Covering the AHL and USHL for Hockey's Future from my base in Des Moines, I got to see Okposo play a lot.
In the USHL this year, Okposo was Iginla-like. When I interviewed Okposo for the Q and A for HF, he was in his Under Armour with his bottoms still on after the game. His upper body is quite developed. If he's at 195, it's ALL muscle. I've talked with Chad Morin of Sioux City under the same circumstances, and Morin is listed at 205. I don't see how Morin is bigger than Okposo, although Morin is very well built himself. Okposo definitely has a lot of muscle, which he uses very well along the boards. Okposo almost always emerges from along the boards or in the corners with the puck by using his size, intelligence, and stickhandling. There were so many times this year when I wondered how the hell he gained control of the puck. He made a lot of the other USHLers look foolish.
His stickhandling and shot are pretty impressive. He's very dangerous in close, but he also has a hard enough shot to be dangerous from the perimeter. His speed was good at the USHL level, but it's not like his teammate Trevor Lewis. I would say that Okposo will need more speed and acceleration to be as successful as a pro.
Okposo is not quite as physical as Iginla. Okposo can lay out hits, but he's much more of a scorer. He does have good hockey sense and is fairly responsible defensively, but I would say that Lewis is the better player defensively, but Lewis has one more year of USHL hockey on him, and the USHL is a good league. A lot of top Minnesota high school players come to the USHL and are little more than average players. Okposo is actually more physical in maintaining control of the puck than he is getting the puck, in my opinion. He's no Ben Van Lare or Donnie Hallmark, comparing him to fellow Des Moines Buccaneers.
There were some USHLers who could handle Okposo this year though. Nick Schaus of Omaha, the USHL Defenseman of the Year, can play any which way you want, and he used his experience against Okposo. (Not all of his Lancer teammates had success, but one-on-one, Schaus could handle anyone in the USHL.) Steven Kampfer of Sioux City did a good job skating with Okposo, which really impressed me. Chicago Steel forward Randy Guzior knew how to get under Okposo's skin. Guzior was an underrated physical forward this year who could consistently get Okposo off his game. As Okposo moves up, he'll be battling with more and more players like Guzior.
Given Okposo's age though, he was mighty impressive. Nobody else in the USHL was as much of an offensive highlight reel. Okposo may not have led the USHL in scoring, but he was the most dominant player offensively because of his combination of power and skill. He has good speed, but a little more speed and acceleration will seal the deal.
Whoever gets him has a great prospect who definitely will not need four years of college hockey.