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| 09/29/99 12:48 AM U.S. Hockey Report September News 9/29/99 Enormous Changes in the Air The following document, leaked to us yesterday, represents the findings of an NCAA subcommittee looking into deregulating definitions of amateurism among NCAA athletes. It suggests that it's time for major changes. If the committee's recommendation goes through, we can expect to see -- possibly as early as next fall -- major junior hockey players retaining their college eligibility without penalty. But the suggestions of the committee, known as the Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Amateurism and Agents (pretty unwieldy title, right?), are very broad, and could even go beyond that, depending on interpretation. If this passes -- and the betting is that it will -- it will have a huge impact.on both sides of the border. Among other things, it will bring down the notch of Jr. A teams in Canada and hurry the U.S. into Tier I hockey, the final result of which is likely to be a stateside version of Major Junior Hockey that, eligibility-wise, would be fairly indistinguishable from the Canadian version. Who'd benefit the most? Naturally, all players playing major junior in Canada, who'd be freed of having to live their lives under the dictates of a decision made, usually under tremendous pressure, at 16 years of age. Under new rules, a kid could try major junior, and, if it isn't to his liking, leave for college play. Older players will benefit, too. There are a lot of 19 year olds floating around the CHL who, afforded college eligibility, could, and likely would, opt for NCAA play. This proposal could be voted on by university presidents as early as this coming January. Let us know if you have any thoughts on the subject. We'll be doing an informal poll and, at the same time, trying to keep abreast of this story. And now, here's the full text: Text of the Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Amateurism and Agents The subcommittee on amateurism and agents has discussed the current state and the future direction of amateurism within the association for the past two years. We appreciate this opportunity to present our conclusions to the conference commissioners association. Our discussions have focused solely on the period prior to enrollment and have revolved around two principles: student-athlete welfare and competitive equity. In addition to the subcommittee's conclusions as to acceptance of prize money based on place finish, and the expansion of the NCAA bylaw 14.2.4.2 the subcommittee supports additional deregulation in the areas of draft, signing of contracts, competition with professionals and the acceptance of pay other than prize money. The subcommittee determined that to permit prospects to enter a professional draft without jeopardizing their NCAA eligibility would allow the numerous prospects who are not drafted to pursue collegiate athletics and continue their education. The subcommittee found no inherent competitive advantage to an athlete entering a draft. The same conclusions were determined as to the signing of a contract. Most student-athlete reinstatement cases submitted by institutions on behalf of prospects who have entered into some form of contract with a professional team involve prospects who do not possess the athletic ability to maintain a professional level of competition. The subcommittee found these prospects to be appropriate for our programs in that they possess little competitive advantage. The examination of competitive equity becomes relevant when one discusses competition with professionals. The subcommittee determined that competition with professionals of short duration does not impact competitive equity and, therefore, should not prevent a prospect who discovers that they do not want to continue their professional participation from enrolling at a member institution. When the duration of the competition rises to the level of providing a competitive advantage, the subcommittee believes that the application of the Bylaw 14.2.4.2 diminishes any advantage. A far more complicated area for consideration involved pay for athletics participation (other than prize money ) and for promotional activities or endorsement. The subcommittee determined that prospects should be allowed to accept pay for athletics participation, again noting that the salary itself does not provide the competitive advantage. If the salary does provide the prospect with the opportunity to continue their participation for a significant period of time, the prospect would have to consider the application of Bylaw 14.2.4.2 upon enrollment and evaluate their options. The subcommittee had yet to determine whether allowing a prospect to accept pay for commercial activities meets the subcommittee's Principle of student-athlete welfare. The subcommittee is committed to the deregulation of amateurism and firmly believes that this must occur in a timely manner. Accordingly, the subcommittee looks to the conference commissioners association for support. 9/28/99 CC Gets its Second Commitment in a Week Over the weekend, Colorado College got a verbal commitment from Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) 6'2", 180 lb. RW Scott Polaski. Polaski, who is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, played for the Pikes Peak Miners Midget AAA program before going to Sioux City this fall. He's a 8/4/82 birthdate, and is in his first year in the USHL. Polaski will be joining Des Moines Buccaneers star LW Peter Sejna, who committed to CC three days earlier. Sejna, who's from Slovakia, played for current CC coach Scott Owens last year at Des Moines. He's 5'11", 185 lbs., a '79 birthdate, and had a 40-23-63 scoring line last season.
9/27/99 Providence Lands Platt Providence College landed one of the top available defensemen when Jason Platt of the Omaha Lancers committed to the school over the weekend. Platt, 6'0" and 200 lbs. is from Portola Valley, California and is in his second season with the Lancers after playing at Cushing Academy and, before that, in Northern California. A left shot and an April 1981 birthday, Platt is eligible for next June's NHL draft. He plays a physical, strong game and was also on the wish list for Denver, Maine, Michigan State, UNO, and Miami. In other Providence news, Lincoln Stars (USHL) head coach Steve Johnson last week asked Providence assistant Brad Willner to come to Lincoln as co-coach, but Willner decided to stay with the Friars. The job opened up when Waterloo hired Johnson's assistant, Scott Koberinski, after Scott Pionk was fired last week. Earlier -- over the summer, actually -- Johnson had tried to get Willner to come on board at Lincoln (as had Dave Poulin at Notre Dame).
9/27/99 Weber Lifts Apple Core Marlboro, Mass. -- Former Kent School defenseman Joe Weber, who has joined Henry Lazar's N.Y. Apple Core after a cup of coffee in the Sask League, fired a blast from the right point with 1:37 remaining in regulation to give his new team a 3-2 win in the championship game of the Boston Junior Bruins Tournament here yesterday. For Apple Core, the top line of Ryan Vesce, Kenny Turano, and Vincent Hellemeyer was kept off the board today. Offensive stars were third and fourth liners such as Chris Cosentino (1g,1a), and Robert Sheer (2assists). A.J. Palkovich also scored for Apple Core. For the Junior Bruins, Mark Hathaway, formerly of Newburyport High, and Jaymie Harrington each scored a goal. John Yaros had a strong game in net for Apple Core, as did Bobby Doran for the Junior Bruins, who robbed Palkovich with a brilliant glove save late in the seond period. On the Junior Bruins, Harrington, a 6'2" RW who played on a line with BU freshman Brian Collins at St. John's-Shrewsbury the past two or three years, looked much quicker than when we last saw him in March. He deserves a look by college and Junior A recruiters. For depth, check out 6'1" Chris Casey, a senior left-shot center out of Belmont Hill; and 6'2" defensive defenseman Matt McCarthy, a LD who also played for St. John's-Shrewsbury. However, the best of them all could turn out to be K.C. Thomson, a mobile 5'11" left shot defenseman who's a junior at, yes, St. John's-Shrewsbury. Thomson is also the youngest player on the squad. For Apple Core, we thought 6'2" RW Brian D'Ambrosio has made great strides. In Friday's game he scored a goal on a great individual effort, cutting across the slot. A minute or so later, he picked up an assist by starting a play out with a nifty five-foot pass in his own end. D'Ambrosio is another whose progress over the course of the season should be followed by college and Jr. A recruiters. In addition to his size, he's strong, though still slightly ungainly. He's a senior in high school, and just an '82. A player for the future is '84-born forward Andy Gartman, who has hands and goes hard both ways. Gartman is the younger borther of Cornell freshman goaltender Chris Gartman. On Friday, this typist roamed from rink to rink, from morning 'til late at night, and checked in on players we already knew of and, in the bargain, found a few new ones. One we've been watching for a couple of years is Suffolk PAL forward Scott Ferguson, an '82-born 5'10" center who is smooth, quick, has good hands and a knack with the puck. If he could just build himself up so he doesn't get muscled off the puck so much...Ferguson's teammate, Bryan Jaegar, a 16-year old defenseman who's already pushing 6'2", has a ton of potential...So does '83-born RW Justin Bodine of the New York Bobcats. Bodine is skinny, but has a great frame, handles the puck smoothly and with patience, and scored a goal-scorer's goal, shooting it across the grain and tucking it inside the post...Jim Salfi's Cap District Selects seem a little down this season, though we liked the quickenss and skill of RW Justin Rafferty and the work ethic of center Nate Gagnon...Belle Tire Midgets have a very young ('84) left-shot center named Joel Maas, who has size, skill, chippiness, and plays both ways... Andy Heinze's seriously undermanned Valley Junior Warriors gave Mike Addesa's Boston Bulldogs aall they could handle, and stole away with a 4-4 tie when Tim Reidy (the third member of that Collins-Harrington line at, yes, St. John's of Shrewsbury) scored with the goalie pulled...BC High junior defensman Joe Callahan is 6'2" and has become quicker, though he was struggling mightily with his passes when we were watching...Big Tim Morrison, a 6'4", 230 lb. center formerly with Hanover (Mass.) HS and Bishop Guertin HS has found a home with the Bulldogs. Morrison has size, of course, and also soft hands and a scorer's touch. Now it's just a matter of seeing how much he can improves his agility and his skating...Honeybaked Midget defenseman Jon Saunders, who by the way, is the nephew of the ESPN hockey anchor, is filling out. He's 6'2", 180 now and one of the better '83 defenseman around...Speaking of '83 defenseman, Neil Hall's NECDL All-Stars had three of the best in Ryan Whitney (is there a better one in North American?), Brian Yandle, and Donny Grover. All three were teammates on the South Shore Kings team that won the 1997 World Pee Wee championship in Quebec City...The Laconia Leafs don't have much in the way of talent, but they have a 6'1" goalie named Adam Casey who stood on his head to keep his team in Friday's game against Apple Core...The Green Mountain Glades, just getting their inaugural campaign underway, look like they'll be pretty competitive. Though top gun A.J. Rivers was out of the lineup, they were still able to put out five pretty solid players on the powerplay. Up front, they used Andrew Dawe (Kitchener, Ont.); Tim Velemirovich (Ridgeway, Ont.); Ben Letourneau (Burlington, Vt.). On defense, they used smooth-skating 6'0" Quebec native Charly Washapabano, and 6'1 Howard Jennings, an '83-born high schooler from Plattsburgh, N.Y. Jennings has to cross Lake Champlain every day to get to practices and games in Burlington. As you can see, coach Brent Truchon, a former goaltender at Middlebury College, has put some work into pulling this squad together...The youngest AAA midget team at the tournament by far was the Boston Little Bruins, whose core players -- they more than held their own, by the way -- are all '84's or '85's. The top forward was Michael Rose ('84), who has skill and competes. He's a freshman at Bishop Hendricken. Behind him were Josh Notini ('84), a Dracut, Mass. native; and Trevor Spiridi ('85), also a freshman at Hendricken. On defense, it's hard to choose between Jarrett Sousa ('85), who's a freshman at St. Ray's in R.I., and Brett Tyler, an 8th grader from Maynard, Mass who'll play the full year with the Little Bruins.
9/25/99 Forrest Leads by Example Several eagle-eyed (no pun intended) readers have inquired as to why U.S. National Program defenseman and Boston College recruit J.D. Forrest is playing with the program's younger team (the NAHL entry) instead of with the older kids (the USHL entry). The answer is two-fold. To start with, Forrest volunteered. The coaches in Ann Arbor feel that having a veteran who can both lend stability and be a mentor really helps the confidence of the younger team, most of whom, by making the step up to the National Program, are playing against teams that are much older and more experienced. Last year, when the defense corps was struggling early on, Forrest went down to help out. We've always seen Forrest as a natural leader and wouldn't be the least surprised to see him emerge as the team captain at Boston College four years from now. The other part of the answer is that Forrest is an '81 birthdate. He's is just one of four '81s with the National Program who will be playing with the younger team at some point in the season. Because they're 81's they're ineligible for the World Under-18 Championship next April, so they'll stay in Michigan and play in the NAHL Championships with the younger team. The North American Hockey League has a rule that a player has to play ten or more league games in order to to be eligible for the NAHL playoffs, so you can expect to see the remaining '81s on the older team putting in time on the younger team in the second half. In addition to Forrest, the '81's are Todd Jackson, Kenny Smith, and Freddy Meyer. The latter, Meyer, is going to Boston University -- that's a sure thing. What's not a sure thing is when. He's shooting for enrollment in the second semester, but that's not 100% done yet --- there's a chance he may need the full year to complete his academic requirements.
9/23/99 Scout's Notebook: The Buc Bowl Postponed flights due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Floyd made getting to the Buc Bowl a bit of an extended adventure for intrepid U.S. Hockey Report scout John Riley. But he battled through, got there, and, as always, jotted down his notes on players he liked.Rochester Mustangs Colin Peters – Defenseman 6’3" 212, 12/4/81 -- Big, strong, ever-present defenseman with excellent agility for a player his size. Was a scratch on Saturday so I was only able to see him once, but was impressed with his ability to rush the puck, his toughness in front of the net, and his willingness to block shots. He made things happen every shift. At times, he was perhaps too active with the puck – foregoing the quick out and carrying it himself. Will be returning to his Minnesota high school team (Eden Prairie) in November. Headed for St. Cloud State next fall. Des Moines BuccaneersTroy Riddle - Right Wing 5’10" 175, 8/25/81 -- Was clearly the most dominant offensive player in the tournament – particularly Friday vs. Lincoln. Riddle has great hands, excellent vision, and complements that with overwhelming speed. Plays with exceptional tenacity. Competes every shift. Drawing heavy DI interest. Peter Sejna – Left Wing 5’11" 185, 10/5/79 -- Played along with Riddle on what was perhaps the tournament's best line. A good-skating power forward with soft hands and excellent vision. Has good size and strength, and is tough to knock off the puck. Has ability to dominate the game -- and does! Nathan Berry - Defenseman 6’0" 175, 7/12/81 -- Solid, fundamentally sound, smooth- skating defenseman. Quietly, he had a very effective tournament. Played particularly well vs. Lincoln on Friday evening. Berry is not blessed with any overwhelming strengths, but does a lot of little things well. He makes simple plays and rarely makes mistakes. Has good puck skills but is not offensive minded. Makes excellent decisions with the puck and is quick on the transition. Perhaps needs to improve his overall strength to take his game to the next level. However, a very pleasant find. Justin Shabes – Center 5’10" 180, 10/31/81 -- Third line centerman who competes every shift. Has excellent hockey sense, average hands and above-average speed. Makes smart plays in all three zones, and does a solid job killing penalties. Not the type of player that leaps out at you, and perhaps not a true D1 prospect just yet. However, he clearly understands his role on the team and executes it to perfection. Mike Mantua – Goalie 5’11" 175, 8/12/81 -- Was impressed with his quickness and aggressive style. Was excellent and perhaps top player in Des Moines win over Lincoln, keeping them in the game early. Extremely athletic, Mantua plays on emotion and adrenaline. Has lightning quick reflexes – particularly his glove. Danville Wings Don Edwardson - Center 5’9" 165, 8/26/81 -- Centered tournament finalists' top line and created considerable offense despite the fact that he is not blessed with exceptional speed or skill. Utilizes his excellent hockey sense to buy time and space. Scored five points vs. Lincoln and added a goal in the finals. Very impressive work habits. Matt Gossett - Defenseman 5’11" 165, 9/19/80 -- Smooth-skating, agile defenseman with above-average hands. Showed good hockey sense and excellent poise. Manned the point on the power play. Has good puck skills and possesses the ability to control the flow by slowing things down when the puck is on his stick. Makes sharp outlet passes. Good top end potential. Tom Watkins – Defenseman 6’2" 200, 3/1/81 -- Big, strong, bruising defenseman with limited skill who plays hard. A presence in front of the net and along the wall, Watkins makes guys earn things in their offensive zone. Makes the simple plays well. Waterloo Blackhawks Michal Hudec – Center 5’11’180, 11/23/79 -- Import player from Bratislava, Slovakia. Played for the Slovakian National Junior Team. Has amazing individual skills, but questionable team skills. Showed flashes of sheer brilliance from time to time, but disappeared all too often and clearly stopped competing when things started going the other team's way. It will be very interesting to see how things pan out for him. Tom Galvin – Defenseman 5’10" 190, 11/2/79 -- Smooth-skating defenseman who has shown tremendous improvement over the last twelve months. Has good feet and above-average puck skills. A determined and focused player who competes every shift, and is clearly his club's defensive leader. Unfortunately, with Waterloo so thin on D, he may be asked to do too much, or play a role that he is incapable of playing. He would be a tremendous 2/3/4 guy on one of the top clubs in the league. Lincoln Stars Chris Fournier - Center 5’7’155, 4/10/82 -- Offensively-gifted, small center iceman who skates very well and has excellent vision and anticipatory skills. Thinks the game very well, and is always on the puck. Arguably the club's top college prospect. Very good on face-offs. Josh Singer – Defenseman 6’1" 200, 11/22/80 -- Offensive minded, good-skating defenseman with size. Enjoys the physical game. Has good hands and likes to jump up in the rush. The kind of player who grows on you. Keeps things simple, and waits for the opportunity to create a big play. Was steady throughout the tournament. Keith Dore – Right Wing 5’8" 160, 1/25/81 -- Another small, skilled forward who plays with spit. Has excellent puck skills and is very good in tight areas. Can create offense from nothing. Scored perhaps one of the tournament’s top goals – a one-on-one effort in which he drove to his right and then, with a Des Moines defenseman draped all over him, lifted the puck over the right shoulder of Mantua – one handed! Preston Callander - Center 5’11" 170, 5/13/80 -- Gritty centerman who competes every shift. Creates a lot of offense with pure work. Rangy and agile, he gets in on the forecheck aggressively, and plays hard down low. Is not afraid to take a beating to get to the net. Andy Schneider – Defensman 6’0"195, 7/37/81 -- Good competitor who plays with purpose. Has above-average vision and puck skills. Quick and agile for his size. Schneider reminded one scout of Sioux City’s David Hale at this tournament last year. Schneider is rumored to be going to North Dakota. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Robert Johannesson - Defenseman 5’10’180, 1/11/80 -- Import defenseman from Sweden.. Is still adjusting to the North American game but showed flashes of brilliance. A smooth skater with great hands and outstanding vision. Makes a good first pass, gaps well and is very quick on the transition. Projects as a solid D1 prospect. Sioux Falls Stampede Rick Gorman – Center 6’0" 200, 2/1/79 -- Good-sized, smooth-skating centerman who is as skilled as any player in the league. At times he dominates the game offensively – and he did Thursday evening versus Des Moines when he scored all four of his team's goals. Although not particularly fast or quick Gorman possesses great strength, excellent vision, tremendous hands, and is extremely difficult knock of the puck. Is absolutely amazing with the puck in tight areas. Would be a solid D1 prospect, but has some extreme academic issues. Has bounced around from league to league over the last four or five 5 years and has never finished high school. He is expected to earn his G.E.D this year and will pursue options as they arise. Chad LaRose – Center 5’10" 150, 3/27/82 -- One of the top young forwards in the tournament. Quick, skilled forward with excellent speed. Played for Compuware Midgets last season and has made transition to Junior A well, getting better every game. Creates a lot of offense and scoring opportunities with speed and hard work. Competes every shift. Excellent potential. Mike Lubesnick – Defensman 5’10" 191, 9/27/80 -- Good, gapping defenseman who reads rush very well and is noticeably strong on the step and sag -- particularly as the step man. Good skater with average, maybe slightly above-average, puck skills. Is not afraid to be physical. Logs a lot of ice time. Will only get better. Strong prospect.
Sioux City Musketeers
AJ Kratofil – Defenseman 6’2" 185, 5/23/79 -- Kratofil, who is just now fully recovering from a broken fibula that he suffered early last season, continues to prove himself a strong D1 prospect. A good-sized defenseman who is agile and efficient, Kratofil has excellent vision, outlets the puck well and is a tremendous ome-on-one defender. Has drawn early (re)interest from Clarkson, Merrimack and Western Michigan. Tim Judy – Defenseman 5’10" 175, 1/14/81 -- Perhaps the only player from Maryland in the USHL, Judy has established himself as one of the foremost defenseman in the league. Steady and reliable, Judy has excellent agility, tremendous hockey sense and above-average skills. Has impressed Sioux City’s coaching staff with his continued development. A solid D1 prospect. Matt Ciancio – Right Wing 6’1" 180, 1/20/81 -- Another one of the seven Atlantic District players coach Leigh Mendelson has recruited to play in Sioux City, Ciancio is a power forward who can skate, is strong, and brings some toughness to the lineup. Has average skills, but creates time and space for himself with physical style. Tough along walls and great down low. Has a mean streak and can fight. Brendan McCartin – Right Wing 6’1" 180, 1/16/81 -- Smooth-skating power forward with above-average skills and a deadly shot. A hard worker both on and off the ice, McCartin earns everything he gets. Not blessed with tremendous speed or skill. Tough along wall and in corners. Will pay the price to get to the net. A solid prospect. Dubuque Fighting Saints Mike Ayers – Goaltender 5’11" 175, 1/16/80 -- First-year USHL goaltender who played as a PG last year at Trinity-Pawling after graduating in ’98 from Thayer Academy. Unfortunately this scout was not able to see hime play – because of the schedule (and Floyd). However, scouts who did see him spoke highly of his play here. Omaha Lancers Brian Schuster – Center 5'8" 155, 8/16/79 --- Quick, skilled centerman who plays with tremendous energy. Competes hard every shift – and in all three zones. Uses quickness to disrupt play and create turnovers. Always part of the play. Was absolutely terrific against Des Moines Saturday evening, scoring two consecutive shorthanded goals within five minutes. Brett Davis – Defenseman 5’8" 175, 7/21/79 -- Small and highly-skilled left-shot D from Michigan. Excellent running the power play. Got through the clearinghouse over the summer. Jason Platt – Defenseman 6’0" 200, 4/29/81 -- Former Cushing defenseman from Northern California is now in his second year in the USHL. Has size, strength and plays a hard-nosed punishing game. Can dominate physically. One of the league's top DI prospects. Dan Ellis – Goaltender 6’0" 185 6/19/80 -- Arguably the top goaltender in the tournament. Ellis was confident and poised throughout. Was simply unbeatable against Des Moines, and single-handedly won the game for his club. It was a tough game, too -- on the road against a raucous and partisan crowd. Ellis is positionally sound, quick, and athletic. Is extremely aggressive. Uses his angles to challenge shooters. Uses poke-check effectively. Has committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The USHR All-Tournament Team
9/22/99 Pionk Out; Koberinski in at Waterloo The Waterloo Black Hawks fired head coach/G.M. Scott Pionk today. He'll be replaced by Lincoln Stars assistant coach Scott Koberinski. Pionk, formerly an assistant with the Omaha Lancers, was set to begin his third season behind the Black Hawks bench. This afternoon, after practice, Steve Jezierski, the team's CEO, told Pionk he was being relieved of his duties. Pionk told the USHR that he was "very disappointed. After you recruit for nine or ten months and then not to get the chance to open up the season and see what you have...well, that's really hard." Pionk, who's under contract with the team for the full season, said the fans and the organization deserve a winner, and he'd hoped to be a part of it. Pionk, who described himself as "a company man," indicated he might be involved with the club in some other capacity. "It will be difficult, though," he said. "This will be my first winter in 17 years that I haven't been a coach." On Monday, the day after the Black Hawks concluded a 2-8 pre-season slate, Pionk met with team owner Butch Johnson (who's also the USHL president) and Jezierski (who's also the Black Hawk's radio broadcaster) and was informed of their concerns, which not only included the pre-season record but players leaving the club. Justin Kinnunen, a talented forward who played for the Marquette Electricians (Waterloo's protected club) last season, left the team this past weekend and signed with the Soo Hawks. Also leaving the club recently was defenseman Joe Dardis (However, his younger brother, Jay, a St. Cloud State recruit and N.Y. Rangers draft pick, is still with the club); and forward Lenny Hoffman, who played at St. Cloud Apollo HS last season. When Waterloo opens at home Friday night against Des Moines and Saturday against Rochester, look for assistant coach Brian Meisner to be behind the bench. Koberinksi will arrive in town Sunday or Monday after tying up loose ends in Lincoln. He's a native of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, where he played his junior hockey with the North Battleford Stars before going on to the University of North Dakota, where he was a member of the 1987 NCAA Championship team. Koberinski, who played pro hockey in Great Britain for a few years, was a co-coach (along with Fighting Sioux teammate Tarek Howard) and director of player personnel with the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks from 1997-98.
9/21/99 Kolarik Picks Harvard Blue-chip recruit Tyler Kolarik, 5'10", 170 lb. right wing for Deerfield Academy, has made his college decision -- it's Harvard University. The other two schools that were finalists for Kolarik were UNH and Notre Dame, both of which offered full scholarships. Up to last month, Boston College had been in the picture, too. Kolarik thus becomes the second member of this year's Deerfield squad who will be suiting up for the Crimson in the fall of '00. Last month, 6'2", 185 lb. RW Rob Fried committed to Harvard. Fried, who's from Macon, Georgia (his father is a co-owner of the Macon Whoopee of the ECHL) and Kolarik, who's from Abington, Penn., are close friends and roomates at the western Massachusetts boarding school. In another college commitment, LW Trevor Edwards of the Smith Falls Bears (Central Ontario Junior Hockey League) will be attending Clarkson. Edwards, who's 5'10" and an '82 birthdate, is a quick, gritty forward in the Doug Gilmour mold. Last year, he had a 21-17-38 scoring line for the Bears. 9/20/99 One Who Got Away Ben Knopp, perhaps the top college prospect for the fall of '00, has gone major junior with the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL). Knopp was pursued by a number of schools, not the least of them Boston College. Jerry York even went over to the Czech Republic in August to watch Knopp in action with Canada's Under-18 Team (let's not forget they lost to the U.S., 2-1) in the Four Nations Tournament. Knopp, who played for the Calgary Royals (AJHL) last season and was a teammate of entering BC freshman Krys Kolanos, was the leading '82-born scorer in the AJHL with a line of 43-51-94 in 61 games played. A 6'1", 175 lb. right wing, Knopp is currently projected as a first-round draft pick in next June's NHL draft. One strike against Knopp opting for the college route was peer pressure. Of the 22 members of the Canadian Under-18 Team that coach Stan Butler took to Europe, all were major junior players with the exception of Mike Cammalleri, who's now at the University of Michigan, and Knopp, who would have had to play another year of Junior A to keep his college eligibility. For a Canadian teenager, that's a bit like being kept behind a grade in school, so it's not terribly surprising that Knopp opted for the major junior route.
9/20/99 College Commitments 6'0", 190 lb. right-shot defenseman Dominic Torretti of the Des Moines Buccaneers will be heading to Providence College in the fall of '00. Torretti played for coach John Gardner at Avon Old Farms last season. Before that, the Ludlow, Mass. native played for the New England Junior Coyotes (EJHL). Omaha Lancers winger Billy Kelly will be playing at the University of Vermont next season. Kelly, who's 6'0", 178 lbs, is from Hull, Mass. and graduated from Catholic Memorial in June. It's his first season in the USHL. His younger brother, Matt, a goaltender with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, is also in his first USHL season. Matt's an 11th grader this season. Omaha Lancers goaltender Dan Ellis committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha last week. Ellis, from Orangeville, Ontario, posted a 2.35 gaa with three shoutouts in 27 games for the Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) last season.
9/20/99 A Hot Property 6'2", 200 lb. Omaha Lancers left-shot D Jason Platt is visiting Providence College today. He's previously visited Miami and Nebraska-Omaha (the latter on an unofficial). With his stock rising, several schools have stepped into the picture -- Michigan State, Maine, and Denver were all closely watching him over the weekend at the Buc Bowl. Platt, a big, strong, physically-dominating D from Northern California, is in his second season with the Lancers. Prior to going to the USHL, he played prep hockey at Cushing Academy.
9/20/99 Heard Around the Rinks Clarkson has been talking with 6'3" Dubuque defenseman Ken Scuderi, younger brother of Boston College blueliner Rob Scuderi.... Slovakian forward Peter Sejna of Des Moines has been talking to CC, and North Dakota .... Des Moines forward Troy Riddle, who opened eyes at the Buc Bowl, has been drawing interest from Minnesota, North Dakota, CC and BC.... 6'2" Sioux City D A.J. Kratofil has been drawing interest from Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Western Michigan.... 5'9" Sioux City centerman Tyler Palmiscino will be taking visits to Ohio State and Minnesota-Duluth.
9/20/99 What's the Point? University of Michigan defenseman Mike Van Ryn, who we correctly predicted in this space would sign with the Sarnia Sting (OHL), has indeed done so, thus making the worst choice possible among the three options available to him. And we're only talking hockey development here -- forget about the fact that Michigan has professors who know the difference between Bo Schembechler and William Shakespeare. By opting for Sarnia, Van Ryn is taking a step down in competition. He'll be an overager playing against teenagers. Compared to playing for Michigan or with the Canadian National Team, the OHL will be a skate in the park. Development-wise, Van Ryn should go with the Canadian National Team so he can at least play against grownups. But there's one huge factor factor working against that: Van Ryn has to play out the year in major junior to be a free agent come next June 1 (per the collective bargaining agreement the NHLPA has with the league), and being a free agent is what this is all about. If the New Jersey Devils, who drafted him in the first round last year, feel they have enough depth on the blue line, they could let that date come and go without signing him. In that case, Van Ryn could get a pretty hefty contract from another NHL team -- especially considering another expansion season is coming up. However, if New Jersey signed him now and placed him in Albany (AHL), he'd quite likely be playing in the Meadowlands next season.
9/19/99 RoughRiders Roll On This afternoon, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) beat the Danville Wings (NAHL) . 5-4, in the championship game of the 1999 Buc Bowl in Des Moines, Iowa. With the win, the RoughRiders (formerly the North Iowa Huskies) have swept both major pre-season Junior A tournaments, having taken the hardware (such as it is) at last weekend's Hayward Tournament in Hayward, Wisconsin. The RoughRiders, coached by Mark Carlson, who, for the last four seasons has been an assistant under Bruce Crowder at Northeastern University, are not loaded with talent, at least according to the Div. I college recruiters who flock to these early-season tournaments. However, they work hard, keep it simple, and play as a team. The same was said of the Danville Wings who, by the way, were picked to finish last in their conference in the this year's pre-season NAHL coach's poll. And there they were, in the championship game of the Buc Bowl. In deference to the other teams in the tournament, it should be pointed out that both Cedar Rapids and Danville played relatively weak schedules. En route to the final, Cedar Rapids played -- and beat -- Waterloo, Dubuque, and Rochester. Danville played -- and beat -- Sioux City, Sioux Falls, and Lincoln. Of the two finalists, Danville had the tougher schedule, though neither had to face Omaha or Des Moines, the host team. We don't have a lot on today's finals -- we're just going off of a faxed scoresheet. We can, however, tell you that today's big gun for the RoughRiders was 6'1" forward David Carpentier of Faribault, Minnesota. Carpentier, who played for Andy Murray on the Shattuck-St.Mary's Prep Team last season, had two goals and an assist. Cedar Rapids' other goals were scored by Matthew Hoppe, Roman Macoszek, and Gerry Hickey. The latter played for Xaverian HS in Boston last year. Danville's top offensive contributor was Derek Edwardson, who played for Adrahtas on Team Illinois. Edwardson had a goal and an assist (coming off two goals in Saturday's win over Lincoln). Jason Costa. Jeff Gerbe, and Shane Saum also scored for Danville. Here's how the teams finished up. Red Division: 1. Danville (3-1-0); 2. Des Moines (2-1-0); 3. Rochester (0-2-1); 4. Dubuque (0-3-0); and 5.Waterloo (0-3-0). In the Blue Division it was 1. Cedar Rapids (4-0-0); 2. Omaha (3-0-0); 3. Sioux City (2-1-0); 4. Sioux Falls (1-1-1), and 5. Lincoln (1-2-0). We'll have a more detailed look at this tournament around mid-week.
9/19/99 Sargent Leads U.S. Under-17's Past Texas Behind two goals from Eric Sargent, only the second 15-year-old to play for the NTDP in its three-year history (Kris Vernarsky was the other), the U.S. Under-17 Team knocked off Tony Curtale's Texas Tornado at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube this afternoon by a 5-3 score. Notes: From here on in, we won't be reporting results of the Under-17's or Under-18's regular season's games in the monthly news. Please look to this web site's front page for links to both the Under-18 and Under-17 Team.We'll be doing our best to get the results and box scores up as quickly as possibly, though there will be times, particularly when the season heats up, when we'll be scouting other tournaments, and might not be as prompt as we'd like in getting the results posted. Hang with us, though!
9/18/99 Umberger, Globke Lead Under-18's in Opener R.J. Umberger and Rob Globke each had a goal and an assist to pace the U.S. Under-18 Team to a 3-2 win over the Fargo-Moorhhead Ice Sharks in each team's opening game last night in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Notes: Look soon for Under-18 scores, box scores, etc. to be moved to its own section. We've rearranged the front page a little bit, and you can find the new section there. It is, as they say, "under contruction." It should be all set up in a few days, though. Box Score, Fri. 9/17: U.S. Under-18 3, Fargo 2 Box Score, Sat. 9/18: U.S. Under-18 4, Fargo 3
9/17/99 Umberger to Ohio State U.S. Under-18 Team center R.J. Umberger has committed to Ohio State. Umberger, a 6'2", 192 lb. native of Pittsburgh, PA is a 5/3/82 birthdate and in his second year with the program. Umberger played with the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA team before coming to Ann Arbor.
9/17/99 Speaking of Which... ...the Under-18 Team starts its third season with a 7:30 pm home game against the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks tonight.
On Wednesday night, the Under-17 team, decimated by the flu, bowed to Grand Rapids, 6-3. John Snowden had a pair of goals and Jake Riddle had one. Box Score, Wed. 9/15: Grand Rapids 6, U.S. Under-17 3
9/16/99 Top Performers at the Hayward Tournament Earlier this week, we spoke to five Division I assistants who'd just gotten back from the Hayward Tournament. We asked them who played well, added up the mentions, picked up a few comments, and came up with the following: CEDAR RAPIDS ROUGHRIDERS (4-0): Great team effort. Played a smart, simple game, keeping puck along boards, limiting turnovers etc. No big-time stars but forwards Josh Schlipp, Micah Wouters, and Matthew Hoppe all played well up front. Best prospect on D was 6'0" left shot Tim Horst, who's a second-year player from South St. Paul, Minnesota. 6'2" newcomer Justin Kahle, who played for the Compuware Midgets last year, held his own. Former Shattuck-St. Mary's forward Max Bull was out with mono. TWIN CITIES VULCANS (3-1): The Vulcans were easily the biggest team in the tournament, and, like Cedar Rapids, much of their success came from the fact that they're physical, strong, and work hard. Everyone was raving about goaltender Adam Berkhoel, who in the first period of Sunday's game against Green Bay was unbelievable, kicking out a barrage of shots, and keeping his team in a game they wound up winning, 4-1. Up front, 6'1" center Matt Koalska got a lot of attention, as did 6'2" RW Dan Miller and 6'2" LW Derek Larson, all three are former teammates at Hill-Murray HS. Also mentioned by a couple of recrutiers was 6'3" center Peter Talafous, son of Dean Talafous, who's moving up to the USHL from Hudson HS in Wisconsin. OMAHA LANCERS (3-1): The Lancers have a bunch of small, highly effective forwards. However, their top prospects are on the blue line. 6'0", 220 lb. Jason Platt was one of the top three D in the tournament, and is being closely watched by a number of top DI programs. 5'8" highly-skilled defenseman Brett Davis, a left shot from Battle Creek, Michigan, also drew a lot of attention. 6'1" Lee Green, an '81 who played for the Alaska All-Stars Midget AAA team last season is a good DI prospect but will likely need another year. Of the forwards, 6'2" Lukas Sedlacek from the Czech Republic National Junior Team drew the most atttention, followed by Scott Turner, Drew Kriner, and Brian Schuster. 6'0" Dan Hacker, Lee Green's teammate with the Alaska All-Stars will be a good Div. I prospect, too. He needs a little time to adjust, though -- he's only an an '82 and making the move up from midget hockey. GREEN BAY GAMBLERS (2-2): 6'0", 175 lb. Dan Boeser, who played for the Gamblers last year and Burnsville High in Minnesota the year before that, was pretty much a unanimous pick as the top D-man in the tournament. Not far behind him was 6'1", 200 lb. left shot Danny Calzada, also a Gamblers second-year player and Jeff Finger, who was recruited by Michigan Tech last year but is now back on the market. All are legit money players. Up front, Aaron Smith, who played for the St. Louis Sting (NAHL) last season and, but for the lack of a few English credits would likely be playing Div. I now, was outstanding, scoring a couple of highlight film goals. 6'1" Tristan Lush, a 12th grader who played at Belmont Hill last season, drew a lot of kudos as did John Eichelberger, formerly with the U.S. National Team Development Program. WATERLOO BLACK HAWKS (2-2): Defenseman Tom Galvin, now in his second year with Waterloo, played very well and is now a legit Div. I prospect. Galvin, who's 5'10", 190 lbs. is a right shot. He's from Long Island and played at the Canterbury School before heading west. Up front, Waterloo's most skilled player was 5'11" Michal Hudec of Bratislava, Slovakia. Hudec played for the Slovakian National Junior Team last winter. 6'2" Jay Dardis, who played at Proctor (Minn.) HS and committed to St. Cloud State last winter (though he hasn't qualified yet), could be a big-time player. He's a New York Rangers 6th-round draft pick but at Hayward he was busy adjusting to the pace. Mention should also go to another pair of forwards -- 6'0" Brian Canady, a hard-working forechecking type from Kenai, Alaska and 5'11" Luke Fulghum of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both played with Waterloo last year. A newcomer who got better as the weekend went along was 6'1" forward Craig Falite, who played prep hockey at Tabor Academy last season. SIOUX FALLS STAMPEDE (3-1): No big-time talent, but a team that, according to one recruiter, made a good showing. "They didn't look at all like an expansion team," he said. However, they are young and inexperienced -- there is only one USHL vet on the roster. Up front, the player most mentioned was Jared Hanowski, who's from Regina and played for Melville in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League last season. Sioux Falls is young up front. They have four '82 forwards who will be interesting to watch develop over the course of the season. They are: Chad LaRose, who played for the Compuware Midgets last season; Jeff Corey, who played for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers; Justin Bittner, who played for the Pittsburgh Hornets; and 6'2" James Massen, who played for Bismarck (N.D.) HS last year. 5'8" center Tyler Schnell, who played for Vail Midget AAA last season and is headed to Alaska-Anchorage next season, was out with an injury. Sioux Falls' top D-man over the weekend was 5'10", 190 lb. right-shot Mike Lubesnick, who played for the Springfield Blues (NAHL) last season. J.D. Schaub, a product of the American Eagles Midget AAA program in New Jersey played well, too. BILLINGS BULLS (1-3): 5'11" left-shot center Jon Booras, a skilled, young player (he's an '82) really stood out. He's very good with the puck. Give him a year in a stronger league and he'll be a legit DI prospect. The only other Billings player anyone mentioned was Billy Katelnikoff, a RW from Regina, Saskatchewan. THUNDER BAY FLYERS (0-4): 6'1" center Patrick Sharp, who's going to Vermont next fall, played well, as did 5'10" center Michael Kompon, who recently made a verbal commitment to Miami. 5'11" Jesse Baraniuk was easily the best defenseman on the team. 5'8" left-shot D Tyler Williamson also picked up a mention or two. Thunder Bay's top defense prospect, 6'2" Ryan Caldwell, a Manitoba native who played at Shattuck-St. Mary's last season and is committed to Denver University, was out with a broken hand.
9/15/99 RoughRiders Take Hayward Tournament The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (formerly the North Iowa Huskies), under new head coach Mark Carlson, swept through the field at the Hayward tournament last weekend, knocking off the Green Bay Gamblers, 4-0; the Billings Bulls, 6-1; the Waterloo Black Hawks, 5-2; and the Omaha Lancers, 5-4. Top gun for the RoughRiders was Josh Schlipp (5g,3a). The other offensive leaders were Micah Wouters (0g,6a); Rory Milcarek (2g,3a); and Matthew Hoppe (3g,1a). But this was a weekend where everyone chipped in, as 11 forwards wound up with two or more points. Most of the D-men chipped in offensively, too. In the net, Rob Silvia, who played for the Tecumseh (Ont.) Bulldogs last season, played two games (2.00 gaa), Bryan Smith, who comes from Madison (Wisc.) Memorial High School, played one game (2.00 gaa), as did 11th grader Matt Kelly (1.00 gaa), formerly of Catholic Memorial High School in Boston. Carlson reported that the weekend was a team effort. "It was a good weekend, and fun for the guys, but we have to keep perspective. It's early in the season." The early part of the season looks to be a rugged one for the RoughRiders, who'll be playing their first 25 league games on the road as construction on the team's new 4,000 seat arena is completed. But the wait will be worth it. The arena, with two sheets of ice, 14 luxury boxes, a first class locker room, player lounge, and training room, will be state-of-the-art -- and a major asset when it comes to recruiting efforts. Opening night will be on New Year's Eve, with a game against Twin Cities. Notes: The Hayward tournament is one of two major preseason USHL tournaments. The other, the Buc Bowl, gets under way tomorrow in Des Moines, Iowa, and the U.S. Hockey Report will have eagle-eyed scout John Riley on hand for Friday and Saturday's action. Look for a report in this space early next week. Tomorrow, we'll have a team-by-team look at the top players in the Hayward tournament. 6'1", 190 lb. defenseman Peter Smrek, who played last year for the Des Moines Buccaneers, has signed a two-year NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues. Smrek, a native of Martin, Slovakia, is the second player ever to be signed to an NHL contract directly out of the USHL. The first came just last month, when Ruslan Fedotenko, a 6'2" forward from Kiev, Ukraine and the Sioux City Musketeers, signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Look for both players to start their pro careers in the AHL.
9/14/99 Hale To North Dakota Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) defenseman David Hale, a 6'2", 195 lb. native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, has decided to play for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux next season. A left shot, Hale is still on the raw side, but utilizes his strength well to play a physical, punishing game. A 6/18/81 birthdate, Hale played for the Pike's Peak Miners before heading to the USHL last year. Other schools vying for Hale were Denver University, Boston University, and the University of Omaha-Nebraska. At North Dakota, Hale will be joining his older brother, Ryan, an entering freshman and a forward last season with the Waterloo Black Hawks.
9/14/99 Globke to Fast Track Rob Globke, a 6'3", 195 lb. right-shot center with the U.S. Under-18 Team who recently switched to the Ann Arbor Public school system, will be accelerating and looking to head to college next fall. It shouldn't be much of a problem -- Globke, who's 16 and would have gone in the first-round of June's OHL draft if he'd chosen that route, is reportedly a 4.0 student. His mother is a doctor; his father is a high school teacher. Last year, Globke played for the Compuware Ambassadors (NAHL). A 10/24/82 birthdate, he was the youngest player on the team. In 55 games played, he had an 8-14-22 scoring line with 111 penalty minutes.
9/14/99 Top Yanks in Czech Republic A coach/recruiter who watched all the games in the U.S. Under-18's silver-medal winning performance last month in the Czech Republic gave us his ranking of the six most-outstanding Americans. They were, by position: Goaltenders: 1) Jason Bacashihua of Dearborn Heights, Michigan and the Honeybaked organization was solid at all times, and frequently spectacular, coming up with key saves that allowed the U.S. to survive and cash in at the other end. Bacashihua, who's noted for his work ethic, is 5'11", 161 lbs. He'll be with the Chicago Freeze (NAHL) this season. Has pro potential. Forwards: 1) Colin Stuart, a 6'0", 181 lb. left-shot centerman who played for Rochester Lourdes HS in Minnesota last season, was the best all -around forward. A heady player who utilizes linemates well, Stuart stood out in special teams situations, especially on the penalty kill. Stuart will be playing with the Lincoln Stars (USHL) this season. Probably the second best pro prospect on the U.S. squad (after Bacashihua). Great bloodlines, too. Older bother, Mike, plays at Colorado College. Younger brother, Mark, was the top-ranked D at the Select 15 Festival. 2) Gregg Johnson, a 5'10", 167 lb. left-shot center from Windsor, Conn. and the New England Coyotes (EJHL) just gets better every year -- great individual skills, and extremely tenacious, too. 3) Ryan Connelly, a 5'9", 175 lb. RW from White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota. A rock-solid hockey player, and an excellent two-way player. A fearless competitor. Great skater with very good puck skills and a heavy shot. 4) Dwight Helminen, a 5'8", 163 lb. left-shot centerman from Brighton, Mich. and the Compuware Midgets. It took him a couple days to realize he was good enough to be playing at this level (he was one of only two '83's on the U.S. squad), but with his speed, his shot, and his smarts he quickly proved he more than belonged. Defensmen: 1) Eric Werner was the hands-down standout. A 5'8", 145 lb. right shot who played for Chris Coury's Little Caesar's Midgets last season, Werner, like Helminen, is an '83 (the two are now teammates on the U.S. Under-17 Team). Werner has tremendous hands, but needs to learn how to play in his own end a little better -- sometimes he'll attack the puck carrier and miss him. But more often than not, because he's so strong -- especially for his size -- and such a tenacious S.O.B., he's able to get his man and knock him off the puck. Perhaps because he's so peerless offensively, people just assume he's casting his defensive game to the wind. But it just ain't so. As for his offensive game, his only obvious weakness is a tendency to hold onto the puck too long, which reduces his options.
9/12/99 U.S. Under-17's Get Off On the Good Foot Ann Arbor, Mich. – In the program's first two seasons, the U.S. National Under-17 team struggled mightily in the early going as the players got their first taste of competing against bigger and older opponents. Undoubtedly, there will be struggles ahead for this year's edition as well, but the team's opening weekend at the Ice Cube was a good one, producing two wins in three games. That's something neither the '97-98 or '98-99 Under-17's were able to do. On Friday, the Under-17's lost to the St. Louis Sting, 5-4, but rebounded with wins over St. Louis and Danville, on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Details, Game of Friday Night 9/10 Details, Game of Saturday Night, 9/11 Details, Game of Sunday Afternoon, 9/12 Weekly Wrap, 9/13/99 Maiser NAHL Player of the Week
9/12/99 Catching Up A few news items from when we were on vacation last week: *** First off, star Michigan defenseman Mike Van Ryn has left the University of Michigan to play for the Canadian National Team, where he'll be reunited with coach Tom Renney. Van Ryn was the captain and Renney the coach of the Canadian squad that took the silver medal in last winter's World Junior Championships in Winnipeg. Signing on with the Canadian National Team will not affect Van Ryn's contract situation with the Devils, who selected him in the first round of the June 1998 NHL draft, and reportedly have offered him a contract well below what other first rounders have received. Van Ryn, however, can force New Jersey's hand -- and we fully expect him to do so -- by signing a major junior contract with the Sarnia Sting, the OHL team that drafted him in 1996. All he'd need to do is play a minimum of one game with the Sting to become an unrestricted free agent on June 1, 2000. Signing with the Sting would not affect Van Ryn's eligibility with the National Team. He could, if he chose, go right back to them. The Boston Bruins, by the way, have challenged -- in the case of their draftee Ben Clymer -- the ruling that allows college players to leave school, and, after playing a year of major junior as an overager, become an unrestricted free agent. Whether the Bruins win or not, we think it's highly unlikely that any ruling could be put into affect that would work retroactively and affect Clymer, Van Ryn, or any other players who have already gone that route. However, if the Bruins were to win the case, it would give top college players less reason to leave school -- and that's something top college coaches wouldn't mind a bit. By the same token, though, it might give some top players wavering between major junior and college one less reason to go the college route. ***Thunder Bay Flyers C/LW Mike Kompon has verbally committed to Miami University. Kompon, 5'10" and 177 lbs. and an '82 birthdate, was a fourth round pick of the Guelph Storm in June's OHL draft. Last season he played for the Stratford Cullitons and in 63 games had a 31-54-85 line with 54 penalty minutes. USHR Scouting Report on Kompon, Oct. '98 *** Jay Suszek scouted Ontario for the U.S. Hockey Report last year -- and did a tremendous job, providing us with full scouting reports on over 100 of the top OHL-draft eligible prospects ('82 and '83s, both American and Canadian), and putting out round-by-round rankings, updated monthly, that many close observers of the Ontario junior hockey scene felt were superior to the OHL's Central Scouting lists. Most remarkable was the fact that all this work was being done by one person -- who also put in 40 hours a week as a pharmacist in Hamilton, Ontario. We felt all summer that an OHL team would lure Suszek away from us with an offer better than we could come up with, so we weren't exactly surprised when Jay called to say he'd be scouting for the Sudbury Wolves this season. We'll miss him, and we wish him the best. We're also proud that his work for the USHR was so highly regarded that it led to this new job. This is a great hire by Sudbury.
9/12/99 Marsters to RPI Bramalea Blues goaltender Nate Marsters has committed to RPI. Marsters, who's 6'4", 210 lbs., is a 1980 birthdate and a butterfly-type goaltender. He had a 3.19 GAA in 28 games played last year. When he arrives in Troy a year from now, Marsters will have an opportunity to log playing time right away -- both of RPI's current goaltenders, Joel Laing and Scott Prekaski, will be graduating in the spring. With defensemen Brian Pothier and Jared Reigstad also graduating in the spring, RPI is in the hunt for a pair of blueliners. Two players getting early attention from the Engineers are Cushing Academy's Brett Peterson and the National Program's Jim McNamara.
9/11/99 Glades Open at the Gut Tonight An idea that's been in the formative stage for over two years becomes reality at 8 p.m. tonight when Vermont's first junior team, the Green Mountain Glades, faces off against the Ottawa Jr. Senators at the University of Vermont's Gutterson Field House. The team is the brainchild of former Middlebury College ('88-92) goaltender Brent Truchon. When Truchon was co-coach at Burlington High School two years ago, he saw an article in the Burlington Free Press about the large number of Vermont high school hockey players heading off to prep schools in the search for more competitive hockey. Truchon, who will be coaching the Glades, wanted to give the top Vermonters another option -- and he has, as 13 of his players are native Vermonters. Four of those 13 are split season players, meaning they'll return to their high school teams in November. Asked how Vermont high school coaches were treating the arrival of the Glades, Truchon said they were "cautiously optimistic." "I've been very upfront with them. I told them I wouldn't take kids and sit them on the bench." However, said Truchon, "If there's a top high school player who'll benefit from this program I will certainly consider taking him." The Blades will be an independent team this year, similar to the Boston Junior Bulldogs. Asked if he hopes to align with an established league, Truchon, whose Glades have already been asked by the Quebec AAA league to be part of their operation, said he's adopting a wait-and-see attitude. As for the schedule, the Glades have 12-15 games lined up with EJHL opponents. They have 8-10 games against prep schools, including Taft, Northfield-Mt.Hermon, Thayer, Northwood, National Sports Academy, and Hotchkiss. They also have games scheduled against the Boston Bulldogs, Montreal Junior Canadiens, and the Hawkesbury Hawks, among others. Of the Glades home games, 18 will be played at Gutterson Field House, 4-6 will be played at Middlebury College, 4-6 will be played at Norwich, and a game or two will be played across Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, NY. Here's a look at the players on the 1999-00 Green Mountain Glades
9/10/99 U.S. Under-17's Season Opener Tonight Tonight, the third season of the U.S. National Team Development Program gets underway as the Under-17 Team faces off against the St. Louis Sting at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The Under-18 Team's season won't get underway until next Friday, when they face the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks at the Ice Cube. Here are the lines for tonight's game:
Notes -- Matt Weber will get the opening night nod in goal...After games tonight and tomorrow vs. St. Louis, the Danville Wings come in on Sunday...Forward Barry Tallackson, who has been out with mono, has been practicing the last few days and could be ready to go on Sunday. Bob Mancini will be coaching the Under-17 Team this year. Alex Roberts will be his assistant with Bobby Hayes the graduate assistant. The Under-18 team will be coached by Jeff Jackson. He'll be assisted by Ken Martel and John Hynes. St. Louis, coached by former St. Louis Blues defenseman Rick Zombo, has lost several of their top scorers from last season. Jim Abbott is off to UNH. John Gilbert is at Iona. Pelle Fernhall is back in Sweden. Aaron Smith has jumped to the USHL. St. Louis' top line will consist of Keith Rowe and Jared Goodson being centered by crafty Eric Ortlip, who's starting his third season with the team. Yan Stastny, the son of NHL Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, centers the second line. Stastny, who was terrific at the Select 17 Festival this summer, will have David Wasil and Pat Caslin as his wingers. The third line has Brian Koch between Tim Niedbalski and Scott Cosentine. The Sting have five players turning twenty this year...Look for the U.S. Under-17's to struggle early as they adjust to playing against older, more-experienced opponents. Having J.D. Forrest helping out will lend needed stability and leadershp on the blue line.
9/08/99 A Pair of Erics for the U.S. National Program 5'9", 153 lb. left-shot center Eric Sargent of Linden, Michigan and the Honeybaked Bantams; and 6'0, 178 lb. LW Eric Nystrom of Syosset, NY and the Apple Core Juniors, have been added to the roster of the National Team Development Program for the 1999-00 season. Nystrom, an '83 birthdate, had a 15-17-32 line in 48 games last season. He's the son of Bob Nystrom, a standout on the N.Y. Islanders from 1972-86 and a member of the team that won four straight Stanley Cups in the early 80's. Sargent, who led all goal scorers at this summer's Select 15 Festival with eight, is a July '84 birthdate, which makes him the first 15 year old to join the National Program since Kris Vernarsky two years ago. Rosters: U.S. Under-17 and Under-18 Teams
9/07/99 Swan Song for USHL's Vulcans The Twin Cities Vulcans have been sold to Ted Baer, who also owns the Omaha Lancers, and will relocate to Kearney, Nebraska after the upcoming season. The Vulcans, one of the USHL's original franchises, have struggled with attendance in recent years, and rarely break 500 fans at the gate. The problem, of course, is that the Twin Cities is saturated -- there's high school hockey, the Gophers, and, on top of all that, the NHL returns in the fall of '00. The relocated team, to be known as the Tri-City Storm, will encompass the area of Kearney, Hastings, and Grand Island, Nebraska, three small cities along Interstate 80 in the middle of Nebraska. Current Vulcans G.M. Jim Johannson, a Twin Cities native, will not be moving with the team, preferring to stay in Minnesota. However, current Vulcans coach Jim Hillman will be making the move and will likely take on G.M duties there as well. 9/07/99 Mass. 14's Rock Out in Stockholm The Mass 14's went to Stockholm Aug. 19-28 for a five-game series against teams from the Swedish 14-year-old Elite League. They went 3-1-1, beating Hammarby, Solna, and DIF; tying Huddinge BJ; and losing to AIK. Top scorers for Mass. were Kevin Coughlin, South Boston (1-7-8); Kyle Simpson, Scituate (5-2-7); Joe Rooney, Canton (4-3-7); Jeff Grant, Burlington (2-5-7); Tom Marengi, Ashland (3-3-6); Brian McGuirk, Danvers (1-5-6); and Mike Rosata, Needham (1-4-5). Goaltenders Phil Greer of Hopkinton and Keith Longo of Hopedale held their opponents to an average of 3.00 goals against. 9/07/99 New Goaltender Coach for BU Mike Geragosian, an assistant and goaltender coach at Merrimack for the past four years, will be moving on to Boston University, effective immediately. Geragosian, who played at the University of Lowell in the early 70's, was an assistant there for 12 seasons. He also spent two seasons as an assistant to Toot Cahoon at Princeton. 9/06/99 Outlaws Take Mass. Labor Day Tournament Marlboro, Mass. -- In a crisp, hard-fought game the Central Massachusetts Outlaws edged the Cape Cod Whalers, 3-2, in the Midget AAA title game here at the Massachusetts Tier I Invitational Labor Day Tournament here this afternoon. The Whalers jumped out to a 1-0 first period lead when Thayer forward Scott Selig broke down his off-wing and fired a wrist shot past Outlaws goalie Tim Warner. The Outlaws, however, would score the next three goals -- by Ben Murphy and his younger brother, Dan, and Mike Warner. With 34 seconds left and Outlaws goaltender Peter Cohen pulled, Selig carried the puck the length of the ice, set up behind the net and found defenseman Donnie Grover moving down the slot. That was as close as the Whalers would get, however. These were loaded teams, so we're not going to try to list everyone here. However, we really liked the play of the Cushing forwards on the Outlaws -- Tony Mallozzi worked his tail off, Brian Doherty looks leaner and quicker and primed for a big season, Ben Murphy is simply very dangerous when he has the puck. On defense, the Outlaws boasted Steven Wood, Ryan Whitney, Brett Peterson, Robbie Barker, Scott Ward, and Brian Yandle -- nuff' said, right?. The Whalers top forward was Selig, who's grown to about 6'2" and looks to be primed for a big season. Selig recently committed to Northeastern. Thayer forward Steve Greeley, who'll be entering his sixth season in the ISL, also played a strong game. BB&N's Rich Massey played two periods in the Whalers net, faced a slew of shots and was only beaten twice. Massey could be one of the most underrated goaltenders in the prep ranks. In the Midget Blue Division (AA), the Pittsburgh Hornets topped the Central Mass Outlaws, 2-0, with the last goal an empty-netter. Due to the great number of teams here, we didn't have time to truly scout this division, even though there were '84s as good -- or even better -- than some of those listed listed below. We'll ccatch them the next time around. In the bantam division, the Buffalo Stars, down 2-0 to the Alaska All-Stars with five minutes remaining in regulation, came back to win in overtime, 3-2 on a goal by Brian Muscarella of Tonawanda, NY. We closely scouted the bantam division, mainly because it was an opportunity to get a first look at a number of younger players. First off, the top '86 bantam we saw (for the record, there were only two) was Jeff Christiansen, a right-shot center from Elm Grove, WI and the Wisconsin Selects. Christiansen, at 5'7", has decent size -- for his age, anyway -- strength, good hands, and a load of potential. The other '86 was 5'1", 100 lb. Brandon Dubinsky, a very small but skilled left shot center with the Alaska All-Stars. Our picks for the top '85 Bantams were:
Our picks for the top '84 Bantams were:
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