| Mikhail Katin | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | D | 6’6″ | 201 | Moskva, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Katin earned 21:36 in ice time (3rd among D) including 2:16 on the PP (2nd among D) and 1:26 on the PK (4th among D). He finished even with 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, received 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: (#17) Katin is a 6’5, 200 lb monster who plays a decent two-way game. His skating is quite poor due to an awkward posture and short choppy stride. Despite this major flaw, he is still a very effective player. He was able to rush the puck up ice with confidence on multiple occasions. He cannot beat opponents with his foot speed but was able to earn the blue line with timely dumps. One of his best rush attempts came in the first period where he spun away from pressure below the goal line and exploded up ice, he missed his pass but was able to successfully transition the puck into the neutral zone before turning it over. He was given time on the powerplay where he was able to distribute the puck better than expected and set up a few quality chances with his playmaking. His skating gets in the way of his defense, but he was able to shut down a couple of plays with an active stick. His lack of agility keeps him from sticking with opponents. He will also need to complete more scans as he left a man open in front of the net on a few occasions. He did show off some physicality when clearing the net which was a plus. Katin is a sturdy giant who is hurt by his lack of skating ability.
| Nick Pierre | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | LW | 5’8″ | 164 | Merrimack | 2024 | Cottage Grove, MN | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: C+
Pierre earned 22:24 in ice time (1st among fwds) including 1:00 on the PP (7th among fwds) and 5:21 on the PK (1st among fwds). He finished +3 with 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots, game high 4 grade “A” opportunities, received 3 hits, had 1 shot blocked, 7 giveaways, 6 takeaways and for the season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Pierre is a 2004 born overager who had a fantastic game tonight. He finished with 2 goals, 1 assist and brought a ridiculous amount of energy. He was likely passed up on in his draft year due to his 5’9 frame and lack of production, but he looked fantastic tonight. He has a non-stop motor which he used to win puck battles and fly towards the offensive zone. He has good vision and was able to create multiple chances through his passing. His assist came on a beautiful play where he won a battle behind the net, circled the top of the zone with speed before sliding a seam pass through traffic, back door for a tap in finish. His goals were due to his heavy wrist shot and speed driving the puck up ice. He is very unlikely to be drafted in his third year of eligibility, but Pierre might be a player to watch at Merrimack for the next few years due to his unrelenting motor and high-end skill. Maybe some potential to become an undrafted signing in the future.
| Nicholas Sykora | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | C | 5’9″ | 153 | Quinnipiac | 2026 | Roseland, NJ | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Sykora earned 3:30 in ice time. He did not play special teams. He finished even with 3 giveaways, 1 takeaway and through 5 USHL games he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: (#91) Sykora is a 2007 born, 2025 draft eligible forward. His energy was not great tonight. He floated around the defensive zone without much intention behind his movements. He possessed the puck in transition with confidence on a few occasions but was not able to create much. He is still very young and was not given much ice time tonight, but we will be looking for more out of him in the future.
| Ryan Kroll | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 190 | UMass Lowell | 2025 | Plainfield, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Kroll earned 13:24 in ice time (5th among D) including 5:52 on the PK (tied for game high). He did not play PP. He finished even with 1 assist, 1 shot, 2 hits, received 2 hits, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Kroll is a 6’1 defensive defenseman. He made good reads in his own end and was able to stop plays from occurring with timely step ups. He crushed an opponent in the neutral zone with a perfect step up hit in the first. His breakout passes were effective. His lack of agility hurts him when facing quicker opponents in transition but was able to stay in between his man and the net for the most part. He picked up a secondary assist in the first with a crisp stretch pass through the neutral zone which set up a rush attack. Decent performance from Kroll but there are no particular parts of his game that stand out.
| Landon Nycz | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 194 | UMass Amherst | 2026 | Detroit, MI | 2007 |
Game Grade: C+
Nycz earned 14:18 in ice time (6th among D) including 0:11 on the PK (6th among D). He did not play PP. He finished +2 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, 2 PIMs, 5 giveaways, 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Nycz is a late 2007 birthday who is not eligible until 2026. He had a very impressive outing for his age and does not look out of place at this level. He is a smooth skating offensive leaning defenseman who showed off some good mobility and rush potential. Early in the game he flew up ice with confidence and was able to gain the offensive zone. He was able to do this multiple other times throughout the course of the game. He showed off some decent hands and was able to move the puck around well for the most part. There were a few times where he had trouble under pressure and chose to throw a poor pass or cough up a turnover. Defensively he is going to need some work. There were a few moments where he was able to shut down play but his timing was off, and he had trouble keeping guys from pushing to the slot. Nycz had a great showing for such a young player and will likely be a highly touted defenseman in his draft year if he can continue to improve his faults and further develop his strengths.
| Eero Butella | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | R | F | 6’4″ | 181 | Northeastern | 2025 | Chicago, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Butella earned 10:28 in ice time. He did not play special teams. He finished +1 with 1 assist, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, had 1 shot blocked, 4 giveaways, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Butella is an incredibly hard working forward with quick feet and an unrelenting will to win the puck. He was constantly the first man to loose pucks in the corner despite the fact that his opponents were often closer. He battled hard along the glass to dig pucks out of scrums and quickly turned them towards the net with a pass. Without the puck on his stick, he does a great job of cutting into space, toward the puck to support his teammates and become a great breakout option. He is still developing his first touch and puck poise but at 6’4″ he did more than enough tonight to show his potential as a bottom six power forward in the NHL.
| John Mustard | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 184 | Providence | 2025 | Oradell, NJ | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Mustard earned 14:50 in ice time (7th among fwds) including 2:22 on the PP (4th among fwds). He did not play on the PK. He finished -1 with 1 goal, 3 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, received 1 hit, 6 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 35% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Mustard is a 2024 draft eligible two-way forward with a heavy wrist shot and lots of energy. He was hard on loose pucks and joined battles with intention while on the forecheck. He has a powerful stride which he used well to beat out opponents and move the puck up ice. He explodes into space with the puck on his stick and is constantly working pucks towards the net. He has a heavy wrist shot which he let go multiple times, picking up one goal on a powerplay in the third period. He walked in from the blue line and fired a bullet that snuck five hole. He has decent hands and was able to beat opponents with well-timed fakes and quick feet. He does tend to walk into traffic far too often and has a habit of settling for poor shots into covered lanes. Overall, he is a positive contributor on the offensive end. He was on the powerplay but received no penalty kill time. Mustard projects as a second-round pick with middle 6 NHL potential.
| Michael Phelan | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | R | D | 5’10” | 161 | Arizona State | 2025 | Hinsdale, IL | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Phelan earned 19:40 in ice time (4th among D) including 2:26 on the PK (team high). He did not play PP> He finished -1 with 5 giveaways, 8 takeaways and for the season he is winning 58% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: We were very impressed with the poise that Phelan brought to this game. He is a smooth skating two-way defender. He uses his footwork to stay in front of opponents in transition while maintaining a good gap and he was able to shut down play many times by angling opponents towards the wall before swiping the puck away with an active stick. He is positionally sound in his own end. He takes smart risks, executing well timed step ups to shut down play before it can break down ice. He showed off an effective surf in the first period where he closed off a breakout attempt before it could officially get started. Phelan was also very calm under pressure when the puck was on his stick. He escapes forecheckers with agile footwork and carries the puck up ice for a few steps while scanning before hitting teammates with crisp stretch passes. This was a very calm and effective performance from Phelan. He shut down opponents in the neutral and defensive zones and was able to move the puck around well while moving up ice. He definitely deserves some more attention, and we will be checking back up on him soon.
| Will Felicio | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | L | D | 5’10” | 161 | Denver | 2025 | Holden, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Felicio earned 20;33 in ice time including 5:31 on the PP (2nd among D) and 0:27 on the PK (5th among D). He finished even with 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, had 1 shot blocked, 6 giveaways, 7 takeaways and for the season he is winning 61% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Felicio is a smooth skating two-way defenseman who distributes the puck well. He has a very efficient stride as well as skilled edgework which he uses to rush the puck up ice with speed and escape pressure while walking the line in the offensive zone. He quarterbacks the power play and does a great job of distributing the puck with patient, crisp passes. He handles the puck well and is able to escape pressure with his feet. Defensively he gaps up well in transition and does a decent job pushing opponents away from the net. Felicio is a smooth skating, puck rushing, two-way defenseman with good playmaking.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence