USA TODAY – Lone Star Brahmas defenseman Cameron Clarke received some praise from USA Today in preparation of post-season hockey, and maybe more importantly, Clarke's post-Brahma career. Players who compete in junior hockey are looking to further their careers by earning college scholarships to play hockey and for the rare few, a trip to the NHL could even be in the picture. The following is an excerpt written by Kyle Woodlief from the article.
One of Red Line’s scouts has been keeping tabs on Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) defenceman Cameron Clarke (eight goals, 35 assists) and the cat is pretty much out of the bag on the late bloomer. Our man reports legitimate NHL interest in the Michigan native and Ferris State recruit, who played some junior hockey in Ontario before heading to Texas.
Clarke has good size, though he’s still lanky and needs to fill out his 6-2 frame. He skates well in a straight line, but his pivots and change of direction are still a bit rough. It’s nothing that can’t be improved with hard work between now and the time he transitions to the pro ranks, though. He’s an exceptional player at this level when it comes to his puck-moving ability and how efficiently he processes the play. He activates well to join the rush and aid in his team’s puck possession game, too.
With a draft as iffy as this one is, teams are looking for projects that could bring in some boom potential, especially later on. With Clarke, who turns 20 in May, where there’s smoke there’s fire — we don’t think teams would make the effort to go see him in the hockey hotbed (not-bed?) of Fort Worth if he wasn’t viewed as at least a mid-round pick.