02/01/99 10:47 PM
January News
Murray Update
Shattuck-St. Mary's head coach Andy Murray will be staying at the Faribault, Minnesota prep school rather than accepting an assistant coaching position with the Vancouver Canucks. Murray is currently in the process of upgrading next year's schedule with more games against Manitoba Junior Hockey League and USHL teams. So it appears, for now, that Murray will return to Shattuck for the 1999-2000 hockey season.
Murray's son, Brady, 14, is one of the outstanding players on Shattuck's bantam team.
It's About Time
In a story that should have been run five months ago, Northfield-Mt. Hermon center Paul Kelly has committed to a Hockey East school. Kelly will skate at Boston College next winter. Kelly bolsters BC's class which includes U.S. Under-18 defenseman Bill Cass, St. Sebastian's goaltender Tim Kelleher, and Cushing forward Jeremy Wilson.
With Kelly out of the mix, who are the top uncommitted players left in New England? In our opinion, Lawrence Academy left wing Chris Vail and Choate center Sam Paolini are the best of what's left. Look for our revised senior rankings by the end of next week.
A Player to Watch: Tomaz Razingar
Tomaz Razingar recently joined the Newmarket Hurricanes of the OPJHL, after skating for his native Slovenia in pool C of the World Junior Championships. Razingar is outstanding. He shows you something new every shift, and is a dominant force. He's able to go through traffic and wastes no time getting the puck on net. He also has great shot selection. Razingar, 6'2", 195 lb., is strong -- he'll lean on guys trying to check him, then spin away quickly to open ice. Recently, three NHL scouts came out to watch Razingar play. He's a left-shot center and a 1979 birthdate.
1/29/99
Murray Headed West?
New Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford has offered an assistant coaching position with the NHL team to Shattuck-St. Mary's head coach Andy Murray. Murray is considering the offer, but the major drawback is that he would have to leave Shattuck immediately.
"I do have a team here with which I made a commitment at the start of the year," Murray told the Vancouver Province. "All year we've stressed team play and we've really grown close. It would be tough to leave right now."
One report from TSN placed Murray on a plane to Vancouver to accept the job. This is false. Murray is currently on a bus headed for Deloraine, Manitoba where the Shattuck prep team will practice later today. They will then make the thirty mile trek to Bottineau, North Dakota for a weekend series with Minot State.
People close to the situation feel Murray will stay at Shattuck, and there's even a good possibility he'll return to the Faribault, Minnesota boarding school for next season.
In other news from Shattuck-St. Mary's, forward Max Bull and defenseman Ryan Caldwell will visit North Dakota later this weekend. Miami came to see Caldwell practice on Tuesday, and is trying to schedule a campus visit in February. Caldwell has already taken visits to Denver and Mankato State.
The Spezza Saga
On Wednesday, Brampton Battalion center Jason Spezza became the first fifteen year old to play in an OHL All-Star Game. Spezza played right wing on a line centered by Erie's Tim Connolly with Guelph's Kent McDonell on the left wing. Spezza played quite well. He picked up one point in the game, assisting on a Connolly goal.
One impressive aspect of Spezza's game is his superior reach. He is able to dangle the puck out far from his body then easily bring it back in without affecting his balance or speed. He's a no-brainer choice as the number one selection in June's OHL Draft. It's also a no-brainer that the Mississauga Ice Dogs, the other expansion franchise in the OHL, will have the number one selection in the draft. After all, the Ice Dogs are currently 1-42-3. Unfortunately for the Ice Dogs, Spezza has said he will not report to Mississauga should they take him with the pick.
So what should Mississauga do? They can take Spezza and hope he changes his mind. On the flip side, they can take him and watch him move on to the IHL as has been speculated as of late. Or they can pass on the best OHL prospect since Eric Lindros (and the risk picking him entails) altogether. In that case, their consolation prize is center Jay McClement. Incidentally, McClement played for new Ice Dogs coach Jim Hulton with Kingston Jr. A earlier in the year.
Spezza is 17-37-54 in 46 games with Brampton. You can read USHR's scouting reports of McClement, Spezza, and other top OHL Draft prospects in our OHL Draft Scouting Reports section.
1/27/99
Defense, Anyone?
Michael Chin had two goals and an assist to pace the South All-Stars to an 8-5 win over the North All-Stars in last night's USHL All-Star Game in Rochester, Minn.
Chin, a right wing from the Des Moines Buccaneers, was named the game's MVP.
Kenny Smith Takes the Bitter with the Sweet
On the weekend of Feb. 6-7, the U.S. Under-17 Team will be playing a two-game series in Boston against the Eastern Junior Hockey League All-Stars. Missing from the U.S. lineup will be defensemen Kenny Smith and Brett Lebda, who'll both be appearing in the North American Hockey League All-Star game to be held that same weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Lebda is from Illinois, but Smith, the 6'2" former Catholic Memorial defenseman from Stoneham, Mass., had been looking forward to the once-a-year trip the National Team takes to Boston ever since he first saw it on the schedule.
Problem was, he's been playing too well, and now has to represent the program at the all-star game. When we caught up with Smith last week, he agreed that he'd miss the chance to wear the USA uniform in front of his family and hometown friends. But he also said he'd gladly take the honor of playing in the all-star game.
1/22/99
Yes, We Know Your Governor Can Beat Up Our Governor
Hill-Murray, despite suffering its first loss of the season, a 3-2 decision to Maple Grove, still holds onto its #1 spot in the land of Jesse and 10 million lakes.
Brian Hunter, who scouts Minnesota for the U.S. Under-18 Team, compiles the Minnesota rankings for the U.S. Hockey Report. Brian voted for the other guy.
Minnesota AA Prep Hockey Ratings
Dartmouth Rocks Out
Dartmouth has gotten another top recruit. P.J. Martin, a 6'1", 180 lb. right shot defenseman from Haverhill, Mass. and St. John's Prep has committed to the Big Green. Harvard and Yale were Martin's other final choices. Martin, who turns 18 next month, is the second top D to commit to Dartmouth in recent months -- he'll be joining fellow top recruit Trevor Byrne on the Big Green blue line (we just had to write that) next fall.
But it doesn't end there. Look for Anchorage, Alaska native Pete Summerfelt, a 6'1", 185 lb. right-shot D playing his second season with the Omaha Lancers to be the third rookie blueliner at Dartmouth next season. Summerfelt, who'll be playing for Team South in Tuesday's USHL All-Star game, was a forward on the Alaska All-Stars Midget AAA team that won the 1996 national championship. The following year he was a forward for the Pentiction Panthers (BCHL). In the summer of '97, under the tutelage of then-Omaha assistant Doc Del Castillo, Summerfelt converted to defense. Summerfelt will turn 21 before he plays his first college game.
1/20/99
Sign 'Em Up
Mike Bussoli, a left-shot D from the Vernon Vipers (BCHL) is headed to Boston University in the fall. Bussoli, a 20-year-old from Calgary, is a ruggedly-built 6'1". He can play physically, and he can also contribute offensively -- he has better than 50 points thus far for the Vipers, the top team in the BCHL with a 40-4-1 mark. RPI was also in the late running for Bussoli's services, and while they missed there, they, and Denver, are both talking to Justin Flaishans, Little Caesars' small, skilled centerman from Arizona.
Joe Mastronardi, a top forward at Choate before going out to the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers, will be heading to Northeastern. Mastronardi, who's from upstate New York, is the fourth-leading scorer at Green Bay (behind Mike Perpich. defenseman Tom Preissing, and Stephen Baby). Mastronardi leads the Gamblers in penalty minutes with 122. At Northeastern, he'll be reunited with former Choate teammate Matt Keating.
Jay Dardis, the tall, rangy center from Proctor (Minn.) High whom we wrote about a couple of months ago (see "November News") will be heading to St. Cloud State in the fall of 2000. First, though, he'll prepare with a year in juniors, most likely with Waterloo (USHL).
BCHL goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, who was recently traded from the last-place Trail Smoke Eaters to the second-place Chilliwack Chiefs, has committed to the University of Denver.
5'8" Compuware Ambassadors defenseman Peter Broccoli is sitting on a solid offer from Ohio State. A Connecticut resident, Broccoli has also been talking to Hockey East and ECAC schools.
USHL All-Star Game Rosters Set
The USHL has released rosters for its all-star game, which will be held next Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Rochester, Minn. The league-leading Des Moines Buccaneers will have 8 players participating. Following them are: Green Bay (7), Omaha (6), Lincoln (4), Twin Cities (4), Sioux City (3), North Iowa (3), Rochester (3), Fargo (2), Thunder Bay (2), Waterloo (1), and Dubuque (1).
North Team
Forwards: Stephen Baby, Joe Mastronardi, Mike Perpich (Green Bay); Nick Anthony, Shawn Roed, Mike Walsh (Twin Cities); B.J Abel and Tim Turner (Rochester); Evan Stensrud and Tim Skarperud (Fargo-Moorhead); Marty Goulet (North Bay); Kyle Anderson (Lincoln); and Bryson Busniuk (Thunder Bay).
Defensemen: Dan Calzada, Jeff Finger, Tom Preissing (Green Bay); Matt DeMarchi and Matt Medvecz (North Iowa); Joe Bourne (Twin Cities); and Aaron MacKenzie (Thunder Bay).
Goaltenders: Rob Anderson (Green Bay), and Adam Coole (Rochester).
Alternate: Justin Ferguson (Fargo-Moorhead)
Head Coach: Mark Osiecki (Green Bay) Associate Coach: Mike Aikens (Rochester).
South Team
Forwards: Michael Chin, Noah Clarke, Peter Fregoe, Peter Sejna (Des Moines); Mike Lucci, Ryan Malone, Jed Ortmeyer, Kevin Spiewak (Omaha); Ruslan Fedotenko and Tyler Palmiscino (Sioux City); Brendan Hodge and Drew Otten (Lincoln); and Ryan Hale (Waterloo).
Defensemen: Jim Jackson, Matt Shasby, Peter Smrek, Garrett Stafford (Des Moines); Jason Jaworski and Peter Summerfelt (Omaha); and Ed Cassin (Lincoln).
Goaltenders: Jake Moreland (Sioux City), and Ron Wiitanen (Dubuque).
Alternate: Tony Zasowski (Omaha).
Head Coach: Scott Owens (Des Moines). Associate Coach: Mike Hastings (Omaha).
1/19/99
The Debacle in Detroit
The Great Lakes League Showcase this past weekend in Detroit was anything but. The league, which has no no governing body (it's run by the coaches), did nothing to distinguish itself besides showing that it can't put on a tournament. Games were held at two rinks a half-hour apart from each other -- one in the city and one in an outlying suburb -- so it was difficult for scouts. The unavailability of rosters just added to the hassle, as did the fact that the schedule was a work in progress. And the officiating was abysmal. In other words, it was a mess. The traditional midget powerhouses -- Team Illinois, Little Caesar's, the Marquette Electricians, Compuware, et al -- don't need to be associated with anything like this. It doesn't help the new teams, either -- Larry Pedrie's Chicago Chill had an excellent weekend, but by Saturday everybody was remembering something else.
The day before, on Friday, a Detroit Trackers- Milwaukee Pettit Selects game was brought to a second period conclusion by a frightening brawl that left even experienced scouts aghast and the outnumbered Pettit Selects, who began the game with a short bench, so bruised and beaten that one Milwaukee player suffered a concussion and two of his teammates were pounded so hard they were unable to pull on their helmets over their swollen heads the following day.
Reportedly, the trouble began in the first period when Milwaukee's Steve Sarauer slashed a Detroit player who'd gotten by him. As the period ended, Detroit Trackers coach Larry DiPalma, a fierce fighter in a 10-year career with ten minor league and three NHL teams, threatened to get Sarauer himself -- that is, if one of his players didn't do the job.
Predictibly, in the second period, one of the Trackers dropped his gloves and attacked Sarauer, who just turtled.
Shortly after that, Milwaukee's Connor Miller, a huge defenseman, got a Detroit player on a solid hip check (leg check?). Two Detroit players immediately came off the bench and a third (see preceding paragraph) came out of the penalty box. That made it a 3-on-1 fight. Not pretty.
Meanwhile, DiPalma's players kept coming over the boards, looking to rumble. Quickly, the Pettit Selects were outnumbered by a 2-to-1 margin.
The Trackers backup goalie came across the ice looking to fight the Milwaukee backup goalie.
Another Tracker player took off his shirt, shoulder pads, and t-shirt and offered to take on any Milwaukee player who'd fight him.
At that point, Milwaukee coach Sean Bosack sent his guys over the boards. The Milwaukee player who went directly to Miller's defense was jumped by a couple of Detroit players before he got there.
It wasn't until the Milwaukee players were totally beaten up that the officials were able to restore order.
One observer, from the USHL, said it was the worst brawl he'd ever seen. Another, requesting that his name not be used, chose his words carefully, but placed the blame squarely on DiPalma. "You have to be able to control your bench," he said. "It's wrong to take advantage of another team, and they (the Trackers) took advantage of those Milwaukee kids."
1/16/99
CC, Denver Grab USHL Defensemen
The University of Denver Pioneers have received a commitment from Thunder Bay Flyers defenseman Aaron MacKenzie. MacKenzie, a fourth round pick of the Owen Sound Platers in June's OHL draft, currently has a 2-7-9 line in 31 games. The Terrace Bay, Ontario native also has 101 penalty minutes. He's 5'11", 180 lbs. and an '81 birthdate.
Green Bay Gamblers defenseman Tom Priessing has committed to Colorado College. The 6'0", 190 lb. Priessing is the USHL's leading scorer among defensemen with a 12-21-33 line in 28 games. Priessing hails from Rosemount, Minnesota and is a December 1978 birthdate.
Caldwell Keeping His Options Open
We may have been a bit premature in ticketing gifted Shattuck-St. Mary's defenseman Ryan Caldwell to Colorado College last week. Caldwell has already visited Denver and Mankato State. Miami, North Dakota and Northern Michigan are also trying to set up visits. Colorado College is indeed keeping in close contact.
1/15/98
Minnesota Rankings
We've never been that impressed with the Minnesota State High School Rankings. It's done by the coaches, who operate under a serious handicap: because of the size of the state, they rarely see teams from outside their district.
Brian Hunter, who scouts Minnesota for the U.S. Under-18 Team, sees more teams in more districts in the land of the gopher than anyone else we know. With that in mind, we asked him if he'd contribute a weekly ranking to the U.S. Hockey Report. He agreed, because that's just the kind of guy he is. Brian lives in Woodbury, Minn., where he played his high school hockey before going on to play in the USHL and Michigan Tech.
Look for Brian's no-punches-pulled rankings here every Friday.
1/14/98
Latest Central Scouting Rankings
NHL Central Scouting released their mid-term rankings this morning. Despite the sore fingers, we are happy to provide the list to our subscribers. Before you view the list, here is some information to digest:
The #1 rated player is Long Beach Ice Dogs center Patrik Stefan. The highest rated American and OHL player is Baldwinsville, New York native Tim Connolly (4th overall) of the Erie Otters. The top QMJHL player is Martin Grenier (26th overall) of the Quebec Remparts. Pavel Brendl of the Calgary Hitmen is the top rated CHL and WHL product at 3rd overall.
Boston College defenseman Brooks Orpik, who would have to opt into the draft, is the highest rated U.S. college player at 14th overall. The top U.S. High School product is Jeff Taffe (29th overall) of Hastings HS in Minnesota. Taffe would also have to opt into the draft, as would Hotchkiss center Brett Nowak the top rated prep player.
The top rated player under 6'0" is 5'11" Marc-Andre Thinel (31st overall) of the Victoriaville Tigres, although many would argue that Kootenay defenseman Steve McCarthy is smaller than the 6'0" he's listed at in the CSB list.
Don't Mess With the Tootoos
While in Canada between Christmas and New Year's, this reporter found a newspaper article that began with a cooking tip from the Tootoo brothers: When boiling a caribou head, cut it in half with a wood saw first.
Well, I've got the saw, but ...
The Tootoos are brothers and linemates for the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Blizzard. Most people -- around the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, that is -- refers to the team by its diminutive: the OCN Blizzard. The two brothers, Terence Tootoo, 18, and Jordin Tootoo, 15, are Inuits from Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories, on the shore of Hudson Bay.
The Caribou head comes south a couple of times a year, from their mom. Usually, it's topped with slabs of seal meat and beluga whale blubber. It's best to boil a caribou head outdoors, as the odor is strong.
"Gotta have the raw stuff once in a while," Jordin told the reporter.
Jordin is the 15 year old, and he'll likely be playing for the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings next season. Blizzard coach Gardiner MacDougall, who first saw the Tootoos at a midget AAA training camp in Thompson, Manitoba, calls Jordin the toughest player pound-for-pound that he has ever coached.
Both Tootoos run about 5'8", 160 lbs.and are known for their bone-crunching hits -- their line is called the Crash-Bang-Boom line. Here we quote from the paper: "When Terence and Jordin hop the boards, they are immediately recognizable as the fastest-streaking skaters in the fray. They are like pinballs racking up high scores. They are clean hitters who rarely pass a shift without showing a bigger, taller opponent a head-on-the-ice view of the arena lights."
Since this reporter doesn't have it in the budget to make it up to the Cree Nation's home rink in The Pas, Manitoba (that's a seven-hour drive north of Winnipeg), we asked a WHL scout of our acquantaince about the Tootoos. "They are both fearless," he said, "like kamikaze pilots, and they are both good scrappers." He added that Jordin appears set on taking the major junior route, but that older brother Terence is hoping for a scholarship from a U.S. college. Briefly, here's the report on Terence: "Small, but very aggressive. A good skater, but not a gifted scorer. His strength is his tenacity and competitiveness. What will hurt his chances at Div. I play is his size and lack of organized hockey experience."
Well, there are plenty of teams top-heavy with jaded suburban kids. Having a Terence Tootoo somewhere in the lineup might come in handy.
Harris to Notre Dame
U.S Under-18 defenseman Paul Harris has committed to Notre Dame. Harris, a native of Ridgefield, Conn., chose Dave Poulin's Fighting Irish over Colgate.
Harris, who skated for Matt Corkery at Salisbury School prior to his stint in Ann Arbor, joins U.S. Under-18 teammate Connor Dunlop, Des Moines Buccaneers forward Mike Chin (another former teammate), and Taft defenseman Evan Nielsen in Notre Dame's class of 2003.
Prep Players of the Week
On offense, it's an easy pick: Lawrence Academy junior forward Tony Voce had six goals in his team's 9-3 dismantling of Milton Academy.
On defense, it has to go to Gunnery sophomore goaltender Matt Pane, who made 47 saves in his team's 2-1 OT loss to Taft on Wednesday.
Sunday Notes
--- At the end of this season, Thayer Academy will abandon their current home at the Pilgrim Arena in Hingham. We'll miss the art deco facade on the building, but that's all we'll miss -- the ice surface inside is just too small for a skating team like Thayer. Their new home will be in a rink currently under construction in Canton. While we don't know the precise dimensions of the new sheet, we do know it will be significantly bigger than the one at Pilgrim Arena.
-- Speaking of new rinks, Tabor will be dedicating their's on Saturday Jan. 23, prior to meeting St. Sebastian's in the Travis Roy Cup. Look for the rink to be named after the former Tabor and Boston University forward.
--- St. Paul's, which has struggled all season, suffered another setback Thursday when talented freshman forward Bill LeClerc of Acton, Mass., fell on an icy path at the Concord, NH boarding school and broke his leg. He's out for the season.
--- The reason former Canadian National Team Coach Andy Murray was free to accept the Shattuck job was because he was a finalist for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks job -- and didn't get the nod. So his presence in the prep ranks -- he brings a wealth of NHL and top international coaching experience -- is a bit of a treat. When Shattuck came in last weekend for the Cushing Tournament, they showed strategies rarely seen in the prep ranks, strategies that were often, though not exclusively, responses to very specific game situations. In one game, Murray set the tone at the opening faceoff by employing a left wing lock. About five minutes in, Shattuck went up 1-0 and Murray immediately dropped it, going on the offensive, and building the lead. Shattuck plays an 80-game schedule, so if it takes Murray, say, 20 games to implement a system and teach strategies, there are 60 more games in which to perfect it as a team.
Look for Murray to stay and put a real stamp on the program at the Faribault, Minnesota school. He might also want to coach his son, 8th grader Brady Murray, who, along with 9th graders Patrick Eaves and Zachary Parise, could well step up to the prep team next year. Right now, that trio is the offensive cog on a bantam team that was 34-3-2 at the Christmas break. Coaching the team is J.P Parise, Zachary's dad and a 14-year NHL veteran, mostly with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders.
--- Reading High put an 8-0 hammering on Winchester High Wednesday night, with five goals coming in the first period. Reading, like 1988-89 NCAA champs Harvard, uses a five-forward power play unit. Back on the points are the team's brightest stars, sophomore Sean Collins and junior Steven Saviano. Collins, who's only 5'7", has all the earmarks of an elite player. He's explosive, with a tremendous first step, and that extra gear that allows him to turn defensemen with regularity. On top of that, he's balanced on his skates, has patience with the puck, great hands, and a hard shot.
Saviano, who is extremely quick, has keen eyes and excellent puck skills. He's only 5'5", and we've already heard some people say he's too small for Div. I play. With all due respect, that's nonsense. Saviano, an '81 birthdate, not only is better right now, but has greater long-term potential than several small forwards recently recruited by Div. I schools directly out of the prep ranks.
The next Reading player to make a name for himself should be freshman forward Michael Ottariano, an '84 birthdate who sees action on the main power play unit.
John Messuri's Winchester team, despite the 8-0 shellacking, is not bad. They're just very young, carrying 14 freshman or sophomores on their roster. To their credit, they didn't pack it in -- a lot of teams facing 5-0 first-period deficits do. Anyway, Winchester's future star is freshman Dan Spang, a left-shot D who's highly mobile, logs a lot of ice time, and moves the puck with authority.
--- Get well, Nick Cammarata. The St. Sebastian's defenseman, who'll be playing at Merrimack next year, took a stick to the groin last week and will be out of action for a while. In Cammarata's absence, 6'0" freshman Seamus Young and 6'2" sophomore Noah Welch, who played at Xaverian last year, will be counted on heavily.
-- Our condolences go out today to the family of Brian Fishman, the marketing and communications director for the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Fishman, 29, was found dead in his Ann Arbor apartment on Thursday afternoon, the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. Police have ruled the death accidental. The day before, Fishman had returned with the National Junior Team from Winnipeg, where he ran Team USA's media relations. Reportedly, Fishman's laundry and other belongings had piled up against a wall, blocking a fresh air vent, and allowing fumes from a faulty furnace to back up into the apartment.
Fishman started working for the National Program last summer. Prior to that, he ran media relations for University of Michigan hockey. All of us who knew him will miss him, and the help he gave us.
We'll Take Another, Just Like the Others
- Brother #3, Martin Kariya, has made a verbal commitment to the Maine Black Bears.
- Kariya, a late '81 birthdate, is the younger brother of Paul and Steve Kariya. He's also the final brother. There'll be no more after this, at least until the next generation.
- Kariya, a 5'8", 155 lb. right-shot center, plays for the Victoria Salsa (BCHL). In 41 games to date he has a 14-56-70 scoring line with 12 penalty minutes. He's a bright, dynamic player who, as the preceding statistics indicate, distributes the puck extremely well. Some observers have questioned whether he has the competitiveness of his two older brothers.
- Kariya, according to reports, was recruited by Michigan, CC, Princeton, N. Dakota, BU, Cornell, and Denver. The final decision reportedly came down to Maine and Denver, which has traditionally done well in the BCHL.
- In addition to Steven, a fourth Kariya, sister Noriko, is currently at Maine. She's on a field hockey scholarship. This is NOT a family of couch potatoes.
Another recent commitment to Maine is Robert Liscak, a 5'11, 180 lb. left shot center from the Nipawin Hawks (SJHL). Liscak, a Slovakian native, is a 4/78 birthdate who has a 19-23-42 scoring line in 28 games for Nipawin this season. He's described as a physical, pro-type player.
...and there's more
St. Sebastian's goaltender Tim Kelleher, who's the younger brother of former BU and St. Seb's defenseman Chris Kelleher (currently with the Syracuse Crunch -- AHL) will be going to Boston College on a full scholarship. Kelleher, 5'9", 160 lbs., is a native of Belmont, Mass.
Ian Morse, a native Vermonter who played at Rice High School before going on to Kimball Union and the Great Northern Snow Devils, will be playing in front of the local folks -- he's committed to the University of Vermont. Morse, 6'0", 180 is a left-shot center.
Ryan Miller, a 6'1, 185 lb forward from the Culver Military Academy, has also committed to Vermont. Ryan Miller is not to be confused with his namesake -- and fellow Div. I recruit for next fall -- Ryan Miller, the Soo Indians goaltender who'll be attending Michigan State.
Watkins Postmortem
Despite the Monday afternoon championship game, the E.G Watkins Tournament ended in traditional fashion yesterday with a Cushing victory. In the tournament's eight years, Cushing has taken the title seven times (Lawrence won it in 1997.) This year, the tournament marked the coming out party for the 1998-99 Cushing Academy Penguins. Cushing's early season
struggles had led many to dismiss their chances of a shot at another New England title, but after a 5-4 win over a powerful Shattuck-St. Mary's squad, an 11-0 thumping of Kent, and an 8-3 rout of Lawrence, Cushing has jumped back into the picture, gaining a #5 ranking in the latest USHR poll. They face #3 Deerfield in a Friday night home game.
Here are some random thoughts correspondent Geoff Chambers had after watching a good chunk of the tournament:
Ben Murphy, C, Cushing Academy: Good call by Steve Jacobs in moving Murphy to center between seniors Jeremy Wilson and Brad Nizwantowski. Murphy posted a 6-3-9 scoring line, and was the natural choice for MVP.
Brett Peterson, D, Cushing Academy: Like last year, he's quick as a cat. Unlike last year, he isn't rushing things as much. He's slowing it down, learning to control the tempo, and playing with more confidence.
Mike Woodford, F, Cushing Academy: Took sweet revenge yesterday with two goals and two assists against Lawrence -- a number of ex-teammates were yapping at and bumping him pretty consistently throughout the game. Last year, Woodford would disappear for long stretches in games, but over the weekend played consistently. We'd still like to see him play a little tougher.
Kevin Brooks, F, Lawrence Academy: A sophomore, and a pleasant surprise.
Brian Tudrick, C, Lawrence Academy: A senior who raised his stock over the weekend. Last year, we thought he was too slow for his size to play DI hockey. Now we're not so sure. He's added a step and plays a spirited game. Finished with nine points in four games.
Guillaume Lariviere, D, Kent: This Quebec native is toiling in anonymity at Kent School. Tries to do too much -- not surprising, given the supporting cast -- but he has the tools of a solid DI prospect. Has good size (though the 6'2", 205 in the program might be a bit of a stretch), skates well, and can move the puck.
Gabe Gauthier, C, Berkshire School: Gifted 14-year-old who has great mitts and excels stickhandling through traffic. Excellent acceleration. Scored a highlight film goal versus Shattuck-St. Mary's.
Matt Pane, G, The Gunnery: One of the best goalies in the tournament, and he's only a sophomore. Squares himself up to the shooter extremely well.
Ryan Caldwell, D, Shattuck-St. Mary's: Better than any prep defenseman currently playing in the East. Reportedly headed to Colorado College. This lanky defenseman (6'3", 175) is a top-notch puckhandler who just needs to fill out. A native of Manitoba.
Brent MacLellan, D, Shattuck-St. Mary's: A 15-year-old man-child. Not in the least awed by the competition. NMH's Paul Kelly turned him at the blue line, but MacLellan recovered beautifully, using his long stride to catch up with his opponent, forcing Kelly to hurry his shot. A small thing, but very telling. MacLellan, if he chooses that route, should make some major junior team (there were plenty of scouts there watching him) extremely happy.
Paul Kelly, C, Northfield-Mt. Hermon: It's only a matter of time until someone jumps on
this kid. It's true that Kelly has a tendency to take shifts off but he's also a pure goal scorer with size -- a hard creature to find.
Ben Eaves, C, Shattuck-St. Mary's: Has remarkable puck skills, and the vision and skating ability to use them to the max. Our early pick to win the Hobey Baker Award in '03 and/or '04.
Murray to Cornell
Doug Murray, a 6'3", 220 lb. defenseman from Bromma, Sweden playing for New York Apple Core (EJHL) has committed to Cornell.
Murray, in addition to his size, has good hands. He doesn't pinch much, but has a strong sense of where to move the puck from his spot on the point.
Murray is the second Apple Core player to go Ivy this season. In the fall, RW Evan Wax, now a couple of points ahead of New England Coyotes' winger Jon DiSalvatore in the EJHL scoring race, committed to Yale.
Murray is 7th overall in the EJHL scoring race with a 7-25-32 scoring line in 20 games. He's a 3/12/80 birthdate and a likely pick in June's NHL draft.
Yanks Take Toronto
Last week, the finals of both the Toronto Young Nationals Midget Showcase and the Toronto Marlies Bantam Tournament were all-American affairs.
In the Young Nationals Midget Showcase championship game, Team Illinois defeated the Ann Arbor Ice Dogs, 5-3. To get to the finals, Team Illinois edged Compuware 3-2 on a Greg Ihnken goal with three minutes remaining.
The playoff MVP was center Justin Schabes (TI), while the playoff most valuable goaltender was J.R. Herwehe (TI).
In the round-robin portion of the tournament, those two awards went to, respectively, center Chad LaRose (Compuware) and goaltender Ryan Grigg (Dartmouth, N.S.).
The all-star team, which didn't include LaRose or Grigg, consisted of Bryan Miller (New Jersey) and Josh Griffith (Compuware) -- both 15-year-olds -- on defense, and Steve Black (TI), Dave Wasil (Ann Arbor) and Andrew Schembri (Young Nats) up front.
A player who grabbed our attention with his overall improvement was New Jersey forward Jeff Corey. We've seen Corey play for a long time, but he's taken his game to another level. A late '82, Corey is a swift skater who can take a pass on the fly, go to the net and finish. He took a couple of big hits in one of the games we saw, but shook them off.
In the Marlies Bantam Tournament, Detroit Honeybaked edged the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans, 4-3. There's not much to separate these two teams. Rochester has strength up front with Mark Langdon, Steve Gionta (yes, he's Brian's brother), Mike Pasley, Chris Nealon, and Jeff Rasmussen. Back on D, Jason Hicks, Frank Burgio, and Keith Cadwell are all players to keep an eye on. Goaltender Kevin Amborski was strong, too.
Honeybaked has a big, lanky -- and highly effective -- center in Lee Falardeau. He's surrounded by smaller, quicker forwards such as Danny Knapp, Chris Connor, Ryan Wright, and Jason Moul. Defense is strong, with Kenny Jung and Cory Clements, and so is the goaltending duo of Bobby Pruchnik and Mark Bowen.
As the years go by, you'll be hearing more about a lot of these kids.
Denver Gets a Scorer
Kevin Doell, a center for Melfort currently leading the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in scoring, has committed to Denver University.
Doell, who's played 37 games to date, has a 32-46-78 scoring line -- and 129 penalty minutes, too.
Doell, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is 5'11, 185 lbs.
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