Rosters: U.S. Select Teams 

6/30/02

Corbin a Pioneer

5'8", 160 lb. J.D. Corbin,  a left-shot forward with the U.S. National Team Development Program, verbally committed to Denver University during his visit there Friday afternoon. Corbin, an 11th grader, played this season for the the U.S. Under-17 team, posting a 6-13-19 line in 48 games. 

Corbin is a Colorado native, from the Denver suburb of Littleton. He played for the Littleton Hawks, then moved to Michigan to play for the HoneyBaked '86s. From there he went to the NTDP. Corbin is a small, high-skilled forward who can skate, handle the puck, and make plays quickly and at high speed.  He's a 3/23/85 birthdate, and the first NTDP player to join George Gwozdecky's program

As icing on the cake, Denver has an interesting verbal commitment in Geoff Paukovich, another son of the Ricky Mountains -- and just about as big, too. Paukovich, a left-shot center who's 6'2½" and 180 lbs., just turned 16 a couple of months ago. 4/24/86, to be precise. He's a native of Englewood, also a Denver suburb. 

Paukovich, who played last season for the Arapahoe Warriors Midget AA team, coached by former Pioneer forward Angelo Ricci, is pretty raw and will probably need a couple of more years before being ready for Div. I play. In addition to his size, Paukovich has good offensive awareness, moves the puck well, has a big shot, and has shown a willingness to play both ends of the ice. 

Paukovich has attended two USHL camps this summer -- Omaha's and Waterloo's. On May 2nd he was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the seventh round of the WHL Bantam Draft. He'll be playing for Rocky Mt. in the Select 16 Festival starting July 13th in Rochester, NY.

Corbin will be coming to Denver at the same time as fellow Coloradan Ryan Dingle, a LW with the Des Moines Buccaneers. In recent years, the Rocky Mt. District, which stretches south to Texas and Arizona, has -- probably helped along by the success of the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Phoenix Coyotes --  gotten steadily stronger. The results are showing with increasing frequency at the Div. I level.  

6/28/02

The Doctor is In

Doc DelCastillo has been hired by UNO head coach Mike Kemp as the Mavericks' top assistant. 

DelCastillo, 33, who has been an assistant at St. Cloud State, his alma mater,  for the past four seasons, moves on to UNO at a crucial moment in the school's brief history as a varsity program. Next fall, the Mavericks are moving into a spiffy new 14,000 seat arena in downtown Omaha, after years of selling out the old 8,314 seat arena. We expect UNO to be the top drawing college hockey team in the country right from the 2003-04 opening faceoff. But they have to win to do it, so the pressure is on. . 

DelCastillo won't get lost driving around Omaha, as he was an assistant with the Lancers under Mike Hastings a few years back. He also coached the now-defunct Rochester Mustangs. 

Former Wisconsin defenseman Mark Strobel is a probable for the second assistant's slot. Strobel, now 28, was recruited by Kemp to the Badgers, from where he graduated in 1996. He has been an assistant with Minnesota-Duluth the past two seasons. In 1991, he led Hill-Murray HS to the Minnesota state high school championship.

-- Eight-year Wisconsin assistant Pat Ford will reportedly be taking the top assistant's job at the University of Findlay (CHA). 

--- Kevin Patrick, an assistant at Union College, will be working with Ron Fogarty on Scott Paluch's brand-new staff at Bowling Green. Patrick, 33, a former defenseman, two-year captain (and a lacrosse player, too) for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, started his coaching career at Deerfield Academy, then moved on to the Green Bay Gamblers before joining Kevin Sneddon's staff at Union. 

-- New Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle is keeping Dave Shyiak and Brian Renfrew on his staff, so everything is set there. 

-- Former Lake Superior State assistant Paul Jerrard, who we last had moving to Florida to take over the hockey program at IMG Academy, has cut back west to join  Bob Hartley's staff on Colorado Avalanche. Jerrard will be a video assistant, primarily responsible for breaking down game tape.  

Meanwhile, reports are circulating that Lake Superior State is reportedly struggling in coming up with someone to work as a #2 assistant for head coach Frank Anzalone. 

-- Clarkson is now all set for the upcoming season, as Mark Morris has just hired Marty Williamson, most recently GM/head coach of the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Provincial League, as his #1 assistant. Williamson is a veteran of the Ontario Tier II system, having also coached at Milton and Newmarket. The second assistant will be Jason Lammers, who'll be back for his second tour of duty under Morris, having served as an assistant for the Golden Knights in 2000-01 before joining Mark Taylor at Hobart College last season.  

6/27/02

Veteran Prep Coach Takes Div. III College Job 

Jack Foley, who's coached at Thayer Academy since at least the early '90s and before that was an assistant there under Arthur Valicenti, has stepped down to take the head coaching job of the Div. III UMass-Boston Beacons. 

Foley, 57, a Scituate, Mass. native, inherits a team that went 4-18-3 under Joe Mallen last season. Mallen subsequently left UMass-Boston and took a prep job at Div. II Middlesex School.

In recent years, Foley's Thayer teams have struggled, as the Braintree, Mass. day school's hockey program has ceased to attract the top players in Eastern Mass. As recently as three or four years ago, Foley had his roster loaded with future Div. I players such as Michael Ayers (UNH), Ryan Cox (UVM), Jack Baker (BU), Brooks Orpik (BC), Brad Parsons (Princeton), Steve Greeley (BU), Brian McConnell (BU), Ryan Whitney (BU), and others. 

Last year was not a good one for Foley. On Saturday Sept. 1, the coach was injured in a car wreck that killed 48-year-old Patricia Porter, the mother of four children, including former Thayer defenseman Jared Porter and two girls attending Thayer at the time of the accident. 

At 10:10 that night, Foley and Porter were found by police on the northbound side of Rte. 24 in Freetown, Mass., about 50 miles south of Boston. The 1998 Mercedes ML320 sport utility vehicle Foley was driving was found upside down, with both occupants ejected. Porter, a Duxbury native, was pronounced dead on the scene. Foley suffered head trauma and spent several weeks in the hospital.  

Shortly afterward, Foley took a scouting job with the Dallas Stars. At the same time, he continued to coach Thayer, which had a poor season. A couple of months ago, the team's best young player, Jimmy Russo, transferred to Cushing Academy.  

6/25/02

National Junior Camp Roster

Sorry about the delay in news here, but this typist needed a few days with the family. In Maine. No phones, cells phones, internet, radio, television, fast food -- you get the idea.  While gone, the 2002 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster was released.

2002 U.S. Junior Evaluation Camp Roster; Aug. 1-10, Lake Placid, NY

Our thoughts? This team has a good chance to do some damage. In the World Junior Championship last winter, the U.S. went 4-1-2, with their only loss coming to Russia in the quarterfinals. Seven members of that team -- goaltender Dwight Labrosse; defenseman Ryan Whitney; and forwards Dustin Brown, Dwight Helminen, Chris Higgins, Ryan Hollweg, and Eric Nystrom -- will be back for their second shot. In addition, 13 members of the U.S. squad that, two months ago, beat Russia to capture the gold medal at the 2002 World Under-18 Championship will be at the junior camp, too.  

Plymouth Whalers (OHL) defenseman James Wisniewski, who injured his knee at that tournament, was one of the 17 d-men named for the Lake Placid camp. However, he will not be ready to play at the time. 

In all, there will be 46 players -- six goaltenders, 16 defensemen, and 24 forwards -- appearing at Lake Placid. Twenty-seven are '83s; 16 are '84s; and four are '85s. Of the invited  players, 27 are former NTDP players. while one (Ryan Suter) is entering his senior season with the program. 

All  players will be arriving on Thurs. August 1, whereupon they will be split up into two squads, USA Blue and USA White. 

Those two squads will meet each other in scrimmages on Sat. Aug. 3 at 5 p.m., and on Sun. Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. 

Starting on Tues. Aug. 6, the two U.S. teams will will play a four-game series against Finland:

Tues. Aug. 6: USA White vs. Finland, 6 pm

Wed. Aug. 7: USA Blue vs. Finland, 6 pm

Fri. Aug. 9: USA White vs. Finland, 6 pm

Sat. Aug. 10: USA Blue vs. Finland, 1 pm

The 2003 WJC is in Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The dates are Dec. 26, 2002 -- Jan. 5, 2003.

6/25/02

Keep an Eye on These Guys, Too

The U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid is just part of the process of picking the squad that will reconvene just four months afterward  -- in December --- to prepare for the WJC.

Most years, a player who has not been invited to the junior camp winds up making the team by impressing with their regular season teams. Scouting goes right on into December.

Here are players who will likely be looked at closely throughout the fall. 

Up front: 6'0" LC Josh Hennessy, a Massachusetts '85 playing for the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL); 6'2" '83 LW Michael Walsh, a Compuware (NAHL) product who'll be a freshman at Notre Dame; 6'1" RW John LaLiberte from the NH Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) who'll be a freshman at BU; 6'0" RW Adam Burish, an '83 Madison, Wisc. resident going to the Badgers from the Green Bay Gamblers; 5'9" '84 LC Gabe Gauthier, an Anaheim, Calif. native who lit up the BCHL for the Chilliwack Chiefs and will be going to Denver University this fall; 6'1" RW Stephen Werner, a UMass recruit who was a member of the World Under-18 Championship gold-medal winning US team; and 6'0" LW/C David Booth, a Michigan State recruit who also took home gold from the Czech Republic. 

'83 born UNH sniper Sean Collins, a 5'9" sniper from Reading, Mass. who averaged over a point a game and went to the Frozen Four as a freshman with the Wildcats, will be watched as well, despite having little or no interest in playing for the U.S. Junior Team. Indeed, Collins turned down an invitation to come to the Lake Placid camp in August. He expects to be playing in the tournament UNH is playing in over the holiday.

On the blue line: 6'0 LD Frank Rediker, an '85 from Michigan playing for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL); 6'0" Danny Spang, an '83 LD en route to BU from Winchester (Mass.) HS where he only played six games due to a concussion; 6'3 Eric Lundberg, an '83 RD and former New England Jr. Coyote who will be a sophomore at Providence College this fall; and Marcus Smith, a 6'0" RD who's a dual citizen playing for Kitchener (OHL). 

In goal: 6'3" Mike McKenna, the '83 Missourian and former Springfield Blue (NAHL) who will be entering his sophomore year at St. Lawrence with 18 Div. I games under his belt; 6'1" Stephen Belanger, an '83 native of Anchorage, Alaska who played in the NTDP before moving on to Kamloops (WHL); 6'1" Marty Magers, an '83 from Illinois who is heading to Michigan Tech from the Omaha Lancers (USHL). 

6/25/02

Herb Brooks to Coach Junior Team?

A source in the upper reaches of USA Hockey's hierarchy at the Colorado Springs, Col. headquarters, speaking on condition of anonymity, has indicated there's a chance that U.S. Olympic Team head coach Herb Brooks could be coaching the U.S. National Junior Team starting in August in Lake Placid. 

There are a couple of wrinkles to iron out, one being the fact that Brooks would have to work things out with the Pittsburgh Penguins, for whom he is employed as a scout. Concurrently, USA Hockey is looking to set up some kind of endowment -- much like a chair at a university -- to enable Brooks to take the position. 

Former Yale goaltender and current St. Louis Blues goaltending coach Keith Allain has coached the team the past two years. 

6/20/02

BU Gets a Goalie

With Sean Fields entering his junior season and Jason Tapp having graduated, BU was down to one goalie (not including junior-to-be Andy Warren, who played fewer than eight minutes as a freshman, and zero as a sophomore). 

No more, though. Stephan Siwiec, a 6"1½, 190 lb. goaltender from the Calgary Royals (AJHL) will be stepping into the BU lineup this fall, challenging Fields for playing time.

Siwiec, an Aug. '82 birthdate, was named the outstanding goalie in the Alberta Midget League in '99-00. Over the last two seasons, starting out at Crowsnest Pass, he's played in the AJHL. This season, he started out with Fort Saskatchewan, played in Canmore briefly and, from December on, was with the Calgary Royals. In the regular season there, he had a 2.59 GAA and .912 save %. In the playoffs, he was 2.28 with a .934 save percentage.  

Siwiec uses his size to his advantage, gets square to the puck, and utilizes a compact, strong butterfly style. 

6/19/02

Stoa a Standout at Minnesota Select 15 Camp

St. Cloud, Minn. -- One scout has already dubbed 6'2" centerman Ryan Stoa, an '87 who'll be skating this fall with Bloomington-Kennedy High School, "the best 15-year-old I've seen over the last three years in Minnesota. He's head and shoulders above anyone else here."

Stoa, a smooth skater with soft hands, is crafty with the puck, and has elicited comparisons with Jeff Taffe, who, after finishing his junior year at the U this spring, signed with the Phoenix Coyotes organization.

"Maybe he plays with a little less jam than Taffe, but he has better hockey sense," the scout said. "The junior teams will be all over him."

The next-best prospect was Robby Dee, a center who played last winter for Armstrong Bantam A. Dee, who's 5'11", maybe 6'0", is lanky, and a smooth skater with great hands. 

For our #3 prospect here, we'll go with Brennan Poderzay, who played last winter up at Ely HS, on the Iron Range. Poderzay, despite a name that makes him sound like a writer for the New York Review of Books, is very athletic, has a good glove, and follows the puck exceptionally well. On Monday, he was incredible, shooting laterally across the net to make Dominik Hasek-type saves.

After Poderzay, we'll go with LW Michael Gergen, who's in the 5'9"-5'10" range. Gergen, also a smooth skater, has great playmaking abilities and an impressive shot. He played for the Hastings Bantams last winter.

Those four are the kids who set themselves apart here this week.

Other impressive prospects include: 

-- Travis Vermeulen, a very small -- 5'2" but roughly 155 lbs.-- and very skilled forward who played for Centennial Bantam A last winter. Vermeulen has strong legs, speed, and is tough to knock off his feet. Protects puck well, and can change directions on a dime. Very craft. Very shifty. 

-- 5'10" center Mike Pilot was very impressive. Skilled, tenacious and very good around the net, Pilot played as a ninth grader for the South St. Paul varsity last winter. His skating is not the best, lacking fluidity, but he still gets around.  

-- LW Jerad Stewart, a run-run, bang-bang type who goes to the net hard and makes things happen despite limited playmaking skills. Stuart, who played for the Hastings Bantams, is the cousin of Jason Stewart, who played at St. Cloud State in the '90s.

-- RW Ryan Fang, who's a lanky 5'10" showed great moves and very good one-on-one skills. At times, he's all over the place and on the inconsistent side, but his skills keep bringing you back for more. He played for Edina's Bantam A team.

-- Extremely intriguing is Fang's teammate last winter with the Edina Bantams, Joe Finley. A 6'3" defenseman, Finley is tall, lanky, and is still getting his feet under him. While Finely may not make the final cut for the 15s, his size and raw ability make him a player worth following. Has pro potential if he keeps working at his game. 

-- The twin blueliners from Eveleth, Carl and Chris Babich, both have solid all-round skills. They tend to roam around a bit, but the raw ability is certainly there. They played for Eveleth High this past winter. 

-- Dustin Fulton's younger brother, Jordan Fulton, is an intriguing player. He's 6'0" and more raw than his brother, but he could make the Minnesota 15s. He played last year for Champlin Park Bantam A and shows a good feel for the game. 

6/19/02

Atlantic Select Teams Named

Here are the rosters for the Atlantic Select Teams that will be representing their district at at this summer's USA National Select Festivals in St. Cloud, Minn. (17s and 15s) and Rochester, NY (14s and 16s).

***

Atlantic District Select 17 Team ('85s)

Goaltenders: Tyler Sims (Sinking Spring, PA); Zane Kalemba (Saddle Brook, NJ).

Defensemen: Joseph Cucci (Glen Ridge, NJ); Thomas Maldonado (Bronx, NY); Jason May (Montclair, NJ); Joseph McCabe (Jamison, PA); David Sloane (Ambler, PA); Joseph Walchessen (Toms River, NJ).

Forwards: Gregg Adamo (Manalapan, NJ); Michael Atkinson (Sparta, NJ); Daniel Bergan (Newtown, PA); Ryan Collis (Livingston, NJ); Joseph Norman (Plainsboro, NJ); Daniel Pencinger (Randolph, NJ); Patrick Percella (Bayonne, NJ); John Perrotta (Middletown, NJ); Anthony Randazzo (Montclair, NJ); Benjamin Robertson (Doylestown, NJ); Christopher Sabo (Spring Lake, NJ); Keith Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, NY).

***

Atlantic District Select 16 Team ('86s)

Goaltenders: Frank Berry (Allentown, PA); Brady Williams (Lancaster, PA).

Defensemen: Neil Cherry; David DeKatrozza; Nicholas Fink; Joseph Frascino; Jacob Rinaldo; Brett Dickinson (Fulrong, PA); John Conte (Mahway, NJ).

Forwards: Barry Goers (Ivyland, PA); Shane Mandes (Doylestown, PA); Chad Kolarik (Abington, PA); Dale Reinhardt (Livingston, NJ); John Goffredo (Washingtonville, NY); Kevin Hecht (Newton, PA); Will Denise (Princeton, NJ); Dan Gallela (Jersey City, NJ); Matt Cook (Belle Meade, NJ); Jason Mardinly (Media, PA); Christopher Potts (Phillipsburg, NJ).

***

Atlantic District Select 15 Team (87's)

Goaltenders: Shane Connelly (Cheltenham, PA); Kenneth Wochele (Woodlyn, PA).

Defensemen: David Adams (Wyckoff, NJ); Bryan German (Malvern, PA); Alfred Meyer (Westfield, NJ); Jonathan Miller (Freehold, NJ); Michael O'Brien (Franklin Lakes, NJ).

Forwards: Brett Bandazian (Wyckoff, NJ); Michael Del Mauro (Watchung, NJ); Dane Evans (Brookside, NJ); Michael Farr (Brick, NJ); Anthony Ferri (Jersey City, NJ);  LG Gatison (Blue Belle, PA); Bryan Haczyk (Nutley, NJ); Trevor Lewis (Lititz, PA); Louis Lozzi (Philadelphia, PA); Scot McClintic (Skillman, NJ); Thomas Smicker (Rye, NY); Christopher Tutalo (Bedminster, NJ).

6/17/02

Shattuck-St. Mary's Lands 14-Year-Old Wunderkind

5'8", 167 lb. Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby, a 14-year-old center who scored an astounding 217 points (106g,111a) in 81 games while leading the Dartmouth Subways Midget AAA team to the finals of the Air Canada Cup in April, will be playing for Shattuck-St. Mary's this fall.

Crosby, who decided on Shattuck yesterday, is the consensus #1 pick for the 2003 QMJHL draft. That means he could be a one-year-player at the Faribault, Minn. prep school, like current Rimouski Oceanic defenseman Brent MacLellan, who played for then-Shattuck coach Andy Murray in 1998-99 before heading for the Q. But it's far from a done deal. There are strong indications that Crosby, an A student in Nova Scotia, might opt for the NCAA, in which case he could be playing Jr. A in the fall of 2003... or even staying at Shattuck. He'll be going into the 10th grade this fall.

Crosby's final choices for the upcoming season were the Notre Dame Hounds Jr. A, the famous prep school/hockey factory in Wilcox, Sask. which competes in the SJHL;  the Antigonish Bulldogs, a Jr. A team in Nova Scotia; and the Georgetown Raiders (OPJHL), also a Jr. A team.  

The Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) tried to get a hometown exemption for Crosby so he could play major junior last fall but the attempt failed, which is probably just as good -- 14 is kind of young to be playing in that league. Crosby appears to have never shaved. 

Crosby and the Dartmouth Subways appeared at the MACs tournament in Calgary over Christmas/New Year's. While the Subways had a tough go of it there, Crosby stood out anyway, catching the attention of Shattuck coach Tom Ward, whose team won the tournament for the third straight year. 

Crosby is exciting to watch, exhibiting eye-popping moves, great hands, speed, and explosiveness. He has an extremely good head for the game, being able to find the open man and hit him with a perfect pass -- or get open to take a pass himself. Crosby is no perimeter player, either, as he'll get right in there and mix it up. He's a tough, competitive kid

The boy's father, Troy Crosby, 35, is a well-put-together six footer who was playing in the QMJHL with Verdun when he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 12th round of the 1984 NHL draft. Crosby, however, drew the short straw, as the Canadiens also took Patrick Roy in that draft.

The younger Crosby's draft year is 2005. 

6/17/02

It's Official at UNH

UNH, as expected, has hired Scott Borek, giving him the title of associate head coach. Last week, Dave Lassonde was also given the title of associate head coach. Now, UNH coach Dick Umile heads up the only staff in the country without an assistant coach. 

So who gets the blame if things go badly? The fans? Brian McCloskey? Carlton Fisk? 

Borek and Umile started their college coaching careers on Mike McShane's staff at Providence College, working together there from 1985-87. In the years since, Borek has been at Brown, Colby, and Lake Superior State, serving as head coach at the last two, including five seasons at Lake Superior State, where he took over from Jeff Jackson. After his contract wasn't renewed at Lake State last year, Borek, who's from Swampscott, Mass. and played at Exeter Academy and Dartmouth until a neck injury ended his college career, spent this past season serving as head coach of the New England College Pilgrims (Div. III). 

6/17/02

Fogarty Named Assistant at BGSU

Forgive us for not mentioning this earlier, but last week former Clarkson (three years) and Colgate (also three years) assistant coach Ron Fogarty became the first official hire of the Scott Paluch era at Bowling Green. Fogarty, a 30-year-old native of Sarnia, Ontario,  is former forward who played for Colgate from 1991-95 and then went on to play minor pro with the Memphis Riverkings (CHL) for a year. Last season, he became Clarkson's #1 assistant after Jim Roque returned to Lake Superior State.  

6/17/02

McCann is the Man

Former Harvard defenseman Sean McCann has been named the new assistant at his alma mater, replacing Ron Rolston, who is now at BC.

McCann, now 30, was a 6'0", 193 lb. RD for the Crimson from 1990-94. In his senior year, McCann led Harvard to the NCAA semis, was named a first team All-American, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award. McCann's 22 goals (in 33 games) that season is an all-time record for Harvard d-men.

That June, he was selected by the Florida Panthers in the NHL supplemental draft. He started out that fall in Cincinnati (IHL), where he was named league rookie of the year. McCann's minor pro career took him to eight IHL or AHL teams in a seven-year career.  

This will be McCann's first coaching position. He'll work primarily with the defensemen. Nate Leaman, who'll be back for his fourth year at Harvard, has been bumped up to recruiting coordinator.

Harvard head coach Mark Mazzoleni described McCann as "a good man who's hard driven and just oozes character."

6/15/02

Pineault Top U.S. Pick in Today's QMJHL Draft

U.S. National Team Development Program RC Adam Pineault was the top American chosen in today's QMJHL draft, held in Bathurst, New Brunswick. 

The Moncton Wildcats took Pineault with the #4 pick in the first round. Moncton's attempt was a total flyer because, while many QMJHL teams reportedly gave their all in an attempt to get Pineault interested in a pre-draft deal, Moncton was not among them. However, you can be sure the Wildcats will take their best shot now, even though the big '86-born center from Holyoke, Mass. and the Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL), has his eyes firmly set on returning to the NTDP for his final year and then joining the Boston College Eagles in the fall of '03. For the record, while the draft was taking place in New Brunswick today, Pineault was in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The next U.S. player (note: the only Americans eligible for the QMJHL draft are New England natives) selected was 6'2", 165 lb. NTDP right-shot D Jimmy Sharrow, Pineault's teammate on the Under-17 team this season. This is a done deal as Halifax, lacking a first-round pick because of an in-season swap, traded up to get Sharrow. The Framingham, Mass. native, who formerly skated for Cardigan Mountain, will be lacing them up this fall for the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Quebec Remparts pick in the second round was Jordan LaVallee, a 6'2", 200 lb. power forward who skated for the Walpole Stars (EJHL) this past season and was expected to join the National Program in the fall, but now appears to be heading in a different direction. Look for LaVallee to be skating with the Remparts this fall. 

Here's the full list of U.S. kids selected today:

1st Round, #4 overall, by Montreal -- Adam Pineault, F, U.S. Under-17

2nd Round, #17 overall, by Halifax -- Jimmy Sharrow, D, U.S. Under-17

2nd Round, #23 overall, by Quebec -- Jordan LaVallee, F, Walpole Stars (EJHL)

3rd Round: None

4th Round. #50 overall, by Baie-Comeau -- Rory Farrell, D, New England Coyotes Midget AAA

5th Round: None

6th Round: None

7th Round, #103 overall, by Quebec -- Kevin Coughlin, F, Cushing Academy

7th Round: #105 overall, by Hull -- Bret Tyler, D, Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL)

8th Round, #121 overall, by Hull -- Matt Greene, F, BC High 

8th Round, #123 overall, by Victoriaville -- Ryan LaPierre, F, Mount St. Charles

9th Round, #131 overall, by Montreal -- Bryan Cirullo, D, New England Jr. Coyotes (EJHL)

9th Round, #135 overall, by Quebec -- Jay Bletzer, D, Walpole Stars (EJHL)

10th Round, #157 overall, by Cape Breton -- Phillip Farrow, F, Holderness School

11th Round: None

12th Round: None

13th Round, #194 overall, by Montreal -- Brian McGuirk, F, Gov. Dummer Academy

14th Round, #209 overall, by Sherbrooke -- Chris Kane, D, Mount St. Charles

14th Round, #215 overall, by Quebec -- Keith Longo, G, Cushing Academy

15th Round, #225 overall, by Sherbrooke -- Matt Generous, D, New England Coyotes Midget AAA

15th Round, #239 overall, by Shawinigan -- Andrew Thomas, D, N.H. Jr. Monarchs (EJHL)

6/14/02

Green Bay's Coup 

Green Bay Gamblers head coach Mark Osiecki has pulled off a major coup, landing defenseman Wes O'Neill, the #2 overall pick in the OHL draft of May 4. It's a coup for the USHL, too, as an OHL pick selected that high (or even close to it) has never opted for the USHL before. 

O'Neill, a 3/3/86 birthdate would likely have been the #1 pick in this year's OHL draft, as Mississauga co-owner Don Cherry indicated after watching O'Neill in a playoff game in March and then comparing him afterward to Chris Pronger and Larry Robinson. However, O'Neill's "family advisor", Steve Mountain, indicated that the 6'3", 195 lb. 16-year-old would not play for Mississauga, which held the #1 pick, or Kingston, which had the #2 pick. However, O'Neill indicated he would play for the Brampton Battalion and coach Stan Butler, holders of the #3 overall pick. Since there was such a large gap between the top two guys -- Shremp and O'Neill -- and the rest of this year's OHL draft prospects, Kingston just went ahead and chose O'Neill with it's #2 pick nonetheless, hoping to sign the rangy left-shot d-man. 

In the OHL, first round picks can't be traded until January -- if by chance O'Neill is still is thinking of going that route. However, the indications most see here are that O'Neill, an excellent student who'll be a senior in the fall, will be NCAA bound in the fall of 2003. He'll certainly have his pick of schools -- Michigan and Michigan State have already let their interest in the kid be known.    

This past season, O'Neill, who's from Essex, Ont., played for the Chatham Maroons in the Western (Ontario) Jr. B League. In 52 games he posted a 9-32-41 scoring line with 59 pims. Chatham won the league's regular-season title but lost a seven-game playoff final to the Sarnia Blast. (Until this past season, the Sarnia franchise was known as the Sarnia Steeplejacks. Why anyone would dump such an evocative name as that for something as mindlessly generic as the Blast is hard to comprehend. Just thought we'd throw that in.)

6/14/02

High Water Everywhere

Roseau, Minn. one of America's great hockey towns, has been battling serious flooding ever since the Roseau River broke through the town's sandbag dike on Tuesday, flooding the town and chasing virtually all 3,000 residents to high ground. 

Roseau is in northern Minnesota, about 10 miles south of Manitoba and 20 miles west of Warroad. Heading west, it sits near the spot where eastern forest gives way to prairie. 

Roseau's levee was constructed to hold back 22 feet of water, but on Tuesday the river surged over it. The river crested on Wednesday at 23.2 feet, well over the flood stage of 16 feet.

Virtually every home and business in town has been damaged, but residents pitched in to protect the hospital, school, and Polaris Industries, the snowmobile maker and the town's largest employer.

Roseau, despite its remote location and small size, has had a huge impact on hockey in Minnesota, and the US, for that matter. The Roseau High School Rams have made a record 29 appearances in the Minnesota State Tournament, winning six times and finishing second five times. Under the reign of legendary coach Oscar Almquist, which ran from 1941-67, Roseau won four of its championships. In one stretch between 1957-59, Roseau went 49 games without a loss. Roseau natives who have gone on to the Olympics include Rube Bjorkman (twice), Don Ross (twice), Blaine Comstock, Rob Harris, Gary Ross, and Neil Broten. Broten's younger brothers, Aaron and Paul,  had strong NHL careers. Butsy Erickson also went on to the NHL. Current UND coach Dean Blais coached Roseau HS from '89 to '91. Current Div. I players from Roseau include Mike Klema (Yale), David Klema (BU), Andy Lundbohm (St. Cloud), David Lundbohm (North Dakota), Jake Brandt (North Dakota), and Ross Miller (Air Force). 

6/14/02

QMJHL Draft on Tap

Here are the Americans on the most recent Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Central Scouting List. The QMJHL draft is tomorrow, Saturday, in Bathurst, New Brunswick. New England, as you can see, is the QMJHL's protected area.  This list is the property of the QMJHL, and does not represent the views of the U.S. Hockey Report.   Click HERE to view the list...........

6/13/02

It's Walt Kyle -- Finally

Walt Kyle, most recently a N.Y. Rangers assistant coach,  has been named the new head coach at Northern Michigan.

There will be an 11 a.m. press conference today at the Berry Event Center.

Kyle, 46, is an '81 NMU alum who afterward became an assistant coach, helping recruit the 1991 NCAA championship team. For the past two seasons he has been an assistant coach on Ron Low's New York Rangers staff. Low was fired this spring, and the Rangers recently hired Bryan Trottier as head coach and Terry O'Reilly and Jim Schoenfeld as assistants, leaving Kyle out in the cold. 

Before going to the Rangers, Kyle coached the Hamilton Bulldogs, Edmonton's AHL affiliate, for two seasons, then moved on to New York when Glen Sather took over as GM there. 

Kyle, a center, played for Boston College in 1977-78, sat out a season, then played his final two seasons with NMU. He is one of two players we know of who have reached the NCAA title game with two different schools -- '78 with BC, and '80 with Northern Michigan. (The other we know of is forward Brendan Walsh, who reached the NCAA title game with Boston University in '97, then transferred to Maine and won the whole thing in '99.)

It is unclear whether Kyle will retain assistants Dave Shyiak or Brian Renfrew.    

6/12/02

USHL Certified as Tier I -- Conditionally 

At the USA Hockey meetings in Colorado Springs, which ended on Sunday, the USHL gained Tier I status, though it's only conditional as of now. There are still four or five items that were tabled for further review. We'll get to those later today or tomorrow. . 

6/11/02

Jr. B's Take Hub City Tournament

The Boston Jr. Bruins, on a Luke Jones goal with eight seconds left in the first OT on Sunday topped the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs at the Hub City Tournament in Bridgewater, Mass. over the weekend. In addition, Jones scored the game-tying goal for the Jr. B's. But none of that was enough to win him a slot on the all-tournament team, which is as follows:

Goaltender: Kyle McNulty, Jr. Bruins. 

Defensemen: Jason Ortolano, NH Jr. Monarchs; and Jay Pemberton, Providence College. 

Forwards: Scott Brady, Jr. B's; Greg Mauldin, UMass-Amherst; and Matt Burto, Des Moines Buccaneers.

No MVP was named, but if there had been it almost certainly would have gone to Burto, the former Connecticut Jr. Clippers and Avon Old Farms forward who's heading to Des Moines this fall. BU has long been interested in Burto, but now BC and Michigan -- and certainly others -- are also reported to be jumping into the pool. 

Brandon Jackmuff, the Philly Jr. Flyers forward heading to Hotchkiss, cracked a pair of vertebrae in Friday morning's first game, was taken to the Brockton Hospital, and then from there to Mass. General. He was released the next day, but won't be able to play for at least three months.   

Mike Dowd of the Soo Indians (NAHL) , playing for Sean Tremblay's Monarchs Blue team, broke his leg. 

The level of competition, with name college players such as the BC trio of Ryan Shannon, Dave Spina, and Ned Havern (all on one team) was high, a notch above the level usually found at summer tournaments, and well attended by pro scouts and Div. I recruiters. Hub City Hockey, run by Neil Hall, will again be running the Massachusetts Model Camp for top prep, junior, and high school players. That's coming up later in the month at the Bridgewater Ice Arena, having moved from its previous home in Walpole. 

6/11/02

Mid-Am Select Teams

Following are the Mid-Am Select 16 and 17 teams for this summer's USA Hockey Select Camps. The 15 year olds will meet at Kent State University (Tin soldiers and Nixon coming... and the Golden Flashes, too) from June 23-27. The team will be picked on the 27th. 

Mid-American Select 16 Team (‘86s)

Goaltenders: Ian Keserich (Parma, OH); Shaun Williams (Erie, PA).

Defensemen: Joseph Arciuolo (Pittsburgh, PA); Thomas Gerken (Sylvania, OH); Stephen Kobert (Erie, PA); Michael Levendusky (Greensburg, PA); Augustus Settacasi (Fillmore, IN); Michael Steiner (Shaker Hills, OH).

Forwards: Christopher Brown (Oakmont, PA); Nathan Davis (Rocky River, OH); Tom Fritsche (Parma, OH); John Goebel (Parma, OH); Casey Hanes (Indiana, PA); Dan McClain (Westlake, OH); Patrick Mullen (Pittsburgh, PA); Mark Persic (Allison Park, PA); Kevin Rawlik (Bowling Green, OH), Matt Schwartz (Venetia, PA); Larry Willard (Sylvania, OH).

Head Coach: Mike Mankowski. Assistant Coaches: Joe Gaul and Dave Smith. Team Leader: Jim Christensen.

 ***

Mid-American Select 17 Team ('85s)

Goaltenders: Whit Whitacre (Indianapolis, IN); ); Jason Kearney (Pittsburgh, PA).

Defensemen: Stewart Carlin (Jeannette, PA); Nicholas Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA); D. Grant Lewis (Pittsburgh, PA); Bobby Phillips (Indianapolis, IN); Christopher Robinson (Pittsburgh, PA); Sean Wilson (Willoughby, OH).

Forwards: Nicholas Biondo (Parma, OH); Jace Buzek (Greenburg, PA); Jeff Dionisio (Erie, PA); Brian Moore (Carmel, IN); V.J. Nardy (Painesville, OH); Andrew Ramsey (Zionsville, IN); Danny Riedel (Crestwood, KY); Eric Sefchik (Brooklyn, OH); David Smith (Columbus, IN); Sean Sutphen (Dublin, OH); Joseph Ulerich (Pittsburgh, PA).

Head Coach: Rob Haberbusch. Assistant Coaches: Mike McNeill and Wade Nilson. Team Leader: Jim Christensen.

6/10/02

New Head Coach for U.S. Under-17 Team 

A highly-placed source in the USA Hockey hierarchy at Colorado Springs, Col. confirmed today that the NTDP Under-17 Team's new head coach will be David Quinn. 

Quinn, who has been an assistant at the University of Nebraska-Omaha since the varsity program's start six years ago, is a 35-year old native of Cranston, RI., a former defenseman who starred at the Kent School in Connecticut, and a first-round draft choice of the Minnesota North Stars in 1984. He went on to play at Boston University from '84-87, missing his senior season due to Christmas Disease, a rare form of hemophilia that prevents clotting of the blood.  

Quinn played for the U.S. Junior team in 1986, and later skated with the U.S. Olympic Team, but, hampered by illness and layoffs, didn't make the final cut. 

Quinn was an assistant on Ben Smith's staff at Northeastern from 1993-96 before taking the job as assistant at UNO in the fall of 1996. From the moment UNO started playing in the CCHA a few years ago, they have been very competitive, finishing the regular season seventh the first year, then fourth and fifth in subsequent years. .

Since then Quinn, with Smith, has also worked USA Hockey's women's camps in Lake Placid.

6/10/02

Mutch Returns to Alma Mater 

Look for Tom Mutch, also a University of Omaha-Nebraska assistant coach, to be named an assistant hockey coach at Northeastern within the next few days. Mutch, 34, is a Northeastern alum, having captained both the baseball and hockey teams. After graduation, the Canton, Mass. native played a few years of minor pro, then returned to Northeastern, where he and Quinn worked as assistants on Ben Smith's staff. From there, Mutch moved on with Smith to an assistant's position with the U.S. Women's National and Olympic teams from 1996 to the gold-medal year of 1998.  

From 1998-2000, Mutch served as associate head coach with the Omaha Lancers (USHL), and then moved on to UNO for the past two seasons. 

6/10/02

More Coaching Rumors, Speculation, etc. 

In addition to the above, we have learned some other things from our last update. 

Bowling Green has not filled either assistant's position. Both George Roll and Tom Carroll came in for two visits apiece, the second time with their families, but apparently it wasn't the right fit for either. Right now the leading candidate to take one of the positions appears to be Clarkson assistant Ron Fogarty. The other position could go to NMU assistant Brian Renfrew or Union assistant Kevin Patrick. A new name to throw into the mix is Dartmouth assistant Brendan Whittet, who's out in Bowling Green visiting with head coach Scott Paluch this week.

It looks like Clarkson may need two assistants. Former Bowling Green assistant Dave Smith's name has been mentioned a lot for in connection with the Golden Knights. 

As mentioned before, Brown assistant Chris Potter, former Harvard d-man Sean McCann, and the aforementioned Smith have been -- or still are -- candidates for the vacant Harvard assistant's post. A new name to throw into the mix is Danny Brooks, currently an assistant at Wayne State.  

Scott Borek still looks like the guy for UNH. 

Paul Pearl has reportedly decided to stay put at Holy Cross. 

What about UNO, then, where head coach Mike Kemp suddenly needs two assistants? Kemp, remember, was an assistant under both Badger Bob Johnson and (mostly) Jeff Sauer from the early '80s until the mid-90s at Wisconsin. Tom Carroll, who played under both Johnson and Sauer when the Badgers won two NCAA titles in the early '80s, is a known commodity and experienced, with 14 years as an assistant at Notre Dame under his belt as well as a head coaching stint with the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL). Carroll still lives in Des Moines, a little less than two hours from Omaha, and well knows his way around the college recruiting scene. Right now, we suspect he's the leading candidate. Another possible candidate -- they need two, after all -- could be Pat Ford, who worked with Kemp as an assistant at Wisconsin. Ford was let go by the Badgers when Mike Eaves came in this spring. It's possible that this could already be in the works, mainly because we've yet to hear Ford's name in connection with any other jobs. Of course, that could mean something else, like he's retiring. UNO is a program that has the resources to continue getting stronger, banging out a new 8,314 seat building every night, and, attendance-wise, ranking in the top five Div. I schools in the country.  

6/10/02

Earl to Michigan

USNTDP forward Robbie Earl has made a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan, though Kamloops (WHL), is hanging around, trying to get him to go major junior.

Earl would be Michigan's fifth recruit for the fall of 2003, and fourth member of the National Program, joining defenseman Matt Hunwick, and forwards T.J. Hensick, and Mike Brown. Andrew Ebbett, a winger from Salmon Arm (BCHL) will also be going to Michigan in 2003.

Earl, a LW who's 5'11", 162 lbs. is a native of Los Angeles, where he played for the LA Junior Kings before coming to Ann Arbor. Earl, the fourth leading scorer on the Under-17 team with a 22-16-38 line in in 58 games, has blazing speed and uses it to create scoring opportunities. 

On Jan. 4, Earl scored the overtime game winner that gave the U.S. the gold medal at the World-Under 17 Challenge in Manitoba. 

6/10/02   

Pouliat's Pick 

New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) right-shot forward Brian Pouliat will be heading to UMass-Lowell in the fall of '03. 

Pouliat, who is 5'6", 165 lbs., was the fifth-leading scorer in the EJHL this season with a 25-31-56 line in 37 games. 

Pouliat is from Hooksett, NH, where the Monarchs, winners of the league championship last season, play their home games. By the way, the Monarchs, judging by returnees and recruits, are looking like they could once again be top dog in the EJHL.  

6/8/02

Minnesota Select 16s, 17's Named

Below are the rosters of the Minnesota 16's and 17s for this summer's USA Hockey Select Festivals. The 15s will be having their state tryouts at St. Cloud this week. 

***

Minnesota Select 17 Team ('85s)

Forwards: Brent Borgen (Mahtomedi HS); Corey Carlson (Greenway HS); Andrew Carroll (Roseville HS); Ben Gordon (International Falls HS); Brandon Harrington (Rochester Lourdes HS); Ben Hendrick (Anoka HS); Jimmy Kilpatrick (Holy Angels); Ryan Peckscamp (Sauk Rapids HS); Brad Peterson (Bl. Jefferson HS); Garrett Regan (Hill-Murray); Ken Rowe (Shattuck); Drew Stafford (Shattuck).

Defensemen: Casey Borer (Shattuck); Eric Dahlberg (Duluth East HS); Blake Friesen (Benilde); Andrew Guyer (Duluth East HS); Philip Johnson (Robbinsdale Armstrong HS); Derek Peltier (Robbinsdale Armstrong HS). 

Goalies: Tyler Johnson (East Grand Forks HS); Michael Zacharias (Robbinsdale Armstrong HS).

 *** 

Minnesota Select 16 Team ('86s)

Forwards: Jeffrey Beck (Stillwater HS); Matt Becker (Moorhead HS); Andrew Birkholz (Breck); Justin Bostrom (Moundsview HS); Dustin Fulton (Breck); Thomas Gorowsky (Centennial HS); Jacob Hovick (Rochester John Marshall HS); Josh Hutton (Maple Grove HS); Matt Kaiser (Holy Angels); Casey Parenteau (Breck); Mike Taylor (Holy Angels).

Defensemen: Greg Battani (Benilde-St. Margaret’s); Jesse Downey (Silver Bay HS); Joshua Duncan (Rochester Lourdes); Nate Hagemo (Holy Angels);  Jack Hillen (Holy Angels); John Vadnais (Shattuck). 

Goalies: Matt Lundin (Apple Valley HS); Chris Waltz (Chisago Lakes HS). 

ALTERNATES: F Josh Brodeen (Warroad HS); F James Erickson (Shattuck); F Ryan Gunderson (Mahtomedi HS); D Chris Johnson (Duluth East HS); D Chris Peluso (Brainerd HS); D A.J. Thelen (Shattuck); G Aaron Damjanovich (Greenway HS).

6/6/02

Latest Coaching News and Rumors

The N.Y. Rangers have announced a news conference for this afternoon and are expected to announce that Bryan Trottier will be the next head coach of the Rangers. Trottier was actually the second choice of GM Glen Sather, who first offered the position to Herb Brooks. 

What all this means is that the dog and pony show at Northern Michigan may soon be coming to an end, and they can hone in on Walt Kyle, whom they have made no secret is their #1 choice. Kyle, according to sources, will officially interview on June 13th, one week from today.  

Yesterday NMU interviewed current assistant Dave Shyiak, and today will interview Michigan State assistant Dave McAuliffe. Both coaches -- and Kyle, too -- will meet with the press and general public on the day of their interview, a good opportunity for the hockey reporter from the Marquette Mining Journal to ask at least two of them how it feels to have been left hanging in the wind for nearly three months by the local university. 

Brown assistant Chris Potter and former Harvard defenseman Sean McCann look to be serious candidates for the Harvard assistant's job.  

Scott Borek is still the top candidate at UNH. 

Hobart College assistant coach Jason Lammers is a strong candidate for the assistant's coaching slot at Lake Superior State. 

Longtime Wisconsin goalie coach Bill Howard will be staying on and working on the staff of Mike Eaves. Does anyone out there know what Pat Ford is doing?

Former Ferris State assistant Jeff Blashill has been hired as an assistant at Miami. He takes over for Norm McAuley, who is returning to Ontario to teach school. 

No new word on Bowling Green. It still looks like Tom Carroll is a virtual lock for one position while the second slot could go to Clarkson assistant Ron Fogarty and NMU assistant Brian Renfrew. 

Former Miami center Todd Harkins, who played briefly in the NHL and for a long time in Europe,  is looking to get into coaching. 

Quinnipiac assistant Kyle Wallack is moving from the Q to UConn, so Quinnipiac has an opening for an assistant's position -- and it's wide open.

The U.S. Under-17 team is still looking to fill the head coach's position. Tim Army's name is being mentioned a lot, but we're not sure how much time he has left on his contract with the Washington Caps. The NTDP's Ken Martel and UNO assistant David Quinn have become strong candidates.

In the USHL, former Sioux City and Omaha assistant coach Leigh Mendelson will be returning to the Lancers after a year working as an assistant in the East Coast League.

Sioux City assistant Fred Harbinson will be staying put. Earlier reports had him leaving to take over the reins at an expansion franchise the AWHL was looking to place in Missoula. However, the franchise failed to get off the ground. 

Ted Belisle, a Thunder Bay native who played at Bemidji State and scouted last year for the Sioux City Musketeers, will be joining the Sioux Falls Stampede as an assistant coach. Findlay assistant Rob Haberbusch was going to sign on as Sioux Falls' other assistant but was offered a position at Iona and will be heading there, taking the spot vacated by former Iona assistant Sean Hathaway, who will be going into the granite business. 

Former Sioux Falls assistant Mike Corbett will be moving to Colorado Springs, taking over the Pikes Peak Midget AAA squad and directing hockey operations in the city. 

Ken Frates is reported to be the new head coach for the Bridgewater Bandits (EJHL), taking over for Brian Ferreira.  

6/2/02

New York State Select Teams

Below are the rosters for the New York Select 14, 15, 16, & 17 teams. This summer, the 15 and 17 festivals will be held in St. Cloud, Minn., while the 14 and 16 festivals are in Rochester, NY.  

***

***

New York Select 14 Team ('88)