7/2/07
Jones a No-Go at Salisbury
The Salisbury School had hoped to get Ohio State associate head coach Casey Jones to pack up and leave Columbus for the northwest corner of Connecticut, but it’s not going to happen. Jones, who said he had never actually applied at Salisbury, will be staying put at Ohio State.
“I’m at Ohio State,” said the former Cornell forward, “and looking forward to the coming season.”
***
Nick Fohr, who has spent the past three seasons as director of hockey operations for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, has been named an assistant coach for the team, joining Todd Jones on Mike Kemp’s staff.
Fohr replaces Doc DelCastillo, who was recently named the new head coach at Alaska-Fairbanks.
A native of Grand Forks, ND, Fohr played for UNO from 1998-2002. As far as we know, he’s the first Maverick alum to land a coaching position in Div. I hockey.
7/31/07
Palushaj, Hayes Added to Junior Camp
’89 forwards Aaron Palushaj and Jimmy Hayes have been added to the 45-man roster for the 2007 U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp, which gets underway Friday in Lake Placid, NY.
Palushaj, who played at Des Moines (USHL) the past two seasons and is heading to the University of Michigan this fall, replaces Colorado College forward Billy Sweatt, who injured his arm in a spring off-ice accident. Sweatt, who played on last winter’s US National Junior Team, is expected to be ready for the start of the college season.
Hayes, who played for the US Under-18 Team this past season, has decided to return to Ann Arbor as an overager with the Under-18s. A Nov. ’89 birthdate entering his draft year, Hayes will be in the 12th grade this year, and will matriculate at Boston College in the fall of ’08. Hayes replaces Everett Silvertips (WHL) forward Peter Mueller, another incumbent from last winter’s junior team, suffered a pulled groin at the Phoenix Coyotes rookie camp.
CAMP ROSTER:
GOALTENDERS (5):Thomas McCollum ‘89 (Sanborn, N.Y./Guelph Storm - OHL); Joe Palmer* ‘88 (Yorkville, N.Y./Ohio State); Kent Patterson ‘89 (Plymouth, Minn./Cedar Rapids - USHL); Jeremy Smith ‘89 (Brownstown, Mich./Plymouth - OHL); Josh Unice ‘89 (Toledo, Ohio/ Bowling Green).
DEFENSEMEN (16): Jonathon Blum ‘89 (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Vancouver – WHL); T.J. Brennan ‘89 (Willingbord, NJ/ St. John’s - QMJHL); Ian Cole ‘89 (Ann Arbor, Mich./Notre Dame); Cade Fairchild ‘89 (Duluth, Minn./ University of Minnesota); David Fischer* ‘88 (Apple Valley, Minn./University of Minnesota); Jamie McBain^* ‘88 (Faribault, Minn./University of Wisconsin); Ryan McDonagh ‘89 (Arden Hills, Minn./University of Wisconsin); Kevin Montgomery* ‘88 (Rochester, N.Y./London - OHL); Trent Palm ‘88 (Edina, Minn./University of Minnesota-Duluth); Kevin Quick ‘88 (Tonawanda, N.Y./University of Michigan); Mike Ratchuk* ‘88 (Buffalo, N.Y./Michigan State);Teddy Ruth ‘89 (Naperville, Ill./University of Notre Dame); Bob Sanguinetti ‘88 (Lumberton, N.J./Owen Sound - OHL); Kevin Shattenkirk ‘89 (New Rochelle, N.Y./Boston University); Brian Strait* ‘88 (Waltham, Mass./Boston University); Chris Summers* ‘88 (Milan, Mich./University of Michigan).
FORWARDS (24): Mark Arcobello ‘88 (Milford, Conn./Yale); Mike Carman^* ‘88 (Apple Valley, Minn./University of Minnesota); Brian Day ‘88 (Boston, Mass./Colgate); Ryan Flynn* ‘88 (Lino Lakes, Minn./University of Minnesota); T.J. Galiardi ’88 (Calgary, Alberta/TBA); Blake Geoffrion^* (Brentwood, Tenn./University of Wisconsin); Jimmy Hayes ‘89 (Dorchester, Mass./ U.S. Under-18 Team); Patrick Kane^* ‘88 (Buffalo, N.Y./London - OHL); Kyle Okposo^* ‘88 (St. Paul, Minn./University of Minnesota); Max Pacioretty ‘88 (New Canaan, Conn./University of Michigan); Aaron Palushaj ’89 (Northville, Mich./University of Michigan); Luke Popko ’88 (Skillman, N.J./Boston University); Rhett Rakhshani* ‘88 (Huntington Beach, Calif./University of Denver - WCHA); Doug Rogers ‘88 (Watertown, Mass./Harvard); Tony Romano ‘88 (Smithtown, N.Y./Cornell); Tyler Ruegsegger ‘88 (Lakewood, Colo./University of Denver); Matt Rust ‘89 (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./University of Michigan); Ben Ryan ’88 (Brighton, Mich./Notre Dame); Jordan Schroeder ’90 (Lakeville, Minn./U.S. Under-18 Team);Ben Smith ’88 (Avon, Conn./Boston College); Eric Tangradi ’89 (Philadelphia, Pa./ Belleville - OHL); James vanRiemsdyk^ ‘89 (Middletown, N.J./University of New Hampshire); Patrick White ’89 (Grand Rapids, Minn./ University of Minnesota); Colin Wilson ‘89 (Greenwich, Conn./Boston University).
^2007 U.S. National Junior Team Member
*2006 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Participant
%2006 U.S. National Junior Team Member
&2005 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Participant
Head Coach: John Hynes; Assistant Coach: Keith Allain; Video Coordinator: Ken Martel; Advance Scout: Jim Hunt; Player Evaluation: Ben Smith; Camp Coaches: Tim Taylor, Jeff Jackson, and John Harrington.
SCHEDULE:
Sun. Aug. 5 – USA Blue vs. USA White, 4:30
Mon. Aug. 6 – USA Blue vs. USA White, 4:30
Tues. Aug. 7 – USA Blue vs. Finland, 4:00 pm
USA White vs. Sweden, 7:00
Wed. Aug. 8 – USA White vs. Finland, 4:00 pm
USA Blue vs. Sweden, 7:00 pm
Thurs. Aug. 9 – USA White vs. Sweden, 4:00 pm
USA Blue vs. Finland, 7:00 pm
Fri. Aug. 10 – USA White vs. Finland, 1:00 pm
USA Blue vs. Sweden, 4:00 pm
7/28/07
Grady Leaving St. Mark’s
St. Mark’s School head coach Brian Grady is leaving the Southborough, Mass. boarding school to return to upstate New York, where he has been hired as the new head coach at Morrisville State College, a new Div. III program.
Both Grady, who is the son of long-time Hamilton College head coach Phil Grady, and his wife are from Clinton, NY, and Morrisville is just 15 miles away.
“Ultimately, it was a family decision,” Grady said. “Plus, being a head coach at the ground level for a new college program was too good to pass up.”
Morrisville State was a junior college until five years ago, and won several national championships at that level. Last season, the Mustangs became a provisional SUNYAC team, playing a full league schedule with Plattsburgh State, Oswego, et al. In ’09-10 the school, if all goes well, will be a full-fledged league member.”
“The support is there,” Grady said. “The administration is doing everything they can. It’s going to be exciting to be a part of it.”
Grady, who coached at St. Mark’s for two years, said it was tough leaving. “There is a great community of people here who were fantastic to me and my wife,” he said. “We made the New Englands both years. We had two winning seasons. And we placed kids at quality schools. That’s the thing I’m most proud of. I’ll miss the kids and the community.”
“We’re parting on a good note,” Grady added.
St. Mark’s will begin an open search for Grady’s successor immediately.
***
Tuset Hired at RMU
Robert Morris University has filled one of its two vacant assistant’s positions with Joe Tuset, the Robert Morris goaltender who achieved a measure of fame by beating then #2 Notre Dame, 4-2, in South Bend, Ind. on Jan. 7. Tuset, a transfer from Northern Michigan, played three years for the RMU, and graduated in June. Tuset, 25, is a native of Eagan, Minn.
7/25/07 Lindsay New Princeton Assistant
Princeton has hired Robert Morris University assistant Matt Lindsay to fill the slot vacated by John Riley.
After graduating from Williams College in 2001, Lindsay began his coaching career at Utica College, then moved on to Hobart and, a year ago, Robert Morris.
Lindsay has coaching in his blood. He’s the son of former Deerfield Academy coach Jim Lindsay, now the AD at the Blake School in Minneapolis.
Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley now has two assistants’ slots to fill, as Mike McCourt was recently hired away by the Niagara IceDogs (OHL).
7/25/07
Moore Picks Crimson
U.S. National Team Development Program forward Colin Moore has committed to Harvard University, where he will arrive in the fall of ’08.Moore, a 5’11”, 175 lb. native of Medfield, Mass., is a highly-skilled centerman with good wheels, a good stick, and hockey sense to spare. At Harvard, he’ll be a key component, joining P.O. Michaud as a guy who can move the puck to the gang of big wingers coming over the next couple of years, like fellow ’08 recruits Eric Kroshus or Alex Killorn, or ’07 recruits Michael DelMauro, Joe Smith, or Matt McCollem.
Moore, a 5-21-90 birthdate, played at Belmont Hill before joining the US Under-17 team this past season. He’s the younger brother of former Northeastern forward Aaron Moore, who graduated in June; and Connecticut College sophomore forward Brett Moore.
Moore received a good deal of attention from other schools, with UNH and Michigan State among those that worked hard to land Moore.
7/24/07
Hockey Opens Pathway to the East
Boston Junior Bruins Empire League coach Chris Masters is heading to China next week to run a clinic for the Beijing Cubs youth organization.
“It will be an interesting cultural experience, and an unbelievable opportunity,” said Masters. “Also, who knows what the hockey will be like. The game is really in its infancy there. Still, with 1.4 billion Chinese people, if enough kids start playing the game, you’re bound to come up with some good ones.”
The trip came about because of an 8-year-old Beijing native named Rudi Ying, who is believed to be the first child to ever come directly from China to play hockey in the U.S. (though the Beijing Cubs ’96 team competed in the Bell Cup in Toronto last winter). Earlier this summer, Rudi joined the ‘98 Junior Bruins team on short notice after one of the regular players came down with mono. Ying flew from Beijing to Montreal on a Wednesday and was on the ice Friday morning, joining the Masters-coached squad that, by the way, included the children of Marty McInnis, Jeff Chychrun, and George McPhee.
Ying, who has been playing hockey since age five, is also a concert pianist who is fluent in English. With the ’98 Junior Bruins, despite the 14-hour flight and the new environs and teammates, he held his own. After that weekend, Rudi’s father, Ying Da, offered to bring Masters, who had coached Rudi in Montreal, to China to do on-ice work with players and coaches as well as some question-and-answer sessions with parents about hockey, schooling, college hockey, etc.
Rudi’s family has been prominent in China for over a hundred years. Claire Conceison, an assistant professor of Drama at Tufts – and the cousin of Burlington High (Mass.) hockey coach Bob Conceison – knows the family well. She colloborated with Rudi’s grandfather, Ying Ruocheng, on the famous director and actor's autobiography. He appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” and "Little Buddha."
Rudi’s father carried on the tradition and is a film and TV actor, director and producer. Rudi's mother, Liang Huan is a writer. The family has always bridged the gap between west and east, so Rudi’s experience as the first child to ever come to the U.S. to play hockey can be seen as a continuance of the family’s legacy of cultural interaction between East and West that that his great-great grandfather started a century ago and for which his grandfather, often referred to as “China’s Cultural Ambassador,” was particularly famous for.
Masters said that when his week of running the clinic is completed, he’s going to visit the site of the Beijing Summer ’08 Olympics, as well as Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City. “I might go to Shanghai for a few days as well,” he added.
As for Rudi, who has also played for the Bobby Crawford-coached '98 Atlantic All Stars this summer, he -- along with his family -- will be moving to Chicago this fall, and will stay for at least a year. Rudi will be skating with the ’97 Chicago Mission, coached by Larry Pedrie.
And while he was in Marlboro with the ’98 Junior Bruins, Rudi visited both the Fay School and St. Mark’s. So, yes, there’s a chance Rudi could be the first NCAA hockey player to come out of China.
7/21/07
Paris Hilton, Hockey Player
We’re not exactly sure what Paris Hilton really does. We suspect she’s sort of a latter day Zsa Zsa Gabor, i.e famous for being famous.
We certainly never knew she briefly attended boarding school and played JV hockey until a reader sent us this link from WorldNetDaily.com.
It’s a sunny Saturday in July, a slow news day, so enjoy.
7/20/07
U.S. Takes World Jewish Hockey Championship
The World Jewish Ice Hockey Championship wound up today at the Canada Center in Metulla, Israel with the United States edging Israel, 2-1, in the gold medal game. In the bronze medal game, Canada topped France, 4-1.
We don’t have details of today’s games – just the scores.
We can tell you that the U.S. roster is one strange mish-mash. It includes Miami-Ohio senior-to-be Nate Davis, who played in the NTDP, for the U.S. national junior team and, last spring, was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist; Matt Davis, Nate’s older brother, now with the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL); former Harvard goalie Dov Grumet-Morris, now playing minor pro, and his younger brother, Amit (a third brother is currently serving in the Israeli army); former Michigan goalie Noah Ruden; BU forward Zach Cohen; UMass forward Matt Burto; Cornell forward Justin Milo and his brother, Tufts forward Joe Milo; and Middlebury forward Scott Bartlett… but on the other end of the spectrum, the team also has 50-year-old Caleb Koeppel, who once played for Trinity College. Caleb’s son, Max, a club player at Syracuse University, is also on the team, a family affair if there ever was one.
The coach of the U.S. team is Chicago Wolves (AHL) head coach John Anderson, who said, “I consider myself very lucky to be able to spend time in such a historic area while coaching the sport I love. It’s an amazing opportunity. Ten years ago, if you would have told me I was going to coach a United States national team in Israel, I would have called you crazy.”
The Canadian roster includes Oriel McHugh, who played at Deerfield and Vermont; and Sean Starke, who played at Deerfield and Bowdoin; and goaltender Andrew Brathwaite, currently at Merrimack – no other names on the Canadian roster were familiar to us.
Some of the players and coaches in the tournament are of full Jewish descent, while others are partial, and some, like Perron and Anderson, are not Jewish at all.
A key figure behind hockey in Israel is former Montreal Canadiens head coach Jean Perron, who was recruited to help build the nascent program by a 59-year-old Montreal businessman named Alan Maislin. For the past four years, Maislin, who runs a transport company in Montreal in which Perron works, has been the chairman of the Israeli Ice Hockey Association.
Maislin and Perron, both of whom are volunteers, have a way to go. Right now, there are only two rinks in Israel, and they are in the same building in Metulla where the tournament was held on an Olympic-sized sheet, and where Israel’s approximately 380 players compete. Metulla is in the north, on the Lebanese border, and last year had to close for a while during fighting against the Hezbollah. Reportedly, Tel Aviv, far more populous, will be getting a twin-sheet rink before long.
By the way, Perron has already found an Israel-born and bred youth player with upside. His name is Oren Zamir and he’s being sent to boarding school in North America. He’ll be lacing ‘em up this fall for the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Saskatchewan.
“As soon as I saw him, I knew he was something else,” Perron said. “Oren has great skills and he is a leader. Unfortunately, he can’t get the competition he needs in Israel, so I helped him get to Notre Dame, which has an excellent program. He will be a great asset to our team in the world championship.”
The Israeli junior team will go on a North American tour this winter. They are scheduled to play Team Mexico in Los Angeles and will also travel to Toronto for games.
Maislin has a goal for Israeli hockey: the Olympics.
“I believe that we have that potential. To survive in this country you have to have mental toughness and our players won’t have problems with being tough. Now, we just need to add some skill. And probably a hot goalie.”
7/20/07
Foley Returning East
Patrick Foley, a Milton, Mass. resident who played at St. Sebastian’s and the NTDP before going on to captain the UNH Wildcats, has been named as an assistant at Harvard.
Foley, 26, replaces Bobby Jay, who is going into the commercial real estate business in Phoenix, Arizona.
Foley is an ’04 graduate of UNH. He played minor pro briefly in the ECHL. For the past two seasons, he has been a coach with the NTDP.
Foley was scheduled to serve as an assistant to John Hynes on the Under-18 Team for the upcoming season. Now, of course, that job is open.
7/19/07 Summer Showdown
This weekend, the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) are hosting a small eight-team tournament at the Tri-Town Arena in Hookset, NH.
In addition to the Monarchs, which will supply five teams worth of players, the New Jersey Hitmen, the Boston Junior Bruins, and a team simply dubbed “Atlantic District” will be competing.
Games Friday are at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 pm.
On Saturday, there are two sessions. The early session features games at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, and noon. Late session games will face off at 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 pm. Playoff games on Sunday will be played at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, and noon.
Players competing will include Justin Gates, Bobby Farnham, Kyle Mountain, Jason Bourgea, Rob Vrolyk, Zach Bradanick, John Yanchek, Nick Eno, Micah Williams, William Choi, Connor Moore, Anthony Hamburg, Jeff Ryan, Connor Shannon, Bryan Mountain, Peter Child, Paul Dimitruk, Brian Flynn, Yuri Bouharevich, Andrew Begg, Darren MacDonald, Mike Vasilchuk, Patch Alber, Cam Lanoue, Stevie Moses, Brian Kriner, Steve Morra, John Henrion, Matt Zarbo, Ben Rosen, Brad Peltz, Kyle Solomon – and many others.
7/19/07
Coaching Updates
The three top candidates for the Princeton assistant’s job, recently vacated by John Riley, are:Des Moines Buccaneers assistant Todd Knott, Robert Morris University assistant Matt Lindsay, and former University of Alabama-Huntsville assistant Lance West.
All are interviewing this week.
***
New Alaska-Fairbanks assistant Doc DelCastillo has hired Mercyhurst assistant John Rose to join him up north, in the land of the midnight sun. Rose, originally from Potsdam, NY, is a 1999 graduate of the South Kent School and a 2003 graduate of New England College. DelCastillo would have known Rose from working the Grillo’s Minnesota Hockey Camps.
Rose replaces Wade Klippenstein, who last month was named assistant coach/assistant GM with Prince George (WHL). Before taking the Fairbanks assistant’s job three years ago, Klippenstein, a Nanooks alum, had served as both an assistant and a head coach in the Dub, with Saskatoon and then Prince Albert.
***
The two names we’ve heard for the Harvard assistant’s position, vacated last month by Bobby Jay, are former UNH captain Patrick Foley, currently an assistant with the NTDP; and long-time NHLer Marty McInnis, who played at Milton Academy and BC and was a teammate with Harvard head coach Ted Donato on the ’92 Olympic Team.
***
Fred Harbinson, a Calgary native and an assistant coach at St. Cloud State for the past five years, has been hired as head coach/VP of Hockey Operations for the Pentiction Vees (BCHL).
Before coming to St. Cloud State, Harbinson was an assistant with the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) for two years. Before that, he served as head coach/GM of the Fernie Ghostriders (AWHL).
***
Northern Michigan has hired Rob Facca as an assistant coach. Facca, an Ontario native, was one of the first recruits at the University of Nebraska. He was an assistant with the Lincoln Stars (USHL) for two seasons before taking a position at his alma mater as a volunteer assistant. Recently, he’s been the director of coaching for the Omaha Metropolitan Amateru Hockey Association.
At Northern Michigan, Facca will be filling the vacancy created in April when John Olver left to take a position with the Iowa Stars (AHL).
7/17/07
U.S. Under-18 Select Team Named
USA Hockey has named this year’s National Under-18 Select Team, which will be traveling to Uhersky Brod, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia for the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament Aug. 12-18.
The players were picked from last week’s Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud, Minn.
They hail from 12 different states. Minnesota is sending eight players while Michigan and Missouri are sending two apiece. Nine other states are sending one player apiece.
The head coach of the team will be Brown’s Roger Grillo. Assisting him will be RPI head coach Seth Appert.
2007 U.S. Under-18 Select Team:
Goaltenders (2): Aaron Crandall (St. Thomas Academy); Brady Hjelle (International Falls HS).
Defensemen (7): John Carlson (NJ Rockets – AJHL); Matt Donovan (Dallas Stars Midget AAA); Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka HS); Tyler Myers (Kelowna – WHL); Aaron Ness (Roseau HS); David Warsofsky (Cushing Academy); Chris Wideman (St. Louis Blues Midget AAA).
Forwards (12): Mike Cichy (Boston Junior Bruins – EJHL); Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines – USHL); Mark Goggin (Choate); Tim Hall (Ohio – USHL); A.J. Jenks (Plymouth – OHL); Tristan King (Portland – WHL); Craig Kitto (Washington Junior Nationals – AJHL); Danny Mattson (Holy Angels); Philip McRae (London – OHL); Jordy Murray (Shattuck-St. Mary’s); Shawn Szydlowski (Belle Tire Midget AAA); Jake Youso (International Falls HS).
The U.S. Schedule:
Aug 12 – vs. Czech Republic
Aug. 14 – vs. Russia
Aug. 15 – vs. Finland
Aug. 16 – vs. Slovakia
Aug. 18 – vs. TBD
7/16/07
Defense Rules the Day at Select 17s
Big defenseman who can skate, like Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner, and smaller, quick, ultra high-skilled d-men like Aaron Ness and David Warsofsky, were standouts at USA Hockey’s Select 17 Festival, which ended Friday in St. Cloud, Minn.
After those four, you can continue right down the list and find many more high-end blueliners.
Up front, however, things are less clear. Unlike with the defense, where most scouts and recruiters probably had the four d-men mentioned above right at or near the top of their lists, with the forwards a consensus was harder to find. If you checked your list against another’s, you’d likely find differences. “If you got up to go to the bathroom, you might miss a play that might put somebody on the list,” one scout said. “Once you get past the top guys -- and even among the top guys -- there is very little separation. There is a lot of parity among the forwards, but it’s a good parity. I was hard pressed to find kids who did not belong here. The average kid at camp may be better than they’ve ever been. It’s a good state of affairs for the U.S. game – we have a lot of legit hockey players.”
“That aside,” he continued, “everyone is looking for that special player and while there were a bunch on the blue line, there weren’t nearly as many up front.”
The downside was in net, where no player showed enough of a total game to draw raves. However, by the end of the week, P.J. Musico (.970), Brady Hjelle (.950), Connor Shannon (.940) and Aaron Crandall (.940) had all faced a lot of shots and put up impressive numbers. Others, guys with size like Connor Knapp, who had a lower save percentage at .890, were intriguing for their long-range potential.
Suffice to say, it will take time for the goaltending situation to sort itself out.
At all positions, there were a number of players who we know are plenty good enough to be on the list below, but won’t be found there. Either we saw them on their bad days, or they just didn’t have great weeks. Also, in a camp with 240 players and a limited time in which to watch them, you can flat-out miss a player. Hopefully, we didn’t miss many.
Note:
As is customary, there will be an Under-18 Team selected from the festival, and they will be headed to Europe next month. The head coach this year is Brown’s Roger Grillo. The assistant coach is RPI’s Seth Appert.
Defensemen:
A group (7 players):
Tyler Myers (Kelowna – WHL/#7 Maroon) – He’s 6’7” and skates like he’s 5’11”. Has agility, hands, and intelligence. His only weakness is that he lacks meanness. Even so, he’ll probably be a first round draft pick.
Aaron Ness (Roseau HS/#3 White) – Light on his feet, quick and fast. Gopher recruit does it all – a tremendous hockey player. A bit slight at 5’10”.
Jake Gardiner (Minnetonka HS/#4 Purple)`-- Wisconsin recruit has been a forward up to now, and has good offensive instincts. He’s also 6’2” and can really skate.
Dave Warsofsky (Cushing/#5 Gold) – Small, 5’8” super mobile, puck-moving D. BU recruit is leaving Cushing to go to Ann Arbor and the Under-18 Team this season.
Adam Comrie (Omaha – USHL/#6 Navy) – Big – he’s 6’4” -- and mobile. An excellent skater with a hard shot. Keeps the game simple. A little error prone, but he does have all the tools.
Ryan Grimshaw (US Under-17/#4 Navy) – Harvard recruit was a physical force.
Steven West (US Under-17/#3 Green) – Ohio State recruit does everything well, and brings a little offense, too.
A- group (6 players):
John Carlson (NJ Rockets - AJHL/#3 Royal) – A solid, all-around D with good mobility and size. Led all defensemen here in points, by a significant margin, but, even though he’ll pick up his share of points at higher levels, we don’t really project him to be the offensive force he was here. Going to UMass.
Sean Lorenz (US Under-17/#4 Maroon) – Just solid, as usual. Notre Dame recruit.
Austin Handley (Des Moines – USHL/#5 White) – See comments on Lorenz: the same applies to Handley, a Michigan State recruit.
Tony DeHart (London – OHL/#3 Orange) – Rangy D keeps the game simple.
Steven Spinell (Team Illinois/#3 Navy) – Pretty intelligent. Gets the job done quietly. Miami-Ohio recruit.
Max Nicastro (LA Jr. Kings/#3 Maroon) – Has the tools. Not sure how well he sees the rink. BU recruit.
B+ group (14 players):
Seth Helgeson (Faribault HS/#3 Red) – Gopher recruit is big and has a lot of upside. Pretty raw, though.
Matt Donovan (Dallas Stars/#5 Grey) – Denver recruit will be playing in Cedar Rapids this season.
Joe Gleason (Edina HS/#5 Green) – Small, and can really skate. Hockey sense is still to be determined. North Dakota recruit.
Corey Fienhage (Eastview HS/#2 Royal) – Has size, mobility, and can play physically. However, he’s quite unpolished.
Dan Ford (Syracuse Stars/#3 Gold) – Good size. Body hasn’t quite caught up to his big feet, or vice versa. Smart player.
Eric Ringel (Mahoning Valley – NAHL/#4 Green) – Good set of hands. Tries to do a little too much at times. Notre Dame recruit.
Ross Henry (Lincoln-USHL/#3 Purple) – Wisconsin native has a year in the USHL under his belt now.
Matthew Tennyson (San Jose Jr. Sharks/#5 Grey) – Don’t know if he writes poetry too.
Micah Williams (Lawrence Academy/#4 Gold) – He’s 6’2”. His skating is OK, but nothing special.
Danny Heath (PF Chang’s/#7 Green) – Can skate; has offensive instincts.
C.J. Ludwig (Dallas Stars/#7 Black) – Yet another son of Craig Ludwig.
Luke Witkowski (Team NXI/#5 Orange) – Good size, good mobility. Western Michigan recruit.
Drew Olson (Brainerd HS/#2 Black) – Not a player we were previously familiar with.
Malcolm Lyles (Deerfield Academy/#5 Teal) – Powerful kid who can really skate. Aggressive and not afraid. Not sure if he can slow the game down enough, though.
Forwards:
A group (12 players):
Phillip McRae (London-OHL/#12 Black) – Probably the best all-around forward here. Great puck skills and hands – made a nice backhand saucer pass, and shoots it with authority. On top of all that, he’s nearly 6’3”.
Tristan King (Portland-WHL/#16 Black) – 6’0” power forward has good hands, sees the ice well, and plays with an edge.
Grant Scott (US Under-17/#10 Gold) – Played forward here and was a force. A big 6’4” kid who plays big. He also has skill, can skate, and can make plays. He was consistently crashing the net and just going right over guys. A warrior. He’s from Pittsburgh, but he’s committed to the Gophers.
Vinny Saponari (US Under-17/#19 Teal) – Excellent, and fun to watch. He can bring you out of your seat with his 1-on-1 moves.
Danny Kristo (US Under-17/#19 Green) – North Dakota recruit is silky smooth, very talented. Like Saponari, he can bring you out of your seat.
Jordy Murray (Shattuck/#11 Gold) – Smart, clever player who plays hard and with great sense of the game. Can handle the puck and make plays. Going to Wisconsin.
A.J. Jenks (Plymouth-OHL/#12 Orange) – Could have done more; has potential to be a force. Needs to learn to use size better. Not skilled enough to do otherwise
Nate Dewhurst (Des Moines-USHL/#18 Royal) – Denver recruit played with skill and aggression.
Jake Youso (International Falls HS/#16 Maroon) – Gopher recruit has electric skills. Great 1-on-1. Nice one-timer for a goal.
Patrick Gaul (US Under-17/#8 Grey) – Extremely consistent, plus he does everything. Just a classic, solid all-around player. Tools aren’t the greatest, but he blocks shots, makes plays, and has all the intangibles, like smarts. A Notre Dame recruit.
Shawn Szydlowski (Belle Tire/#9 Maroon) – Plays hard, just really good all around.
Danny Mattson (Holy Angels/#19 Royal) – A skilled playmaker who works hard.
A- group (8 players):
Mike Cichy (Boston Junior Bruins/#11 Teal) – Sweet hands and a good playmaker. Can beat people easily -- just goes through them. His skills are strong enough for the A group, and it’s true that he put up a lot of points, but he was a little bit in-and-out, not as consistent as he can be. North Dakota recruit will be playing for Tri-City this season.
Mitch Wahl (Spokane-WHL/#17 Royal) – Has excellent skills, as good as any forward in the camp, but is very much a perimeter player. Doesn’t go after the puck, always lets the other guy go get it. When it’s on his stick, which it is a lot, look out. He’s quick, fast, skilled and is very much a playmaker.
Jesse Brown (Syracuse Stars/#8 Navy) – Big, with excellent hand skills. A little lazy at times.
Derek Arnold (Boston Junior Bruins/#18 Red) – 5’9” Maine recruit played really aggressively. Good energy and good skills.
Kyle Jean (Soo Indians/#20 Gold) – Big kid who has good hands and can skate. On top of all that, he plays aggressively.
Derek Stepan (Shattuck/#10 Grey) – Wisconsin recruit is 5’9” and has the skill.
Mark Goggin (Choate/#15 Black) -- Has speed and agility. Very good passer and playmaker.
Torin Snydeman (Cushing/#14 Royal) -- Good skater with a nice stride, competed, and made smart plays.
Keegan Flaherty (Duluth East/#19 Orange) -- Excellent acceleration. Drove to the net hard. Good offensive instincts.
Craig Kitto (Washington Jr. Nationals/#10 Red) – Played hard. Good skills.
B+ group (14 players):
Isak Quakenbush (Seattle-WHL/#19 Grey) – Not quite there, but don’t sell him short. He’s huge and he plays hard. He could be a player down the road. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him on an NHL roster someday.
Colin Reddin (US Under-17/#10 Purple) – Can play a little tougher than he did here.
Justin Florek (US Under-17/#16 Purple) – Big, solid 6’4” forward. Going to Northern Michigan.
Brock Montpetit (Shattuck/#11 Purple) – Expected a little more from the little mountain. Going to Wisconsin.
Luke Greiner (Shattuck/#9 Navy) – Little guy, 5’9” or so, but plays hard. Tenacious would be the correct word.
Brian Inman (Buffalo Saints/#17 Gold) – Put up a ton of points.
Adam Pawlick (Salisbury/#9 Grey)
John O'Neill (#9 Red)
Johnnie Searfoss (Texas Attack/#16 Orange)
Nick Oddo (Russell Stover/#16 Navy)
Kyle Singleton (Cortland Jr. Hawks/#15 Gold)
Alex Simonson (Grand Forks Red River HS/#12 Gold)
Matt Leer (Edina HS/#14 White)
Alex Gaustad (Grafton HS/#10 White)
7/16/07
Back to the Future at Salisbury
The Salisbury School has appointed Matt Corkery as interim head coach for the 2007-08 season while continuing its search for a permanent successor to Dan Donato, who left for the Dexter School in early May.“I’m delighted to do it for a year,” Corkery said.
Corkery, 52, has been at Salisbury for 25 years. He took over the hockey program back in 1982-83 and was the head coach until Donato took over six years ago. At that point, Corkery became an assistant to Donato. In all, Corkery has coached hockey at Salisbury for 23 of his 25 years, taking off two years in order to enjoy watching his oldest daughter play at Holy Cross.
Corkery was also the guiding force behind Salisbury’s move from Div. II to Div. I in the early ‘90s, and served as president of NEPSIHA for 15 years.
So how did Salisbury’s search come full circle?
Salisbury headmaster Chisholm Chandler said, “We spoke with a number of exceptional candidates, but due to the time of year, nearly all had made commitments to their present schools and colleges. Asking any of these men to break an existing commitment and place another institution in our position didn’t meet our standard. It would not have been honorable to proceed in this manner.”
Chandler said he expected to name a permanent head coach sometime in the late fall or early winter.
Asked if the search would be wide open, Chandler said, “Yes.”
“I want to hire someone who understands independent schools,” he added, alluding to the multiple roles prep hockey coaches play. “Danny, for example, was terrific in admissions. He was an advisor. He ran a dorm. And he coached baseball.”
Matt Treat, a six-year assistant under Donato, will also play an important role in guiding the team. Treat, who played at Avon Old Farms and Hobart College, was an assistant on John Gardner’s staff at Avon before coming to Salisbury.
Salisbury also has hired Nathan Riddell to serve as an assistant coach for the upcoming season. Riddell, 25, is a British Columbia native who played in the BCHL before coming east to attend Bowdoin, where he was a four-year letter winner and captain. After college, Riddell played professionally in Germany and with Roanoke in the UHL. Long-time Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher calls Riddell one of the finest young men and players he’s ever coached.
Riddell also will teach biology as a member of the science department at Salisbury.
Speaking of the current scenario, Chandler said it was always a viable option given the timing of Donato’s leaving.
“Our goal all along has been to conduct a thorough search for the next leader of our program, and that process is ongoing. We are enthusiastic about the upcoming year. We have a great nucleus of boys and a dedicated, experienced coaching staff. The tradition of exciting schoolboy hockey will continue at Salisbury.”
Salisbury, hit hard by graduation and the loss of BC recruit Paul Carey to the USHL, has a good number of returning players, like goaltender Anthony Borelli, defensemen Kyle Quick and Brad Stefanski, and forwards Adam Pawlick, Jack Clayman, and Kyle Hughes.
Arriving at Salisbury will be a pair of PGs in Paul Jaskot from Central Catholic High School (Mass.) and Matt Clune, the younger brother of Dallas Stars prospect Richard Clune, from St. Mike’s in Toronto. Transferring from BB&N is Billy Fitzgerald, while Mike McAnn, a Chicago native, arrives from the Eaglebrook School.
While it looks like talented forward Louis Leblanc will be staying at Lac St-Louis, a couple of other high-end talents from Quebec, Francois Drolet and Danny Biega, will be coming in.
Also coming in is Andy Iles, an extremely talented ’92 goaltender. Other high-end young players who will make an impact are Shane Sooth and Matt Nieto from the LA Hockey Club and Brandon Russo of the Mid-Fairfield Blues.
“The next coach,” said Corkery, “will continue to attract high-end kids. The job Danny did was fantastic. We’ll keep building on that.”
As for the upcoming season, Corkery said, “We’re excited. It will be fun to be in a position to be overachievers.”
When asked if there was a chance that he could become a permanent head coach again if, for example, Salisbury won the New England prep championship, Corkery chuckled.
“No,” he said. “It’s one and done for me.”
7/12/07
Bombaugh Charges Dropped
The charges of rape of a minor brought in May against defenseman Keith Bombaugh, a Massachusetts native and former prep player who played last season with the St. John’s Fog Devils (QMJHL), have been dropped.
Bombaugh, 18, and another defendant, Jarrod Scott-Reynolds, also 18, had been charged in Falmouth (Mass.) District Court with the rape of a 16-year-old girl they met at a party two months ago.
The local district attorney, after reviewing the police report, last week entered a nolle prosequi, which is a formal notice to a plaintiff that the prosecutor will stop prosecuting a case. In other words, the case is dropped and Bombaugh is free to get on with his life.
The other defendant, Scott-Reynolds, has had charges against him reduced to indecent assault and battery.
Bombaugh, a Falmouth native and an ’89 birthdate, played at Tabor Academy for two years, from ’03-05, then went to Lawrence Academy as a repeat junior in ’05-06. Last June, he was selected by St. John’s in the seventh round of the QMJHL draft.
He played 38 out of 70 games with the Fog Devils, and had an 0-3-3 line with 74 pims, mostly fighting misconducts.
7/12/07
Another College to OHL Move
This time, though, it’s a coach, as Robert Morris University assistant Mike McCourt will be moving on to the Niagara Ice Dogs, who are in the process of relocating from Mississauga.
That means there’s a job available on Derek Schooley’s staff at Robert Morris, and the search is wide open. The RMU program, entering its fourth year, will be graduating 14 and looking to bring in 11-12 players for the fall of ’08, so there’s some serious recruiting to be done.
The Robert Morris position has been a good springboard, as former assistant Marc Fakler moved on to Western Michigan; Nate Handrahan took over the RMU women’s program, and Mike McNeil is now the head coach at Gilmour Academy.
Note:
-- This is unconfirmed, but reports indicate that Todd Reirden, a 1994 Bowling Green grad went on to play in the NHL and has played the past few years in Europe, will be returning to his alma mater and taking the open assistant’s position on Scott Paluch’s staff.
7/7/07
Whitney to Big Red
Cushing Academy 6’4”, 215 lb. defenseman Sean Whitney has committed to Cornell University for the fall of ’08.Whitney, who will be a senior this year, is going into his second year at Cushing, where he arrived unpolished, but has grown into his big frame and steadily improved his game.
A 2/16/89 birthdate from Scituate, Mass., Whitney had a 4-17-21 line in 29 games last season.
Whitney is the younger brother of former Boston University and current Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney. The sixth-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL this past season, Whitney signed a six year, $24 million contract with the Penguins last week.
7/4/07
More Details Emerge in MacDonald Case
The Lowell Sun has reported more details concerning the charges against UMass-Lowell head hockey coach Blaise MacDonald, and they are not positive ones for the 43-year-old Westford, Mass. resident.
According to the Sun, Chelmsford police spotted MacDonald’s vehicle Friday evening after responding to a report from another driver who claimed that the coach had crossed over into the oncoming lane of traffic on Littleton Road several times, and then turned around at a trailer park at 270 Littleton Road.
Police found MacDonald asleep in the driver’s seat of his Toyota Land Cruiser at 8:58 p.m., blocking the entrance to Woodland Square Condominiums at 262 Littleton Road.
Police said that MacDonald’s speech was slurred, his eyes were red and glassy, his breath smelled of alcohol, and that he had difficulty standing up. There was fresh damage to the front bumper of the vehicle, and four beers and a 750 milliliter bottle of Absolut Vodka inside.
Arresting officer Timothy Bourque asked MacDonald if he knew where he was, and MacDonald answered “Rochester” in what was reported as a “slurred, drawn-out voice.” Rochester, NY, of course, is where the US Select 16 Festival was held last week.
Officer Bourque then asked MacDonald to recite the alphabet, count backwards, and stand on one leg. When MacDonald was unable to successfully complete any of those tasks, he was arrested and brought to the Chelmsford Police Station where he was administered two Breathalyzer tests. The readings were .23 and .25 – roughly three times the legal limit. MacDonald was held overnight and released early Saturday evening on his personal recognizance.
MacDonald, as we reported earlier, has been suspended by the university from his job, for which he was paid $167,209 in 2006. MacDonald, although his suspension is effective immediately, will still receive an internal university disciplinary hearing.
“The university has a profound responsibility to encourage lawful and healthy behavior among all members of the campus community,”UMass-Lowell spokeswoman Patti McCafferty said in a written statement. “As role models, coaches must behave responsibly and set the appropriate example for our students.”
At the very least, it looks like UMass-Lowell will be naming an interim head hockey coach shortly.
7/4/07 Updated
U.S. Under-17 Selects Named
USA Hockey has announced the 21-man roster for the 2007 U.S. Under-17 Select Team which will be entered in the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament Aug. 20-24 in Strakonice, Tabor, and Pribram, Czech Republic.
Those going on the trip were chosen from last week’s Select 16 Camp in Rochester, NY. Players who will be spending the upcoming season at Ann Arbor with the standing Under-17 Team are traditionally ineligible. However, one of the two goalies on the squad going to the Czech Republic is Brandon Maxwell, who is also on the Ann Arbor roster. Today is a holiday, so we’ll make inquiries about that tomorrow.
The squad’s head coach will be Jon Cooper, the head coach of the NAHL champion St. Louis Bandits. His assistant will be Yale University assistant coach Kyle Wallack.
2007 U.S. Under-17 Select Team
Goaltenders (2): Brandon Maxwell (Cambridge Hawks Midgets); Matthew Skoff (Pittsburgh Hornets Midgets).
Defensemen (7): Dan Furlong (Catholic Memorial HS); Nick Leddy (Eden Prairie HS); Eamonn McDermott (Cleveland Barons Midgets); Paul Phillips (Chicago Chill Midgets); John Ramage (St. Louis Amateur Blues Midgets); Nate Schmidt (St. Cloud Cathedral HS); Brad Walch (Honeybaked Midgets).
Forwards (12): Kyle Beattie (PF Chang’s Midgets); Josh Birkholz (The Blake School); Zach Budish (Edina HS); Dakota Eveland (LA Selects Midgets); Jared Maetche (St. Cloud Tech); Cody Murphy (Team Illinois Midgets); Nick Oliver (Roseau HS); Kit Sitterley (Culver Academy); Brad Smith (Belle Tire Midgets); Garrett Taylor (LA Selects Midgets); Ryan Walters (St. Thomas Academy); Steven Whitney (Lawrence Academy)
U.S. Schedule:
Mon. Aug. 20 – USA vs. Slovakia (Pribram, Czech Republic), 4:00 pm local time
Tues. Aug. 21 – USA vs. Germany (Strakonice, Czech Republic), 6:00 pm local time
Wed. Aug. 22 – USA vs. Switzerland (Strakonice, Czech Republic), 6:00 pm local time
Fri. Aug. 24 – USA vs. Czech Republic (Strakonice, Czech Republic), 6:00 pm local time
Update:
The decision allowing Maxwell, who is going to the NTDP this season, to play on this team came through Ron Rolston, who'll be his coach at Ann Arbor this season.
Our feeling is that the kids going to the NTDP already receive plenty of benefits, not the least of which is the chance to appear frequently in international tournaments. Therefore, this tournament should be strictly limited -- no exceptions allowed -- to giving those kids not going to Ann Arbor a similar opportunity.
7/3/07
McGroarty New Coach in Lincoln
Jimmy McGroarty, an assistant with the Lincoln Stars (USHL) this past season, has been named the team’s new head coach/GM.McGroarty replaces Steve Johnson, who resigned in May after 11 years behind the bench to return to his hometown of Grand Forks, ND.
Prior to becoming an assistant at Lincoln, McGroarty was an assistant with Omaha for five years.
A native of Toronto, McGroarty, 35, played eight years of minor pro hockey, mostly in the ECHL, WCHL, and UHL, before going into coaching.
Note:
The USHL has posted, on their web site, each team’s 25-man protected list as well as the affiliate list. The league didn’t include birthdates of the players, which is annoying, but at least they have the names. Most of the players on the affiliate list are ‘90s; some are ‘89s. The ‘90s can be kept on the affiliate list for one more year; ‘89s have to come off before the start of the regular season.
7/3/07
Two Michigan Forwards Added to Under-17s
5’8”,160 lb. A.J. Treais of Little Caesar’s and 6’1”, 177 lb. Zach Golembiewski of Belle Tire have been added to the U.S. Under-17 Team for the upcoming season, bringing the number of forwards to 11 on the team.
Golembiewski, who is from St. Clair, Mich., is a 3/6/91 birthdate and a right shot who played 71 games last season with a 45-50-95 line. He also had a strong showing at Nationals.
Treais, from Bloomfield, Mich., is a 2/4/91 birthdate and a right shot who played 45 games and had a 31-55-86 line. Treais is a University of Michigan recruit for the fall of ’09.
Though both are good players, we didn’t think either really stood out from the pack at last week’s Select 16 Player Development Camp – at least not in the games we saw.
7/3/07
Schneider Signs With Vancouver
Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider has signed with the Vancouver Canucks, thus forgoing his senior year at Boston College.Schneider, drafted by Vancouver in the first round -- #26 overall -- of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, will likely play the upcoming season for Manitoba (AHL). Vancouver senior vice president and GM Dave Nonis has made it clear for a while now that Manitoba is where he wants Schneider to be.
Schneider, from Marblehead, Mass. and Philips Andover, finishes his three years at the Heights with a 66-26-7 record, a 2.09 gaa, and a .925 save percentage.
Boston College will now be counting on a pair of freshmen goaltenders in John Muse and Andrew Margolin, both directly out of prep school (Nobles and Taft, respectively). This might make Eagles fans uneasy, but remember that Harvard won a national title in 1988-89 with a pair of freshmen netminders in Chuckie Hughes and Allain Roy.
Junior Adam Reasoner, who has appeared in one game for the Eagles in two years, will also be on the roster.
7/3/07
Eveland, Whitney Put on Show at Select 16s
The highlight – for this observer, anyway -- of USA Hockey’s Select 16 Player Development Camp, which wound up Friday at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester NY, was watching 5’8”, 150 lb. Dakota Eveland and 5’6”, 150 lb. Steven Whitney – linemates on the Royal Blue team -- work their magic together, leading their team to a 4-1-0 record.Eveland, a Colorado College recruit from Anaheim, Calif. and the LA Selects who will be playing for at least the next two years for the Omaha Lancers (USHL), transcends his size – and we think his listed height/weight is pushing it a bit. His strengths are his acute vision, his hands, and his quickness. When he is on the ice, you keep your eyes on him.
Whitney, from Reading, Mass. and Lawrence Academy, has the same qualities as Eveland, though in a less refined, grittier manner. A more physical, get-under-the-skin-of-opponents type, Whitney is a classic Boston area rink rat. Like Eveland, he’s hard to take your eyes off of, and when you put the two most skilled forwards in the whole camp on the same line, it’s something to see.
Other forwards who jumped out at us included Kenny Ryan (Honeybaked/#12 Orange), Josh Birkholz (Blake School/#17 Grey), Brad Smith (Belle Tire/#14 Teal), Joey Tullis (Chicago Mission/#15 Teal), Drew Shore (Honeybaked/#17 Green), Ryan Walters (St. Thomas Academy/#8), Jerry D’Amigo (Binghamton Jr. Senators/#10 Maroon), and Jake Goldberg (Eaglebrook School/#18 Green),
If those were the Top 10 – the A players -- the following were the A- players:
Andrew Yogan (Florida Jr. Panthers/#18 Purple), Kevin Lynch (Honeybaked/#8 Black), Kit Sitterley (Culver/#8 Maroon), Nick Oliver (#16 Black), Tyler Brickler (Chicago Mission/#15 Maroon), Chris Brown (Honeybaked/#11 Gold), Ryan Bourque (Cushing/#10 Green), Kyle Palmieri (NJ Devile/#14 Navy), Tyler Maxwell (LA Selects (#20 Navy), Zach Budish (Edina HS/#15 White), Jeremy Morin (Syracuse Stars/#16 Grey), Cody Murphy (Team Illinois/#20 Gold), Kyle Beattie (PF Chang’s/#15 Royal Blue), Sam Alfieri (Shattuck/#9 Teal), and Bradley McBride (Colorado Thunderbirds/#19 Orange).
The above is our top 25. For good measure we’ll add ten more. Jon Parker (LA Selects/#9 Black), Jared Maetche (St. Cloud Tech/#11 Royal), Garrett Taylor (LA Selects/#10 Orange), Matt White (Pittsburgh Hornets/#17 Red), Chris Crane (Honeybaked/#8 Orange), Cody Ferriero (Gov. Dummer/#8 Navy), Alex Wideman (St. Louis Blues AAA/#12 Green), Ryan White (Colorado Thunderbirds/#16 Gold), Tyler Brown (Belle Tire/#10 Grey), and Derek Army (Moses Brown School/#15 Gold).
OK, that makes 35 forwards – that’s less than 25% of the 144 forwards on hand in Rochester. There were other very good players whose names we placed checks next to, and some of them will soar, some won’t. These are, after all, the best (or a good number of the best) in their age group in the U.S.
Defensemen:
The top two defensemen here, for this viewer, were Cam Fowler (Honeybaked) and Nick Mattson (Chaska HS). Both late ‘91s. Fowler is a Notre Dame recruit for ’09. Mattson, who was a standout at both the NTDP evaluation camp in March and the Model Camp in June, is being recruited hard by both Minnesota and North Dakota. Right behind them comes Beau Schmitz (Belle Tire), a Ferris State recruit for ’09, though major junior – Plymouth drafted him – will be putting on the full press. Fowler, Matson, and Schmitz are all going to the Under-17 Team in the fall.
If Fowler, Mattson, and Schmitz were the three elite defensemen, our top ten d-men would include the following seven players:
Brad Walch (Honeybaked/#5 Navy), Sam Calabrese (Team Illinois/#5 Gold), John Ramage (St. Louis Amateur Blues/#3 Purple), Bjorn Krupp (TPH Thunder/#4 Royal), Nate Schmidt (St. Cloud Cathedral HS/#4 Purple), Paul Phillips (Chicago Chill/#7 Teal), and Eamonn McDermott (Cleveland Barons/#2 Green).
Here are 18 more defensemen we liked:
Danny Furlong (Catholic Memorial/#7 Black), Nick Leddy (Eden Prairie HS/#6 Maroon), Garrett Clement (Palm Beach Icehawks/#5 Green), William Wrenn (LA Selects/#5 Grey), Tyler Amburgey (Texas Attack/#3 Orange), Brendan Rempel (Pomfret/#3 Navy), Patrick Wey (Pittsburgh Hornets/#2 Gold), Blake Thompson (Eden Prairie Bantam/#6 Teal), Richie Crowley (Thayer/#5 White), Gus Young (Nobles/#5 Red), Mark Alt (Cretin-Derham Hall JV/#4 Green), Nick Lovejoy (Deerfield Academy/#6 Black), Andy Latta (Ice House Avalanche/#2 Royal), Eric Johnson (Madison Capitols/#5 Maroon), Joe Rogalski (Buffalo Saints/#2 Black), Mike Miller (Honeybaked/#7 Green), Barron Smith (Chicago Mission/#2 Navy), and Aaron Ave (PF Chang’s/#2 Grey).
That makes 28 D, probably more than we wanted to list, but there’s depth at the blue line in the class of ’91.
On to the…
Goaltenders:
The top two goaltenders for our money were Jeff Teglia (Chicago Mission) and Matthew Skoff (Pittsburgh Hornets).
After those guys there was a group of six we liked. They are:
Brandon Maxwell (Cambridge Hawks/#1 Purple), Billy Faust (LA Selects/#1 Black), Clay Witt (Boston Junior Bruins – Empire/#1 Teal), Michael Petchonka (Mid-Fairfield/#30 Teal), Casey DeSmith (Berwick Academy/#1 Orange), and Michael Webb (Holy Angels/#1 Royal)
MIA:
Top ‘91s absent from the festival included goaltender Adam Murray (US Under-17), and forwards Landon Ferraro (Burnaby Winter Club) and John Henrion (Boston Junior Bruins – Empire).
7/2/07 UMass-Lowell’s MacDonald Arrested, Suspended
Chelmsford police arrested MacDonald, 43, Friday night after he was found asleep in a running car at a condominium complex in town. According to the Lowell Sun, MacDonald was given two Breathalyzer tests, registering .23 and .25, roughly three times the legal limit, which is .08.
The timing of this is not great for the River Hawks program, which earlier this spring looked to be in serious jeopardy. A couple weeks ago, however, the Lowell City Council agreed to a more favorable lease arrangement between the school and the city, which oversees Tsongas Arena.
Between the inability of the school to build a local fan base for the hockey program and the UMass Board of Trustees attempting to eliminate the River Hawks’ hockey program altogether, it has not been a great off-season for the team. And this just adds to the woes.
7/3/07
EJHL Defenseman Killed in Motorcycle Accident
New England Jr. Huskies (EJHL) defenseman Severi Salomaa was killed in a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Kalanti, Finland on Saturday afternoon.Salomaa, an EJHL All-Star last winter, was in the process of getting everything lined up so he could use hockey to acquire a U.S. college education. Several schools were interested, with AIC the likely frontrunner.
Prior to coming to the Huskies, Salomaa served his country as a sergeant in the Finnish army. He joined the Huskies in early November.
“He was solid, a very well-rounded player,” said Paul Jenkins, his coach. “He was tough as nails, and didn’t make mistakes.”
In an e-mail, Cameron Burt, his partner on defense last winter, wrote: “Severi was a great person and a great friend. He always put his friends and teammates before himself and was always generous to us. I learned so much from Severi, his personality was shy, but very radiant. I’m sure he was a positive influence in the lives of those he knew because he definitely was in mine. I will miss him dearly.”
