The Fargo Force have a few NHL prospects for this year’s draft as well as a couple who may develop into prospects over the next few years.  Unfortunately, one of those prospects, Alex Lippincott, was not in the lineup the night I saw the Force.  I am hoping to see him before the season is over.


Eamonn McDermott                    D                   5’10           176

McDermott has put up some nice offensive numbers by relying upon his bread and butter…the ability to make very good passes.  He has a nice touch and has the ability to make hard crisp passes or soft passes to space for his teammates.  McDermott has good recognition for developing plays and is very poised with the puck.  He has the ability to recognize the amount of time and space he has to either take his time to look things over or quickly make a pass.  In those instances where he is rushed, McDermott was not simply making the safe, predictable pass.  Rather, he was able to find other options that led to some better transitional opportunities.

I would have liked to see him shoot more as he is clearly a pass first player.  When he did shoot, he was able to put the puck on net.  Defensively, McDermott has good defensive positioning and skates well enough to maintain tight gap control and angled the on-coming forwards safely to the outside.  What McDermott also has in his arsenal is a very quick stick, one of the quickest I have seen in the league so far.  His ability to poke check and intercept passes was uncanny.  Even in situations where he was at a great size disadvantage, McDermott still had the knack for separating the puck from the puck carrier.  McDermott’s future looks to be linked to how much he can grow.  Adding an inch or two and 15 – 20 pounds could make McDermott a real top 2 defensive pair prospect.  If he doesn’t grow, you have an offensive specialist who can take some minutes on a third pairing.


Garrett Allen                                   F                 5’11            170

Allen impressed with his offensive capabilities, particularly near the net.  He posses good hands in tight and was able to get shots on net when it was difficult to do so.  He showed off a nice backhand in displaying the ability to get shots off in traffic.  Allen would need to smooth out his skating as it became difficult for him to backcheck and help out defensively after the puck went into the Fargo zone.  If he could do that, and add some muscle to his frame, he might develop into a point producer at the professional level.

As for 2011 prospects, Colten St. Clair impressed with a strong two-way game.  He showed a willingness to work hard through diligent backchecking and finished all his checks on the boards.  Offensively, St. Clair found open space and made good decisions in shooting the puck vs. passing.  If he continues to develop and puts up points next year, he could be one of the higher rated USHL prospects going in to the 2011 draft.  On the other hand, Marek Hrbas did not impress.  The Czech blueliner was visibly rattled when Youngstown’s Ryan Jasinsky knocked him to the ice twice on the same shift.  I would have liked to see some sort of response but there was none.  That shift effectively knocked him out of the game.

A name for 2012 could be Alaskan native Brian Cooper.  Cooper was paired with McDermott and showed the fortitude lacked by Hrbas in this game.  He has a nice skill set with good hockey smarts.  He’s only 5’9” but he will bear watching over the next 2 seasons.

Tags: 2010 nhl draft, 2010 nhl draft prospects, Eamonn McDermott, Garrett Allen

About the Author: Rich Michalowski