September News

Hope He Liked His Classes

Northern Michigan University lost another recruit when left-shot D Shawn Cation left the Marquette campus last week to join the St. Michael's Majors (OHL). To get him, St. Mike's gave up a 4th round pick to Oshawa.

At St. Mike's, Cation will be reunited with his buddy, Sheldon Keefe. A forward, Keefe was  also committed to Northern Michigan, but reneged when his major junior rights were traded to St. Mike's in June. Keefe and Cation were teammates last year with the Caledon Canadians.

Check It Out

Today, the U.S. Hockey Report is opening a new section devoted to scouting profiles on the top candidates -- both American and Canadian -- for the 1999 OHL draft. We're starting with  only a handful of players, but check it out often, for we'll be adding to it as the season progresses.      Click here.     (It should work -- now.)

9/27/98                                 A Future Wolverine?

Drawing raves at last week's Ontario Provincial Jr. A Tournament was 6'1" left-shot D Carter Trevisani of the Milton Merchants. Trevisani, an '82 currently in the 11th grade, appears to have his ticket punched for the University of Michigan.

When he gets there in the fall of 2000, he'll be rejoining his current teammate, defenseman Matt Bannon, who's bound for Ann Arbor next fall.

Trevisani, who played last year for the Kitchener Dutchmen, is a fluid skater who sees the ice extremely well and has excellent offensive ability. Trevisani  would have been taken in the first round of this past June's OHL draft had he expressed any interest in going major junior. 

Names in the News

Also seen at the Provincial Jr. A Tournament -- in a 7-7 tie between the Bramalea Blues and the Auburn (formerly Syracuse) Junior Crunch -- was a five-goal night from Kris Carlson of Auburn. Carlson, who played for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins last year, is the son of Steve Carlson, one of the Hanson brothers of Slapshot fame.

Dustin Russell, the Newfoundlander who played at the Holderness School last season, and is now with the Hull Olympiques (QMJHL), is impressing observers with his play. In the club's last pre-season game, a 5-4 win over Sherbrooke, Russell scored the winning goal on a breakaway with one second left. It was his second of the game. Russell, by the way, is playing on a line centered by fellow Maritimer Ryan Lauzon, who came very close to taking the U.S. prep route with St. Paul's School a couple of years back.

Another U.S. kid playing major junior with Hull -- it will be his second year -- is big right wing Vince Malts. Right now, Malts, who injured himself lifting weights in the pre-season, is watching from the sidelines. Malts was a 7th-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in last June's NHL draft.

The Halifax Mooseheads have cut former Vermont high school star A.J. Rivers, an 18-year-old who played in five games with them last season before a concussion cut his season short. Look for Rivers, a 5'11", 180 lb. RW from South Burlington to surface in the USHL soon.

After a tremendous training camp with the St. Mike's Majors (OHL), dual citizen and first-round OHL draft pick Mark Popovic, an '82 left-shot D, opens the season on the sidelines with a torn ligament in his thumb. Look for his debut in late October/early November.

6'4", 210-pound Sudbury Wolves (OHL) forward Taylor Pyatt is moving up in NHL scouts' estimations. He could move past Erie Otter centerman Tim Connolly (of Baldwinsville, NY) as the top-ranked OHLer among next June's draft prospects. Connolly finished last year with 62 points (30 goals, 32 assists in 59 games), while Pyatt notched exactly half that (14-17-31 in 59 games). Pyatt had 104 penalty minutes; Connolly had 32.

9/24/98                             Scouting the Buc Bowl

On Sunday Sept. 20, in Des Moines, Iowa, the Rochester Mustangs, behind a pair of Jeff Taffe goals, beat the host Buccaneers in the Buc Bowl championship game, 3-2.

In the days after the tournament, we picked the brains of numerous Div. I recruiters attending the tournament, asking them which college propects (12th grade and above) stood out from the pack.

Then we sorted through the answers and came up with the rankings below.

Bear in mind that five USHL teams -- Green Bay, Twin Cities, Fargo-Moorhead, Thunder Bay, and the National Under-18 Team -- were not in the tournament. 

Let's start with the forwards.

1. Jeff Taffe, C, 6-2/165, Rochester Mustangs,  '81  -- He'll be playing at Hastings HS again, then the U next year.  Lanky, smooth-skating 17-year-old centerman with great stick skills, vision, reach, and acceleration. If he were to opt-in to June's NHL draft, he'd be a first-rounder.

2. Jed Ortmeyer, RW, 6-0/170, Omaha Lancers, '78 -- Size, speed, and skill -- plus he plays hard. Had two nifty shorthanded goals over the weekend, but doesn't project to be a prolific scorer for DI play. Committed to Michigan. Younger brother of former Lancer forward Jake Ortmeyer, now a freshman at Miami-Ohio. 

3. Noah Clarke, LW, 5-8/175, Des Moines Buccaneers, '79 -- Californian who played at Shattuck-St. Mary's was tremendous in Thursday night's drubbing of Dubuque, when he had all kinds of room to operate in. A quick, exciting player who can skate, has good hands, and a real touch around the net. Committed to Colorado College.

4. Peter Fregoe, C, 5-9/185, Des Moines Buccaneers, '78 -- Good two-player who can flat-out score. This will be his 4th year in the USHL. Look for him to lead the league in scoring. Hasn't made the clearinghouse, but he's taking classes at Iowa State, hoping to get eligible under Prop 48. 

5. Michael Chin, RW, 6-3/195, Des Moines Buccaneers, '80 -- Last year, Chin, with the National Program, played 20 games vs. USHL competition and was 1-3-4. In Des Moines' first five exhibition games this year, he's 5-5-10. He was, as one coach put it, "the buzz of the tournament." He's matured -- and learned how to use his size and strength. Playing on a line with Fregoe and Clarke helps, too.

6. Kevin Spiewak, C, 5-10/164, Omaha Lancers, '79 -- Crafty centerman who can fly. Committed to Lake State.

7. B.J. Abel, LW, 6-0/179, Rochester Mustangs, '79 -- Good all-around offensive contributor --  elusive, slippery, goes to the net hard. Third year in USHL. Rochester native.

8. Peter Sejna, C, 5-11/185, Des Moines Buccaneers, '79 -- Skilled Slovakian center who distributes puck well. Gritty, strong, has a mean streak.

9. Ruslan Fedotenko, LW, 6-2/195, Sioux City Musketeers, '79 -- Power forward who uses his body well to protect the puck. Lacks acceleration, but is OK once he gets moving. Gets involved in the play. Good touch around the net. Could be going to Lake State.  From Kiev, Ukraine, but played fo the Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) last year.

10. Ryan Malone, LW, 6-3/185, Omaha Lancers, '79 -- Played at Shattuck-St. Mary's last year. Still pretty raw, but upside is big. Skating is improving. Son of Pittsburgh Penguins scouting director Greg Malone. 

11. Ryan Hale, RW, 6-2/198, Waterloo Black Hawks, '78 -- Big, physical, grinding type -- good feet, too. Should be able to step in and play 3rd-4th line at just about any DI school. Third year in USHL.

12. Drew Kriner, RW, 5-10/180, Omaha Lancers, '80 -- Skilled forward from Alaska who can move the puck. Second year in USHL.

13. Joe Krmpotich, RW, 5-11/180, Rochester Mustangs, '80 -- This kid has wheels. First-year USHL player. From Eden Prairie, Minn.

14. Chris Lieckfield, LW, 5-10/180, Lincoln Stars, '80 -- Skilled, smart player. Good stick. Played midgets last year with the Ann Arbor Ice Dogs. Needs to add strength.

15. K.C. Caudill, LW, 6-3/175, Des Moines Buccaneers, '79 --  Huge. A monster on skates. Skill level pretty low, however. Going to Ferris State.

DEFENSEMEN:

1. Peter Smrek, 6-1/190, Des Moines Buccaneers, '79 -- Left-shot D from Slovakia drew raves from all corners. Has size, skill, and presence. Is super-aware of what's happening around him on the ice. A heads-up player who knows exactly what to do with the puck. Cannon of a shot. Runs the Bucs power play. 

2. Derek Eastman, 5-10/170, Omaha Lancers, '80 -- Quick, clever, gritty. Moves the puck well. Seems to have it on a string. Committed to St. Cloud State.

3. Ben Tharp, 5-11/160, Rochester Mustangs, '81 -- Great feet, great hands. Can carry the puck, and run the power play. Like Taffe, Tharp will be playing for Hastings HS this winter, and then the U next year.

4. Erik Skaug, 6-0/190, Omaha Lancers, '80 -- Very physical, very strong. A real presence. Moves the puck well. Has hard shot and releases it quickly. Ohio State was on him last year, and he's going to be enrolling there next fall. However, Skaug, an Oregon native, played five games in the WHL early last season so won't be playing DI until the fall of 2000.

5. Garrett Stafford, 5-11/170, Des Moines Buccaneers, '80 -- An injury kept him out of all but the first game of the tournament. But he can play. An L.A. kid,  Stafford has quick, light feet, distributes the puck well, and loves to carry it. He's a right shot.

6. Pete Summerfelt, 6-1/185, Omaha Lancers, '78 -- Former Penticton Panther was converted to defense early last season (his first in the USHL). Not a bad move at all. Summerfelt is rangy, and has a good reach. A bowlegged skater who can break the puck out of the zone quickly. Smart and competitive. He's a right shot -- and an Alaskan, to boot. 

7. Jim Jackson, 5-11/170, Des Moines Buccaneers, '80 -- Hurt his shoulder mountain biking over summer, so he could start a little slowly. Smart, confident player. Jackson, a former Marquette Electrician -- a 'yooper.' -- is a left-shot and in his second year with the Bucs.

8. Matt DeMarchi, 6-2/180, North Iowa Huskies, '81 -- Big, strong, and from Bemidji (Paul Bunyan's hometown), DeMarchi is also 17-years-old and raw. Skates well, but sometimes tries to do a little too much with the puck and gets in trouble. A left shot.

9. Ed Cassin, 5-11/185, Lincoln Stars, '78 -- Former Div. III player (Hamilton College) is hard-nosed, strong, and heading to the Univeristy of Nebraska-Omaha. And he ain't doing it for the academics.

10. Mike Bujdos, 5-9/185, Waterloo Black Hawks, '78 -- Skilled, smallish D. Good hands. Good on the rush. 

GOALTENDERS:

Not a lot of enthusiasm for the goaltending at this tournament. The Bucs' Matt Carney played well, but he's red-shirting (UNH). The other goaltender mentioned prominently was the Rochester Mustangs' Marc Ranfranz, a 5-7, 170 lb. 20-year-old who could have walked on at the U this year -- if he'd taken his SAT's last year. 

9/21/98                                     Hat's off to....

the U.S. Under-18 Team and Applecore, both of whom looked strong in last week's Golden Horseshoe Tournament in Fort Erie, Ontario.

Quite simply, the U.S. squad -- the younger of the two Ann Arbor-based teams -- is the best bunch of 16-year-olds this country has ever put on ice. Those of you who saw me out scouting them last winter for the National Program might think I'm a little biased. Maybe I am, but I sure don't need to be -- these kids can play. It's going to be a lot of   fun watching them develop. 

In the semis, the U.S. got knocked off their game early when the older and far more experienced  Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats -- all their key players were 20-year-olds -- jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first period. In the second period, Rayside-Balfour took some ridiculously dumb penalties -- e.g. U.S. defenseman Matt Junkins, a talkative sort, was speared as he sat on the bench. The U.S. kids kept their composure and fashioned a comeback, notching the next two goals before bowing out with a 4-2 loss. Quite simply, they used their composure and discipline to turn the game around -- unfortunately, the clock ran out on them. 

It was similar with Apple Core. They played that same Rayside-Balfour team in the quarterfinals, and lost 4-3, but as the clock wound down they had several excellent chances to tie it up. Applecore, it should be pointed out, has lost a number of excellent players since last season --  David Sell, Ken Scuderi, and Rich Hansen are in the USHL, David Hughes is in the NAHL, and Chris Gartman is playing with the U.S. Under-18 Team. Their replacements are young -- the roster is dotted with '82s and '83s -- but some will turn out to be solid players.

5'7" C Vincent Hellemeyer was consistently making things happen in all three zones. Brian D'Ambrosio, a  6'1" RW who played for the Suffolk PAL Midgets last season, has the makings of a good power forward.   5'6" C Ryan Vesce is a waterbug on skates, always pressuring opponents, forcing the action. 6'0" defenseman Brian Escobedo simply plays smart, sound hockey.

All four of those guys are '82s.

The top '83 on Applecore is 6'0", 180 lb. LW Eric Nystrom (yes, he's Bobby Nystrom's son). He showed a lot more jump to his game than he did at the 15 Festival last month, and is a player to follow.

Here's a word about an older kid, Doug Murray, Applecore's 6'3", 220 lb. defenseman from Sweden (How do you say Doug Murray in Swedish, anyway?). Last year at this time, his feet were awfully slow, but now, all things considered,  he's moving them pretty nicely. He might need a year in the USHL or someplace similar, but he's turned himself into a DI prospect.

By the way, the Burlington Cougars  won the tournament, beating St. Catharines, 8-1, in the semis and Rayside-Balfour, 4-3, in the finals. After the game, 5'10" center Mike Commisso was named tournament MVP. It was his 19th birthday.

9/20/98        Michigan's Honeybaked Bantams Conquer Toronto

The bus ride home to Michigan for both the Honeybaked 83's and 84's had to be sweet. Earlier in the day (Sun. Sept. 13), the older club beat the Toronto Marlies, 7-2, while the younger club knocked off  the York Simcoe Express, 6-1.

Between the two divisions, there were 45 teams in the tournament, 31 from Canada and 14 from the U.S.  Let's look at some of the U.S. players who caught our attention:

The '83 Honeybaked club features right-shot center Danny Knapp and left-shot center Lee Falardeau. While those two have the most upside, the club is pretty deep -- everyone coach Andy Helmuth throws out there is solid. 

On the '84 club, defenseman Brendan Boyes looks to be the best long-range prospect. But, like the '83 club, they have 'deep depth'  (as former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver used to say).

Of the '84s we were most impressed by Greg Goodnough, an upstate New York kid playing for the Toronto Young Nats Minor Bantam Team. Goodnough is a strong, stocky, hard-skating RW who is very difficult to knock off the puck. He also has a mean streak. We'll be keeping an eye on him.

Of the Michigan kids, we've already mentioned Boyes, the Honeybaked defenseman, but Compuware had some good '84s, too, particularly defenseman James Wisniewski and goalie Bradley Lukas. Forwards Robbie Overfield and Daniel Peace also played very well in the game we saw.

On the Chicago Young Americans '84 team, goaltender Mike DeGeorge was sharp.

Of the U.S. '83s, we've mentioned Falardeau and Knapp. The St. Louis club featured 6'0" right-shot defenseman Joe Pomaranski, one of the standouts on the Central team that won the gold at this summer's Select 15 Festival. Pomeranski turned down an offer from Detroit Little Caesar's midget coach Chris Coury in order to return to his bantam team.

5'9" center Jason Tejchma is the West Michigan Warriors most dangerous forward now, but a couple of big wingers, Dirk Croftchik and Reese Dobrick, look like they're about to make a move.

The Buffalo Saints had a big, lanky D, Trevor Calamel, who could be a good one once he grows into his body. In Dan Sanderson, Lee Stempniak, Marc Rosinski, and Jeff Herman, they're solid up front.

The Rochester Americans have some players. The best is 5'11" right-shot D Frank Burgio, who's mobile and skilled. Defenseman Chris Barnard has size and skill while fellow blueliner Keith Cadwell, though a bit heavy-footed, is worth keeping an eye on. Up front, Mark Langdon, the son of head coach Steve Langdon, has size, skating ability, and can both set up a play and finish. Michael Paisley is a small right-shot center with hands and patience. Though goalie Kevin Amborksi didn't play in the game we saw, we know from other games that he's extremely tough to beat.

Belle Tire 83 has Tony Wiseman, a mobile 5'10" left-shot D who plays with skill and poise.

Marcus Smith, an excellent  5'11" right-shot D,   is on the Richmond Hill Stars roster, but was ineligible to play. Last year, Smith played for the Toronto Young Nats. According to a tournament spokesman, Smith signed the standard two-year card with the Young Nats, but now wishes to move to the Richmond Hill team, which is where he lives. At his upcoming hearing, he'll be able to plead his case before league officials, but for now he sits and waits. Smith, a U.S. citizen, is the younger brother of Julian Smith, a former Cushing centerman now playing for the Plymouth Whalers. 

9/18/98                                Barrie Makes the Cut

As the Ontario Central Hockey League begins its regular season tonight, the Smith Falls Bears roster will include the first female to play in the league, 15-year-old goaltender Rachel Barrie of Arnprior, Ontario.

We don't know if she'll see action in tonight's game against the Brockville Braves, but this morning we spoke to a Division I assistant coach -- himself a former goalie -- who saw Barrie play in an exhibition game against Pembroke on Wednesday night. "She didn't look at all out of place," he reported. "She's very competitive, with her lateral movement is good. She struggled a bit on the traffic end. She wasn't strong enough to hold her position if she got bumped into."

"There were five or six goals scored against her in the game. With the exception of one -- maybe two -- they weren't her fault."

One More Time: McRae Twins Turn Down the 'O'

With their season about to begin, the Kitchener Rangers, who drafted Mark and Matt McRae with successive picks in June's OHL draft, came back at the twins with a bigger and better offer.

The twins, who are teammates with the Brampton Capitals, didn't go for it.

So far in September, they've visited five schools: Yale, Harvard, Princeton, UNH, and Dartmouth. They may also take visits to Notre Dame and Ohio State. Cornell is also in the mix. Michigan State coach Ron Mason was in attendance at their game last night.

Mark is right-shot D; Matt is a right-shot center. They are both 6'0" and around 175 lbs. No school can recruit just one of them. Wherever they wind up going, they will be going together -- a package deal.

                        In the Wisconsin Woods, Roed Rules

The Omaha Lancers won the annual Hayward Invitational Tournament with a 4-2 win over the Twin Cities Vulcans on Sunday, September 13.

Here's a look at the teams. We've ranked them according to their finish in the tournament. In case you're wondering, Hayward, Wisconsin is a town of about 1,700 in the northern part of the state. It's in the middle of nowhere, yet nearly 100 scouts and recruiters made the trek.

1) Omaha Lancers: The line of Kevin Spiewak-Mike Lucci-Jed Ortmeyer (all returnees from last year's squad) was their best. Ortmeyer, by the way, committed to the University of Michigan last week. He's a 5'11, 165 lb. Omaha native and the younger brother of  Jake Ortmeyer, a freshman D at Miami-Ohio. Of the other forwards, Deerfield Academy's Ty Hennes, who appears ticketed to Cornell, used his speed well and looked strong at both ends of the ice. Alaskan forward Drew Kriner, a second-year Lancer, also looked good. On D, Derek Eastman, who played for St. Paul Johnson last year and is bound for St. Cloud State next season, had a strong tournament. So did fellow Minnesotan Tim Horst of South St. Paul HS. Former Cushing D Jason Platt was injured and sat out the weekend.

2) Twin Cities Vulcans: Top to bottom, the Vulcans had the best group of D in the tournament. No big stars, but a lot of depth. They're looking good in net, too, with Jason Jensen and 6'3" newcomer Pete Samargia of Eveleth-Gilbert HS. Samargia turned down a walk-on offer from the U in order to go to the USHL. It's looking like a smart move -- Samargia is a money player.The hands-down pick for the top player in the tournament was speedy 5'8", 175 lb. winger Shawn Roed, who played last year with the National Team Development Program. Roed didn't play in the first game, but dominated in the Vulcans second game, a 3-2 win over Green Bay. After Roed, Kris Burch, of  Benilde-St. Margarets HS in the Twin Cities, is perhaps the Vulcans best new forward.

3) Green Bay Gamblers:  Their top line had returnees Mike Perpich and 6'5" Stephen Baby centered by Choate's Joe Mastronardi. Baby, who has good hands, worked the corners effectively and showed that his skating is coming along. Lake Superior State is recruiting him hard. Mastronardi had three assists in one game. The Gamblers also put out an effective second line -- small and crafty -- of Luke Stauffacher, Maris Ziedens, and Jason Noterman. On D, Danny Calzada, an '81 from Team Illinois, and veteran Tom Preissing made a  good pair. Michigan Tech recruit Jeff Finger and Robin Finko of Onolaska (Wisc.) HS were solid too. Forwards Brett Englehardt and Del Schwab were out with injuries.

4) Thunder Bay Flyers:  Three '81's moving up from the Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA program all played well. They are: 6'1" RW Murray Magill, a third-round OHL draft pick who's being watched by Michigan, and a good pair of D in 5'10" Jesse Baraniuk and 5'11" Aaron MacKenzie. By the way, former Chicago Young Americans defenseman Vladimir Rejman, an '81, was cut by the Flyers but is sticking it out in Thunder Bay, playing midgets with the Kings.

5) Springfield Jr. Blues: The top Junior Blues' prospects were a couple of '81s -- 6'1" winger Bo Cheesman, formerly of Team Illinois, and goaltender Kevin Reiter, who played for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins entry in the now-defunct Metro Toronto League.

6) Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks: Big 6'1", 193 lb. left-shot D  Derrick Byfuglien, an '80, and 6'3" forward Josh Olson, an '81, were very impressive. Last year the two were teammates at Roseau HS. Another former Roseau High forward who looked good was David Lundbohm, a cousin of  North Dakota freshman forward Andy Lundbohm. Big forward Jackson Harren, out of Warroad HS, also looked good, notching two goals in the clubs 5-3 loss to Springfield. 6'2", 210 lb. Bryce Methven of Mora, Minn., who played for the Ice Sharks last season, also stood out from the pack. If you're beginning to think that coach Dave Christian (Warroad High, class of 1977) has assembled a regional team, you're right on the money. Over half the squad is from the Greater Grand Forks-Roseau-Warroad area. One player who isn't from anywhere remotely close to the area is 6'1" defenseman Ryan Bailey of Medford, Mass. Bailey, who played for the Lawrenceville School last year, was a long-shot coming into the Ice Sharks' camp. He's stuck with the team, though an injury kept him from playing over the weekend. Goaltending appears to be the Ice Sharks' weakest area.

The following teams did not qualify for the playoffs:

The Soo Indians:  The top forwards were 5'8" Chris Gobert of Marquette, Michigan and 5'9" Nick Kormanyos of Massena, NY, both returnees. On defense, Mike Bozoian and Brad Fraser both played solid D, and added some offense, too. Ryan Miller, of course, is the #1 goaltender. He'll be going to Michigan State next fall.

North Iowa Huskies:  6'2", 175 lb. left-shot D Matt DeMarchi attended the Erie Otters tryout camp but is back for his second year with the Huskies. DeMarchi, an '81 and a native of Bemidji, Minn., is the Huskies best prospect. Actually, all the Huskies best prospects are defensemen. 6'0", 193 lb. Mike McLean, from Fargo South HS, played very well, as did Kent Sauer's younger brother, 6'3, 215 lb. Kurt Sauer, an '81 birthdate out of St. Cloud Apollo HS. Given his age -- he's a '78 -- former Shattuck D Matt Medvecz, a second-year Huskie, has less upside than DeMarchi, McLean, and Sauer -- but he's perhaps the most ready of the bunch.  Up front, the Troy Linna-Nick Anderson-Marcus Willy line played well. 6'1" Cushing forward Chris Barry is out of the Huskies lineup with a broken wrist.

Waterloo Black Hawks: With Joe Exter and Mike Walsh, the Blackhawks should be strong in goal. Exter played a handful of games with the Erie Otters (OHL) last year, so he'll have to do some sitting when he enrolls at Merrimack next fall. Walsh would  have been entering his senior year at Kimball Union this year. On defense, Canterbury's Tom Galvin held his own. Up front, 5'9" center Jeff Adduono, an '81 who last year played Jr. A in Ontario with the Smith Falls Bears, is a player worth keeping an eye on. Anthony Switek, who played at the National Sports Academy last season, is very dangerous in tight. The Hawks best line consists of returnees Tom Ogee, Ryan Hale, and B.J. Stephens. 

Danville Wings: At 0-3, Danville was the only team to go winless in the tournament. But they're also very young, with six '80s and seven '81s in the lineup. 5'8" center Derek Edwardson, who played with Team Illinois last year is highly skilled. 6'2" left-shot D Tommy Watkins, who played last year with the Marquette Electricians, could develop into an excellent player. Another 6'2" defenseman, Scott Sinclair, also stood out. He's out of St. Paul Harding HS. Jason Costa, a Washington Little Caps product who over the last few years has bounced back and forth a lot between the wing and D, is on the blue line this year. We like him at both positions. Martin Kresac, a goaltender out of the Czech Republic and Winchester (Mass.) HS, struggled up at Hayward, but he could be very good before long. He'll likely be rotating with Mike Mantua, who's a year younger, and also an excellent prospect. By the way, following the tournament, defenseman Matt Gossett had his shoulder operated on. It had been bothering him since late last winter. He'll be back in December.

9/16/98                      UNH Lands Top Power Forward

Former St. Sebastian's forward Patrick Foley has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of New Hampshire next year.

Foley, who is spending his senior year with the National Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will be making his offficial visit to the Durham, N.H. campus in October.

Over the weekend, Foley, a 6'0", 196 lb. left wing from Milton, Mass., scored a hat trick vs. the Erie Otters (OHL) at the Plymouth Tournament. A week ago, on Sept. 9 at Ann Arbor's Ice Cube, Foley had his first fight, pummeling a Sarnia Sting (OHL) prospect who'd cross-checked him once too often. Reportedly, the fight turned the game around for the U.S., which went on to win.

Names in the News

Smooth-skating former Xaverian defenseman Noah Welch is now a sophomore at St. Sebastian's. Welch, 6'2", 175 lbs., was one of the better D's on the Mass. Select 16 Team over the summer.

Former Apple Core defenseman David Hughes is playing for the Chicago Freeze this year. Hughes, who played for the gold-medal winning New York State Select 17 team this summer, is  5'10", 205 lbs., and the son of John Hughes, who, along with Dick Bertrand, Dan Lodboa, and Brian Cropper, was a star for Ned Harkness' undefeated (29-0) Big Red squad of 1969-70. Trivia buffs will recall that Cropper took over in net for Ken Dryden, whose college record -- 76-4-1 record and a 1.59 GAA -- is worthy of remembrance. 

Anyway, getting back to the present, a new player for Applecore is Atilla Hoffman, a 5'11" center from Hungary. Naturally, he's known as Atilla the Hun. 

Last week, we reported that former Danville Wings (NAHL) defenseman Tim Branham might be going major junior with the Barrie Colts, which had selected him in the 5th round of the OHL draft. He's not. Branham, a 6'1" left shot, will be playing in the USHL with the Rochester Mustangs.

Ryan Rising

After following up a 36-point season with an excellent  Hockey Night in Boston tournment, Mike Ryan goes into his senior year at BC High as a hot commodity. Northeastern, BU, and BC are all recruiting him hard. Ryan, who played for Milton High before transferring to BC High and sitting out a year (that's the rule in Mass.), is a nifty playmaker who can also finish.  Until recently, he was on the small side, but has benefitted from a late growth spurt. He's 6'1", 174 now.

9/9/98                         Minnesota Project Ready to Go

Project Prep, spearheaded by Herb Brooks, Jack Blatherwick, and Ted Brill, gets underway with a full slate of five games (in Albert Lea, the Twin Cities, the Iron Range, and Bemidji) this Saturday.

The project is an attempt to offer state high school players -- through three hours of on-ice practice each week, dry-land training, and a 12-game pre-season  schedule --   a reason to stay home. In recent years, a good number of the top underclassmen in the state have taken their talents to the USHL and the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

While much of the top talent in the state will be taking part in the program-- we'll post the rosters next week -- there will be some big names missing. Hastings senior Jeff Taffe will be playing this fall with the Rochester Mustangs (USHL), while his linemate, Dan Welch, will be playing football. Elk River's Paul Martin will also pass up the program in favor of football.

Minnesota's high school hockey coaches have been fairly neutral concerning the program. Some of this reticence, certainly, comes from a desire not to alienate the coaches of other sports at their high schools. Project Prep will not only affect fall sports -- there's a spring component to worry the state's baseball coaches.

All games will be 60-minute stop time. The 12-game schedule will conclude with a fall preview tournament October 22-25 at the Super Rink in Blaine.   

We'll have more on this as the fall goes along.

By the way, hockey is moving back into the spotlight this weekend. In Wisconsin, the Hayward Invitational gets underway with seven teams from the USHL and three from the NAHL. We'll get you word on how it goes sometime next week. As for us, we'll be up in Ontario, splitting time between the Golden Horseshoe Tournament in Fort Erie, and the Toronto Red Wings Bantam Tournament in North York. We'll have something on that next week, too.

We've been a little slow on getting new stories up this week. The reason? We've been busy retooling. By doing it now, when the season is going full-bore we'll have everything in place to bring you coverage that's illuminating, entertaining, and timely. So bear with us, folks, and don't forget to fax us or e-mail schedules, rosters, news, and, yes, rumors and speculation (if they sound good, we check 'em out).

Hynes Traded

6'2" defenseman Mark Hynes of the Erie Otters has been traded to the St. Michael's majors for a late-round pick in the next OHL draft. Two years ago,   Hynes of St. John's, Newfoundland, committed to the St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H. before changing his mind and going major junior with Erie.

Speaking of St. Paul's, both returning goaltender Matt Hanson and incoming recruit Tim Graham, a speedy, skilled winger from the Cardigan Mountain School, looked sharp when we checked in on them at the Labor Day Invitational in Marlboro, Mass.

And speaking of Erie, both 9th-round defenseman Matt DeMarchi and 6th-round winger Scott Neil have left the Erie camp in order to keep their NCAA eligibility, while first-round center Brad Boyes signed.

In other OHL news, the Windsor Spitfires 3rd-round pick, left wing T.J. Warkus, and the Guelph Storm's 4th-round pick, center Paul Davies, have both decided to forgo major junior and keep their NCAA eligibility intact.

Defenseman Tim Branham, who played for the Danville Wings last season, looks like he'll stick with the Barrie Colts. Rob Globke, former Compuware Midgets center, was in the Plymouth Whalers camp for 48 hours.

We also have another college commitment, and it's a big one for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, who will be bringing Twin Cities Vulcans goalie Jason Jensen on board next fall.

9/8/98                                         Not So Fast

A week ago, before going on vacation, we reported that Barrett Heisten had decided to forgo his University of Maine scholarship in order to go major junior with the Seattle Thunderbirds (OHL).

Perhaps we jumped the gun, for over Labor Day weekend, Heisten arrived in Orono, one week late. Previously, he had spent 36 hours at Seattle's camp.

This is all driving us a little crazy, as Heisten has flip-flopped between the WHL and Maine a number of times since initially committing there.

It's legitimate to question how long Heisten, whose play at the recent U.S. junior camp at Lake Placid, N.Y. marked him as a bone fide Division I impact freshman, will play college hockey.

Heisten, a 6'1", 184 lb. left wing from Anchorage, Alaska, was 11-26-37 in 50 games for the U.S. Under-18 Team last season. He was second on the team with 245 penalty minutes (For the record, Kyle Clark was first with 287 penalty minutes.). In '96-97, Heisten played for the Alaska North Stars Midgets and Diamond (Alaska) High School, and was picked by the Thunderbirds in the fifth round of the WHL Bantam Draft. He's particularly quick for his size, and physical -- he can both hit and take a hit. If he opts in to next June's NHL draft in Boston, he's a possible mid-first round pick.

Heisten has long indicated -- in rather indirect ways -- that college was not particularly high among his life's goals, but was instead something he was primarily considering in deference to his parents.

His agent is Brian Lawton.

USHR's Chambers Returns to School

Geoff Chambers, who came to the U.S. Hockey Report as an intern over a year ago and quickly rose to become a trusted associate, is leaving this week to complete his degree at Georgetown University in Washington. While his absence on a daily basis is already being felt, Geoff will continue working  for the Hockey Report -- though nowhere near as much as we'd like. He can still be reached through this site but, as he doesn't yet have a phone in Washington,  E-mail will be the best bet for now.

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