Recruit note: Lichtenwald improved, coach says

by Ryan Fay

Nipawin Hawks (SJHL) head coach/general manager Doug Johnson has coached incoming recruit Eli Lichtenwald on two occasions.

The first was 2010-2011 in Nipawin before Lichtenwald did a season-plus with Omaha of the U.S Hockey League. The 20-year-old forward was reunited with Johnson after being re-acquired in a trade with Omaha in late December.

The coach has seen a few differences in the six-foot-six Lichtenwald compared to the player's first stint in Nipawin.

"His defensive awareness and stick positioning has greatly improved in the last two years," Johnson said. "He has realized that he has a huge advantage over other players with his reach and you can see that in his defensive play where he is always creating turnovers with his stick."

The prospect has improved elsewhere as well.

"[His] strength has also improved tremendously in the last couple years," Johnson added. "He has put a lot of time in at the gym and it has paid off with him gaining over 25 pounds in the last couple years and all of it being muscle."

Lichtenwald, who is now listed at 216 pounds, has nine goals and 13 assists in 19 games since being re-acquired. The Hawks start a playoff series with Flin Flon this weekend.

For more of Johnson's insights on Lichtenwald, check out a recent Q&A I conducted with him.

Coming attractions: defenseman Jeff Taylor

by Ryan Fay

The Dutchmen will have voids to fill on the blueline next season with the pending graduations of Greg Coburn, Ryan Forgaard, and Shawn Stuart.

One player who could occupy one of those spots is Clifton Park native Jeff Taylor, a recruit scheduled to come in this fall.

Taylor, who previously played at Albany Academy, is currently with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the U.S Hockey League (USHL). He has three goals and 15 assists in 43 contests and his +32 rating is fourth best in the league.

For some insight on the 18-year-old defenseman, I chatted with former RPI assistant coach Jim Montgomery, now the general manager and head coach of the Fighting Saints.

UNION HOCKEY NEWS (UHN): What are some of Taylor's strengths?

JIM MONTGOMERY (JM): His quickness and his intelligence. He's an extremely smart player with great instincts. He's very valuable all over the ice, especially breaking the puck out.

UHN: How much progression have you seen from him in his time with you this year?

JM: Quite a bit. His confidence has grown and so has his maturity level. He quarterbacks our power play and he's a big part of the nucleus of our team that's in first place.

UHN: Where does he need to improve going forward?

JM: He still needs to get stronger like any teenage athlete. He needs to continue to build muscle mass in the weight room so he can have the physicality needed at the college level.

UHN: As someone who has coached in both the ECAC and the USHL, how big of a jump is for a player to go from one league to the other?

JM: It's always another level when you go from junior hockey to college hockey. But the easiest transition by far is to go from the USHL to college hockey.

UHN: Why's that?

JM: We're the best preparatory league. We play at a high level as far as speed, strength, and conditioning. The USHL does all the elements of college hockey at a level below. Our schedule mirrors that of college hockey where we're basically a Friday-Saturday league. Our players work out twice a week, they practice four times a week, and they play twice a week. Everything leads to your body and routine getting used to college hockey.

UHN: How would you gauge Taylor's readiness for Division I college hockey?

JM: He'll be an impact freshman.

Recruit Lichtenwald on tear in SJHL (w/ Q&A)

by Ryan Fay

Men's hockey recruit Eli Lichtenwald has been surging since being re-acquired by the Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) in late December.

Lichtenwald, who is set to join the Dutchmen this fall, has 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) in 16 games since the trade with Omaha of the U.S Hockey League.  

Lichtenwald had spent the past season-plus with Omaha, where he collected 29 points (8 g, 21 a) in 70 games.

The forward previously played for Nipawin during the 2010-2011 campaign and accumulated 45 points (21 g, 24 a) in 56 contests en route to league rookie of the year honors.

For some insights on Lichtenwald, I checked in with Doug Johnson, head coach and general manager of the Hawks. Johnson, who also coached Lichtenwald in his first go-around in Nipawin, describes what kind of player he is, his upside in Division I, and more.

Lichtenwald (Nipawin)

UNION HOCKEY NEWS (UHN): What kind of player is Lichtenwald?

DOUG JOHNSON (DJ): Eli will be an all around player. His most intriguing attribute is his size (6'6"/216). He takes up a lot of space which helps him defensively but also offensively using his reach to protect pucks. For a big player he skates incredibly well and has an extremely good skill set. The biggest thing with Eli is that he has a lot of room to improve. He is a late bloomer. He was an average midget player that blossomed his first year of junior and will only get better in the future. What Union fans see from Eli as a freshman won't even be comparable to what they see from him as a senior.

UHN: What type of upside does he have at the Division I level -- a depth guy? a regular? an impact player? 

DJ: I firmly believe Eli has the ability to be a very good regular with the possibility to be an impact player if he keeps developing like I believe he will. The level of his success will be very dependent on how he adjusts to the speed of college hockey and how his skating improves as he moves forward. He is a very good skater for 6'6, but still has room for improvement. Knowing Eli, he will make the necessary strides.

UHN: How would you gauge his readiness for Division I college hockey? 

DJ: Like most players, Eli will probably have his bumps along the way during his freshman season. But I believe he will be able to step in and contribute right away in whatever role the coaching staff wants from him. His willingness to do whatever it is needed from the team and his ability to play all those roles will help him make the transition to the college hockey.

UHN: His numbers in Nipawin are a lot better than what he did in Omaha. What do you attribute that to? Is the USHL that much tougher?

DJ: From my time coaching in the USHL, I do know that the USHL is a stronger league than the SJHL. I don't think this is the main reason his numbers have improved as dramatically as they have though. Does the competition make some difference? Absolutely. But I believe that the role we have him playing in and the opportunity to showcase his skill are the biggest factors in his increased production. He showed his first year of junior hockey that he has the skill and ability to be a top six forward. A player doesn't forget how to score or how to make plays. They just need to have the opportunity to showcase their skills and the confidence from their coaches to allow them to make plays.