7/26/06

Homeward Bound

Western Michigan assistant coach Brendan Kenny retired from the Broncos staff Monday to return to his Edmonton hometown to go into private business.

Kenny, 33, spent two years as a volunteer assistant at Western, then the last three as a full assistant.

Head coach Jim Culhane and associate head coach Chris Brooks have started their search for a replacement for Kenny.

With the Maine positions being filled, the Western Michigan position is one of the few full-time major conference Div. I assistant coaching position available at this late date. Ferris State is reportedly still looking, and Michigan Tech may be, too.


Note: 

6’1”, 190 lb. forward Brett Peterson of Elk River HS has committed to Mankato State for the fall of ’07.

Peterson, a big, strong left wing, will be playing in the USHL this coming season.


 

7/31/06

The Big Heat

St. Cloud, Minn. -- The biggest story of the early days of the Select 15 Festival has been the blistering heat and humidity.

With temperatures reaching 99 on Saturday, 100 on Sunday (the first day of games), and 101 today, and the players, coaches, and tournament staff housed in high rise dorms lacking air conditioning, there has been a real lack of hop to the on-ice action here.

The ice has been on the soft side, though pretty good all things considered.  

We haven’t heard complaining, though. After all, the rink is the coolest place to be, and living through such heat gives everyone something to call home about. War stories, you know.

At around 10 pm CST time tonight, a black sky with billowing, ominous clouds was cut through was bursts of lightning that recalled watching the bombing of Baghdad on CNN. And then the rains fell, and the temperature dropped to 75 degrees.

It may take a little while for the temperatures to come down in the dorms, but outside the temperatures will be normal for the rest of the week. The hockey should pick up, too.

 

7/27/06

An Early Commitment and a Familiar Name

Early commitments are as rare as two-toned lobsters in Maine, but the Black Bears got one yesterday when Kelen Corkum, the son of Bob Corkum (’89), took an unofficial visit to the campus and committed on the spot.

Corkum was also going to take a look at UNH, BC, BU, and Providence, but yesterday’s decision rendered all that moot.

When Corkum, a 7/17/90 birthdate going into the 11^th grade, suits up for the Black Bears in the fall of ’08, he’ll complete the first father-son combination in the history of Maine’s hockey program.

Worth noting is the fact that Corkum was a teammate of new Maine assistant coach Guy Perron (’90) for three years in Orono. So you could say that Perron is already paying dividends – and he hasn’t even been officially hired yet.

A 6’1”, 190 lb. LC from Newbury, Mass., Corkum played for the Portland Pirates Jr. B team in the Metropolitan League last year. This season, he’ll be going to the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Corkum is a strong all-around player, a solid two-way type. He’s very good away from the puck, in his own end, and likes to play physically. He’s been working hard in the weight room this summer.

Corkum pere, who went on to play 720 NHL games, was an assistant coach with his son’s Portland Junior Pirates team last season. This season, Corkum will be an assistant with the EJHL defending champion New Hampshire Junior Monarchs.   

7/25/06

NAHL Showcase Set

The NAHL has scheduled its showcase for four days in September at Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine, Minn.

The tournament will start Wed. Sept. 13 at 11 am, and conclude Saturday night the 16^th. Games will get underway every day at 11 am, except Saturday, when the first game starts at 10 am. The last game every night will be at 8:30 pm.

All 17 teams in the league will be present. There will be also be an 18^th team – to be announced -- from outside the league.

Each team will play four games over four days with a champion named after Saturday night’s game.

The NAHL is currently being presided over by interim commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. They’re still looking for a permanent commish. The fax number for resumes is 763-208-6538.

 

7/26/06

Coming Soon – the Select 15 Green Book

We’re only publishing one Green Book this summer and it’s the one we consider the most important – the Select 15s – so we’ll be putting a lot of work into it.

The top ‘91s from around the country will begin play Sun. July 30 in St. Cloud, Minn. The tournament will conclude Fri. Aug. 4, and we’ll have the books printed and in the mail within the week. 

As is customary, we’ll be ranking over a hundred players, broken down by position, and will include capsule scouting reports on all ranked players. In addition, we’ll have information on every player at the festival, so the book will be a useful reference source throughout the upcoming season.

For more information, and a link to purchase, please click on the ad in the left-hand column.

 

7/23/06

Rhinos, Arrows Take Hits

St. Sebastian’s is taking a hit by losing a pair of key forwards in 5’6” wing Eric Lake, who has been added to the Lincoln Stars (USHL) protected list, and Stephen Rogers, who has been added to the NTDP’s Under-17 Team.

Taft may be taking the biggest hit, though. Barring any last-minute changes, the Rhinos look to be losing their core seniors in Max Pacioretty (Sioux City - USHL), Jack Downing (Omaha - USHL), and Eric Baier (NH Junior Monarchs - EJHL). 

Deerfield is losing their top forward in Michael DelMauro (Indiana - USHL).

There are others and we'll try to put together a complete list shortly.

On the flip side of the coin, Harvard recruit Matt McCollem, drafted by Indiana, is going back to Belmont Hill for his senior year.

From the Minnesota high school ranks, Nick Larson, who was on Omaha’s protected list, is going back to Hill-Murray.

 

7/24/06

Stastny Turns Pro

Denver junior-to-be Paul Stastny will be leaving the Pioneers, having signed today with the Colorado Avalanche, the same franchise that, as the Quebec Nordiques, signed his father, Peter, back in 1980.

Stastny, a second-round pick by the Avalanche in the 2005 draft, is a 6'0", 210 lb. forward. He had a 19-34-53 line in his sophomore season and was named to the all-WCHA first team.

 

7/24/06

Lammers Returns to Div. I Ranks

SUNY-Geneseo head coach Jason Lammers has been hired as an assistant on the Ohio State staff, taking the spot vacated by Steve Brent, who left hockey at the end of the season.

Lammers, 30, was at SUNY-Geneseo, his alma mater (’98), for one season. But it was a very good season - his team club finished 19-9-2.

Prior to returning to SUNY-Geneseo, Lammers spent two seasons with Guy Gadowsky, first at Alaska-Fairbanks and than at Princeton. Prior to that, Lammers was an assistant at Clarkson and Hobart.

 

7/24/06

O’Neill Commits to Wildcats

6’1, 200 lb. LD Will O’Neill, who will be leaving Tabor Academy to play his senior year with the Omaha Lancers (USHL), has committed to the University of New Hampshire.

O’Neill, who was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round of last month’s NHL draft, was also recruited by Maine, Northeastern, and UMass.

A 4/28/88 birthdate, O'Neill is a big, strong offensively gifted player who’s physical and plays with a bit of an edge. If he’s ready, he’ll join the Wildcats in the fall of ’07, but if he needs another year of development, he’ll arrive the following year.

O’Neill, a native of Salem, Mass., is the son of Salem State College head coach Bill O’Neill, who, by the way, will be starting his 26^th season behind the Vikings bench this fall. O’Neill played his college hockey for Boston University, graduating in 1979. 

 

7/22/06

Maine Staff Set

According to extremely reliable sources, Maine women’s head coach Guy Perron will return to the men’s side and be named top assistant on Tim Whitehead’s staff shortly. 

Perron, a forward at Maine from ’86-90, was later an assistant for two years at Dartmouth before heading west, joining the Huron Hockey Group, and coaching the Chicago Freeze (NAHL) for several years. When the freeze went under, Perron returned to Orono as a graduate assistant.

Two years ago, Perron took over the Black Bears women’s program.

In his first year coaching the women, the squad went 14-15-3. Last season, they improved to 17-9-6.

Neither Perron nor Dan Kerluke has been on the road – well, Perron has, but it has been awhile. They will need a lot of time to get up to speed.

The Maine’s women’s program will not only be seeking someone to take over for Perron, but since Campbell Blair’s wife was an assistant with the program, they have two slots to fill.

 

 

7/19/06

Maine Looking

Former University of Maine player Dan Kerluke, a volunteer assistant with the Black Bears last season, will be the #2 assistant on Tim Whitehead’s staff this season season.

Who’ll be the #1 guy? The names we’ve heard prominently mentioned are Northeastern assistant Gene Reilly, Dartmouth assistant Dave Peters, and Union College head coach Nate Leaman.

Reilly reportedly is staying put. Peters is, too. And Leaman has just closed on a house in the Schenectady area.

More later. 

 

7/20/06

Christmas Kane

On the Patrick Kane front, the only thing we can report with any degree of certainty is that, if he goes to college, he’ll spend the first half of the season with the NTDP and then  enroll in school right after Christmas. BU remains the frontrunner, with Michigan giving it their best shot, too.  

The London Knights are still in the picture, though how much is difficult to say. First off, there is a #1 center coming onto the team in Sam Gagner, and another talented center in Phil McRae.

Both have parental ties to the team. Gagner’s father, Dave, is expected to be officially hired onto the Knights coaching staff any day now. And McRae’s father, Basil, is a part owner of the team.

With Gagner’s and McRae’s parents directly involved with the club, Kane has to know that he will not necessarily be the #1 center on the team – at least not in every situation, and all the time. There would be some sharing going on, and probably some clashing of egos. That might be the one thing that is keeping Kane from signing on with London. 

At any rate, an answer to all this could come within the week. If BU could land Kane on the heels of the Colin Wilson commitment, they’d have a strong comeback to cross-town rival BC landing Jimmy Hayes. Wilson, a late '89 and the son of former Dartmouth and NHL forward Carey Wilson, is projected to go in the first round of the 2008 NHL draft, though obviously a lot can change in two years. Wilson played in the National Program this past season with fellow BU recruits Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk. BU beat out North Dakota and Colorado College in the hunt for Wilson. 

-- Speaking of hunting, the London Knights are pursuing Kane’s NTDP teammate Kevin Montgomery, an Ohio State recruit, with guns blazing.

-- One thing about Trevor Lewis going major junior six weeks before he was due to start school at Michigan: he was a poor student and probably wouldn’t have been there long anyway. A number of schools who liked what they saw on ice didn’t bother recruiting him because of his transcript – and we’re not talking just Ivy schools, either. 

 

7/20/06

USHL Playoffs Get Wild New Look

The USHL playoff format has changed. It’s a wild one, with a differing format for each round, leading up to the final four.

First off, all twelve teams will make the playoffs. In the first round, a best of seven affair, it’s #1 East vs. #6 East, #2 vs. #5, #3 vs. #4. Ditto for the west.

The second round, featuring the six survivors, is a round robin affair, with the teams reseeded and each team playing one of their two games on home ice. In the East, #1 will play at #3, #3 will play at #2, and #2 will play at #1. Ditto for the west.

The second round eliminates one team from each division.

The final round is a single-elimination Final Four-type format featuring the top two teams in each division. The team with the best regular season record – the Anderson Cup winner – has first dibs on hosting the tournament. Technically, they can decline it if they wish, and it would then go to the second-highest finisher.

Commissioner Gino Gasparini says it’s within the realm of possibility that the league final four could eventually get put out to bid and played in a neutral city, though he acknowledges that the best chance of success comes when the host team is also playing in the tournament, much like the Memorial Cup in Canada. The difference in this case is that the host team will be earning the right.

“We’ve gotten both positive and negative feedback,” Gasparini said. “”But we understand that will happen with such a drastic change.”

“The coaches and GMs unanimously approved it. It was not strictly a board decision.”

Asked how long the league was committed to the new format, Gasparini said. “We hope it will work.”

If it doesn’t?

”Then we will reevaluate after one year.”

7/20/06

U.S. Under-18 Selects Named

The 22-man roster for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team for the Junior World Cup has been named.

The team was picked from last week’s Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud. As is customary, players who spent last season with the NTDP were excluded from consideration.

The tournament runs from August 8-12 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic.

The team will be coached by Ed Olczyk, whose son made the team, and Miami assistant Jeff Blashill. 

Goalies (2): Dayne Belfour (Victory Honda Midget AAA); Jeremy Smith (Plymouth Whalers – OHL).

Defensemen (7): Jonathan Blum (Vancouver Giants – WHL); David Carle (Shattuck-St. Mary’s); Tommy Cross (Simsbury, Conn. HS); Vincent LoVerde (Waterloo – USHL); Ryan McDonagh (Cretin-Derham Hall); Nick Petrecki (Omaha Lancers – USHL); Matt Tomassoni (Chicago Mission Midget AAA).

Forwards (13): Cam Atkinson (Avon Old Farms); David Brownschidle (Tri-City Storm – USHL); Brett Bruneteau (Omaha Lancers – USHL); Joey Diamond (NY Apple Core – EJHL); Shane Harper (Everett Silvertips – WHL); Jimmy Hayes (Noble & Greenough); Mike Hoeffel (Hill-Murray HS); Tyler Johnson (Cloquet HS); Ed Olczyk (Pittsburgh Predators Midget AAA); Nico Sachetti (Virginia, Minn. HS); Tom Serratore (Colorado Thunderbirds Midget AAA); Matt Thurber (Omaha Lancers – USHL); Patrick White (Grand Rapids HS).


The U.S. schedule:

Tues. Aug. 8 – Finland vs. US, 1530 local time (9:30 am EST)
Wed. Aug. 9 – U.S. vs. Russia, 1530 local time (9:30 am EST)
Thurs. Aug. 10 – Czech Republic vs. U.S., 1900 local time (1:00 pm  EST)
Sat. Aug 12 – TBD (Crossover game)

7/21/06

Canadian Camps Getting Underway

The Canadian National Junior Team Development Camp begins Sunday in Calgary and continues until the 28^th.

Of the players invited, 15 are from the OHL, 15 are from the HL, 11 are from the QMJHL, and three are from the NCAA.

The college players are all returnees from this past winter’s gold-medal winning team: ’87 Dan Bertram (BC), ’87 Andrew Cogliano (Michigan), and ’88 Jonathan Toews (North Dakota).

The Canadian National Summer Under-18 Select Camp takes over the ice in Calgary after the junior camp concludes.

These are the tryouts for the team that Canada will send to the Under-18 Junior World Cup August 8-12 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic. Of the 44 players invited, 43 are ‘89s. The only exception is Jon Tavares, a ’90.

Of the 44 players invited 17 are from the WHL, 12 are from the QMJHL, 11 are from the OHL, two are from Canadian Tier II teams – Brendan Smith of St. Mike’s and Kyle Turris of Burnaby -- and two played last winter for US programs – Sam Gagner with Sioux City and Brad Malone of Cushing.

The Canadian Team will be coached by Craig Hartsburg.

7/14/06

The Woodchuck Grows

The EJHL has a slew of tournaments this season, starting off with the Woodchuck Classic Sept 8-10 in Burlington, Vermont, and the Boston Junior Bruins Shootout two weeks later in Marlboro, Mass.

Hosted by the Green Mountain Glades, the Woodchuck will double in size this season, to 12 teams, six from the EJHL and six from the Canadian Tier II ranks.

Two rinks will be used: Gutterson Field House at UVM, and Cairns Arena in South Burlington.

EJHL teams on hand will be the Green Mountain Glades, NH Jr. Monarchs, Boston Jr. Bruins, NJ Hitmen., Bay State Breakers, and Syracuse Stars.

Canadian Jr. A teams competing will be the Pickering Panthers (OPJHL), Oakville Blades (OPJHL), Wellington Dukes (OPJHL), Hawkesbury Hawks (COJHL), Cornwall Colts (COJHL), and Joliette Action (Quebec Jr A).

Joliette won the Fred Page Cup, which goes to the Eastern Canadian Tier II champion, and advanced to the Royal Bank Cup.

A Woodchuck is another way of saying “Vermonter.” If you’re not a Vermonter, you’re a “flatlander.” Life can be simple sometime.

The other big EJHL tournament for September is the Boston Junior Bruins Shootout, which will be held Sept. 22-24 at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass. This is a colossal event, with 61 teams. Included are 12 of the 14 EJHL teams (No Bay State; no Falcons). In addition, all 21 Empire Jr. B teams will be in action, plus a twenty team Under-18 Midget Division that will include, among others, the Cape Cod Whalers, Eastern Mass Senators, BC Eagles, Colorado Thunderbirds, NH Jr. Monarchs, North Shore Wings, and Boston Little Bruins.

In the wake of last year’s fiasco, neither the GBL Bruins or Mid-Fairfield Blues will  be on hand. They have not been invited nor have they asked to be included.

EJHL Tournaments as the season goes forward include:

-- The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs Tournament, Oct. 13-15 in Hooksett, NH. The Falcons will be at this one. 

-- The Valley Junior Warriors Tournament, Nov. 10-12 in Lawrence, Mass.

-- The New England Junior Huskies Tournament Dec. 8-10 at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg, Mass. Reportedly the city of Fitchburg is upgrading the Civic Center, either for this season or next. 

-- The Walpole Jr. Stars are now the Foxboro Stars. Their tournament will be held Feb. 17-19 in Foxboro, Mass. 


  

7/12/06 Update -- Important correction regarding dates: TheElectricians Tourament is scheduled for September 21-24, i.e. the week before the Buc Bowl (not Sept. 28-Oct. 1, as we reported yesterday).

The Splendors of the U.P in Autumn

Did you know that six first rounders selected in last month’s NHL draft have played in the Marquette Electricians Annual Fall Classic?

It’s true. Jonathan Toews (Shattuck), Phil Kessel (Madison Capitols), Kyle Okposo (Shattuck), Trevor Lewis (Pikes Peak Miners), Mark Mitera (Little Caesar’s), and Chris Summers (Victory Honda) have all enjoyed the wonders of the Upper Peninsula in the fall.

If you go, and this year’s tournament, which will feature twenty top midget AAA programs, is scheduled for Thurs.-Sun. Sept . 21-24, we strongly suggest a drive to Presque Isle Park. It’s just a few minutes from the arena and offers some spectacular views of Lake Superior. Also, if you get a chance, check out the Marquette Maritime Museum.  

Teams competing are the Colorado Rampage, Detroit Honeybaked, Indiana Junior Ice, Pittsburgh Hornets, Team Illinois, Calgary Edge, Detroit Compuware, Marquette Electricians, Philadelphia Junior Flyers, St. Louis Junior Blues, Chicago Mission, Dallas Stars, Detroit Victory Honda, KC Russell Stover, Wisconsin AAA, Alaska All-Stars, Chicago Chill, Detroit Belle Tire, Lansing Capital Centre Pride, and the Mercer Chiefs.

Lodging and other local information is available through the Marquette Electricians web site. Tournament officials recommend the Days Inn, Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn, the Ramada, the Super 8, and the newly constructed Country Inn and Suites.

On Saturday night the 23rd, the Marquette Rangers, an NAHL expansion team coached by Leigh Mendelson and featuring ex-Providence Friar Stephen Ritter in goal, will play their home opener vs. Alpena.

Did you know that Marquette, before being named for the French explorer Jacques Marquette, was named Worcester – after the city of Worcester, Mass.? True fact.

 

7/11/06

Two Added to NTDP’s Under-17 Team

5’8”, 165 lb. forward Patrick Gaul of the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA squad and 6’0”, 180 lb. defenseman Ryan Grimshaw of the Salisbury School have been added to the U.S. Under-17 Team for the upcoming season.

Both were standouts at the recent Select 16 Festival. Gaul, the son of longtime Hornets coach Joe Gaul, is a smart playmaker who sees the ice extremely well.

Grimshaw, a Rochester, NY native who would have been a junior at Salisbury this season, is a solidly-built and fundamentally sound defensive defenseman.

 

 

7/10/06

Sherry Hired at Army

Army has hired Brian Sherry to take the spot vacated by Shawn Kurulak, who was recently hired by RPI.

Sherry, a 2004 graduate of the University of Findlay, where he played for Craig Barnett, is a 26-year-old Michigan native. Last season, he was an assistant coach/assistant AD at Becker College in Worcester, Mass., helping Barnett get the new Div. III program there up and running.

The year before that, Sherry was an assistant at Bentley, recruiting the three freshmen – Anthony Canzoneri, Jeff Gumaer, and Dain Prewitt -- who came in, led the team in scoring, and were named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team.

7/10/06

UNH Recruit Kolomatis Signs with Owen Sound

Defenseman David Kolomatis, a UNH recruit for the fall of 2007, gave up his NCAA eligibility today by signing a contract with the Owen Sound Attack (OHL).

Soon after committing to UNH last November, Kolomatis, voted by his teammates an alternate captain at the start of the season, injured his shoulder and then leg. Reports indicate that the young defenseman was told by Under-17 coach Ron Rolston that they couldn’t get him an appointment for an MRI for eight weeks (hardly a way to make a kid feel like a part of the team). Kolomatis felt cast aside, a situation which just grew in intensity as the defenseman’s injuries kept him out for the rest of the season.

While sitting in Ann Arbor injured and unable to play, Owen Sound, holder of his OHL draft rights, swooped in, offered a package, and made the 17-year-old feel at least feel wanted. Helping matters along for the Attack was the fact that Kolomatis is friends with Owen Sound defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti from back in New Jersey.

A particularly nasty late-season incident in which Kolomatis had equipment stolen from his locker in Ann Arbor was the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the defenseman's returning to the NTDP was concerned. 

When the UNH staff got wind of their recruit’s unhappiness in Ann Arbor and his interest in possibly bolting for the OHL, they went back to work and recruited Kolomatis all over again.

In addition, Mike Hastings placed Kolomatis on his 25-man protected list for the upcoming season in the hope that  Kolomatis would decide to stick to his UNH commitment. 

 

7/9/06

Under-17 and Under-18 Select Coaches; Dates

The Select 17 Festival got underway today in St. Cloud and, soon after its conclusion, a team of the top performers will be chosen to represent the U.S. on the Under-18 Select Team that will travel next month to the Four Nations Tournament in Breclav, Czechoslovakia. The games there will start on August 8 and end August 12. The coaches for the U.S entry will be former NHL player and coach Ed Olczyk (he’s moving his family back to Chicago and will be doing TV work for the Chicago Black Hawks this season) and Miami assistant Jeff Blashill.  

--- As for the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament, Slovakia has dropped out, so their slot is being filled by a second U.S. team at the tournament, which will be on American soil this year, in Rochester, NY, with games starting August 14 and ending on the 18^th.

North Dakota assistant Cary Eades and Michigan State assistant Brian Renfrew will be coaching one Under-17 team, and New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs head coach/GM Sean Tremblay and Union assistant Rick Bennett will be coaching the other.

Those teams, comprised of players chosen from the recently completed Select 16 Festival, will be announced soon.

NTDP players are ineligible for the above tournaments.


 

7/7/06

2006-07 USHL Preseason 25-Man Rosters

All twelve USHL teams have trimmed their protected lists to 25 men. You can expect further changes between now and the opening of the USHL regular season on Friday October 6 – not to mention afterward. For now, though, this is basically it. For a team to add a player from here on in, they have to drop one first. 

A small number of players on the below rosters – most notably, Patrick Kane – are still undecided about next season.

Here is the breakdown by birth year:

’86 -- 37
’87 – 98
’88 – 111
’89 – 48
’90 – 6
’91 -- 0

The Buc Bowl runs from September 28-30 this this year.

2006-07 Pre-Season Rosters

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders:

Brett Barta, ‘87 D, Bozeman Ice Dogs
(import) Robin Bergman, ‘88 F, Hammerby
David Boehm, ‘89 F, Boston Junior Bruins
Aaron Bogosian, ‘87 F, Cushing Academy
Patrick Cannone, ‘86 F, New England Jr. Falcons
Jacob Cepis, ‘87 F, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Brett Dickinson, ‘86 D, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
David Grun, ‘87 F, White Bear Lake
Doug Jones, ‘87 F, Taft
Tyler Kieffer, ‘89 D, Stillwater HS
(import) Siarhei Kolasau, ‘86 D, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Pat McGann, ‘87 G, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Andy Miele, ‘88 F, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Mike Mosher, ‘89 G, Los Angeles Kings Midget
Patrick Nagle, ‘87 F, Belle Tire Midget
Mike Seidel, ‘88 F, Chicago Chill Midget
Ian Slater, ‘88 F, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
(import) Tommi Stahlhammar, ‘88 F, Espoo Blues
Evan Stephens, ‘87 D, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Tyler Thompson, ‘89 F, Benilde St. Margaret’s
Matt Tomassoni, ‘89 D, Chicago Mission
Casey Wellman, ‘87 F, Cranbrook School
Scott Wietecha, ‘87 D, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Tommy Wingels, ‘88 F, Team Illinois
Paul Zannette, ‘88 D, North York 


Chicago Steel:

Barry Almeida, ‘88 F, New England Junior Falcons
Richard Bachman, ‘87 G, Cushing Academy
Ben Beaudoin, ‘87 F, Chicago Steel
Timothy Buttery, ‘87 D, Detroit Catholic
Mitch Carlson, ‘88 D, St. Louis Park HS
Corey Chakeen, ‘89 F, Culver Academy
(import) Mike Dalhuisen, ‘89 D, Oakville (OPJHL)
Sean Dolan, ‘88 F, Cedar Rapids
Dan Durham, ‘89 F, Team Illinois
Michael Embach, ‘88 F, Chicago Steel
Matt Godlewski, ‘87 D, Chicago Steel
Asher Hirshberg, ‘87 F, Syracuse Jr. Stars
Michael Janda, ‘86 F, Chicago Steel
Brian Keane, ‘88 F, Chicago Steel
Scott Kozlak, ‘86 F, Chicago Steel
Nathan Lawrence, ‘87 F, Indiana Ice
Daniel Lawson, ‘88 D, Chicago Steel
Justin Maciuk, ‘87 F, Chicago Steel
Rob Madore, ‘88 G, Pittsburgh Hornets
Troy Mattila, ‘88 F, Springfield Jr. B
Daniel Ryan, ‘87 F, Chicago Steel
Kyle Solomon, ‘87 F, Boston Jr. Bruins
Chris Spicer, ‘87 F, Sioux City
(import) Luka Vidmar, ‘86 F, Chicago Steel
Mike Walsh, ‘89 D, Team Illinois

Des Moines Buccaneers:

Kyle Bailey, ‘88 F, Bozeman Ice Dogs
Andrew Blazek, ‘88 F, Pittsburgh Midget AAA
(import) Matt Dalton, ‘86 G, Bozeman Ice Dogs
Michael Dorr, ‘88 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Derek Elliott, ‘87 F, North Iowa Outlaws
Josh Fodor, ‘88 F, Pittsburgh Midget AAA
Donald Hallmark, ‘88 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Austin Handley, ‘90 D, Honeybaked Midget AAA
Rob Johnson, ‘86 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Chris Knowlton, ‘89 F, Colorado Thunderbirds
(import) Andrew Krelove, ‘87 D, Des Moines Buccaneers
Jimmy Martin, ‘88 D, Team Illinois
Stephen Moses, ‘89 F, Boston Jr. Bruins
Bryan Mountain, ‘88 G, Milton Academy
Andrew Olson, ‘87 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Travis Paeth, ‘87 F, Traverse City
Aaron Palushaj, ‘89 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Jeff Petry, ‘87 D, Des Moines Buccaneers
Rich Purslow, ‘86 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
(import) Matt Read, ‘86 F, Milton (OPJHL)
Bobby Reiners, ‘87 D, Des Moines Buccaneers
Ben Rosen, ‘89 D, Boston Jr. Bruins
Ben Ryan, ‘88 F, Des Moines Buccaneers
Rody Selk, ‘87 F, Fargo/Moorhead
Shane Sims, ‘88 D, Des Moines Buccaneers
Bean VanLare, ‘87 F, Des Moines Buccaneers


Green Bay Gamblers:

(import) Adam Avramenko, ‘86 G, Woodstock Subway
 Justin Cseter, ‘88 F, Sioux City
Kurt Davis, ‘86 D, Green Bay Gamblers
Baylor Dieter, ‘88 D, Jefferson HS
Andy Dittus, ‘87 F, Minot HS
Nicholas Graves, ‘88 G, Green Bay Midget AAA
Bryan Haczyk, ‘87 F, Green Bay Gamblers
Anthony Hayes, ‘89 F, Victory Honda
Ryan Hill, ‘88 D, Hermantown HS
Cole Holmes, ‘88 F, University School
Nick Jaskowiak, ‘89 D, Salisbury School
Tyler Jundt, ‘88 D, Williston HS
Patrick Kenney, ‘86 F, Choate-Rosemary Hall
Derek Kohles, ‘88 F, Russell Stover Midget AAA
Derrick LaPoint, ‘88 D, Eau Claire HS
Joshua Levine, ‘88 F, Bloomington Jefferson HS
Ryan Little, ‘88 D, Green Bay Gamblers
Ryan Santana, ‘88 F, Team Illinois
Steve Silva, ‘87 F, Green Bay Gamblers
Mike Sislo, ‘88 F, Green Bay Gamblers
Bryant Skarda, ‘87 F, Hill-Murray HS
Sergio Somma, ‘87 F, Green Bay Gamblers
Nick Tabisz, ‘87 D, Green Bay Gamblers
Shea Walters, ‘87 F, Green Bay Gamblers
 

Indiana Ice:

Brian Arragoni, ‘87 F, Hill-Murray HS
Nick Bailen, ‘89 D, Indiana Ice
Michael Bernardy, ‘86 D, North Iowa Outlaws
(import) Mike Blundon, ‘87 D, Kent School
Ron Cramer, ‘88 F, Indiana Ice
Michael Gurtler, ‘87 F, Georgetown
Brent Gwidt, ‘88 F, Lakeland (Wisc.) HS
Mike Hull, ‘88 F, Indiana Ice
Alex Kangas, ‘87 G, Sioux Falls
Eric Kattelus, ‘87 F, Bismarck Bobcats
John Kemp, ‘87 F, Indiana Ice
(import) Lukas Klimek, ‘86 F, Indiana Ice
Eddie Levens, ‘87 D, Chicago Chill Midget AAA
(import) Robert Martini, ‘88 F, St. Andrew’s College
Michael DelMauro, ‘87 F, Deerfield Academy
Matt McCollum, ‘88 F, Belmont Hill
Eric Olimb, ‘86 D, Indiana Ice
Brett Peterson, ‘88 F, Elk River HS
Michael Phillippi, ‘87 D, Indiana Ice
Robby Phillipp, ‘87 F, Thief River Falls HS
Cody Reichard, ‘87 G, Indiana Ice
Garrett Roe, ‘88 F, Indiana Ice
Ryan Scott, ‘87 D, Indiana Ice
Jake Skjodt, ‘87 F, Indiana Ice
Greg Squires, ‘88 F, US Under-17

Lincoln Stars:

Danny Baco, ‘86 F, Lincoln Stars
Brett Bandazian, ‘87 F, Lincoln Stars
Daniel Barczuk, ‘88 F, Cedar Rapids
Matt Bartkowski, ‘88 D, Pittsburgh Predators
Brandon Bollig, ‘87 F, Lincoln Stars
(import) David Brack, ‘87 D, Farjestad Wolves
Jared Brown, ‘86 F, Lincoln Stars   
Trevor Bruess, ‘86 F, Lincoln Stars
Carter Camper, ‘88 F, Cleveland Barons
Rick Carden, ‘88 F, Team Illinois
Eric Galt, ‘87 D, Lincoln Stars
(import) Jason Gregoire, ‘89 F, Winnipeg South Blues
Kyle Hardwick, ‘86 D, Lincoln Stars
Ross Henry, ‘90 D, Team Illinois
Brian Hogan, ‘88 G, Lincoln Stars
Mike Kramer,  ‘87 F, Lincoln Stars
Chad Langlais, ‘86 D, Lincoln Stars
Ryan Lowery,  88 D, Team Illinois
Jon Morrow, ‘88 G, Alpena Ice Diggers
Kyle O’Kane,  '87 F, Springfield Jr. B
Anthony Principato Jr., ‘88 F, New Jersey Hitmen
Ryan Ruikka, ‘88 D, Chelsea HS
Stephen Schultz, ‘89 F, New York Bobcats
Christopher Stansik, ‘86 D, Lincoln Stars
Tony Yearego, ‘88 D, Sarnia

Ohio Junior Blue Jackets:

Blake Bashor, ‘86 G, Notre Dame Hounds
Matt Bourdeau, ‘89 F, New England Falcons
Tyler Bowman, ‘88 D, Belle Tire Midget AAA
Vinnie Bradley, ‘88 F, Little Caesar’s Midget AAA
Adam Comrie, ‘90 D, Montgomery Under-16
Michael DeGrazia, ‘88 F, Santa Fe Roadrunners
Dan Dries, ‘88 F, Victory Honda Midget AAA
Ryan Flanigan, ‘88 F, Cushing Academy
Kyle Follmer, ‘87 D, Sioux City
James Gallagher, ‘88 F, Marquette Electricians
Patrick Goebel, ‘87 D, Cleveland Barons
Timothy Hall, ‘90 F, Pittsburgh Hornets
Toby Heaslip,  '88 F, New Jersey Hitmen
(import) Danny Hobbs, ‘89 F, Stanstead College
Matthew Larke, ‘87 F, Traverse City
Joel Lundstrom, ‘89 F, Pike’s Peak Midget AAA
Clark MacLean, ‘87 F, Cleveland Barons
Sean McCauley, ‘87 F, Texas Tornado
Andrew Palmisano, ‘88 G, Victory Honda
Chris Reed, ‘87 D, Cleveland Barons
Eric Rex, ‘87 F, Cleveland Barons
Derek Roehl, ‘88 F, Cleveland Barons
Nolan Ryan, ‘88 D, Chicago Chill Midget
John Ryder, ‘89 D, Pike’s Peak Midget
Jason Simota, ‘87 F, Mahoning Valley


Omaha Lancers:

Ben Arnt, ‘89 F, North St. Paul HS
Brett Bruneteau, ‘89 F, Omaha Lancers
Robby Dee, ‘87 F, Omaha Lancers
Jack Downing,  ‘89 F, Taft School
(import) Scott Gudmanson, ‘88 G, Drayton Valley (AJHL)
Patrick Kane, ‘88 F, US Under-18
David Kolomatis, ‘89 D, US Under-17
Nick Larson, ‘89 F, Hill-Murray HS
Zach MacVoy, ‘87 F, University of Michigan
Shane Madolora, ‘87 G, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Jake Marto, ‘86 D, Omaha Lancers
(import) Taylor McReynolds, ‘87 F, Kindersley Klippers
Tony Mosey, ‘88 F, US Under-18
Matt Moulakelis, ‘87 F, Omaha Lancers
(import) Travis Novack, ‘88 F, Canmore (AJHL)
(import) Mark Olver, ‘88 F, Omaha Lancers
Will O’Neill, ‘88 D, Tabor Academy
Nick Petrecki, ‘89 D, Omaha Lancers
Ryan Raven, ‘86 F, Omaha Lancers
Keir Ross, ‘89 D, Dallas Midget AAA
Patrick Schafer, ‘87 F, Omaha Lancers
Tom Serratore, ‘89 F, Colorado Thunderbirds
Matt Thurber,  ‘89 F, Omaha Lancers
Corey Toy, ‘88 D, Omaha Lancers
Dennis Urban, ‘88 D, Mahoning Valley

 
Sioux City Musketeers:

Mike Beck, ‘86 D, Sioux City Musketeers
Sean Coffey, ‘88 D, Sioux City Musketeers
Matt Crandell, ‘88 D, St. Cloud Cathedral
Nick Curry, ‘89 F, Quad City Express
Phil DeSimone, ‘87 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Dustin Gazley, ‘88 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Spencer Heichman, ‘89 F, Sioux City Musketeers
James Krusic, ‘88 F, Ojibwa Eagles
Gerald Kuhn, ‘86 G, Sioux City Musketeers
Kevin Lohry, ‘87 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Anthony Maiani, ‘89 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Blake Martin, ‘86 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Seth McNary, '87 G, Lawrence Academy
Kyle Medvec, '88 D, Apple Valley HS
Eddie Olczyk, '89 F, Pittsburgh Predators
(import) Travis Oleksuk, ‘89 D, Thunder Bay Midgets
Max Pacioretty, ‘88 F, Taft School
(import) Nathan Pageau, ‘89 F, Grimsby Peach
Tyler Pederson, ‘87 D, St. Louis Park HS
Gerry Raymond, ‘88 F, Pittsburgh Hornets
Andrew Rowe, ‘88 F, Sioux City Musketeers
Joe Sova, ‘88 D, Waterloo
Alex Stuart, ‘88 D, Shattuck- St. Mary’s
Alex Tuckerman, ‘88 F, North Iowa Outlaws
Matt White, ‘89 F, LA Kings Midget AAA


Sioux Falls Stampede: 

Jay Barriball, ‘87 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Jake Bauer, ‘87 D, Sioux Falls Stampede
Stu Bickel, ‘86 F, Southern Minnesota
Jordy Christian, ‘88 F, Moorhead HS
Jay Clark, ‘87 G, North Iowa Outlaws
Nick Dineen, ‘89 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Trevor Doden, ‘87 F, Red Wing HS
Jacob Drewiske, ‘87 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Jay Fifield, ‘87 D, Billings Bulls
Drew Fisher, ‘87 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Ryan Guentzel, ‘86 F, Southern Minnesota
Zach Hanson, ‘87 D, White Bear Lake HS
Jared Hummel, ‘86 D, Sioux Falls Stampede
Chris Huxley, ‘87 D, Noble & Greenough School
Matt Lundin, ‘86 G, University of Maine
(import) Brad Malone, ‘89 F, Cushing Academy
Taylor Matson, ‘88 F, Holy Angels
Joe Miller, ‘87 F, Wayzata HS
Erik Peterson, ‘87 F, Minnetonka HS
Zach Redmond, ‘88 D, Sioux Falls Stampede
David Solway, ‘87 F, Santa Fe Roadrunners
Patrick Tiesling, ‘88 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Corey Tropp, ‘89 F, Sioux Falls Stampede
Michael Vitale, ‘88 F, Chicago Chill
Sam Zabkowicz, ‘87 D, Texarkana Bandits
 

Tri-City Storm:

Matt Ambroz, '87 F, Tri-City Storm
Greg Battani, ‘86 D, Tri-City Storm
Josh Bergren, '88 F, Centennial HS
David Brownschidle, ‘89 F, Tri-City Storm
Bryan Brutlag, ‘89 D, Holy Angels
Bryce Christianson, ‘87 G, Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Cameron Cooper, ‘88 D, Tri-City Storm
Kyle Ensign, ‘88 F, New Richmond HS
Mario Lamoureux, ‘88 F, Tri-City Storm
Tristin Llewellyn, ‘89 D, Tri-City Storm
Daniel Markowitz, ‘88 D, New York Bobcats
Brandon Martell, ‘88 D, Elk River HS
(import) Jesse Martin, ‘88 F, Spruce Grove
Aaron Marvin, ‘88 F, Warroad HS
Nick Oslund,  ‘87 F, Burnsville HS
Ryan Peltoma, ‘88 D, Brainerd HS
Michael Pilot, ‘87 F, Tri-City Storm
(import) Calle Ridderwall, ‘88 F, Chicago Chill
Aaron Rock, ‘87 G, Tri-City Storm
Andy Sackrison, ‘87 F, St. Louis Park HS
Jordan VanGuilder, ‘88 F, Centennial HS
Patrick White, ‘89 F, Grand Rapids HS
Sean Wiles, ‘87 F, Tri-City Storm
Jordan Willert,  ‘87 F, Tri-City Storm
Brett Wysopal, ‘88 D, Chicago Chill


Waterloo Black Hawks:

Matt Arhontas, ‘87 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Josh Bemis, ‘90 D, Victory Honda
Andrew Bohmbach, ‘87 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Michael Borisenok, ‘88 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Dustin Carlson, ‘86 G, Minnesota Blizzard
Jeff Carlson, ‘86 D, Southern Minnesota Express
Corson Cramer, ‘88 G, Pike’s Peak Midget
Ryan Cramer, ‘86 F, Fargo/Moorhead
Tim Gilbert, ‘87 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Derek Graham, ‘88 F, Belle Tire Midget AAA
Gabe Heller, ‘88 D, CYA Midget
(import) Jan Mikael Juutilainen, ‘88 F, Espoo
John Lee, ‘89 D, Moorhead HS
Charles Loverde, ‘89 D, Waterloo Black Hawks
Billy Maday, ‘88 F, Chicago Chill Midget AAA
Jon Madden, ‘87 F, Traverse City
James Marcou, ‘88 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
 Kyle Reeds, ‘88 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Anthony Schooley, ‘89 F, Honeybaked Midgets
Pasko Skarica, ‘87 D, Waterloo Black Hawks
Randy Swank, ‘88 D, Team Illinois Midget AAA
Isak Tranvik, ‘86 F, Waterloo Black Hawks
Joshua Turnbull, ‘88 F, Wisconsin Mustangs
Paul Weisgarber, ‘88 F, Fargo/Moorhead
Chris Wideman, ‘90 D, St. Louis Blues Midget AAA

6/5/06   

Talking Baseball

If you watched the College World Series finals last week – Oregon State topped North Carolina – and wondered where former Phillips Exeter defenseman Andy Gale was, the answer is: at Florida.

Gale, who possessed the size and nastiness to be a Div. I defenseman had he decided to make hockey his #1 priority, was recruited to the University of North Carolina and pitched for the Tarheels as a freshman. Apparently, he and/or his father, former major league pitcher and pitching coach Rich Gale, didn’t see eye-to-eye on some things with the staff.

At the end of the school year, Gale transferred to the University of Florida. 

***

Speaking of baseball --  and why not at this time of year? – here’s an encouraging story. Former Westminster School forward Jeff Natale, a New Haven, Conn. native who went on to play both hockey and baseball at Trinity, where he was named 2005 NESCAC Player of the Year, is in the Boston Red Sox system – and opening eyes.

A 32^nd round draft pick, Natale’s signing bonus was probably enough to buy dinner at Applebees. Since then, though, Natale, a 5’9” second baseman, has put up impressive  numbers and, in less than a year, has been promoted up the Class A ranks, going from Lowell to Greenville to Wilmington, primarily because of his keen hitting eye and strong sense of the strike zone.

With Wilmington, Natale has a .271 average but a .433 on-base percentage.

Early in spring training, Natale was hit in the head by a Curt Schilling fastball during an intrasquad game, the ball rocketing off his helmet into the stands. Natale didn’t flinch, just took his base. Sounds like a hockey player to us.

 

7/6/06

Coaching News

Albie O’Connell, an assistant last year at Niagara University and, before that, at Colby, has been hired onto Paul Pearl’s staff at Holy Cross.

O’Connell, now 30, played his prep hockey at St. Sebastian’s. A native of Watertown, Mass., O’Connell, a forward, went on to Boston University from 1996-99. He won a Beanpot all four years, and was named team captain his senior year.

****    

We mentioned that Maine assistant Campbell Blair is Dave Shyiak’s choice as top assistant at Alaska-Anchorage.

We should also mention that Shyiak has hired Damon Whitten as his second assistant. Whitten has been an assistant at Wayne State for the last two years. Whitten, a left wing for Michigan State from 1997-01, is a Brighton, Michigan native.

It looks like Shyiak, who will be entering his second year as the Seawolves head coach,  has a good geographical spread with his assistants. Blair, who coached in the BCHL and is a native of the province, knows Western Canada well.

Whitten will have Michigan and the north central US covered, so look for more kids from the lower 48 to get recruited to Alaska-Anchorage.

***

The Columbus franchise in the USHL has named Jack Fritsche as its first head coach. Fritsche, a Cleveland-area native, spent most of his playing and coaching career in Europe before taking over as coach of the Cleveland Barons (NAHL) last season.

Fritsche is the uncle of Blue Jackets forward Danny Fritsche and Ohio State forward Tom Fritsche.

The Columbus franchise will be known as the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.

***

Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) head coach/GM Mark Mazzoleni has hired David Insalaco as an assistant. Insalaco, who has spent the past four seasons as an assistant at Geneseo State, takes the place of Leigh Mendelson, who was named the first head coach of the expansion Marquette Rangers (NAHL).

Insalaco, who played his college hockey at Brockport State, officially starts his new job tomorrow. 

7/3/06

Select 16 Festival Heavy on the D

The Select 16s, which concluded Friday afternoon in Rochester, lacked that one dynamic player – think back a couple years to Phil Kessel – who towered over everyone else at the tournament.

That in itself is not unusual.

What this observer found unusual is that, of the skaters in Rochester, about half of the players that stood out for us were defensemen and half were forwards. That’s a little out of whack, but if you take it a step further and look at players who had flat-out excellent weeks, there were, in our opinion, far more defensemen than forwards. And that’s really out of whack.

What the festival did have was a very strong group of quality defensemen, a group of goalies that colleges will be hanging back on, and a group of forwards that is extremely thin at the high end.

There were six – maybe even seven, eight, or more -- defenseman who this observer thought were excellent throughout. They were, in no particular order: Zach Bogosian, David Warsofsky, Brett Kostolansky, Nick Pryor,  Sean Lorenz, and Joe Gleason. Ryan Grimshaw was right there, too. Plus there were pleasant surprises, too, like Sam Lofquist. Beyond that group, there were others -- perhaps a half dozen or more -- who could develop into excellent players as they move up the ladder. 

Of the forwards, there were only a few who were a force every time they stepped on the ice: Robbie Czarnik, Jordan Schroeder, and Justin Florek seemed to be a notch above the rest, though short of dominating. Czarnik would get this observer's nod as the top forward at the festival.  

As for the goaltenders, we see them as a group that colleges will be adopting a real wait-and-see attitude towards. Several who we expected good things from lived up to their potential – e.g., Nick Maricic, Garrett Beckwith, and Jordan Tibbett. And several we weren’t very familiar with caught our eye: Nick Holmes, Josh Watson, and Matt Walsh. The latter group either caught lightning in a bottle or are legit prospects. Time will tell.

All the players we listed below we consider players worth following closely. Players who were top contributors and consistently noticeable received two stars. One star went to players who lived up to or went beyond their potential. Of course, it also went to guys who had two star potential but didn’t put it together like they are capable of – examples of this group would include guys like Stephen Rogers, Ian Ruel, Max Cook, Steven West, Brock Montpetit, Jesse Brown, Colin Reddin, David Wohlberg, and AJ Jenks. None hurt their teams, but none were consistently excellent. And then there were the players we thought of as potential two star players, but wound up getting no stars at all : Joe Marciano, Andrew Panzarella, Connor Knapp, Michael Clemente, Grant Scott, and Austin Handley all had bad weeks and/or were overrated to begin with.

A number of prospects injured themselves during the tournament: Greg Burke, Colin Moore (poison ivy), and Max Nicastro all were KO’d early.

The Select Festivals are summer hockey, and share something with every other summer tournament. Without fail, every year, some kids will look average and then, when winter arrives, turn out to be the real deal. Of course, that works the other way around, too.

Just something to keep in mind. 

KUDOS:

Though the Maroon team gave them a good battle on the final day, the Royal Blue Team, coached by Gene Reilly (Northeastern University) and Todd  Knott (Des Moines Buccaneers – USHL) got a shootout goal from Tommy Olczyk (son Of Ed) and emerged as the only team with a perfect 5-0-0 record at the 2006 Select 16 Festival.

To these eyes, the Royal Blues, though lacking in high-end players, came together nicely and played well as a team. Everybody seemed to kick in.

If we had to pick a top forward for the Royal team it would have been Pat Mullane of Avon Old Old Farms. Day in, day out, he was the most consistently noticeable. We liked the skill level of late ’90 Danny Mattson of Holy Angels – there’s plenty of upside there. Stephen Rogers of St. Sebastian’s played well. 6’5” Isak Quakenbush of the Arctic Lions doesn’t have a lot of finesse, but he’s a big kid who actually uses his size. Alexander Velischek (son of Randy) is a Dec. ’90 from the Delbarton School and the N.J. Devils who came to Rochester as a D, but is actually a forward.– keep an eye on him, too.

The top defenseman on the team was Chris Wideman of the St. Louis Amateur Blues. Look for him on Waterloo’s roster this winter.

Both goalies, Brady Hjelle of International Falls HS and Nick Holmes of the Chicago Chill, played well. Hjelle is a battler. Holmes has a great glove. They held opponents to eight goals in five games, and were well supported by the team in front of them. Holmes finished the tournament as the leading goalie statistically.

THE TOURNAMENT:

Here are the players who stood out for this observer:

Royal Blue (5-0-0):

** Pat Mullane, F, 5-11/185, Avon Old Old Farms – bangs, crashes, consistently noticeable
** Chris Wideman, D, 5-10/165, St. Louis Amateur Blues – solid all around
** Danny Mattson, F, 5-10/170, Holy Angels – Nov. ’90 birthdate, most talented forward on squad
** Alexander Velischek, D/F, 5-11/187, Delbarton School/NJ Devils – Dec. ’90 birthdate, skilled, smart
** Nick Holmes, G, 5-11/155, Chicago Chill – great glove
* Stephen Rogers, F, 5-11/175, St. Sebastian’s – smart player
* Isak Quakenbush, F, 6-5/220, Arctic Lions – huge, strong, physical, growing into body
* Brady Hjelle, G, 5-10/165, International Falls HS – a battler

Black (4-1-0):

** Steven Spinell, D, 6-0/190, Team Illinois – best D on team, maybe best player
** Danny Kristo, F, 5-11/155, Eden Prairie HS – Very smooth, very skilled.
** Eric Ringel, D, 6-1/175, Cleveland Barons – good at both ends
** Shawn Szydlowski, F, 6-0/200, Belle Tire – a bull with a scoring touch
*Brandon Kozun, F, 5-8/150, Shattuck-St. Mary’s -- clever
*Chris Bournazos, F, 5-8/140, Team Illinois – produced offense
??? Joe Marciano, D, 6-2/180, Shattuck-St. Mary’s – a disappointment, did little
N/R Greg Burke, F, 6-1/180, NH Monarchs – excellent prospect; injured second day

Red (3-2-0):

** Brett Kostolansky, D, 5-10, Shattuck-St. Mary’s
** Kevin McCarey, F, 5-11/187, Syracuse Stars – had a good tournament
** Jacob Youso, 6-0/173, International Falls HS – sees ice well
** Josh Watson, G, 6-1/160, Hill
* Kyle Jean, F, 6-2/175, Soo Indians – good size, stride, head for game
* Joel Goodsell, 5-10/171, Rochester Americans AAA – excellent skills

Green (3-2-0):

** Jordan Schroeder, F, 5-8/165, St. Thomas Academy – dynamic, speedy
** Joe Gleason, D, 5-9/170, Edina HS – excellent prospect.
* Jesse Brown, F, 6-3/190, Syracuse Stars Jr. B – a lot of potential, but inconsistent. Headed to OHL?
* John Houston, D, 5-8/170, Pittsburgh Hornets – quick, mobile, and competitive
* Connor Shannon, G, 5-9/160, Exeter (NH) HS – played consistently well
N/R Colin Moore, F, 5-10/170, Belmont Hill  -- got poison ivy; had to go home

Purple (3-2-0):

** Aaron Ness, D, 5-9/155, Roseau HS – ran the show from the blue line
** Nate Dewhurst, F, 5-9/155, Culver Academy – shifty
** Matt Walsh, G, 5-10/175, Roxbury Latin  -- put himself on the map
*Chip Daugherty, F, 5-10/170, Deerfield Academy – good skater

Teal (2-3-0):

** David Warsofsky, D, 5-9/155, Cushing Academy – excellent prospect.
** Ryan Grimshaw, D, 6-0/180, Salisbury School – another excellent prospect.
** Justin Florek, F, 6-4/195, Marquette Electricians – big-time prospect.
* Colin Reddin, F, 5-10/174, LA Junior Kings – has serious skills, but inconsistent.
* Alex Simonson, F, 6-1/170, Grand Forks Central HS – bit of a sleeper.
* Marc Rodriguez, F, 5-9/160, Team Illinois – plays hard.
* John O’Neill, F, 6-0/160, Anoka HS – solid all-around player

Orange (2-3-0):

** Zach Bogosian, D, 6-2/186, Cushing Academy – excellent; ging to the OHL.
** Garrett Beckwith, G, 6-0/160, NJ Devils AAA – Played hurt
** Ben Hanowski, F, 6-1/180, Little Falls HS – late ’90, will be excellent
* David Wohlberg, F, 6-0/184, Honeybaked – Early Michigan recruit. Inconsistent.
* Broderick Browne, F, 6-4/195, Dallas Ice Jets – good size, very raw
* Drew Olson, D, 5-11/195, Brainerd Warriors – physical, tough, mean
* Joe Rogers, G, 5-11/170, Little Caesars – competes, quick, consistent

Maroon (2-3-0):

** Sam Lofquist, D, 6-1/170, Shattuck-St. Mary’s – excellent skater w/ size, highly mobile
* Kevin Reich, D, 5-11/190, NJ Devils AAA – tough, hardnosed defensive D
* Brock Montpetit, F, 5-11/180, Somerset (Wisc.) HS – great skills, could have done more
* Steven West, D, 6-0/185, Honeybaked – didn’t live up to billing
* Kellen Michalak, F, 5-11/185, Midland Northstars – has some skill, physical, too

Gold (2-3-0):

** Rob Czarnik, F, 6-1/165, Honeybaked – top forward here?
** Nick Pryor, D, 5-10/165, Hill-Murray HS – mobile, confident
** Brett Beebe, F, 5-11/176, California Wave – moves well, aware
* Ross Henry, D, 5-10/190, Team Illinois – solid, strong kid
* Kelen Corkum, F, 6-0/185, Portland Jr. Pirates – two-way forward.
* Max Cook, F, 6-1/160, Chicago Mission – expected much more
* William Rapuzzi, F, 5-10/165, Alaska All-Stars – good around net.
??? Connor Knapp, G, 6-4/205, Buffalo Saints – Looked lost.

White (1-4-0):

** Nick Maricic, G, 6-2/200, California Wave – Has size, athleticism, can skate. Excellent prospect.
** Jonathan Watanabe, D, 5-11/165, Culver Academy – best d on his team
* Dan Petrick, D, 6-1/175, State College Area HS/True North  – steady
* Sean Logue, F, 6-1/183, Xaverian HS – Nov. ’90 birthdate has upside. Expected more.
* Matt Wilson, F, 5-8/165, Syracuse Stars/ Liverpool HS – offensive punch
* Rocco Carzo, F, 6-0/185, Philadelphia Little Flyers – good size, offensive contributor
* AJ Jenks, F, 6-2/200, Honeybaked – Recently signed with Plymouth (OHL). Underachieved.
?? Austin Handley, D, 6-1/190, Honeybaked – Underachieved.
?? Michael Clemente, G, 6-1/185, Washington Junior Capitals – good prospect, bad week

Grey (3-2-0):

** Sean Lorenz, D, 6-1/185, Colorado Thunderbirds – excellent prospect
** Patrick Gaul, F, 5-8/165, Pittsburgh Hornets – Smart and clever.
** Ryan Hegarty, D, 6-0/185, Belmont Hill – consistently good
** Troy Power, F, 5-11/172, California Wave – noticeable every shift
** Jordan Tibbett, G, 6-1/175, Honeybaked – Good combination of size and athleticism.
* Matt Zarbo, F, 6-1/185, Boston Jr. Bruins – very solid
?? Grant Scott, D, 6-3/200, Shady Side Academy – Has size.
N/R Max Nicastro, D, 6-2/175, California Wave – injured.

Navy (0-5-0):

** Alec Rush, D, 6-1/190, Eden Prairie HS  -- Nov. ’90 birthdate, probably best player on team
* Adam Pawlick, F, 5-11/175, Whitesboro HS/Syracuse Stars – Worth following.
* Mitchell Wahl, F, 5-11/170, LA Junior Kings – Just OK. 
* Ian Ruel, D, 6-2/185, Victory Honda – inconsistent.
* Lee Moffie, D, 6-0/180, Avon Old Farms – Coming along. 
?? Andrew Panzarella, D, 6-1/180, Washington Jr. Capitals – Expected way more.