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U.S. Hockey Report
9/28/00 Sure, We'll Find a Spot for You It looks like it's shaping up to be a Boston College-Michigan State tug-of-war for Duncan Keith, the top college prospect among BCHL defensemen. And if he decides that neither of those schools suit him? Well, there are plenty of others -- like the 15 Div. I recruiters on hand at a recent Panthers game -- ready to jump into line. A 5'11" LD (he grew two inches since last summer), Keith is a Phil Housley type of d-man. Right off, you'll notice his skating, which is outstanding -- very smooth, very poised, and quick, too. Keith also has quickness, excellent puck skills, vision, and a good shot. Wherever he goes, he'll be a prime candidate to run the powerplay. His birthdate is 7/16/83. Most observers feel that the top prospect up front is center Justin Aikens, a 6'0" LC from the Langley Hornets who committed to UNH last spring.
9/27/00 Gaul to Dartmouth Joe Gaul, a 5'11" 165 lb. center for the Chicago Freeze (NAHL), has committed to Dartmouth for 2001. Gaul, an '81, is in his second year with the Freeze, coached by ex-Dartmouth assistant Guy Perron. Last year, he scored 14 points in 55 games. This year, he has scored two goals in four games thus far. Gaul is a skilled playmaker who sees the ice well, and is good both with and without the puck. He's greatly improved his strength and skating since entering the NAHL a year ago. Gaul plays the wing frequently, but his natural position is center. Before coming to the Freeze, Gaul played for the Pittsburgh Hornets, the top midget program in Western Pennsylvania. The Hornets, coached by Joe Gaul, Sr. have produced R.J. Umberger, J.B. Bittner, Mike Betz, and numerous others. Another player committed to Dartmouth, though not until the '02-03 season, is New York Apple Core (EJHL) forward A.J. Palkovich, a quick, skilled 5'10, 162 lb. LW from N. Bellmore, N.Y. Palkovich is an '83 birthdate.
9/27/00 BC's Wilson Expelled Boston College sophomore LW Jeremy Wilson has been expelled from school for disciplinary reasons. Wilson, enrolled at the Heights since the beginning of school on Sept. 4, was involved in a drinking incident last weekend, reportedly the second or third time the 20-year-old has run afoul of school rules. There was no police involvement in the incident. The decision was strictly a school decision, not a team decision. If Wilson wishes to return to Boston College, he must re-apply. On Tuesday morning, the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) added Wilson to their protected list and, per league policy, contacted him in order to inform him. As of yesterday, Wilson, a 4/9/80 birthdate, had not indicated to Des Moines whether or not he'd be coming. As a freshman, Wilson, a 5'10", 186 lb. fourth-line LW out of Shrewsbury, Mass. and Cushing Academy, posted an 0-3-3 line in 30 games. He also had 20 penalty minutes. In his four years at Cushing, Wilson played on two New England prep school championship squads, in '96 and again in '98.
9/26/00 Doyle Makes His Pick On Saturday afternoon, Sioux Falls Stampede left-shot center Mike Doyle made his college choice, committing to St. Cloud State. That evening, Doyle, a 6'2", 185 lb. native of Anchorage, Alaska, went out and celebrated by scoring two goals and adding two assists in the Stampede's 8-4 win over the Tri-City Storm. Doyle, a 7/31/80 birthdate who played for Sioux Falls last season after coming over from the Butte Fighting Irish (AWHL), has size, good hands and sees the ice well. In the days leading up to last June's NHL draft, there were clubs talking about using a late round pick on him, but none did. Now, of course, he's a free agent, all the better for him. We rated him as one of the top performers at the Buc Bowl, held the weekend before last in Des Moines, Iowa. His work this past weekend earned him USHL Offensive Player of the Week honors. Doyle joins Lincoln Stars LW Billy Hengen, Rochester Mustangs RW Jay Dardis, and Sioux Falls RW Dave Iannazzo in the current St. Cloud State recruiting class.
9/25/00 Start Spreading the News New York's Apple Core, behind the shutout goaltending of tournament MVP John Yaros, knocked off the Capital District Selects, 2-0, in the title game of the Boston Junior Bruins Shootout over the weekend. Apple Core scored both their goals in the first half, starting the scoring off with a powerplay goal by John Giardino, and wrapping things up with an even-strength goal by 15-year-old Ruslan Khasanchin, an impressive 5'8" import from Russia. En route to the title game, Apple Core knocked off the Valley Warriors, 4-2, while Cap District edged the Junior Bruins, 4-3. In the latter game, Cap District jumped out to a first-half lead -- the Junior Bruins were playing three men short as a result of head coach/GM Peter Masters benching three regulars for tardiness (hear that, Dan Duquette?). However, the Jr. Bruins battled back in the second half, tying it at 3-3, only to go down in defeat when Justin Rafferty scored with ten seconds remaining in regulation. In the midget division, the Boston Little Bruins knocked off the Bay State Breakers, 3-2. After the Breakers took a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Blue Hills Regional HS senior Ryan Moore, the Little B's fought back with goals by Pat Kimball, Nick Bet, and defenseman Brian McCafferty. Kimball, an '86 winger, is a 5'5", 145 lb. dynamo --- a hard-nosed, skilled kid. He's like a shark -- always moving, always involved. And when he strikes, he buries it. A fun player to watch. Bet, who scored the second goal, is a 6'0" '83 forward from Michigan who's in his second year with the Junior Bruins organization. An iron man, Bet was everywhere over the weekend, not only bouncing back and forth between the Junior B's and the Little B's but also suiting up for one of the thrown-together prep teams in the tournament. In all, Bet played nine games. The game-winner, with nine seconds left in the first OT, came off the stick of Brian McCafferty, an '86 defenseman from Lexington, Mass. who has a lot of poise for a kid who just turned 14 over the summer. McCafferty was named the MVP of the Midget Division. As you can see, the Little Bruins are young for a midget squad, with five '86's and six '85s on their roster. They are also very skilled. Other top players over the weekend included goaltender Nevin Hamilton, a 5'10" '85 who was spectacular in the championship game; Trevor Spiridi, an '85 center from Rhode Island who's an excellent faceoff man; and Jimmy Russo ('85), Jarrett Sousa ('85), Topher Bevis ('86), and Mike Rose ('84). Unfortunately, as of now the Little Bruins are not eligible for the Massachusetts midget tournament in November. Why? Because they are not sponsored by a district -- and right now no district registrar will sponsor a team from outside the Mass. Select League. It's not right -- these kids, while perhaps too young to knock off the likes of the Eastern Mass. Senators, at least deserve a shot. Head Coach/ GM Masters, who only graduated from Boston College a few years ago, has, through hard work and the help of brother Chris Masters and Bill Riga, put together a top-flight vertically-constructed system in the mode of Michigan organizations like HoneyBaked and Compuware. In other words, when it's time to reload the Junior Bruins at this time next year, Masters can reach down and fill a lot of key spots with players from his midget squad. What of the Junior B's, anyway? Of the teams here, Masters's squad had the highest overall skill level. However, like the midget team, they are very young, skating one 14 year old, Adam Pineault, a 6'1" skilled right shot center from Holyoke who has the tools to be a high NHL draft pick a few -- well, four or five -- years down the road; and one15 year old, Brett Tyler, a left-shot defenseman from Maynard, Mass. already in his second year with the Junior Bruins. Tyler, 5'9", 175 lbs., is a tenacious, bulldog type of defenseman with good puck skills. Of the older players, 5'11" RD Bobby Gillon, an '81 from Fairfield Prep now in his second year with the Jr. Bruins, is coming along nicely. Princeton, Dartmouth, and CC are all said to be following his progress. 6'2" forward Chris Casey, a PG and '81 birthdate out of Belmont Hill, has the size and strength to play DI. If he can contribute offensively, he could get his chance. Speedy 5'9" right-shot forward Greg Mauldin, of course, has already committed to UMass-Amherst. Of the 11th graders, forwards like Nick Bet, mentioned above, and Mike Robertson, and defenseman Adam Staniech are all Div. I prospects. Others, no doubt, will emerge. Notes: Yaros and Hamilton, mentioned above, were not the only goaltenders to come up big this weekend. Erstwhile Lawrence Academy goaltender Bo Christini, an '82 from Pennsylvania now playing for Cap District, also looked sharp. And Choate's Chris Schod, playing for the Connecticut Junior Wolves, sparkled in a 1-0 loss to Cap District. In that game, the winning goal came in the final minute of play.
9/25/00 DiStefano to Union Choate defenseman Chris DiStefano, a 5'10", 175 lb. left-shot defenseman from the Choate School has committed to Union College. Other schools reported to be interested were Dartmouth, Yale, and RPI. DiStefano, who's from the Albany area, played for the Capital District Selects Bantam squad before going to Choate. He's a smart, mobile defenseman with good puck skills.
9/22/00 Protection, Inc. As many of you know, the USHL grants each of its member teams the authority to "protect" an outside club, generally chosen from the midget, high school, or Jr. B ranks. The players on the chosen teams thus immediately become the property of the USHL club which chose them, and, come springtime, are ineligible for the league's draft. If a player wishes to play in another league, e.g. the NAHL, he can do so freely, but if he wishes to play in the USHL it must be with the team that protected him. He can be traded, however. The protected teams concept is actually the most straight-forward aspect of the USHL system of player procurement, which also features two (!!) drafts, one in the winter and one in the spring; as well as two classifications of tenders. If it's all too byzantine, don't feel bad -- you're not alone. Anyway, here is the protected list. Several teams -- Omaha, Green Bay, and Waterloo -- are holding on to the same team they protected last year. Of the 13 teams selected, five are midget teams, six are high school teams (five in Minnesota and one in North Dakota), one is a prep school team, and one is a Jr. B team. The last team on the above list, Topeka, is an expansion franchise that will begin play next fall. The team is owned by Butch Johnson, who owns a number of other USHL teams, and will be coached by Bliss Littler. Topeka, for those of you who weren't paying attention in the second grade, is Kansas's capital. Roughly 160,000 people live in the city and immediate surrounding towns. It's about he same size as Sioux Falls and Sioux City.
9/21/00 Iannazzo a Husky Speedy 5'8", 165 lb. RW Dave Iannazzo of the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) has committed to St. Cloud State. Iannazzo, who is in his second year with the Stampede after a starry career at Maple Grove (Minn.) High School, averaged over a point a game last year in the USHL (29-30-59 in 58 games). Iannazzo, who was one of the top forwards at the Hayward Tournament two weeks ago, is extremely dangerous because of his speed and quick release. Iannazzo joins a pair of other Minnesotans who'll be arriving at St. Cloud next fall: Lincoln Stars LW Billy Hengen, who played high school hockey at Holy Angels; and Rochester Mustangs RW Jay Dardis, who played for Proctor HS.
9/20/00 Best of the Buc Bowl The top teams at the Buc Bowl last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa were the Omaha Lancers, Lincoln Stars, Sioux Falls Stampede, and Des Moines Buccaneers. However, all have question marks. Omaha may have the best corps of defensemen in the league, but they need goaltending help. Sioux Falls has the deepest group of forwards, but their best goaltender, Kellen Briggs, is an '83. Lincoln and Des Moines both have experienced goaltenders in, respectively, Jake Brandt and Mike Mantua, but don't have the overall depth of Omaha and Sioux Falls. What does it all mean? Check back in April. The feeling among scouts and recruiters on hand -- and, as usual, virtually everyone was here -- was that the top end talent that made the USHL a gold mine last season for both college (approximately 100 players moved on to Div. I play) and pro teams (in June, 22 USHL players were selected in the NHL draft, of which 14 were drafted directly from the league) isn't there this year. However, the overall depth is excellent. The list below, then, is our prospects list -- 50 forwards, 25 D, and nine goaltenders. Many are college prospects for next year; others for future years -- and some, of course, have already been to college. NOTE: Please keep in mind that our rankings are a hybrid, with, on average, roughly 50% of any given player's ranking derived from the degree to which he stood out here, with the rest being a projection of future potential, in which case age and situation -- i.e. hockey background -- were figured in. Also, keep in mind that there are some proven USHL veterans, like Preston Callandar, Scott Polaski, and Dave Iannazzo who were just OK over the weekend but, in the final analysis, will likely be much higher up. It's a long stretch between now and April, a grind. It goes without saying that a number of other players will drop down. Forwards: 1. Thomas Vanek, LW, Sioux Falls -- 6'2" power forward from Graz, Austria speaks three languages and has 1st round NHL potential. Only an '84 birthdate; in 11th grade. A top college prospect for the fall of 2002. 2. J.B. Bittner, RW, Sioux Falls -- 5'11" Ohio State recruit is an '82 in his second year with the Stampede. From the Pittsburgh Hornets organization. Very clever. 3. Aaron Slattengren, LW, Omaha Lancers -- 6'1" late '81 birthdate from Proctor HS, outside of Duluth. Has size and scoring ability. Good pro potential. 4. Marco Peluso, LW, Lincoln -- 5'10", '81 birthdate from Bovey, Minn, on the Iron Range. A dominant player in the AWHL (Bismarck Bobcats) last year. Skates, has puck skills, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. 5. Dan Welch, RW, Omaha Lancers -- 5'11" '81 from Hastings HS and the University of Minnesota. Playing in USHL this year because of academic problems. 8th round NHL draft pick (L.A.) this past June. Didn't play as well as he can here, but he will. 6. Andy Kranz, LW, Danville -- 6'1" '80 birthdate who played for Bloomington-Jefferson a couple of years back is maturing and should have a big-time season. Can turn D-men inside out. 7. Mike Doyle, C, Sioux Falls -- 6'2" '80 birthdate from Anchorage, Alaska has size, good hands and and a well-calibrated internal compass. Should have breakthrough year. Solid Div. I and pro prospect. 8. Jake Fleming, C, Omaha Lancers -- 5'10" '82 from Maple Grove, Minn. and the NTDP had an excellent weekend. Splits d-men like they're not even there. Going to the U. 9. Ryan Langenbrunner, C, Waterloo -- 5'11" '81 from Cloquet, Minn. HS is smooth skater and playmaker with a good shot. Going to Minnesota-Duluth. Brother of Dallas Stars forward Jamie Langenbrunner. 10. Doug Meyer, LW, Des Moines -- 6'2 '80 birthdate from Bloomington, Minn. and the U is strong on his skates, with a nice low center of gravity. It would have been newsworthy if he didn't play well here -- and that didn't happen. 11. K.C. Stahlberg, RW, Sioux Falls -- 5'5" '85 (!!) birthdate was younger than all but one player in tournament -- and was a big contributor. Can skate, can score, and can hit. Played last year for the Roseau, Minn. bantams. He's so young he could play five more years in the league. Excellent prospect. 12. Mike Neilon, C, Omaha Lancers -- 6'1" '83 birthdate from St. Paul Johnson HS. Fourth line center here. Tremendous shot. Huge upside. 13. Trevor Frischmon, LW, Lincoln -- 6'0", '81 from Ham Lake, Minn. works extremely hard, drives to the net, and makes things happen. 14. Ryan Connelly, C, Waterloo -- 5'9", '82 from White Bear Lake (Minn.) HS is a hard-working forward who moves puck well, digs, and has good quickness. Going to North Dakota. 15. David Klema, C, Des Moines -- 6'1" '82 from Roseau HS (Minn.) has good hands and sees the ice well. Can set up or finish. 16. Preston Callander, C, Lincoln -- 5'11" '80 birthdate from Regina, Sask. is an older, more experience player who didn't play particularly well here, though he did pick it up at the end. Very clever in tight spaces. Good stick. UNH recruit. 17. James Massen, LW, Sioux Falls -- 6'2", '82 from Bismarck, ND is in his second year with the Stampede. Soft hands plus size makes for a potent combination. Good pro prospect. Good north-south, but needs work on agility. 18. Todd Grant, RW, Danville -- 6'0" late '80 from Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis, Ind. Second year with Danville. Excellent vision. 19. Brad Thompson, C, Tri-City -- 6'0", '81 from St. Louis Park, Minn. has good size, skating ability. Going to Mankato St. 20. Ryan Bennett, Des Moines -- 6'1" '81 from Cap District Selects (EJHL) had a strong weekend. A hard-nosed player who really competes. He bangs, crashes, hacks -- whatever it takes. A battler who'll bang home a goal every now and then. 21. John Snowden, C, Lincoln -- 6'0" '82 played last two years for NTDP. Was going to go to Michigan Tech but had clearinghouse problems. 22. Scott Polaski, RW, Sioux City -- 6'2" '82 from Colorado Springs, Col. is a Colorado College recruit. Average weekend -- not as physically involved as would be expected. 23. John Zeiler, C, Sioux City -- 6'0" late '82 from Pittsburgh Hornets has skill, can score. 24. Cole Baron, LW, Waterloo -- 6'1" '82 from California has come a long way. Good hands, good shot, good agility. Was playing on sprained ankle. 25. Josh Anderson, C, Chicago -- 5'9" '81 from Fergus Falls, Minn. is a pure speedster. Didn't do much for the first couple of days but got it going at the end. 26. Joe Jensen, C, Sioux Falls -- 5'11" '83 from Osseo (Minn.) HS. Skates well. Works hard. Can make a play. Keeps improving. 27. Andy Nelson, C, Des Moines -- 5'10" late '82 from Superior, (Wisc.) HS. Quick. Aggressive. Made things happen. 28. Peter Szabo, C, Danville -- 5'9" '81 from Slovakia. Has just been named to his country's world junior team. 29. Darren Partch, LW, Cedar Rapids -- 6'1" '80 birthdate from California. Sees ice well. Makes good passes. 30. Luke Fulghum, RW, Waterloo -- 5'11" late '80 from Colorado. Has several years Jr. A. experience under his belt. A sniper. 31. Jon Booras, C, Sioux Falls -- 5'11" late '82 from the AWHL, where he played for Billings (his hometown). Very skilled, with good vision. Needs to become a bit more assertive. 32. Chris Fournier, RW, Lincoln -- 5'7" '82 from Anchorage, Alaska in third year with Lincoln. Very skilled and still quite young, USHL-wise. Should be ready for DI play next year. 33. Jim Tudor, RW, Des Moines -- 6'0" '82 from Michigan played in Ontario for Streetsville Derbys last season. Good shot. Works hard. Involved physically. A sleeper. 34. Eddie Diedrick, Danville -- 5'11", 82 from Illinois. Excellent hands. A player to follow. 35. Dave Iannazzo, RW, Sioux Falls -- 5'9" '81 from Maple Grove, Minn. in second year with Stampede is a burner with a quick release. Lit it up in Hayward, but not at Buc Bowl. 36. Rene Gauthier, RW, Des Moines -- 5'10" late '82 from Tecumseh, Ont. has a nose for the net. 37. Riley Riddell, C, Omaha -- 5'9", '81 from Camrose, Alberta. Pesky, an agitator. 38. Adam Wallace, RW, Danville -- 5'9" '80 birthdate from Chicago. Works hard. Makes things happen. 39. Bobby John Byfuglien, RW, Lincoln -- 6'2" '82 from Roseau (Minn.) HS. A banger, pure and simple. 40. Jim Dahl, LW, Omaha -- 6'0" '81 from Minnetonka, Minn. Much improved. 41. Adam Gerlach, C, Dubuque -- 6'1 '81 from Hastings (Minn.) HS. Good size. Good hard shot. Athletic. 42. Ryan Ronkowski, RW, Omaha -- 6'1" '80 birthdate played for Lincoln last season. A rugged, physical wing. 43. Jeff Corey, RW, Sioux Falls -- 6'0" late '82 from Philadelphia area played for Stampede last year. Strong skater who's filled out and improved. 44. Justin Schabes, C, Danville -- 5'11" late '81 from Illinois. Works hard. 45. Mike Brolsma, C, Des Moines -- 6'0" '80 birthdate from Appleton, Wisc. played for Bismarck Bobcats (AWHL) last season. Creates chances through hard work. 46. Erik Johnson, C, Sioux City -- 5'9" '81 from Coon Rapids, Minn. played for Butte Irish (AWHL) last winter. He can scoot. 47. Konrad Reeder, RW, Tri-City -- 5'8", late '81 from British Columbia played for the Bozeman Ice Dogs (AWHL) last winter. Small. pesky forward. 48. Aaron Quigley, C, Rochester -- 5'10" late '81 from N. St. Paul HS. 49. Shawn Vinz, C, Cedar Rapids -- 6'0" '82 from Shattuck has speed to burn. 50. Mike Patton, C, Cedar Rapids -- 5'9" '82 from Mechanicsburg, PA. Excellent passer and face-off man. Defensemen: 1. Keith Ballard, Omaha -- Listed as 5'11", 200 lbs. though 5'10", 185 is closer to reality. A late '82, Ballard is not considered a 1st-2nd round draft pick. That could change quickly, however. As in Hayward, Ballard was the dominant player here. 2. Bryce Lampman, Omaha -- 6'1", 200 lb. '82 from Rochester, Minn. is a mobile, smooth skater, and excellent passer. 3. Andy Schneider, Lincoln -- 6'1", 205 lb. '81 left shot and North Dakota recruit is a rugged, strong defensive defenseman. A native of Grand Forks, ND. 4. Joe Campbell, Des Moines -- 6'4", 180 lb. '82 from Superior (Wisc.) HS. Is making the huge jump from Wisconsin high school hockey to the USHL, so there will be growing pains along the way. Has excellent size, good feet, good stick, and likes physical play. Has pro potential somewhere down the line. 5. Nick Fuher, Lincoln -- 6'2", 190 lb. '81 native of Grand Forks, ND is confident with the puck. His shot is excellent, and he has good size. Like every other defenseman on the planet, Fuher is heading to the University of North Dakota next year. 6. Tom Gilbert, Chicago -- 6'2" '83 right shot from Bloomington - Jefferson playing some pre-season games with Chicago. A converted forward, Gilbert can get off an accurate shot on the fly. Played it fairly conservatively here. Has solid pro potential. 7. Eric Werner, Sioux Falls -- 5'10", 165 lb. '83 who played for the NTDP last year is an offensive defenseman who is super-nimble, both on his feet and with his stick. Going to Michigan. A right shot. 8. Trevor Wolfe, D, Waterloo -- 6'2" '80 played for Cleveland (NAHL) last year. He's hard-nosed, a hard worker, and he has size and skills, too. A right shot. 9. Chris Harrington, Omaha -- 6'0" '82 from St. Cloud Apollo (Minn.) HS. Looks like the jump to the USHL will be no problem. Makes good decisions. A right shot. 10. Arne Martensson, Des Moines -- 6'3", 200 lb. '81. Big, rugged defensive defenseman from Sweden. 11. Tony Tomaino, Des Moines -- 5'10" '82 left shot from Duluth East is a highly mobile, puck-handling d-man who can run a power play. Excellent shot -- equally adept teeing it up or wristing it on net. 12. P.J. Atherton, Cedar Rapids -- 6'2" '82 from Edina is a bit of a sleeper. He has size, can skate, and his hands are OK, too. Chippy. Handled himself well in a fight. 13. Lee Green, Omaha -- 6'1" late '81 from Soldotna, Alaska and the Alaska All-Stars is a hard-nosed defensive d-man. A left shot. 14. Josh Elzinga, Danville -- 5'11" late '84 is the younger brother of Adam Elzinga, an '82 who played for Danville last year (and recently made the OHL's Peterborough Petes). 15. John Haider, Chicago -- 5'11" late '81 from Forest Lake, Minn. Skates and hits. Right shot. 16. Tim Conboy, Rochester -- 6'1" '82 is making the jump from Minnesota high school hockey. 17. Matt Fetzer, Sioux City -- 5'8", 174 lb. '83 is a young, puckhandling D who's well put-together and and strong on his skates. Plays physically, too. A right shot. 18. Andrew Alberts, Waterloo -- 6'4" '81 from Eden Prairie, Minn. is big, hacks, and, in Saturday's game, got heaved for bowling over the Danville goaltender. Good enough north-south, and his outlet passes were accurate. Has some pro potential. 19. Arthur Femenella, Sioux City -- 6'7" right-shot '82 from the U.S. National Program is just fine when he keeps it simple and plays the body. 20. Jason Krischuk, Omaha -- 5'10" '80 skates well with the puck. Another former Alaska All-Star. In second season with Lancers. A right shot. 21. Jamie Mattie, Sioux Falls -- 5'11" '80 played in the Maritimes last year for the Antigonish (Nova Scotia) Bulldogs. Can handle the puck and is strong on his skates. Going to Bemidji State. 22. Greg Zemple, Tri-City -- 6'2" '81 left shot from Blaine HS played last year for the Twin Cites Vulcans, which has since, of course, become Tri-City. In other words, he's with the same franchise, and playing for the same coach. A left shot. Much improved. 23. Chad Anderson, Tri-City -- 6'2", 195 lb. '82 is a bit of a sleeper. Played last year for Chisago Lakes HS, not one of the more prominent Minnesota high school programs. By mid-season he should be comfortable in the league. 24. Nick Fouts, Lincoln -- Experienced 5'11" '80 right shot is back for his third year. Reliable. 25. Chris Pedota, Cedar Rapids -- 6'0", 200 lb. '80 makes excellent decisions with the puck. A product of N.Y. Apple Core Program. Goaltenders:As mentioned above, the league has lost many top goaltenders from last year, including four NHL draft picks: Dan Ellis, Adam Berkhoel, Michael Ayers and Jure Penko, as well as five others who are at Div. I colleges this fall: Justin Ferguson, Wayne Russell, Michael Betz, David Bowen, and Darren Gastrock. The Buc Bowl then, took on the appearance, at least in net, of an open audition. A lot of games featured goalies splitting time, and there was a raft full of inconsistent performers. Also, with games taking place on two rinks, it was difficult to get the total picture. That, of course, will unfold over the course of the long season. At any rate, no single goaltender here towered over the rest of the pack. However, we'll give the #1-2 slots to returnees Mike Mantua of Des Moines and Jake Brandt of Lincoln. After them, though, there were seven who played well -- at least when these eyes were watching. They were: #3) Kellen Briggs, '83, Sioux Falls. #4) Justin Johnson, '81, Lincoln; #5) Matt Kelly, '82, Cedar Rapids. #6) John Daigneau, '82, Rochester. #7) Dov Grumet-Morris, '82. #8) Casey Beauvais, '80, Sioux City. #9) Bill Zaniboni, Tri-City. The worst goaltending performance of the tournament came in the opening game of the tournament, when Alexander Polukeyev, a Russian who was drafted by Tampa Bay in the 8th round of June's draft, gave up seven goals in 30 minutes of play as the Chicago Steel fell 8-4 to Waterloo. Polukeyev, who was there simply because Tampa Bay GM Rick Dudley had asked Steel coach Steve Richmond, a friend from IHL days in the late '80s, to see what Polukeyev could do. Clearly, Polukeyev didn't even try, because Richmond, noting that Polukeyev didn't have what it takes to be a member of his club, had the Russian on a flight out of town the following morning. Polukeyev is now working out with the Detroit Vipers, Tampa Bay's IHL affiliate.
9/18/00 Jones Makes Surprise Pick Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) left-shot defenseman Matt Jones, a blue-chip college prospect from the Chicago area, has committed to the University of North Dakota. Jones played on the U.S. Under-18 Select squad that brought home the silver medal from last month's Four Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic. He was named the tournament's top defenseman. Jones, who went from the Chicago Chill Midgets to the Gamblers last season, is an excellent skater with quick feet and an offensive presence. His low center of gravity -- he's 5'11", 195 lbs. -- makes it difficult to knock him off the puck. His decision-making is good, too. Jones, who's an 8/8/83 birthdate from Lisle, Ill., had, at least until fairly recently, narrowed his college choices down to Michigan and Wisconsin. The latter, because of the geographical advantage and the fact that it was reported to be Jones' long-time #1 choice, was considered the solid favorite. Recently, however, North Dakota jumped into the picture and, as it turned out, managed to skunk the Badgers in their own back yard.
9/18/00 Radunske a Spartan Brock Radunske, a 6'3½", 185 lb. left-shot center with the Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) has committed to Michigan State. Last season, Radunske played 42 games for the Aurora Tigers (also in the Provincial League) and posted a 6-14-20 line as an '83 birthdate. Radunske was Sarnia's #1 pick in the OHL's June 1999 bantam draft, selected from the Waterloo Midgets, but elected to play Tier II and go the college route. Over the summer, Radunske was traded from Aurora to Newmarket in order to continue playing for coach Brad Selwood, who had resigned at Aurora before taking over at Newmarket.
9/18/00 Sting Tab Mendelson Leigh Mendelson, an assistant under John Wensink during the St. Louis Sting's inaugural season of 1996-97, will be returning to St. Louis midweek to take over as head coach. Mendelson, who has been coaching in Austria for the past month, had been an assistant with the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) under Dave Hakstol for the 3½ years prior to this summer. Mendelson, a tireless recruiter and keen judge of talent, helped bring in to Sioux City players like Ruslan Fedotenko, currently in camp with the Philadelphia Flyers; and David Hale and Rostislav Klesla, both drafted in the first round of the NHL draft this past June. Mendelson takes over for Rick Zombo, who was fired on August 31, less than 48 hours prior to the start of the Sting's pre-season tournament. Since then the club has been coached by interim head coach Mike Murphy.
9/18/00 Foy to Merrimack 6'1" right-shot center Matt Foy, a second-round draft pick in June's OHL draft -- he was taken by the Ottawa 67's -- has committed to Merrimack. Foy, who played for the Mississauga Senators Midgets last season, will be playing for the Wexford Raiders (OPJHL) this year. Skilled, tough, and a good skater, he also drew interest from Michigan State, BU, and St. Lawrence. Foy, like Aquino and Rosa before him, is considered a big get for Merrimack. Anthony Aquino, who's entering his sophomore season at Merrimack, averaged nearly a point a game for Merrimack last year, finishing up as the Warriors' second-leading point-producer, one point behind leader Greg Classen. Merrimack will be expecting current freshman LW Marco Rosa, who, like Foy, is a former Wexford Raider, to do the same this season. If Foy can follow that up with a strong freshman year in 2001-02, Merrimack coach Chris Serino could have something going up in North Andover.
9/13/00 Ballard Shines at Hayward In the north woods of Wisconsin last weekend, the Omaha Lancers knocked off the Cedar Rapids Roughriders, 5-3, to win the Hayward Tournament. What follows is a team-by-team look at some of the players in the tournament, pulled together from conversations with scouts and recruiters who were on hand. If an MVP award had been handed out, it would have gone, hands-down, to 5'10", 186 lb. Lancers defenseman Keith Ballard, who was exceptional, showing his skill in all three zones. For the record, there's still no word on Ballard's college choice. It's still between North Dakota and Minnesota, though he hasn't made yet made his official visit to either. OMAHA: While Ballard, a late '82 from Baudette, Minn., was the man, the Lancers are loaded up front, and on the blue line, too. The top two forward lines consisted of 6'0", 190 lb. LW Aaron Slattengren, an '81 who's making the jump from Proctor HS, which is up outside of Duluth, Minn. In the middle is 5'9", 185 lb. Riley Riddell, an '81 who played for the Camrose Kodiaks last winter and stood out on Alberta's Viking Cup team. If Riddell gets his test scores up, he'll be playing Div. I next season. On the right is erstwhile Golden Gopher Dan Welch, a 5'11", 193 lb. former Hastings High star who didn't get the job done in the classroom last year. Welch, an '81, led all Omaha scorers at the Hastings Tournament with a 2-3-5 line. The second line consists of Jake Fleming, a 5'8", 160 lb. Minnesota recruit who, like Ballard, is an '82 who's taking his 12th grade year in the USHL. Fleming, crafty with the puck, had a goal and four assists in the four games here. On Fleming's left was 6'0", 183 lbs. Jim Dahl, an '81 who played at Breck HS in Minnesota last winter. Dahl has improved a lot. On the right side is 6'1", 188 lb Ryan Ronkowski, a tough guy who played for Lincoln last year, and provides a physical presence. The defense, in addition to Ballard, is extremely strong and deep. 6'1" Lee Green, an '81 from Soldotna, Alaska who played for Omaha last year, looked good, leading Omaha d-men in scoring with a 2-2-4 line. 5'10, 168 lb. Jason Krischuk, another Alaskan, also played well, as did Chris Harrington, an '82 from St. Cloud Apollo and the son of St. John's coach and 1980 U.S. Olympian John Harrington, had a good weekend. So, too, did 6'1" Bryce Lampmann, an '82 left-shot D from Rochester, Minn. who's entering his third season in the league (he was traded from Rochester to Omaha in the off-season.). Another player to watch is 6'1" Adam Holmgren, who was one of the top, if not the top, defensemen in the AWHL last winter. Holmgren played for the Great Falls Americans. Omaha, en route to the Hayward title game, didn't exactly blow the doors off the building, outscoring their opponents only by a 16-12 margin. The Lancers, though, are a good team, and the pre-season favorite to win the league. Goaltending, though, is a question mark, as the Lancers lost their star, Dan Ellis, who's now at UNO. The new #1 guy is expected to be Steve Murphy, an '81 who played last year for the Fyfe Flyers in Scotland. Dan Hoehne, who played for Duluth East HS; and Marty Magers, who played for Fort Erie (Ont.) Jr. B, also logged time at Hayward. WATERLOO: The Blackhawks had a hard time scoring, averaging 2.5 goals per game. 5'11" Ryan Langenbrunner, an '81 from Cloquet (Minn.) HS and a slick center/wing who'll be headed to Minnesota-Duluth, didn't put points on the board (1-0-1), but he can play. 5'9" Ryan Connelly an '82 center from White Bear Lake who'll be going to North Dakota, is a pesky center who can skate and score. But he didn't light it up here either (0-0-0). Brian Canaday, who the last we heard was meant to be going to North Dakota as well, is a 5'11" forward who finished the weekend with a 0-1-1 line. Waterloo's offense came from Rob Lehtinen (2-0-2), an '83 who's played in recent years for the Marquette Electricians Midgets; 5'10" John Grubb (2-1-3), an '80 from Minot, N.D. who's played the last couple of seasons with Waterloo; and 5'11" Luke Fulghum, an '80 from Colorado with several years Jr. A experience. On defense, 6'2", 195 lb. Trevor Wolfe had a strong weekend. Wolfe, a stay-at-home right shot who plays the body and also has some offensive skill, is a Toledo, Ohio native who played for the Cleveland Barons (NAHL) last season. The Blackhawks also have a nice import D in Lubmir Velebny, an '82 from Slovakia, who's nasty, borderline dirty, and plays with a real edge. BILLINGS (AWHL): The Bulls, who pulled off one of the tournament's upsets by knocking off the Green Bay Gambler's 7-4 on Saturday, boasted one line -- LW Trevor Cook, C Kevin Ulanski, and RW Joe Gasparini -- that accounted for roughly half the Bulls goals. Cook, an '80 and 5'10" , works hard for his points (3-2-5). A Denver, Colorado native, Cook's junior hockey journey has taken him from Billings to Rochester to Omaha and now back to Billings. Ulanski, who's an '82 and stands 5'11", played last season for Madison West (Wisc.) HS. At Hayward, he showed that he can play at high speed, has good feet and good skills. Gasparini, a 5'10" '81 from Grand Forks, N.D. (he's the son of USHL commish Gino Gasparini and brother of Sioux Falls Stampede assistant Tony Gasparini) put up a 2-2-4 line. Gasparini, who was seriously ill two years ago and lost a year of his development, has battled back to where he was before the illness. He sees the ice well, can make the plays, and finish (2-2-4). Billings also had a good defenseman in Robert Johannesson, who played last season for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders but, as an import, was let go to make room for one of the two Quebec imports the Roughriders are carrying. Anyway, Johannesson, an '80 from Gothenborg, Sweden, was one of the very top defenseman here. A 5'11, 180 lb. left shot, he turns 21 on January 11. Brady Greco, a 6'3", 190 lb. '83 birthdate from Madison Edgewood HS in Wisconsin was also very good on the blueline -- big, and solid at both ends of the ice. In goal, Layne Sedevie, the '83 goaltendner from Bismarck, N.D. who backed up Bobby Goepfert on the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that took home the silver at the Four Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic last month, was very sharp. Sedevie faced 82 shots and kicked out 74 (.902 save %). CHICAGO: The Steel, formerly the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks, struggled, losing all four games and getting outscored 18-10. 6'0" Gus Groslie, an '80 from Moorhead, Minn. who was with the team last year in Fargo, figured in half the Steel's goals, posting a 3-2-5 line. 5'8" LW Josh Anderson, an '81 and a former Fergus Falls, Minn. HS standout, is now entering his second year in the USHL. Anderson is fast and skilled, but only picked up a couple of assists in Hayward. John Haider, a 5'11", 205 lb. defenseman who also moved with the franchise to Chicago, was the club's best blueliner. He's an '81. The fight of the tournament was a heavyweight battle between a pair of 6'4" giants: Chicago's Mike Hoffman, who played for Loomis-Chaffee last year; and Green Bay's Tim Morrison, who played for Mike Adessa's Boston Bulldogs. The decision went to Hoffman, who scored the knockdown and cut Morrison in the process. GREEN BAY: The Gamblers had a hard time scoring, too. In their four games they won two by 2-1 scores, but in the other two were beaten 5-3 and 7-4. In sum, the Gamblers averaged under three goals a game, and gave up 14. The two goalies the Gamblers used are young. One, Marc Bowen, who played for the Compuware Midgets last year, is an '83, and Eric Pfligler, who played for the Chicago Chill last season, is an '85(!!). Bowen struggled, but Pfligler shined, posting a 1.00 gaa and .946 save percentage while backstopping the Gamblers to a pair of 2-1 wins. Up front, the big guns are 5'11" A.J. Degenhardt, an '82 who last winter was playing for LaCrosse (Wisc.) HS, and a trio of ex-Marquette Electricians: 5'9" Northern Michigan recruit Alan Swanson; 6'1" Andy Contois; and 5'9" Ryan Moderson. However, the group combined for only three goals. The Gamblers have an excellent defensive corps led, of course, by three veterans from last year's USHL championship squad: Matt Jones, Danny Calzada, and Ben Lindell. Judd Stevens, an '83 from from Wayzata (Minn.) HS, and Joe Zurenko, an '82 from the Chicago Chill Midgets, are the newcomers -- and looked good, too. CEDAR RAPIDS: The RoughRiders don't have a lot of top-end talent, but they have experience, and find ways to win. For starters, coach Mark Carlson was alternating a trio of solid goalies -- returnee Matt Kelly, who's an '82; veteran Robbie Miller, an '81 who played for Dubuque last season; and '83 Bobby Goepfert, who played for Suffolk PAL (MJHL) and had an excellent tournament with the U.S. Under-18 Selects in last month's Four Nations Tournament. At Hayward, former Apple Core defenseman Chris Pedota was a standout, tying for the team lead in scoring with a 1-4-5 line. Up front, 6'1" David Carpentier, an '80 from Faribault, Minn. in his third year with the franchise, had a good tournament, posting a 3-1-4 line. 6'1" Darren Partch, an '80 from California who has played for Dubuque, Waterloo, and the Ventura Mariners, has improved his skating and, along with it, his game. Others who played well included 6'0" Gerry Hickey, the former Xaverian (Mass.) HS star now in his second year at Cedar Rapids; and 5'11" Brett MacKinnon, the former Wayzata High forward, TRI-CITY: The big story for the Storm, formerly the Twin Cities Vulcans but now relocated to south-central Nebraska, was the play of goaltender Billy Zaniboni. An '82 from Massachusetts who graduated from Catholic Memorial HS in June, Zaniboni was excellent, stopping 36 of 37 shots, good for a .973 save percentage. The Tri-City D is big -- five are 6'1" or better -- and not particularly quick or skilled. 6'2", 195 lb. left-shot D Greg Zemple, an '81 from Blaine, Minn. is showing a lot of improvement from a year ago. The storm has good balance up front, but the standouts at Hayward were 6'0", 175 lb. left-shot center Brad Thompson, who's skilled, can skate, and is going to Mankato State; and his two linemates, 6'4", 210 lb. LW Matt Froelich, an '80 from Apple Valley, Minn. who lends a physical presence; and 5'8" RW Konrad Reeder, an agitator from British Columbia who played for the Bozeman Ice Dogs last year. Reeder is an '81. SIOUX FALLS: The Stampede got a great weekend out of 5'8" speedster Dave Iannazzo, an '81 who's entering his second season in Sioux Falls after a high school career at Maple Grove (HS) in Minnesota. Iannazzo not only has speed -- he can score, and finished with a 5-2-7 line. 5'11" J.B. Bittner, an '82 from the Pittsburgh Hornets who opened eyes in his first USHL season last year and earned himself a scholarship to Ohio State, posted a 4-1-5 line in the tournament. 5'11" Jeff Corey, a Boothwyn, Pa. native and an '82 who's entering his second year with the Stampede, had a strong weekend, too, notching three assists. Joe Jensen, an '83 making the jump from Osseo HS, also had a good weekend. On defense, 5'8" former NTDP player Eric Werner, who has excellent stick and skating skills and is an offensive threat whenever he's on the ice, had strong tournament. So, too, did Jamie Mattie of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Mattie played last year for the Antigonish Bulldogs where he was the top-scoring D in the Maritimes Tier II. An '80, he played a handful of major junior games, and thus, when he arrives at Bemidji State, where he's reportedly headed, he'll have to sit out a year (plus the number of games played, of course) and will be eligible in the fall of 2003. Note: This typist will be at the Buc Bowl from Thursday to Sunday, and will have a full report in these pages on Monday. Until then we will not have any news up on the web site. It's a quiet time of year, mainly because the Div. I recruiters are busy watching these tournaments prior to making their next move.
9/10/00 Leisenring Takes Charge The U.S. Under-17 Team, with forward Brady Leisenring taking the role that current Boston College defenseman J.D. Forrest had last year, i.e. that of the veteran leader, opened up with a pair of NAHL league games this weekend in Ann Arbor. On Friday night, the St. Louis Sting grabbed a 3-0 first period lead, but the U.S., led by four goals from Leisenring, a UVM recruit, and four assists by 15-year-old Patrick O'Sullivan (the youngest skater on the ice), stormed back to tie it up. St. Louis, however, won it in a shootout. On Sunday, Texas came in and, behind a five-point night from Jason Guerrerio (3g,2a) and a four-point night by linemate Rich Hansen (2g,2a) topped the U.S., 5-0. 6'3" U.S. goaltender Gerald Coleman, like O'Sullivan an '85, kicked out 46 of 51 shots in the loss.
9/9/00 Ryznar Leads Under-18 Team in Erie With four assists in an 8-3 win over the Barrie Colts (OHL) on Friday, and three goals and two assists in Saturday's 6-2 title game win over the host Erie Otters (OHL), Jason Ryznar led the U.S. Under-18 team to the Molson American Cup Challenge in Erie, Pa. Ryznar, a 6'2" LW, had nine points (3g,6a) in the two games, while Dwight Helminen had five points (0g,5a), and National Program newcomer Rob Flynn made his presence felt with four points (1g,3a). Travis Weber was in the U.S. net on Friday, and Dwight Labrosse Saturday. The U.S., which opens USHL league play with a Friday night game at home vs. Green Bay, held a wide shot margin in both games. With OHL camps opening just last week, we imagine Barrie and Erie were trying out a lot of players and combinations. Nonetheless, a nice couple of wins.
9/9/00 Like a Rock Cast in the Sea Five NAHL teams -- the Chicago Freeze, Danville Wings, Texas Tornado, St. Louis Sting, and Soo Indians -- took part in a pre-season tournament over Labor Day weekend in St. Louis, the hometown of Chuck "Too Pooped to Pop, too Old to Stroll" Berry. It was early, of course, and a lot of teams were shuffling lines and players, so a complete take on any team was tough to arrive at. But there were plenty of top Div. I prospects on display. Going alphabetically by team, we'll start with the Chicago Freeze, who'll be hosting the Gold Cup in May (does that seem like a long way off, or what?). Anyway, 5'11", 170 lb. Justin Flaishans, a high-skill '81 right-shot center out of Phoenix, Arizona who's gone from Little Caesar's to the University of Denver to the Omaha Lancers to, now, the Freeze, was a standout. So, too, was 5'9", 185 lb. RW Craig Piscopink, a small, skilled '80 who averaged roughly a point a game in NAHL league play last year. LW Chris Conner, an '83 who played for the HoneyBaked Midget squad, is young but will be very good; as will 5'10" left-shot center Blake Stewart, who played for TI last year and is also an '83. On the blueline, 6'0", 175 lb. Jeff Jepson looked good, as did Matt Maninna, who played last season with the Larry Pedrie-coached Chicago Chill Midgets. In goal, University of Michigan recruit Jason Bacashihua played an unbelievable game against Texas, kicking out 20 shots in one period. The Danville Wings, who won it all last year, got a really strong performance from Andy Kranz, a 6'0", 180 lb. LW who's poised -- he's an '80 -- and just fires the puck. Kranz, a Minnesota kid who played at Bloomington-Jefferson, should put up big numbers as Danville aims to repeat. Also looking good for the Wings is 5'9", 185 lb. right-shot forward Adam Wallace. An '80 birthdate from Illinois, Wallace is hard-nosed, hardworking and will also put up big numbers. Keep an eye on both of them. The St. Louis Sting, hosting the tournament amid speculation over the reason for Rick Zombo's firing just two days earlier (neither Zombo nor the club's ownership will speak until their respective attorneys take off the gags), had interim coach Mike Murphy behind the bench. A couple of players who stood out were Yan Stastny, an '82 (and the son of Peter Stastny). The younger Stastny, who's 5'10", 170 and entering his second season with the club, is a highly-skilled LC . On the blueline, big, strong Mike Grobe -- he's 6'2" and 190 lbs. -- looked good. Grobe, an '80, is headed to Yale next year. On the Soo Indians, both LC Barry Pochmara, a 6'0", 180 lb. Michigan native and '80 birthdate who played for the Soo last year and averaged nearly a point a game; and center Robert Ouimette were standouts. Ouimette, also an '80, is from Ontario. There is nothing more annoying to scouts, recruiters, and fans than three-hour, penalty-filled games, and the Texas Tornado, an older team with six '80s and nine '81s, provided a few. It's too bad, because the extracurricular stuff sent some scouts out searching for a place for dinner. And Texas has some players, too, like Jason Guerrerio, Rich Hansen, and Nick Martens. Guerrerio, a 5'8", 170 lb. left-shot center from Long Island, NY, is Texas' top returning scorer, averaging over a point a game last season as the Tornado won the regular season championship. Guerrerio is dangerous -- and comes up with big goals. Hansen, also from Long Island, has been a long-time teammate of Guerrerio, and, like Guerrerio, is playing his second year under head coach Tony Curtale. A 5'10", 170 lb. LW, Hansen averaged nearly a goal a game for the Tornado last year. Martens, a 6'0", 185 left-shot D is one of the league's top blueliners. A smart player with good skills and size, Martens is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he played for the Tom Yockey's Ice Dogs two seasons ago. All 10 NAHL teams will be at the Compuware Tournament over Columbus Day weekend, and, with a batch of league games under their belt by then, we'll have a more complete line on a lot of players for you.
9/7/00 Another Coach Axed in NAHL For the second time in a week, an NAHL coach has been fired on the eve of the season. This time it was Ken Moysev of Lansing. Recently, Moysev drew criticism for trading away three tenders plus a 2nd round draft pick for Cleveland Barons' center Marty Antonelli. Moysev, a Russian, was an assistant coach on Larry DePalma's Detroit Trackers Midget squad that folded after the '98-99 season. Replacing Moysev will be Kelly Miller, whose name had been mentioned prominently for the job last spring. Miller, 37, was born in Lansing, and played in the NAHL before going on to Michigan State, where his brothers Kevin and Kip also played. After graduating in 1985, Miller, a left wing, went directly to the NHL with the N.Y. Rangers. After three years, he was traded to the Washington Capitals, where he played for 12 more years, retiring after the '98-99 season. Miller, who's well-liked and respected in hockey circles, was an assistant coach on the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that won a gold medal 10 days ago in the Four Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic. Note: While the Lansing franchise is formally known as the Capital Center Pride, we believe that the naming of franchises after the building in which they play is a poor idea -- the Fleet Center Bruins, anyone?? -- and thus choose to stick with Lansing.
9/5/00 Miller a Terrier 5'9", 175 lb. RW Bryan Miller of the U.S. National Team Development Program has committed to Boston University. Miller will be the fourth member of the NTDP arriving at Babcock Street a year from now, joining Ryan Whitney, Brian McConnell, and Justin Maiser. Miller, who's a native of Wayne, N.J. and played for the New Jersey Jr. Devils before leaving home last year to play for the Chicago Freeze (NAHL), is an excellent skater with very good hands. Miller also adds a real offensive dimension, moving the puck smartly and accurately. He projects as a power-play guy. Miller's final choices were BC and BU, with the latter, of course, winning out.
9/5/00 Nolan Slipping Away It looks like Brandon Nolan has changed his mind. Over the weekend, the 6'0" LW (see USHR, 9/1/00) reported to the Oshawa Generals camp, and was in the stands, along with his father, at last night's pre-season game between the Generals and the Brampton Battalion. Nolan, who is injured, said he hoped to be in the lineup for Oshawa's pre-season game on Saturday against the St. Michael's Majors. Right now, then, it's looking like Nolan will indeed be turning down an Ivy education to play in the O. The fact that he's injured leaves a slight window of opportunity open for Harvard -- or any other U.S. college, for that matter. However, it's closing quickly.
9/4/00 Wrap-up on Czech Trip As reported here early last week, the U.S. Under-17 Select Team returned from the Czech Republic with a gold medal to show for their work Coached by former U.S. Olympian and NHLer Mark Kumpel, now an assistant coach with the Maine Pirates (AHL), the team, despite losing the services of Mark Stuart, Patrick Eaves, Zach Parise, and Brett Sterling (all of whom played a week earlier with the older team so as not to miss the opening of school in Ann Arbor), played extremely well. Here, then, are the guys who stood out: Forwards: 1. The standout here was 5'11" center Dustin Brown, who's from Ithaca-is-Gorges, N.Y. and will be playing for Jeff Jackson in Guelph (OHL) this winter. Brown, a finesse player who's strong on draws and sees the ice extremely well, is also perfectly happy to just bull his way into areas. Very crafty, distributes the puck smoothly and intelligently. Excellent upside, and a potential 1st-2nd round NHL draft pick in a few years. Had a 2-0-2 line in the three-game series. 2. The second-most effective forward -- and one observer had him as his #1 guy -- was 5'9" Tyler Hirsch of Shattuck-St. Mary's. Hirsch, who surpassed expectations, can slow the game down or play up-tempo, has good stick skills and outstanding hockey sense. He thinks a step ahead. A good skater, but lacks breakaway speed. Hirsch, who was Brown's linemate, was the top U.S. scorer, finishing with a 2-3-5 line. 3. LW Chris Collins of Fairport, N.Y., who played last season for the Rochester Jr. B Americans but is going to Taft this fall , was excellent, a well-rounded player who finished the tournament as the team's second leading scorer (2g,2a). Collins was the LW on the "energy line" of Collins-Schribman-Ladd, which was used increasingly in key situations as it became apparent how well they were playing. This line, and the Pernula-Brown-Hirsch line, produced all hte U.S. scoring -- defensemen excepted, of course. 4. 5'9" Osseo (Minn.) HS forward Nick Pernula, who played LW on the top line with Brown and Hirsch, used his speed and skill to advantage. Had a goal and an assist. 5. 5'8" right-shot center Danny Schribman of Swampscott, Mass. and the Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols School, is quick and has a good stick. His linemates were Collins (mentioned above), and Adam Ladd -- all three are quick, tenacious, and unselfish players who showed a willingness to battle through and created chances every time they were on the ice 6. 5'10" Nate Thompson, who's from Anchorage, Alaska, and played last winter for the Alaska All-Stars, was also excellent, centering the checking line of Dagenais-Thompson- Jessiman. Thompson, an intelligent, agile player, is kind of skinny. Keep an eye on him as he fills out and gains strength. He killed penalties effectively, and was solid at both ends of the ice. 7. 5'6" RW Adam Ladd was also excellent, a strong skater who's tough as nails. Ladd, who played last year for Keene HS in New Hampshire will be playing prep school hockey this winter, skating for the Pomfret School. Ladd finished as the team's third-leading scorer (2g,1a). Note: In the second game, 6'4" RW Hugh Jessiman, of Darien, Conn. and the Brunswick School, a Div. II prep, broke his wrist while making a pass out of the corner. Jessiman, who'd already beaten two guys, took the hit to make the play. And he did make it, too, a tape-to-tape pass. Defensemen: 1. On defense, the standout was 6'0", 190 lb. Ben Lovejoy of Deerfield Academy. Lovejoy, unanimously voted the top defenseman of the tournament, was also the captain of the team, made all the plays, and was cool, calm, and collected -- a stud, in other words. Lovejoy was also the leading scorer among the d-men with a 1-1-2 line. 2. 6'1", 185 lb. RD Jake Wilkens of Eagle River, Alaska was also excellent, a big, solid two-way-type guy. He never got beat 1-on-1. 3. 6'0", 160 lb. RD Corey Potter played very well. A good, effective, smart defenseman who's fundamentally sound, Potter grows on you the more you watch him. Potter -- along with Lovejoy and Wilkens -- logged a ton of ice time. Last year, Potter played for the HoneyBaked '84s. This year, he will be skating with the NTDP. 4. 5'10", 175 lb. RD Dylan Reese, who was originally an alternate to the team, wound up as the big surprise, getting better and better as the tournament went along, logging PP time, etc. Reese, an excellent puck-handling D, plays for Joe Gaul's Pittsburgh Hornets Midget squad. Goaltenders: 1. 5'10" Travis Russell, who's from Essex Junction, Vermont and plays for Essex High School, flat-out got the job done, playing excellently in the wins over the Czechs and Slovaks, allowing two goals per game. 2. Behind Russell was Adam Geragosian, who started the opening game, a 6-4 loss to Switzerland, and played well. Geragosian, who's from N. Andover, Mass. and has played varsity at St. John's Prep in Danvers, will be going to Lawrence Academy this fall. Notes: The Swiss were excellent, finishing the tournament in a flat-footed tie with the U.S. The won-lost record and goal differential of the two teams was identical, thus it all came down to a flip of the coin. And that's how the U.S. got the gold, and the Swiss the silver. Switzerland, by the way, is continuing its upward climb. As recently as the mid-90s, the Swiss were perennial bottom-dwellers on the international hockey scene. Now, an increasing number of Swiss players are getting drafted into the NHL, and the Swiss have moved up toward the middle of the pack. The future looks bright, too, as the '84s have size, can skate, and can make the plays. Against the U.S., they played extremely well as a team, in no small part because they'd been together as a group for a while. The U.S., who also played well as team, had to prepare for the tournament in a three-day mini-camp in Maine before flying over for three straight exhibition games followed by one day of rest and then three straight tournament games. Just like at the Under-18's, the players were exhausted by Sunday's finale. The Czechs fared poorly at the tournament, in no small part because, while they did have a couple of high-end players who showed a lot of individual skills, their team play was totally missing. The Slovaks just lacked talent.
9/4/00 Swell in Sweden The Massachusetts Select 14's returned last week from Sweden, where they posted a 5-1-0 record vs. Swedish regional teams made up of 14 year olds. Keying the offense for Mass were centerman Nick Coskren (3-6-9), who'll be going into the 8th grade at St. Sebastian's; and center Ryan Ginand (2-6-9), a small, fiery, and skilled 8th grader-to-be at Mount St. Charles. Another to keep an eye on for the future is LW Chris Bourque, who, as the son of you-know-who, has the genetic predisposition thing going. The younger Bourque will be spending this season playing and living in Colorado with his dad. He'll likely return east for prep school the following year. Another player you may be hearing from in the future is 5'10" Jordan Smotherman, who played LW on Coskren's line and finished the six-game series with a 4-5-9 line. The top defenseman was Dan McGoff of Charlestown, who finished with a 3-2-5 line. McGoff, who's skilled with the puck, mobile, and rugged, will be going to Nobles, where he should be a standout from the start. Both goalies, Dan Beauregard and Chris Mannix, drew high marks, combining to hold opponents to a 1.80 gaa.
9/1/00 Nolan to Harvard? The Oshawa Generals (OHL) opened training camp yesterday without top prospect Brandon Nolan, thus dramatically increasing the odds that the 6'0", 170 lb. forward, will forego major junior for the U.S. college route. A top student, Nolan could write his ticket to any big-time Div. I program. Harvard University is the leading contender for his services. The 6'0", 170 lb. LW/LC, the Generals' first-round pick in the 1999 OHL bantam draft, is the son of former Buffalo Sabres (and Soo Greyhounds) coach Ted Nolan. Reportedly, Nolan has been under heavy pressure to stay in the O. However, Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni and his staff have been burning up the phone lines to Ontario. The next two weeks are crucial. Last year, Nolan played for the St. Catharine's Falcons (Golden Horseshoe Jr. B) and, in 47 games, posted an 18-13-31 line. He had 10 pims. This past month, Nolan played on an indigenous team composed of First Nations, Metis, and Inuits that competed in an international junior tournament in Finland. The squad was coached by his father. Nolan, a 7/18/83 birthdate who added several inches in height between his bantam year and last season, has the skills and instincts to go with his size. To thrive at the Div. I level and mature into a top pro prospect he'll have to work on his intensity level -- that's the only knock on him. One OHL scout who's watched Nolan for several years described him as a "major get" for an Ivy school. If Nolan does indeed commit to Harvard he'll be the fourth kid from the first round of the 1999 bantam draft to choose the U.S. college route. The others are 6'1" LD Matt MacDonald and 6'0" LD Jimmy Ball, both of whom have committed to St. Lawrence; and LC Brock Radunske, who's also reported to be taking the college route, most likely at Michigan State. A factor that may have contributed to Nolan's leaning toward the college route was the departure of Don Chrysler, Oshawa's chief scout and fellow First Nation member, to the Sudbury Wolves.
9/1/00 Goalie World Rhode Island all-state goaltender Jimmy Merola, coming off a strong performance at the Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud this summer, has committed to Providence College for the fall of 2001. Merola will compete for playing time with Nolan Schaefer, a junior in 2001; and Jamie Vanek, who'll be a senior. Merola, who plays for LaSalle Academy, is 6'0", 148 lbs. and a 6/1/83 birthdate. Last year, as an 11th grader, he posted a 1.36 gaa, a .936 save percentage, and had eight shutouts. Another goalie in the news is former Catholic Memorial goaltender Billy Zaniboni, who has been traded from the Dubuque Fighting Saints to the Tri-City Storm for a conditional draft pick in 2001. Zaniboni is expected to be the #1 goaltender for Tri-City. Prior to the trade, Zaniboni had been mulling an offer to go major junior with Moncton (QMJHL). 9/1/00 Walsh Holding Steady A Catscan taken this past week on Maine coach Shawn Walsh has revealed that the cancer is not spreading. Walsh has been undergoing an aggressive treatment program at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. While there, he's been staying at the house of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, who not only are hockey fans but also have a couple of kids who play the game. Notes From Around: The St. Louis Sting (NAHL) fired head coach and former NHL defenseman Rick Zombo yesterday, just 48 hours before the Sting host an NAHL pre-season exhibition tournament. Assistant Coach Mike Murphy will be the interim coach until a replacement is found. Interested parties should contact Ms. Bobbi Brinkman, the Sting V.P., at (636) 530-9818.... Steve Nelson, long-time coach at Wisconsin-Superior (NCAA Div. III) has resigned to take the job as commissioner of the AWHL. The interim coach at UWS will be assistant coach Dan Stauber.
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