but at times, he does have trouble defending one on one rushes, usually versus smaller and more agile forwards. He will not use the body a lot for big impacts, but he will try to push around attackers to make them lose balance. has the ability to skate pucks out of trouble from deep in his zone but he showed he is a pass first player. He has the awareness to chip the play to open space when under pressure. Defensively, he is not shy about finishing his check and taking the play to the net. He will stick to his guy, maybe a couple seconds after the whistle as well. His long reach assists with keeping his check to the perimeter in his zone.
David Deputy (C, R, 5’9″, 182, Omaha Lancers, 06/25/2004, Miami (Ohio))
Grade: B
Comments: Deputy is a swiss army knife, not afraid to get his hands dirty with a fight and back his teammates up or change the momentum swing in favor for his team. This is the part of his game where he stands out, where he is able to receive and give the puck with ease, always looking comfortable. He is also able to use his vision and great agility to make controlled zone entries. He will rip pucks on goal from all quadrants of the ice surface, including along the goal line. His effort in the corners is often not enough due to his size, but he definitely stays connected, just has a hard time closing defensivly. When defending along the wall or below the goal line he will not be very aggressive as he prefers to wait to attack until the puck is revealed to him. This is where his active stick comes into play.
Ryan Manzella (G, L, 6’0″, 176, Sioux Falls Stampede, 03/17/2004)
Grade: A-
Comments: While Manzella did not see a ton of pucks tonight, only eighteen recorded shots on net, the shots he did see, he played great. Wether it was a point shot where he was able to scan through the maze of screens or shots off the rush that he was able to swallow right away, he controlled the game with his stops and his ability to make tougher saves look routine. One aspects of Manzellas’ game that really stood out at times was the times that he did leave a rebound, his ability to regroup and get back into stance for the second chance. He controlled his own zone by getting out of his net to stop rims and plays pucks up to his defenseman. Couple times tonight he would leave his crease, act as another player below the goal line, and disrupt the Lancers forecheck with a dish to the wall for his teammate with time and space to make a play.
Gennadi Chalyi (D, R, 5’10”, 214, Sioux Falls Stampede, 08/22/2005, Michigan)
Grade: B+
Comments: Chalyi showed tonight he is not afraid to play an aggressive game, which of course makes him a risk taking defenseman. If an opportunity to jump to offense, recover a loose puck or make an open-ice hit presents itself, he will often go headfirst. This can lead to high quality plays, but it also can be read by his opposition and work against him. His decision making in his own zone needs some work, as he is often caught juggling with the puck and trying to create something through the middle instead of making first available pass. He is no doubt a skilled defenseman who can make plays, but at times just tries to do to much when the short pass is there to be made instead. When settling and exchanging the puck in the offensive zone, he will occasionally find himself a bit too close from his defensive partner, resulting in a more difficult puck reception. He did a good job along the blue line staying active and showing that he can deceive his opponents to make them think he is taking a shot or making a pass one way, but he will go the other to create dangerous scoring chances.
Noah Urness (C, L, 5’10”, 182, Sioux Falls Stampede, 12/01/2005, St. Cloud)
Grade: B+
Comments: Urness is a buzzsaw on the ice and showed this throughout the game with the pace he was able to keep up with. Scored a nice goal right off the bench picking up a loose puck in the slot and went forehand backhand quick release that beat the goalie over his shoulder. The skill it took to get the puck into a shooting position that fast is a reason he was able to get two points on the scoresheet tonight. Urness can slow down and speed up the game when he wants with speed changes on rushes and cutbacks on entries. It was either the score of the game that gave him confidence to try things or simply it is how he plays but, he enjoys making creative plays and passes to give his team chances or to set up scoring chances himself, these impressive moves did come at a time when they were up. Regardless, he has some skill his game that is hard not to notice.
Ethan Wyttenbach (LW, R, 5’9″, 180, Sioux Falls Stampede, 02/10/2007, Quinnipiac)
Grade: B-
Comments: Wyttenbach is one of the more skilled players on the Stampede right now. He should have been on the score sheet a lot more than he was tonight but chances that he created just did not find the back of the net. One play in particular stood out, gathering the puck in the offensive zone, he got tripped to his knees. He steadied himself by extending one leg as he corralled the puck and then passed to his teammate in the high slot while under pressure. He was consistently providing his defenseman with an outlet for the breakout, staying low along the boards or cutting into open space for a pass. Defensively, he understood the need to hunt down loose pucks, maintain possession, and force opponents into mistakes as well. There were a number of times when his neutral zone pressure would lead to a puck being dumped in without support or a turnover that can be turned up ice quickly, letting his defenseman get the pucks with time and space.
Miroslav Satan (C, L, 6’7″, 192, Sioux Falls Stampede, 03/02/2006)
Grade: B+
Comments: Satan is a beast on the ice and makes himself hard to play against. He scored a nice goal off the rush first passing the puck ride wide, then getting it back door where he one basically one touched from his off side into the back of the net. Satan is very reluctant to let his shot go from the perimeter, almost always electing to fake the shot and then dish off. his transition ability and physicality were evident throughout the game. He attacked downhill, pushing defenders back onto their heels while overwhelming them with his size and ability to hold on to the puck longer. The obvious knock on him, that really did not show that much throughout the game, is his foot speed. At top speed, with his longer strides, he is hard to catch but those small area puck races he can lose. If he misses with his reach, his foot speed is not there to back him up. His size is unteachable. Defensively, Satan does not shy away from physical contact with his opponents.
Aleksandr Rybakov (D, L, 6’3″, 212, Sioux Falls Stampede, 01/14/2005, Providence)
Grade: B
Comments: Rybakov is a big presence on the ice and showed this multiple times throughout the night. One play in particular during a rush agaist he was to make contact with the opponent, closing a good shooting angle and forcing him to carry the puck behind the net, killing a possible three on two. His pressure is constant, always letting the opponent know through his active stick that he has a defender on his back, but can also punish with physicality. Quickly through his physical play he takes players out of play and turns the potential shooter into a player with no chance of generating. Offensivly, he did a good job at timing his skating whether he was a part of the first of second wave, usually the second, he either slows does or speeds up his skating to find the open space to be an option. He is at his best in his own end or transitioning the puck but does have some offensive flare when he has time and space.
John McNelis (LW, L, 5’10”, 161, Sioux Falls Stampede, 01/09/2006, Boston University)
Grade: B
Comments: McNelis is a smaller sized forward but has some edge to his game. Scored one of the easier goals in the game tonight it started with taking strategic routes to the back door of the net where he got his tap in. McNelis easily could have flown by his spot and left wondering why he did not want to score, instead he stops on a dime and handled an easy dish into his skates where he buried home the second goal of the game. Offensively, his skill is there but defensively, he needs to be able to follow through with his checks and pin opponents on the boards, which he does do some of the time, but he gives up on finishing checks some of the time as well, and they usually result with a scoring chance at the net. Where some players can rely on getting beat with their feet but have the size to be physical, McNelis needs to position himself better if he cannot take players out with body contact in the first place.
Alexei Vlasov (LW, R, 5’9″, 161, Sioux Falls Stampede, 02/02/2008)
Grade: A-
Comments: Vlasov was dominant and skilled tonight. Scored a nice goal twenty six seconds into the game picking up a far pad rebound where he was able to coral without stick handling and snipe the goalie short side. This obviously set the tone for the rest of the game but the way he scored was impressive. Not only in a great spot for offense, but to pick a corner that quick made it nearly impossible for the goalie to get a piece of it. Vlasov was able to create space for his teammates by lifting the puck and passing it over the opponents blade, a usual move from him. Once he is able to make space for himself, he attacks the net showing his ability to move from a standstill. He constantly scans the ice and positions himself in a way that attracts the pass to the player he is covering and through anticipation he is able to retrieve the puck and transition to get up ice.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images