USHL Playoffs: Steel x Riders G3
Looking at some of the prospects playing in the USHL playoffs
Notes on game 3 of the series between Chicago and Cedar Rapids of the USHL which took place on April 24, 2019 in CR.
Scoring Summary
The Steel were off to a two - zero lead by the early second period, both goals generated from strong puck movement. Nick Abruzzese and John Spetz the respective goalscorers.
Jack O’Leary would notch one back for the Rough Riders after being sent by Jason Polin via a great pass. Robert Mastrosimone’s 2nd and 3rd goals of the playoffs would seal the deal as the Steel advance to face Muskegon in the Eastern Conference final.
Prospect Notes
A lot of Steel players this go around.
Nick Abruzzese - The Harvard-committed center continued a scorching hot USHL season in the scoring department with a goal and two assists in this deciding game. His 2.25 points per game (9 in 4 games) only trails North Dakota recruit Shane Pinto’s torrid playoff start.
Robert Mastrosimone - While Abruzzese is the statistical stand-out, Mastrosimone has a few years on him and was just as effective — if not more so. The 2019 draft-eligible could use a strong USHL playoff run as a last resumé-padder before June. I thought he had a great game, but there’s always room for improvement. Particularly when he hangs onto the puck for stretches and then sends off a shot, I’d like to see him distribute the puck a bit more before shooting in some of those cases. He can be so eager to make an impact that he can ‘press’ too much to make a play when he has the ability to make himself very dangerous (and successful) off the puck. The compete level and desire to make something happen is there in spades. There was a nice display of dynamism with the man advantage. BU recruit.
Luke Reid - Had this North Dakota recruit been born a few weeks earlier I imagine he’d be one of the more well-regarded defensive prospects for this year’s draft. Grows on me every time I watch him, great with the puck, makes the right decision — resourceful and reliable. The right-shot defender will be in the mix for the 2020 draft.
Owen Power - Speaking of high-end defenders with late birth-dates, Power is just sixteen years old and nearly paces his entire Steel in plus-minus through their four playoff games so far, only getting called for one penalty while eating some tough ice time. The towering blue liner is hard to play against in many of the respects that translate to the next level, and looks to be figuring out how to pick his spots offensively too. Won’t be eligible until the 2021 draft, which is an exciting prospect for hockey fans.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine - The new Northeastern recruit had a terrific start to his USHL career, posting 21 goals and 20 assists this year coming out of Lawrence Academy (MA-Prep). He was fine in this one, looked to make himself a threat. When I was watching the Steel earlier in the year, he was on a very hot streak and looked so good that I reached out to the Steel’s GM Ryan Hardy for a quote on his season to that point — here’s what Hardy said about the then-RPI recruit in January: “Gunnarwolfe is a great kid. He came in this season with a great skill package - quick release, good hands, he can fly - and he's really focused his energy on learning the game off the puck, paying attention to the finite details, controlling what he can control. This is really driving his development. All of his goals (11 now) have come since December 4th and that includes four game winners. He's emerging as a star player in the league and I anticipate that growth will only continue as he's just scratching the surface of his potential.”
Fontaine, a September 2000-born forward from Rhode Island, could be a late round look in this summer’s draft.
Other notables…
Nathan Smith - The 3rd rd Winnipeg pick looked like a raw, loose offensive talent who could become a serious player over his time to come at Minnesota State. There were only some flashes of great ability, but Smith is twenty and barely two years removed from high school hockey in Florida. One can deduce he isn’t on the traditional development curve.
Grant Silianoff - He hasn’t scored since their series against the USA U17s, where he had 3 pts over back-to-back nights. There were some flashes from the draft-eligible Irish commit, but nothing really doing. While I don’t know the story with the other scoreless games in this series, I still think his offensive game could translate really well for the Irish in time.