USHL Prospect Report- Brendan Woods

This article will be a little different than the rest. I am totally writing it on the fly and I'm not sure how short it's going to be. The reason it's going to be so different is that I haven't actually seen Brendan Woods (CHI) play. This normally wouldn't be problem except for the fact that Woods is rated 83rd for North American skaters on CSS's final rankings. So, I'll mainly be basing this article on stats and what I've heard from my network of other scouts.

First let's start out with his stat sheet. Woods has good size and it fits his play style well. Woods stands at 6'2"/180 and he uses that size to play more of a power-forward type style. Woods had 10 points in 34 games this year after suffering an arm injury in the 2009 USHL Fall Classic, which he ended up missing the first half of the seaosn with. Of those 10 points, 6 were goals, and 4 were assists. Woods' six goals speak to his ability to score even with his power-forward play style. The winger from Palmyra, Pennsylvania had 2 of those 10 points on the powerplay which meant that Chicago Steel coach Steve Poapst trusted him enough to have him out on the PP.

Now on to what I've heard from some other scouts, Woods' biggest strength is his skating. Apparently he is very fast and doesn't give up on any plays. This work ethic will work in his favor and his skills will develop in college. Woods' is commited to play at the University of Wisconsin, who recently lost in the NCAA Hockey Championship Game. Even though I haven't seen him play, Woods should be in the top 6 or 7 USHL players drafted in the NHL Draft this year.

A little shorter than usual, but it's tough to write on a player you've never seen.

Please leave comments, I would love to hear them!