December News

12/30/98  

CC, Michigan State, UNH Get Commitments

Right wing Steve Clark of the Streetsville Derbys of the Ontario Provincial Junior A league has commited to Michigan State. In thirty-four games, Clark, an '81 birthdate, has a 29-38-67 line to go along with 58 penalty minutes. Clark is 6'2",170 lbs. 

Left Wing Colin Hemingway of the South Surrey Eagles (BCHL) will be playing for UNH next winter.  The 6'0", 175 lb. Hemingway, a right shot playing the left side, finished last season with 12 goals and 16 assists in 58 games for the Surrey, which won Canada's National Jr. A championship. Right now, he has a 20-48-68 line in 37 games played and sits in seventh place in the league scoring race. .  

6'2", 180 lb. defenseman Matt DeMarchi of Bemidji, Minnesota and the USHL's North Iowa Huskies has given a verbal commitment to Colorado College.

NMH Sophomore in World Junior Tourney

You're not likely to see Northfield-Mt. Hermon sophomore Csaba Dekaney skating for Jim Ward's Hoggers this weekend at the Watkins Tournament.   That's because Dekaney is playing for his native Hungary in the B Pool of the World Junior Championships.  The B Pool consists of Denmark, France (which includes UMass-Lowell freshman Yorick Treille), Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine.  You can follow Dekaney's progress at this Pool B site.

The United States team, playing in the A Pool in Winnipeg, is now 0-3 after losing 3-2, on a last-minute goal to Slovakia last night. The U.S. plays Canada tonight, and the game will be picked up by several cable outlets in the states. Comcast and Fox Sports New England will show the game live at 6 pm tonight, while Empire Sports Network (Jan. 7 at 7 pm), Fox Sports Detroit (Jan. 2 at 4 pm), and Midwest Sports Channel (Jan.1 at 7 pm) will show the games on tape delay.

From the absurd category: Holland defeated Turkey 37-0 yesterday in Pool D action.

12/28/98  

Mount Up for the Challenge

WOONSOCKET, R.I. --

Mt. St. Charles defeated in-state rival LaSalle 5-3 in the finals of the Mt. St. Charles Holiday Face-Off tonight. Tied 2-2 after two periods, Mount put LaSalle away with goals from Chris Chaput and Pat Bruen early in the third. With the goaltender out, LaSalle's Pat Walsh would cut the lead to one in the final minute, but Mount added an empty-net goal for the final margin of victory.

Both teams had good scoring opportunities early but Mt. St. Charles would get on the board first as Josh Venice converted Chaput's feed from behind the net with 49 seconds remaining in the opening period. 57 seconds into the second period, Mount struck again, this time Justin Laverdiere beat LaSalle goaltender Jim Merola with a slap shot from the right side.

LaSalle gained some momentum when Mount's Greg Barner was whistled for a game misconduct for hitting from behind.  LaSalle Miah Carey converted with the extra man, and sophomore Joe Lombardo buried a wrist shot from the face-off circle five minutes later to tie the game.

Along with Mt. St. Charles and LaSalle, the tournament featured six other teams.  Here's a look at some of the intriguing prospects from the tournament, in no particular order:

Matt Windhol, D, Bishop Guertin: Good prep school prospect. The sophomore defenseman has a solid frame.  He's still growing into his body, so he's a little awkward at this stage.

Tim Morrison, C, Bishop Guertin: At 6'4"-220, the junior transfer from Hanover (MA) HS catches your attention right away.  Sure, he's an ugly skater but he can bury it.  Sees the ice well and has good hockey sense.

A.J. Greco, C, St. Joe's (Buffalo): Greco has improved his quickness since the summer.  Not a scorer but works hard to create opportunities.  Greco, an '83 sophomore, is a potential invitee to the U.S. Under-18 program's tryout camp in the spring.           

Justin Niefer, C, St. Joe's (Buffalo): Spent last year at St. Paul's but is back home in Buffalo.  Only has average hands, but is a very smart player who is always working hard.  Niefer is a good athlete with speed and quickness.  Had a hat trick in St. Joe's 5-2 defeat of North Yarmouth Academy in the third place game.

Pat Walsh, D, LaSalle: LaSalle's best player, Walsh is a steady defenseman with division one potential.  Will probably end up in prep school next fall.

Sean Ryan, F, St. Joe's (Buffalo): This junior has good puck skills and looks like a good prep school or junior candidate from our vantage point.

Mt. St. Charles has a bevy of young talent with Greg Barner, Justin Laverdiere, and Chris Chaput the best of the bunch.  

-GFC

12/25/98

A Player to Keep in Mind

Merry Christmas to all, and Merry Christmas, too, to Sioux City Musketeers 6'2" defenseman A.J. Kratofil, who only wishes that Div. I recruiters keep him in their thoughts.

They sure won't be seeing him play -- at least until next fall.

Last month, late in a 5-2 loss at Omaha two days after appearing in the King of the Hill Tournament, Kratofil went back for a touch icing, was interfered with and went, knee-first,  straight into the end boards, snapping his right femur, perhaps the hardest bone in the body to break.

"I heard a cracking sound," said Sioux City assistant coach Leigh Mendelson, who was behind the bench that night. "I thought it was the sound of his stick breaking. Then I saw his stick lying there next to him on the ice -- and it wasn't broken."

The next day, Kratofil had a steel rod and pin inserted into his knee, his season over. If Kratofil, who has a full year of eligiblity left in the USHL, decides to come back -- and if he recovers fully -- he will be a fourth-year junior player and one of the top defensemen in the league. At the time of his injury, Clarkson, Miami, and Denver were all talking to him. And why not? At 6'2", he's big enough, he's tough to beat one-on-one, he has good hands and he can see the ice (he was on Sioux City's first power-play unit).

On top of all that, Kratofil has had to work extremely hard to get to where he's at. Three years ago, the native of Lititz, PA (that's outside the city of Lancaster, in an area better known for producing football players) was a 16-year-old playing Single A midget hockey for the Lancaster Firebirds.

At the conclusion of the season, Mendelson, then working as an assistant with the St. Louis Sting, invited Kratofil to the NAHL team's camp. He started the season as the #7 D. By the end of the season, he was the #1 guy.

The following year, Mendelson moved on, taking an assistant's job at Sioux City and bringing Kratofil into training camp there. Once again, Kratofil made the cut, but once again he was starting a season as the #7 D.

Right before last season's Buc Bowl, Kratofil went home, wondering if he wasn't wasting his time chasing his hockey dream when his family needed an extra hand back home. So he went home, but seven weeks later, Kratofil called, asking if he could return to Sioux City. He knew he had to give it one more shot. After sitting out his first game back, Kratofil got into the lineup the next night and, by the end of the season, he was his club's top D. He was also the club's ironman, not missing a single game -- until now.

Shattuck On the Way

The Cushing Tournament starts a week from tonight in Ashburnham, Mass., and all eyes will be on the powerful Shattuck-St. Mary's squad, the hands-down favorite to walk away with the title. There's strength up and down the lineup. For starters, watch junior Ben Eaves, a 5'9" forward who, come next July 1st, will likely have all the top Div. I colleges in the land pounding on his door, hat in hand. Eaves is the son of  Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Eaves, the former Wisconsin center who went on to the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and Calgary Flames. A lot of recruiters will be watching new senior Ryan Caldwell, a 6'3", 175 lb. defenseman out of Manitoba being pursued by, among others, the University of Denver and Miami. And, even though his draft year is several years away, you can practically pencil 6'4", 205 lb. 15-year-old defenseman Brent MacLellan of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia into the top of the first round. A lot of people wondered why a high profile coach like Andy Murray, most recently with Canada's national program, took the Shattuck job over the summer. The answer: Craig Hartsburg was picked for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks job. Murray, the other finalist for the job, wasn't going to sit around doing nothing. Now, he has the top prep team in the land. (By the way, if Shattuck has a weakness, it's in net). 

A BB&N Update

The lastest on the saga of BB&N coach Jonathan Schuster is that his suspension from his hockey duties will continue until April. The suspension stems from a pre-Thanksgiving incident that began when Schuster, while running a drill at practice, was hit in the leg by an errant slapshot. While in pain, he slashed at and shoved the offending player, senior forward Joe deCristoforo. Exactly how hard and where is the basic issue, and it seems to depend on perspective as much as anything. As we reported earlier, there's a split on the team, with a number of parents lining up behind Schuster and a number lining up against him. Further complicating things is the fact that two of Schuster's sons play on the team.

Shortly after the incident, Schuster sent a letter of apology to all his players' families. He was behind the bench for BB&N's first two games of the season, but won't be again -- at least this year.

In his absence, the team is being run by assistants Rick Forestaire and Steve Counihan. In the Avon Tournament the team, reeling from both the internal problems and injuries, was totally hammered, finishing last in the eight-team field. One highlight, however, was the play of junior goaltender Richard Massey of Weymouth, who looked very good when we saw him in a losing effort against Gunnery.

Schuster, by the way, will be continuing his teaching duties at the school. A 1973 graduate of BB&N, Schuster went on to Harvard and worked 15 years as a surgeon before returning to his alma mater. 

The USHR's phone calls to the school have gone unreturned, which is not unusual. Reporters from news organizations much larger than the USHR reported similar problems in a mid-80's abuse case at the school involving an English teacher. (For the record, this typist attended BB&N for four years).

A Not-So-Merry Christmas

The University of Maine has stuck a lump of coal in the stocking of U.S. Under-18 team forward Chris Purslow, now claiming they can't admit the forward they committed to earlier this fall.

12/23/98

Sedins Sit Out; U.S. Wins Big

Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 23 -- The U.S. National Junior Team, in an exhibition game earlier tonight at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, defeated the Sedin-less Swedish National Junior Team, 6-2.

Both twins, forwards Daniel and Henrik, sat out the game because, the Swedish coaching staff said, they wanted them rested for the tournament, which begins Sunday in Winnipeg.

But there was more to the game than just the missing players -- the Swedes weren't facing the same U.S. team, either. For one thing, Chris Madden, last spring's Memorial Cup MVP, was in goal, taking over from Joe Blackburn, the #2 U.S. goalie, who looked shaky in Monday's 5-4 loss to Sweden.

In that game, the U.S. outchanced Sweden, but were outshot 42-21. A lot of the shots came off rebounds. Tonight, with Madden in net, the shots were 27-24 in favor of Sweden. If you're reading betwen the lines here, you're onto something -- unlike last year with Jean-Marc Pelletier and Robert Esche, there will be no goalie rotation. Madden is in there for the duration.

The other big story -- just like last year -- is injuries. In Monday's game, Mike Pandolfo got conked pretty well on an open-ice hit and was later diagnosed with a second-degree concussion, which generally takes seven days to recover from. The first U.S. game is on Sunday night against Finland. Pandolfo could play in that game, or he could sit out, or be replaced on the roster. If he has to be replaced, Brett Henning, Joe Goodenow, and Dustin Kuk are the most likely candidates. 

In the second period of tonight's game, David Legwand was injured, and removed from the game with a thigh contusion, which could just be a fancy way of saying he has a bruise. At any rate, with the U.S. holding a healthy lead, and this just being an exhibition game, coach Jeff Jackson removed Legwand from the game. More details on Legwand's injury will be made available over the next day or two. 

The scoring for the U.S. on Monday came from Legwand (1g,1a); Paul Mara (1g); Tim Connolly (1g); and Matt Doman (1g). Jordan Leopold, Scott Gomez, Doug Janik, Ryan Murphy and Barrett Heisten each chipped in with an assist.

The winning goal, which was given to Sweden's Berglund, was, as game tape later revealed, actually rapped home on a high stick. Daniel Sedin led the Swedish attack with a goal and two assists, while his brother Henrik had two assists. Bergland and Weinhandl each had a pair of goals.

Last night, Heisten had two goals, both on the power play. Gomez, Murphy, Justin Morrison, and Andy Hilbert each had a goal and an assist, all at even strength. Janik had a goal, too. Single assists went to Mara, Adam Hall, and Mike Vigilante. Niklas Persson and Per Hallin scored for Sweden.

Here are the basic lines for the U.S., left to right. They're already getting messed up by injuries, however.

Heisten-Legwand-Doman

Carlson-Connolly-Hall

Murphy-Gomez-Gionta

Pandolfo-Hilbert-Morrison.

There are seven D, so there's no defensive combos per se. However, Leopold has been paired up with St. Croix; Janik with Jillson, Mara with either Tselios or Tanabe.

The team leaves early this morning for Winnipeg.

Also earlier tonight, Canada defeated Finland 3-0 in an exhibition game in Kenora, Ontario.

#1Taft-#2 Choate to Meet in L'ville Title Tilt Today

Lawrenceville, NJ,  Sun. Dec. 20 -- In Saturday night action at the Lawrenceville Tournament, Taft and Choate both won, paving the way for today's final between a pair of teams ranked #1 and #2 in the most-recent USHR Prep Poll.

In the 7 o'clock game, Taft forward Tim Pettit notched the deciding goal in a 5-4 win over Belmont Hill.

Taft sophomore Christian Jensen scored two goals in a strong performance. Erick Dalton and defenseman Evan Nielsen also scored for Taft.

Chris Unger, Chris Casey, Tristan Lush, and John Clifford scored for Belmont Hill.

In the 9 o'clock game, Choate rolled over Northfield-Mt. Hermon, 6-1.

NMH got on the board first, going up 1-0 on an unassisted tally by senior Paul Kelly.

In the second period, Choate took over on goals by Craig Wadman (who also had a pair of assists), Cameron DeYoung, and Robbie Harvey. In the third, Choate added three more, as Steve Baldassari, Chris Snizek, and Ben Krantz lit the lamp.

Choate outshot NMH, 31-16. Corey LaTulippe was in goal for the Hoggers, replaced in the final minutes by Ben Crapser. Dan Weinrieb was solid for Choate.

This afternoon? Well, Vegas has no line on the game, but we do, and here it is: Taft 4, Choate 2. Why? Taft is deeper, and more skilled.

For more info on this weekend's prep tournaments go to Holiday Tourney Central, then click on the tournament you're interested in. 

12/17/98

The Initiative

For the next few weeks -- until the end of the Christmas/New Year's tournaments -- the U.S. Hockey Report will be turning over 10% of the proceeds from all Chritmas gift subscriptions -- actually, all new subscriptions -- to the Boston Urban Hockey Initiative, a group working to bring ice time, equipment, and coaching to kids from families who'd otherwise be unable to afford to participate in the game. Our reason for doing this is two-fold. Obviously, it's a real Christmas thing to do. But beyond that, it addresses a real concern for hockey in this country. Simply put, many kids, because of the sport's high costs, never even lace up a pair of skates. Before they've even had a chance to experience hockey, they've settled in to other sports -- usually for good. Exposing these kids to the game is crucial, because it expands the talent pool, an important indicator of  future strength at all levels. Groups like The Boston Urban Hockey Initiative,  a tax-exempt organization, are out there doing it, and deserve support. For more information call Bruce Holloway, the program's director, at (617) 619-4018.

The Ultimate Christmas Gift

By far the best hockey reference book ever published came out this fall. And it's kept this typist up far too late on far too many nights.

If, like me, you've been wondering why hockey didn't have a mammoth statistical tome to rival The Baseball Encyclopedia or Total Baseball, wonder no more. The company that produced the latter volume has come through with Total Hockey. It's really pretty remarkable -- 1,792 pages crammed with articles, essays, player profiles, and page after page containing the yearly stats of every NHL player who appeared in so much as a single game. And, unlike other reference books, this one lists players' amateur numbers, so, for example, you can see how Joey Mullen did with New York's 14th Precinct (and with the Westsiders, too) not to mention his numbers at BC, Salt Lake City and all other stops in his long career. Every trade ever made in the NHL is charted here -- not to mention dispersal, waiver, and supplemental drafts. It's insane! There are also huge sections on International Hockey, the NHL's entry draft, the game's history, the evolution of various strategies, the Olympics, the World Junior Championships, and on and on until your eyes go blurry. It's really the first hockey book of the computer age, and a must-have for any hockey junkie.

If  your local bookstore has it you'll pay $49.95 plus tax -- and you'll still have to lug the damn thing home (it weighs nearly two pounds, which is a lot, particularly if you're lugging other Christmas presents).

We've secured you a deal, though -- and no heavy lifting. Subscribers of the U.S. Hockey Report can get a copy direct from the editor, Dan Diamond, for $45. No taxes, no shipping costs, either. E-mail Dan, give him your Visa, AmEx, or Mastercard number, expiration date, address, etc. and let his people take care of the rest. You won't be sorry. You can also fax your order to (416) 531-3939.

Remember to mention the special rate for U.S. Hockey Report subscribers. 

The e-mail address is ddiam48@aol.com

Bennett Hospitalized With Season-Ending Injury

Late in Saturday night's 4-2 win over Tyngsboro at the Walpole Stars Tournament, Capital   District Selects RW Ryan Bennett collided with a Tyngsboro player at center ice and returned to the bench with the wind knocked out of him.

 

A minute or two later, instead of recovering and getting ready for his next shift, Bennett was in intense pain, lying on the floor behind the bench, being attended to by a doctor.

 

An ambulance was called, and Bennett was taken to the Norwood Hospital, where he was found to be bleeding internally from a fractured spleen. Bennett is still in the Norwood Hospital and, at last report, still in the intensive care unit. Yesterday, he was sitting up for the first time, and getting liquid food. He is not expected to be released from the hospital until tomorrow (Friday) at the earliest.

 

Bennett, an '81 and a high school senior, is done playing hockey for the year. Cap District coach Jim Salfi reports that when he returned from the Walpole Tournament there was a message on his machine from Chris Wells, an assistant at Western Michigan. Wells hadn't heard of Bennett's injury... he was calling to ask Salfi for a schedule of upcoming Cap District games so he could scout the kid.

 

The number at the Norwood Hospital is (781)769-4000.

A Test

The USA Junior Select Team, an all-star team of players from the USHL and the NAHL, was announced earlier today. They'll be competing in the USA Freedom Challenge (what is this -- a debate?) in Lake Placid, NY,  Dec.27 to Jan.1   Here's the roster:

Goaltenders: Craig Kowalski, Compuware Ambassadors (Clinton Twp., Mich.); Ryan Miller,  Soo Indians (East Lansing, Mich.)

 

Defensemen: Pete Broccoli, Compuware Ambassadors (Milford, Conn.); Andy Burnes, Compuware Ambassadors (Battle Creek, Mich.); Ed Cassin, Lincoln Stars (San Antonio, Texas); Jason Jaworski, Omaha Lancers (Buffalo, NY); Troy Milam, Compuware Ambassadors (Lake Orion, Mich.); Tom Preissing, (Green Bay Gamblers) Rosemount, Minn.; Pete Summerfelt, Omaha Lancers (Anchorage, AK).

Forwards:  BJ Abel, Rochester Mustangs (Rochester, Minn.); Nick Anthony, Twin Cities Vulcans (Faribault, Minn.); Pat Brush, Compuware Ambassadors (Birmingham, Mich.); Michael Chin, Des Moines Buccaneers (Urbana, Ill.); Noah Clarke, Des Moines Buccaneers (LaVerne, Calif.); Ryan Fultz, Cleveland Barons (Rochester, Mich.) Chris Gobert, Soo Indians (Marquette, Mich.); Mark Mink, Compuware Ambassadors (Livonia, Mich.); Jed Ortmeyer, Omaha Lancers (Omaha, Neb.); Jack Redwood, Compuware Ambassadors (Trenton, Mich.); Shawn Roed, Twin Cities Vulcans (White Bear Lake, Minn.); John Shouneyia, Compuware Ambassadors (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.); Aaron Smith, St. Louis Sting (Madison, Wisc.).

Head Coach: Mike Vellucci, Compuware Ambassadors
Associate Coach: Mark Osiecki, Green Bay Gamblers

The  USA Freedom Challenge (Ecch! There's that name again!) is a five-team round robin tournament featuring Under-18 squads from Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the US National Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Click here for the Lake Placid schedule.

12/14/98

Our Top 11th Graders

The U.S. Hockey Report sprang from a paper newsletter called the New England Hockey Report. And while we've branched out, New England is still the area we know and cover best. With that in mind, we're proud to present our annual list of the top 11th graders in the region. It's a pre-season/early-season list, which means -- among other things -- that there are players we've yet to see. However, we believe that as many as 12 of the top 15 names below will still be in the top 15 at season's end -- in a different order, surely, but nonetheless there. It gets interesting below that, for there's a second tier of 20 solid DI prospects we're watching closely. As we get a feel for their progress, we'll lengthen this list. So expect a lot of movement in the coming months, and look for updates, please.

We should also mention that the following rankings reflect our assessment of a player's value to a Division  I college program over a full four years. Some players, of course, will step in and contribute right away; the value of others may be somewhat backloaded.   

Also, as you study this list bear in mind that we're not ranking NHL potential. That's a fish of a different color. But since we've brought it up, we'll say that New England Coyotes defenseman Michael Komisarek is our top 11th grade pro prospect from this region.

New England-New York

11th Graders; Ranked for NCAA DI Potential

12/13/98

It's Zavisza, Coyotes in Triple OT

It took three overtimes, but the New England Coyotes, on a goal by J.R. Zavisza, knocked off Apple Core in the championship game of the Walpole Stars' Tournament today. .

Earlier, Coyotes defenseman Peter Ollari sent the game into OT when he scored with 45 seconds left in regulation.

It was Apple Core's second overtime game of the day. In the morning semifinals, a Vinnie Hellemeyer slapshot at 3:07 of the first OT knocked off the host Walpole Stars. Walpole played without defenseman Mike Matta, who was injured Saturday when he and big Apple Core D Doug Murray collided. Also out with an injury was Walpole center Marius Anderson. Chris Heisten was injured, but played -- until the third period, when a hit in the corner reaggravated a tender knee.

In the other morning semifinal, the Coyotes shredded the Cap District Selects, 9-0, and it wasn't even that close. 

Here's the All-Tournament Team: Forwards: Jon DiSalvatore (N.E. Coyotes); Evan Wax (Apple Core); Chris Heisten (Walpole Stars). Defense: Michael Komisarek (N.E. Coyotes); Doug Murray (Apple Core). Goal: Chris Frechette (N.E. Coyotes).

Get Well, Joe!

A familiar face has been missing from the rinks the last couple of weekends. New Jersey Devils scout Joe Mahoney suffered a mild heart attack driving back to his Plymouth, Mass. home after the Dec. 2 Lawrence Academy-Boston Bulldogs game. He was subsequently hospitalized for five days, and is now awaiting test results that will determine whether bypass surgery is necessary.  We look forward to seeing him around the rinks again soon.

An Off-Day Tip

With prep league games ending Wednesday and the holiday tournaments getting under way on Friday, that leaves Thursday open for recruiters and scouts in the area. You may want to check out the Exeter Invitational, a five team, two-game mini-tournament that gets under way Thursday at 10 am with Northwood meeting St. Thomas (Ont.). After a long lunch, and perhaps a tour of the campus (it really does look like a college) you can pick it up again with the 3 p.m. Exeter-Culver game. Northwood and Gov. Dummer will meet at 5 pm. (By the way, GDA goaltender Paul Morrissey, who routinely faces 50 shots a game, was excellent in a 5-3 loss to Milton on Saturday.)  On Friday, GDA meets St. Thomas at 11 am, and Exeter meets Northwood at 1 pm. Of course, by then most everyone -- Culver Academy included -- has made their way south to the Flood-Marr, or Lawrence, or Avon.

Friday is expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid-30s.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

We've seen Zambonis break down more times than we can count. We've seen Zambonis crash into the boards, run into people, and we've even seen a drunk Zamboni driver actually fall off his machine. But a Zamboni catching fire? That's what we're told happened Saturday at KUA. Hence the Westminster at Kimball Union game was rubbed out. The makeup game was tentatively scheduled for this Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Westminster, but that appears to have been scrapped. Right now, there's no makeup date.

Not So Fast

We spoke too soon. Albany Academy senior forward Marc Cavosie, who'd applied early admission to Harvard, will instead stay in the Capital District area and play for RPI next year.

Prep Coach Suspended

Buckingham Browne & Nichols head hockey coach Jonathan Schuster has been suspended from his duties with the team.

The troubles at BB&N were thrust into the spotlight with the school's decision to cancel the game against Lawrence Academy scheduled for yesterday. Later today, the school will decide whether or not to play tomorrow's game against Roxbury Latin.

The suspension stems from a two-week old incident that began when Schuster, while running a drill at practice, was hit in the leg by an errant slapshot. In pain, he reportedly slashed at the player, senior forward Joe deCristoforo. Exactly how hard and where is the basic issue, and it seems to depend on perspective as much as anything.

From all we've been able to gather, it seems that there's a split on the team, with a number of parents lining up behind Schuster and a number lining up against him. Further complicating things is the fact that two of Schuster's sons play on the team.

Shortly after the incident, Schuster sent a letter of apology to all his players' families. He was behind the bench for BB&N's first two games of the season, against Middlesex and St. Paul's.

It's unclear how this will sort itself out, but it's obviously thrown a program that last year showed signs of resurgence back into a tailspin.

Our calls to BB&N and Schuster haven't been returned -- so the lawyers are probably into this one.

Schuster is a 1973 graduate of BB&N. He went on to Harvard and then worked 15 years as a surgeon before going back to his alma mater. He also teaches biology.  

Tournament Update

Schedules, results, and news from all the major Christmas/New Year's prep tournaments can now be found on the New England Prep Page.

Ontario Under-17 Team Named

Four are Tier II players; the rest major junior. Here's the roster:

Goaltenders: Miguel Beaudry (Collingwood Tier II); T.J.Aceti (Bramalea Tier II).

Defencemen: Mark Popovic (St.Mikes); Paul Ballantyne (Soo); Jay Harrison (Brampton);  Tyler Hanchuck (Brampton); Carter Trevisani (Milton Tier II); Chris Eade (North Bay); Bobby Turner (London).

Forwards: Mike Cammallerri (Bramalea Tier II); Ryan Hare (Sarnia); Mike Werstadt (Kitchener); Brad Boyes (Erie); Miguel Deslisle (Ottawa); Lou Dickenson (Mississauga);
Jesse MacLeish (Peterborough); Nate Herrington (Guelph); Darryl Thomson (Kingston); Jonah Leroux (Oshawa); Kris Newbury (Belleville).

 

Cavosie Harvard Bound

RPI has made a big push for native son Marc Cavosie, a 6'1" forward at Albany Academy, but it looks like they may fall short -- Cavosie has applied for early admission to Harvard.

Eric Cavosie, Marc's older brother, is currently a freshman at RPI.

Central Scouting Bureau Rankings No Secret

The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau has released its fall rankings of draft-eligible players. It's supposed to be secret, but nobody's ever given us a good reason why -- so here it is.

Click here for Fall '98 CSB Rankings

Dunlop Picks Notre Dame

Connor Dunlop will be going to Notre Dame next fall. The son of former NHL forward Blake Dunlop is in his second year with the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich, and has a 6-13-19 line in 22 games. Dunlop, 'an 81 birthdate, plays for the older team, which is now 20-3-1 in USHL competition.

Dunlop, who is 5'9", 180 lbs.,  can play center or left wing. He's from St. Louis, where he played for the St. Louis Midget AAA team before moving on to Ann Arbor. 

Boston College and Notre Dame were Dunlop's final two choices.

 

Our Top Seniors

The U.S. Hockey Report sprang from a paper newsletter called the New England Hockey Report. And while we've branched out, New England is still the area we know and cover best. With that in mind, we're proud to present our annual list of the top college-eligible seniors in the region. It's a pre-season/early season list, which means -- among other things -- that there are players we've yet to see. Expect a lot of movement in the coming months.

We should also mention that the following rankings reflect our assessment of a player's value to a Division  I college program over a full four years. Some players, of course, will step in and contribute right away; the value of others may be somewhat backloaded.   

Also, as you study this list bear in mind that we're not ranking NHL potential. That's a fish of a different color. But since we've brought it up, we want to let you know that we will be publishing the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau prospect list in the next day or two. Then, next week, we'll come out with our 11th grade list. Sometime after the new year, we'll release our 10th grade list. All lists will be updated as time allows.

New England-New York

12th Graders; Ranked for NCAA DI Potential

*The following list is based solely on the observations of the USHR staff*

12/1/98

26 Invited to National Junior Camp

 

 

 

The team features seven returnees from last year's team -- their names are italicized on the roster below. In addition, Chris Madden was also on the team as the #3 goaltender (behind Jean-Marc Pelletier and Robert Esche) but saw no game action.

 

 

Ty Jones, Dustin Kuk, and Jay Leach were members of last year's team, participated in the summer camp at Lake Placid, but didn't make yesterday's cut. Of the three, the cutting of Jones, a Chicago Black Hawks first round pick who had 84 points at Spokane (WHL) last season, will generate the most debate. However, Jones looked pretty poor at Lake Placid, taking dumb penalties and, in general, playing undisciplined hockey.

 

Other big names that won't be at camp in Ann Arbor include Brooks Orpik, Kevin Mitchell, and Mike Rupp.

 

Here's who will be going:

 

GOALTENDERS (3): Joe Blackburn, '79 (Michigan State); Chris Madden, '79 (Guelph -OHL); Phillipe Sauve, '80 (Rimouski -QMJHL).

 

DEFENSEMEN (8): Andrew Hutchinson, '80 (Michigan State); Doug Janik, '80 (Maine);
Jeff Jillson, '80 (Michigan); Jordan Leopold, '80 (Minnesota); Paul Mara, '79 (Plymouth- OHL); Chris St. Croix, '79 (Kamloops-WHL); Dave Tanabe, '80 (Wisconsin): Nikos Tselios, '79 (Plymouth -OHL).

 

FORWARDS (15): Dan Carlson, '79 (Notre Dame); Kevin Colley, '79 (Oshawa-OHL);
Tim Connolly, '81 (Erie-OHL); Matt Doman, '80 (Wisconsin); Brian Gionta, '79 (Boston College); Scott Gomez, '79 (Tri-Cities-WHL); Adam Hall, '80 (Michigan State); Barrett Heisten, '80 (Maine); Andy Hilbert, '81 (US Under-18 Team); David Inman, '80 (Notre Dame);David Legwand, '80 (Plymouth-OHL); Justin Morrison, '79 (Colorado College); Ryan Murphy, '79 (Bowling Green); Mike Pandolfo, '79 (Boston University); Mike Vigilante, '79  (Lake Superior State).

 

                     Tournament Update

Kimball Union Academy has just announced their New Year's Tournament. It'll run two days, Thursday Dec. 31 and Friday January 1. Returning from last year will be Milton Academy, New Hampton, BB&N, Millbrook, and, of course, Kimball Union, the hosts. New this year will be Pomfret, Winchendon, and the Petit Selects, a Midget AAA team from Milwaukee coached by Sean Bosack, who played at Brown and is now practicing law in Milwaukee.

Anyway, we have all the regular-season schedules up, and now, as soon as we complete them, we're posting the Christmas and New Year's tournaments. It's a boring job typing them up, real drudge work, but they're useful so what the hell. Once we complete them all, we'll be posting them to the Prep Page, so all you'll have to do is go to one spot to make travel plans (or, for that matter, just to follow the action from home.)

Also, please check out our weekly composite prep school schedule by clicking on the Prep Page and going to This Week's Schedule.

NEW!  Click here for the Cushing Academy New Year's Tournament

NEW!  Click here for the Nichols School Tournament

NEW!  Click here for the Tabor New Year's Tournament

Click here for the Kimball Union New Year's Tournament.

Click here for the Lawrence-Groton Christmas Tournament

Click here for the Lawrenceville Christmas Tournament

Click here for the Flood-Marr Tournament.

Click here for the Avon Old Farms Christmas Tournament

Click here for the Barber Tournament

12/01/98

Road Trip Reprise     

Readers of the old New England Hockey Report (the paper precursor to this web site) might recall a sidebar feature we'd occasionally run -- the Road Trip of the Month.  What we searched for was the bonanza any self-respecting scout or recruiter looks for -- i.e. the maximum number of quality games within a compressed time and space.

We have one for you this weekend.

Friday night at  7:15, the New England Coyotes are at Deerfield Academy. Deerfield is chafing a bit over our picking them #6 in the pre-season poll. While there's no denying they look good on paper, we wonder if  they are hungry enough. Coach Jim Lindsay has a strong core of returning veterans, many already ticketed to DI schools. Will their trip to the finals last season have turned them complacent? When teams come gunning for them, will they be ready? Friday night, we should get some answers.

Saturday night, we stay in the Berkshires. We're not there for quaintness, either, just a reasonably- priced motel. Does such an animal exist in the bosky, bucolic Berkshires? This, too, is a big question.

Starting Saturday afternoon, we have a triple-dip lined up. At 3 p.m., Canterbury will be at Hotchkiss. More questions: How will Hotchkiss' horde of new players fit in? How will Brett Nowak fare without Todd Jackson on the wing?  How much will goaltender Jason Lefevre, now at Colgate, be missed?    

At 4 p.m., Choate will be at Salisbury, which is only a couple of miles from Hotchkiss. Clear the track for Eddie Shack. (Naturally, we hope the game starts a little late.)  

Afterwards, we'll mosey 10 miles up Route 41 to Sheffield, Mass. for a 7:30 game -- Taft at Berkshire. Taft is loaded with talented veterans -- Dennis Nam, John Longo, Brad D'Arco, Tim Pettit, Evan Nielsen, et al -- and some excellent newcomers -- notably goaltender Mark Spadacinni, and forwards Christian Jensen and Tim Plant. As for the opposition, Berkshire won't be a pushover.  Coach Larry Rocha has brought in some players. Check out forward Morgan McElman from New Brunswick; and a pair of young California forwards, Gabe Gauthier and Nick Tsiantar.    

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