7/31/09
BU-BC Recruiting Battle
5’7”, 160 lb. ’94-born Robert Polesello, who played up for part of last season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens ’93 team, is the object of the summer’s hottest recruiting battle as Boston University and Boston College are both hot on his trail.Polesello, a Gionta-Gerbe type, is quick, skilled, sees the ice well, can finish, and has explosive speed. A left shot center who can also play on the wing, he impressed at the Junior Chowder Cup the week before last. Both BC assistant Mike Cavanaugh and BU assistant Mike Bavis were there to check him out, then were followed up the next night by Jerry York and Jack Parker. And Polesello, a native of Bolton, Ontario, came through with a big multi-point performance.
Ontario observers believe that Polesello, despite his size, will go in the first round of the OHL draft next May – if he is serious about the O. However, Polesello has played with a lot of the young U.S. college-bound kids – e.g., Vermont’s Ian Spencer -- with the East Coast Selects summer program, and reportedly believes he’s better suited to the college game.
Polesello, who took an unofficial visit to Michigan last summer and went to a game at Yost over the winter, is very into the Boston area, and will be back shortly for his college visits.
-- The top individual performance in the Beantown Summer Tour last night in Exeter, NH goes to Team Boston’s 5’9” goalie Anthony Terenzio of New Canaan, Conn. and Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Last night, Terenzio played the first period vs. Team Calgary and blanked them, coming up with some big-time saves. A ’93 birthdate, Terenzio played on Shattuck’s Under-16 Team last winter.
A player we had never come across before who did a very good job last night was 5’7, 150 lb. RC Thomas Nolan of Team New York. Nolan, who plays for Iona Prep H.S. (New Rochelle, NY), lacks size but he has speed, won draws, and was strong on the puck. He’s a ’93.
A Minnesota player we also hadn’t seen, but who played well, was ’93 forward Judd Peterson of Duluth Denfeld HS.
The best line of the evening was Team New England’s Charlie Coyle-Matt Harlow-Kevin Hayes, who were sprung for numerous breakaways vs. Team Ontario. As for Team Ontario, they appeared to be suffering from a case of bus legs, but 5’11”, 180 lb. power forward Aaron Pearce of the Georgetown Raiders was noticeable nonetheless.
7/30/09
Beantown Summer Tour Rosters/Schedule
The 2009 Beantown Summer Tour starts tonight (4:00 pm) at the Rinks at Exeter, and will continue on Fri. the 31st at the same venue. On Sat. Aug. 1 the tournament shifts to UNH's Whittemore Center before returning on Sun. Aug. 2 to the Rinks at Exeter for a playoff round.
There are eight teams this year, with probably about 75% of the players being '93 birthdates. The remainder will be '92s and '94s with even a couple of '95s (Steve Santini and Brandon Shea, both on Scott Harlow's Team New England).
Click below for the schedule and rosters. All rosters are there except Philadelphia’s.
2009 Beantown Tour Summer Schedule
2009 Beantown Summer Tour Rosters7/29/09
British Columbia’s Top NCAA Prospects
Gill, an impact player, has NCAA schools lining up for his services. Boston University, North Dakota, and Minnesota head up the list.
A 4/21/92 birthdate from Terrace, BC, Gill is a quick, skilled 5’10”, 180 lb. left shot forward who as a rookie played a key role on the Vernon Vipers team that captured the Royal Bank Cup title last season. In the regular season, Gill had an 18-21-39 line in 54 games. He did even better in the playoffs, notching 17 points in 17 games.
Gill’s WHL rights are owned by the Kamloops Blazers.
***
British Columbia’s top defensive prospect is 6’4”, 195 lb. LD Isaac MacLeod, who will be a rookie with the Penticton Vees (BCHL) this season. MacLeod, who played three games with the Vees as an affiliate player last season, led his hometown Nelson Leafs to the Kootenay International Jr. B Hockey League championship.
MacLeod, the younger brother of Michigan Tech sophomore forward Alex MacLeod, is being recruited by BU, BC, UNH, and Denver.
A 2/22/92 birthdate, MacLeod has size, skating ability, and an offensive dimension. In addition, he plays with an edge.
Like Gill, his WHL rights are owned by Kamloops.
Both players could go high in next June’s NHL draft.
Another defenseman college recruiters will be watching in the early going is 6’3”, 205 lb. Mitch Chapman of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL).
Chapman, an 8/19/92 birthdate from Summerland, BC, played for the Pacific team in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last winter.
"He will take your head off,” said one NCAA assistant coach who watched Chapman last winter.
7/28/09
Brown Names Whittet
Dartmouth assistant Brendan Whittet was offered the position as new head coach at Brown University this morning.Look for an official announcement naming Whittet sometime this week.
Whittet, a Brown alum and ’94 graduate, is an East Providence, RI native who was a star defenseman at Mount St. Charles before going on to Brown, where he was coached by Bob Gaudet, his present boss at Dartmouth. In Whittet’s junior year, Brown made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program’s history.
After his playing career ended, Whittet began his 14-year coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater (on Gaudet’s staff), then went on to Colby for a year before rejoining Gaudet at Dartmouth in the fall of ’98. After a couple of rebuilding years, the Gaudet/Dave Peters/Whittet staff has been right in the ECAC hunt virtually every year since. It’s easy to see how Brown might want a little of that to rub off on them.
As far as we know, the candidates – seven in number -- who received interviews were, in addition to Whittet, Boston College associate head coach Mike Cavanaugh, UMass assistant Red Gendron, Union College associate head coach Rick Bennett, Colorado College assistant Joe Bonnett, Brown assistant Mark Workman, and Brown women’s coach Digit Murphy.
We reported earlier that the pay cap for the Brown head coach’s position was $85,000. Maybe it was formerly, but now it’s reportedly been upped to the $100-110 K range. That’s still below the Ivy range, which is roughly $140-200 K.
Another sticking point for Brown has always been the money budgeted for assistants – approximately $80,000 to be split two ways. That’s just being miserly. And then there's the recruiting budget -- said to be $45,000 -- which is also way below league average. If Brown wishes to be competititive and give their new head coach a fighting chance, they will have to bring that up significantly, at least to the level of their Ivy brethren.
7/27/09
2009 Select 15 Roundup
The story of the Select 15 Player Development Camp, held at the dreary ESL Centre in Rochester, NY July 15-21, surrounded the defense corps, where high-end talent and depth could be found.
The ’94 forwards were a different proposition… thin, very thin.
For us, picking the best defenseman and forward in camp was easy. We felt that smooth-skating Compuware defenseman Jacob Trouba, who’s made unofficial visits to Michigan and Notre Dame, was the #1 blueliner, with an upside similar to Cam Fowler, to use a recent example. Max Iafrate, son of Al “The Planet” Iafrate, was tremendous as well – very well-rounded. Seth Jones, the son of former NBA player and current Dallas Mavericks assistant coach “Popeye” Jones, has a less fully-rounded game than the above two, but has the wingspan of a condor and very good feet for a kid of his age/size. Nick Ebert was excellent as well, but left halfway through the tournament to attend Waterloo’s camp. Reports are that he played well there, and could make the team as a 15-year-old.
Up front, we liked Cristoval “Boo” Nieves, who we saw as a significant notch above any other forward in camp. Nieves will be playing with the Syracuse Nationals (former Syracuse Stars) midget minor squad in the upcoming season. He’s 6’2”, dynamic, skilled, and is a strong, powerful skater. Didn’t score much here, but no matter -- he has the earmarks of a future high-round NHL draft pick. Michigan offered him recently and that appears to be where he wishes to attend college.
No goalie jumped out at us as a clear #1. We saw a lot of inconsistency at that position, and not a lot of separation.
We ranked players we considered "A" players. "B" players are not ranked. They are just lumped in together.
”A Forwards”
1. Boo Nieves (#18 Black) 6-2/175 – Syracuse Nationals Midget Minor. See above.
2. Nick Kerdiles (#14 Navy) 6-0/170 – Left shot center from LA Selects Under-16. We liked what we saw but our viewings were limited as Kerdiles pulled a muscle in his neck and missed most of the games.
3. Aaron Michaelson (#9 Navy) 6-0/170 – A center from Apple Valley (Minn.) HS. Very smooth skater, and a smart, savvy player. In one game, he tipped in the tying goal with 32 seconds left, then got the winner with six seconds on the clock.
4. Cody Payne (#8 Grey) 6-1/185 – A big, strong power forward type from Florida who played for Mississauga Reps 94. Has a big shot, and a big upside.
5. Evan Anderson (#15 Forest Green) 6-2/175 – Has size, sees the ice well, and has a little hop to his game. Colorado Thunderbirds.
6. Brendan Silk (#18 White) 6-1/160 – Big power forward who can get up a head of steam. Strong on skates, and has good puck skills. Cousin of ’80 Olympian Dave Silk. Will be playing for Austin Prep.
7. Cam Darcy (#16 Kelly Green) 6-2/180 – Big strong power forward from Southie. Played for Dexter last season. Not a great skater, but hands compensate, and he sees the ice. Physically dominates.
8. Nikolas Olsson (#17 Black) 6-0/165 – From LA Selects. Has size, competes, sees the ice well, and has good stick skills.
9. Vince Hinostroza (#11 White) 5-8/130 – Small but has really good hockey sense and puck skills. Could shoot by some guys on this list. From Chicago Mission Midget Minor
10. Nate Arentz (#9 Royal) 5-10/155 – From Lakeville North (Minn.) HS. Nice skater who can make plays and finish.
11. Riley Barber (#11 Blue) 5-10/168 – Smooth skater with acceleration. Excellent passer. Very good sense of game. Compuware last year; undecided for this season.
12. Frankie Vatrano (#8 Red) 5-10/190 – Great shot and release. Gets himself open so he can utilize it, too. Skating is average. In Junior Bruins organization.
13. Eric Brenk (#8 White) 6-0/180 – Good size. Aggressive. Strong with puck – can move it quickly, or finish. Will be playing for Moorhead (Minn.) HS. Go Spuds.
“B” Forwards:
-- Raymond Pigozzi (#16 Red) 5-11/160 -- From Chicago Mission. Consistently noticeable.
-- Jesse Schandler (#17 Kelly Green) 5-11/150 – From LI Gulls. A bit of a sleeper. Grew on us as tournament went along.
-- Micheal McNicholas (#18 Kelly Green) 5-9/150 – From LA Selects Under-16. A little inconsistent.
-- Tyler Pham (#9 Kelly Green) 5-9/160 – Will be playing for TI Under-16 this season.
-- Austin Ortega (#8 Purple) 5-7/138 – California kid from LA Selects moving to Colorado Thunderbirds. Very involved. Physical. Feet are always moving. Makes things happen.
-- Gage Torrel (#9 Purple) 5-8/160 – A center from Monticello (Minn.) HS.
-- Connor Wood (#16 Purple) 5-9/155 – Solid Honeybaked player. Good all-around. Nothing flashy.
-- Mac Cook (#17 Purple) 6-1/205 – Center from Reading (Mass.) HS. Has size, wins draws. Pretty raw. Scored some goals here – five to be precise.
-- Sebastian Romeo (#11 Purple) 6-3/190 – From Florida Alliance going to Ice Zone, whatever and wherever that is. Great size, good hands.
-- Casey Miller (#16 Navy) 5-8/140 – Good stick and speed. Moved puck well. Goes to Austin Prep (Mass.)
-- Kyle Schempp (#17 Navy) 5-10/150 – A good hard-working, blue-collar type. In Compuware organization.
-- Maxwell Shuart (#11 Orange) 5-11/165 – Compuware. A center; good sense of the game.
-- Jason Stephanik (#12 Orange) 6-0/160 – Lean and raw. From North Jersey Avalanche
-- Ryan Schwalbe (#18 Orange) 5-11/168 – From Anchorage, Alaska but playing at Shattuck.
-- David Hallisey (#16 Orange) 5-10/173 – Good stick; opportunistic. Going to Westminster School.
-- Austin Cangelosi (#9 Grey) 5-6/156 – Florida kid going to NMH. Hustles.
-- Gavin Stoick (#17 Grey) 6-2/190 – Oregon kid will be playing for Colorado Thunderbirds. Tall, gangly. Could be something when he fills out.
-- Andrew Doane (#18 Grey) 5-10/175 – Plays for Nobles. Solid.
-- John Ganss (#14Grey) 5-6/140 – Will be playing for North Jersey Avalanche. Small, but he scoots – and creates offense.
-- Grant Besse (#11 Grey) 5-10/150 – Will be playing at Wayzata HS. Had a couple goals in one game. OK skater. Good playmaker, good finisher.
-- Brian Morgan (#10 Grey) 5-11/170 – Junior Bruins Empire. Strong power forward.
-- Donald Sund (#11 Royal) 5-8/145 – Small center who played big. Has good speed, and drives to the net. From Grand Rapids, Mich, playing for GRAHA
-- Bradley Hawkinson (#14 Royal) 5-11/170 – Scored a batch of goals. Young kid – a 9/94 birthdate – from the Colorado Thunderbirds.
-- Alex Roos (#8 Royal) 5-8/148 – Center from Team Illinois U-16 is a 12/5/94 birthdate.
-- Tim Lappin (#8 Black) 5-11/160 – Good passer; sees ice. Good along wall. Does a lot of little things well. With Chicago Mission.
-- Benjamin Johnson (#9 Black) 5-10/155 – Can finish and make a play. From Calumet (Mich.) HS.
-- Ryan Fitzgerald (#15 Blue) 5-8/140 – Son of former NHLer Tom Fitzgerald. Headed to Malden Catholic.
-- Jake O’Borsky (#9 Gold) 6-0/175 – Skating average, but made plays and scored goals. From Red Wing (Minn.) HS
-- Quentin Shore (#17 Gold) 5-11/165 – OK skater. Good stick. With Colorado Thunderbirds. Brother of Nick and Drew Shore.
-- Dennis Kravchenko (#12 Gold) 5-6/140 – Small, quick forward from LA Selects. Consistently noticeable. Always moving. Heading to KUA.
-- Thomas DiPauli (#14 Forest Green) 5-10/160 – Was good on draws. Advances play quickly. Will be with Chicago Mission U-16.
-- Brady Vail (#16 Forest Green) 6-1/190 – Has size and strength, but was a little inconsistent. Hard for us to get a line on. Will be with Compuware Midget Minor.
“A” Defensemen:
1. Jacob Trouba (#4 Orange) 6-1/170 – Smooth skater with acceleration, quickness, and size. Reads play well. Jumps up offensively. Has an accurate shot. Dynamic. Plays for Compuware.
2. Max Iafrate (#5 Royal) 6-0/183 – Quite advanced for age. Showed poise, presence, and confidence. He skates well. He moves puck well. Plays a complete game. Played for Honeybaked last year; Belle Tire Under-16 this year.
3. Seth Jones (#4 Royal) 6-3/180 – As we mentioned above, huge upside with good feet for size – and they’ll become very good as he gains strength. Needs to play a little more physically. Uses his long stride and reach to protect puck well. Will be playing forDallas Stars Midget Major. Everett Silvertips hold his rights in WHL.
4. Nick Ebert (#5 Orange) 6-1/190 – NJ Avalanche U-16. Left Rochester early to attend Waterloo’s camp. Plays with skill and a real edge. Hard-nosed. Will likely be playing major junior in the fall of ’10.
5. Dakota Mermis (#2 Navy) 5-10/165 – From Alton, Ill, Will play for St. Louis Blues Under-18. Good skater, strong on skates, and a tough defender. Made some great passes – hard, flat, and tape-to-tape.
6. Mark Yanis (#7 Purple) 6-2/178 – Big right-shot D will be playing for Belle Tire Under-16. Big, raw, plays with passion, wipes guys out. Needs to work on agility. Good upside.
7. Brady Skjei (#7 Black) 6-0/160 – Very creative and crafty. Good sense of the game. Lakeville (Minn.) HS
8. Patrick Sieloff (#3 Black) 6-0/166 – Fast. Good hands. Good size. Likes to jump up into play. From Compuware Midget Minor.
9. Garret Cockerill (#3 Grey) 5-11/170—Good speed. Good stick. Also from Compuware Midget Minor.
10. Ian Spencer (#7 Blue) 5-11/180 – Those who see him a lot say he didn’t bring his “A” game. Still looked pretty good to us. Skates very well; moves puck nicely. Could play harder physically in own end. Vermont recruit. Plays for North Jersey Avalanche.
“B” Defensemen:
-- Matthew Grzelcyk (#2 Red) 5-9/145 – Agile, mobile, quick, highly-skilled defenseman from Belmont Hill. An inch or two short of being on the “A” list. Might get there anyway.
-- Connor Carrick (#3 Purple) 5-10/170 – Mobile, quick d-man from Chicago Fury.
-- Mitchell Wedding (#3 Navy) 5-10/210 – From Honeybaked Midget Major. A linebacker in football and built like one. Aggressive, too.
-- Andy Michailidis (#7 Navy) 5-10/180 – Nice stick. Nice shot. Heady player headed to the Westminster School.
-- Josh Hanson (#3 Orange) 6-2/185 – Going from Alaska All-Stars to LA Selects 16-and-Under. Pretty raw; has size.
-- Kyle Olson (#3 Kelly Green) 5-10/150 -- Played for Wayzata Bantams last season. A 12/1/94 birthdate. Good awareness. Likes to carry puck. Good long stride.
-- John Dora (#6 Kelly Green) 6-3/185 – Big, tall lanky kid from Colorado Thunderbirds U-16. Raw, but projects well. Skating needs work.
-- Tyler Wood (#2 White) 6-1/170 – Heading to Governor’s Academy, son of former Eli Randy Wood.
-- Chad Bednar (#4 White) 6-1/170 – plays for Cleveland Barons organization
-- Grant Webermin (#6 White) 6-0/160 – From Honeybaked Midget Minor. A lot of offense from blue line. Had a 2-4-6 line.
-- Justin Woods (#2 Royal) 6-0/185 – Steady blueliner with size and ability to move puck quickly. From Fairbanks; plays for Arctic Lions
-- Mitchell Beyer (#3 Royal) 5-10/159 – NY state kid who will be playing for Junior Bruins. Showed awareness, skating ability, and a good stick.
-- Wayland Williams (#7 Gold) 5-11/170 – From Compuware. Liked him in all aspects, but not wowed in any.
-- Dylan Blujus (#2 Forest Green) 6-4/192 – Huge, with heavy feet. Could become a solid meat-and-potatoes d-man. With Buffalo Regals U-18.
-- Sam Piazza (#3 Forest Green) 5-11/180 – Good skater, with nice low center of gravity. Moved puck very well. With Chicago Mission.
-- Truman Reed (Forest Green) 6-1/178 – Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Grew on us as week went along. Need to see more.
“A” Goaltenders:
1. Dalton Izyk (#1 White) 6-2/195 – Syracuse Stars. Very consistent. No great games, but no bad games either.
2. Jake Thoubboron (#1 Kelly Green) 5-11/155 – From North Jersey Avalanche. Finished tournament with top save % and top gaa. Had one bad game in middle of week, but otherwise pretty flawless.
3. Billy Wager (#30 Red) 6-0/190 – From Pittsburgh Hornets U-16. Finished tournament with second-best save percentage and gaa. Consistently good. Didn’t have a single bad period.
4. Brandon Hope (#1 Purple) 6-0/180 – Honeybaked Midget Major. Quick for size. Really good first day. Had a bad team in front of him.
5. Jake Moore (#1 Royal) 5-8/135 – Buffalo Regals U-16. Came on strong at end of week.
“B” Goaltenders:
-- James Howe (#30 Navy) 5-8/155 – Little Caesar’s Midget Minor.
-- Jared Rutledge (#30 Royal) 5-11 -- CYA
-- Ryan Lund (#1 Grey) 5-11/165 – Alaska All-Stars U-16
-- David Jacobson (#1 Navy) 5-11/165 – LA Select U-16
-- Kevin Dluhy (#1 Gold) 5-8/140 – NJ Rockets (MJHL)
-- Nicholas Schmit (#1 Black) 5-6/122 – Grafton (ND) HS
-- Brock Kautz (#1 Orange) 5-11/174 – Rochester (Minn.) Century HS
7/27/09
It’s a Family Affair
The older brothers both played in the NTDP last season. Drew with the Under-18s, and Nick with the Under-17s. Nick, of course, will be moving up to the Under-18s this season.
Nick, a 9/26/92 birthdate, played with the Colorado Thunderbirds Midget Minor program before going to Ann Arbor last fall.
A Littleton, Colorado native, Shore chose Denver over Boston University. The Kelowna Rockets own his WHL draft rights, and they were making their pitch, too.
7/27/09
Little Big Man
The University of Maine has a commitment from Rivers School wing Cam Brown, who will likely be the smallest player in college hockey when he arrives in Orono in the fall of ’11.The Natick, Mass. native, who has quick feet and a quick stick, will likely grow some, but the facts remain: he’s a ‘93 birthdate and is about 5’1" and maybe 110 lbs. That’s small, really small.
“He’s good defensively, and he’s great offensively,” says his coach at Rivers, Brendan Flemming. “He has an uncanny ability, when in tight spaces, to just stickhandle by people. He still uses a junior stick.”
Flemming speaks highly of Brown’s work ethic. “He’s the hardest-working player I’ve ever coached,” he says. “He’s so prepared.”
Brown, who led Rivers in scoring as a sophomore last winter, is extremely tenacious, plays physically, and doesn’t back down to anyone. He’s a Gerbe-type (though not at that level) and simply fun to watch.
7/24/09
Herb Hammond, at 69; Coach and Scout
Longtime college coach and NHL scout Herb Hammond died yesterday in Fort Gratiot, Michigan. The cause of death was cancer, which he had been battling for nearly two years.
A Beverly, Mass. native, Hammond, a goalie and pitcher/first baseman at Beverly High, went on to Springfield College, graduated, and began his coaching career at North Yarmouth Academy and Albany Academy back in the ‘60s. Hammond then went on to become head coach at Oswego State (’68-80), Plattsburgh State (’80-83), and Brown University (‘82-88).
At Plattsburgh State, where former Montreal Canadien Jacques Lemaire was his assistant, Hammond’s teams went 52-17-4.
From 1989-2000 Hammond, scouted for the New York Rangers, getting his Stanley Cup ring in 1994. Afterwards, he scouted for the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild.
When Hammond, who had a legion of friends, retired from scouting, he settled in Michigan, taking a tentative step into retirement by accepting a position as GM of the Port Huron Flags (UHL). The major part of the decision to move to Michigan was to help his wife, Patricia, take care of her ailing parents. But, before long, Hammond was diagnosed with cancer, which spread through his jaw, requiring that he relearn how to talk and swallow.
The funeral service will be held Mon. July 27 at 1:00 pm at the Smith Funeral Home in Port Huron, Mich.
7/23/09
Fenway Game Set
The Boston College men will face off against defending national champion Boston University at Fenway Park on Fri. Jan 8.Look for an official announcement at some point soon.
The game, a home game for the Eagles, will be preceded by a women’s game featuring Northeastern. We are not sure yet who the Huskies opponent will be.
The BC men have shifted their game at Providence from Jan. 8 to a date to be determined.
7/23/09
Beantown Summer Tour Schedule
The 2009 Beantown Summer Tour starts next Thursday, July 30, at the Rinks at Exeter, and will continue on Fri. the 31st at the same venue. On Sat. Aug. 1 the tournament shifts to UNH's Whittemore Center before returning on Sun. Aug. 2 to the Rinks at Exeter for a playoff round.
There will be eight teams this year, with probably about 75% of the players being '93 birthdates. The remainder will be '92s and '94s and even a couple of '95s (Steve Santini and Brandon Shea, both on Scott Harlow's Team New England).
We'll know more when all the rosters are in, but this looks to be a strong field, with teams representing Minnesota, Michigan, Philadelphia, Ontario, New York, Calgary, New England, and Boston.
Like last year, the teams will be making campus visits.
Click to view the 2009 Beantown Tour Summer Schedule
7/22/09
Under-18 Select Team Finalized
The 21-man roster for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that will be traveling to the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia Aug. 11-15 has been officially announced.The players were selected from among the participants at the Select 17 Player Development Camp (‘92s) July 7-13 in Rochester, NY.
Goaltenders (2):
Cody Campbell (Fargo – USHL); Zane Gothberg (Thief River Falls HS).
Defensemen (7):
Brandon Archibald (Soo Greyhounds – OHL); Will Eiserman (Newburyport HS); Kevin Gravel (Marquette – NAHL); Kevin Lind (Chicago – USHL); Ben Marshall (Mahtomedi HS); Scott Mayfield (St. Louis AAA Blues Under-16); Jamieson Oleksiak (Chicago – USHL).
Forwards (12):
Nick Bjugstad (Blaine HS); Connor Brickley (Belmont Hill School); Charlie Coyle (Thayer Academy); Brian Ferlin (Jacksonville – MJHL); Kevin Hayes (Noble & Greenough School); Christian Isackson (St. Thomas Academy); Mike Parks (St. Louis Selects AAA); Kyle Rau (Eden Prairie HS); Colten St. Clair (Fargo – USHL); T.J. Tynan (Chicago Mission Under-18); Sam Warning (St. Louis Selects AAA); Austin Watson (Windsor – OHL).
Head Coach:
Eric Rud, St. Cloud State University
Assistant Coach:
Danton Cole, University of Alabama-Huntsville
Notes:
Four players – Marshall, Bjugstad, Isackson, and Parks – were on last summer’s U.S. Under-17 Select Team.
Players come from: Minnesota (6); Massachusetts (4); Missouri (3); Michigan (2); Illinois (2); Colorado (1); Florida (1); Arizona (1); and Ontario (1).
Schedule:
Memorial of Ivan Hlinka
Piestany, Slovakia Aug. 11-15
Fri. Aug. 7 – Canada (exhib.)
Sun. Aug. 9 – Czech Republic (exhib.)
Tues. Aug. 11 – Russia
Wed. Aug. 12 – Finland
Thurs. Aug. 13 – Slovakia
Sat. Aug. 15 – TBD
7/22/09
Three for the NTDP
The National Team Development Program has added three ‘93s – with one forward still to be added -- to its Under-17 Team for the upcoming season. They are:-- 6’3”, 184 lb. left-shot forward A.J. Reid of Chino Hills, California and the LA Selects. Reid is a 1/29/83 birthdate.
-- 6’1”, 175 lb. RD Connor Murphy of Dublin, Ohio and the Ohio Blue Jackets organization. Murphy, a 3/26/93 birthdate, is the son of former NHL defenseman Gord Murphy, now an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
-- 6’0”, 175 lb. LD Jake McCabe of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Eau Claire Memorial High School. McCabe is the second NTDP player to come out of Eau Claire Memorial High School, joining Jake Dowell, an ’85 who went on to the University of Wisconsin and the Chicago Blackhawks. In case you didn’t know, Eau Claire Memorial’s teams are known as the “Old Abes,” in honor of an eagle caught by Native Americans and given to the Civil War-bound soldiers of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, who named the bird Old Abe in honor of President Lincoln. Old Abe actually went to war with the 8th Wisconsin. During fighting, a soldier was assigned to protect Old Abe, who was tied to his perch by a cord, presumably so he wouldn’t take off when the guns and cannons started blazing. After the war, Old Abe was moved into his own room in the basement of the state capitol in Madison. When he died, the eagle’s preserved body was placed in a glass display case in the capitol. But in 1904, the Capitol building burned down, and Old Abe’s body was lost in the fire. The state didn’t let things die there, though. We’re told that there’s a “replica” of Old Abe’s body there now. Maybe we’ll go check it out next time we’re in Madison. It’s not every day that we see replicas of dead eagles.
7/17/09
Spartan Recruit Jumps to OHL
Michigan State recruit Jimmy McDowell has reneged and decided to go major junior with Oshawa (OHL).
McDowell, a ’93 defenseman who played for Little Caesar’s midget minor squad last winter, was drafted by Oshawa in May. He was also drafted by the Chicago Steel in the third round of May’s USHL Futures Draft.
McDowell’s twin brother, Jacob, a forward who is also committed to Michigan State (for ’11), is still on board with the Spartans. Unlike this brother, Jacob went undrafted by the O.
***
A native son stays home: 5’11”, 165 lb. center Jared Linnell, a ’93 forward with the Alaska All-Stars who was one of the better forwards at last month’s Select 16 Camp in Rochester, NY, has committed to Alaska-Fairbanks for either 2011 or 2012.
***
Mike Szostak reports in today’s Providence Journal that Brown women’s head coach Digit Murphy will be – or has gotten -- an interview for the men’s position. That brings the number to seven, as Murphy joins Rick Bennett, Joe Bonnett, Mike Cavanaugh, Red Gendron, Brendan Whittet and Mark Workman as those getting interviews.
7/17/09
Select 14 Standouts
Here are our rankings from the USA Hockey Select 14 Development Camp (’95 birthdates), which took place at the same time and place as the 17 Camp, i.e. Rochester, NY, July 8-14. We've never done a 14 list before -- feeling it's rather young -- but we're trying it now. Consider it a trial run.No all-star team was picked from this tournament, but if there were one, here’s what our’s would look like. We should point out, if it isn’t instantly obvious, that with the huge variation in physical and emotional development at this age, this list will change significantly through the years – even by next year.
Note: 5’9”, 158 lb. Patrick Gazzillo (Chicago Fury) was said to be one of the better defensemen in camp, but was injured (concussion) before we had a chance to see him. Just thought we’d get his name into the discussion.
Forwards:
1. Justin Bailey (Amherst Knights) 6’3”, 157 lbs. – Great size, shot, strength, very tough to knock off the puck.
2. Michael McCarron (Belle Tire) 6’3”, 198 lbs. – Big, physical, skilled, good skater for size. Also has good hands, a hard shot, and strength. Skating is just OK – should get better.
3. Evan Allen (Honeybaked 95) 5’10”, 155 lbs. – Great hands, good shot. All-around strong game.
4. John Hayden (Westchester Express) 5’11”, 170 lbs. – Big, physical power forward who makes smart decisions. Injured during tournament, but should be fine.
5. Adam Erne (LA Selects) 5’11”, 170 lbs. – Power forward type bullies his way around. Is strong on skates; hard to knock off puck.
6. John Urbanic (Cleveland Barons 95) 5’7”, 145 lbs. – Great wheels, hard shot, explosive with puck.
7. Connor Hutchins (Dallas Stars AAA) 5’10”, 155 lbs. – Smart, great on edges, nifty with puck, excellent hands.
8. Bryan Basilico (Belle Tire) 6’1”, 155 lbs. – Strong, feisty, moves puck well.
9. Matthew Rudin (1995 Cleveland Barons) 5’9”, 140 lbs. – Intense, great in front, uses size well, and finds a way to bury it.
10. Jason Cotton (Dallas Stars 95 AAA) 5’9”, 140 lbs. – Great puck handler, smart, powerful on skates, tough to knock off puck.
11. Nathan Kinman (Columbus Blue Jackets) 5’10”, 165 lbs. – Blazing speed, great shot, intelligent playmaker.
12. Jason Reynolds (Jr. Gamblers) 5’8”, 170 lbs. – Great shot, great finisher, handles puck well, but could pass a bit more.
Honorable Mention -- forwards:
Chase Deleo (LA Selects) 5’3”, 130 lbs.
Kenneth Hausinger (Alaska All-Stars) 5’9”, 168 lbs.
Adam Ulfsax (Muskegon 94) 5’11”, 163 lbs.
Grant Rushlau (Belle Tire) 5’9”, 150 lbs.
Zack Faulkner (94 Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins) 5’5”, 148 lbs.
Dylan McLaughlin (Buffalo Regals) 5’9”, 140 lbs.
Mark Bowen (Avalanche) 5’6”, 130 lbs.
Zachary Diamantoni (New Jersey Rockets) 5’7”, 135 lbs.
Defensemen:
1. Steve Santini (Westchester Express) 6’1”, 195 lbs. – A manchild. Intimidating. Strong. Physical. Moves puck well. The top player in camp.
2. Scott Savage (LA Selects) 5’11”, 150 lbs. – Competes, solid defensively, has really good feet.
3. Corey Schueneman (95 Little Caesar’s AAA) 5’10”, 160 lbs. – Offensive d-man. Good speed and hands.
4. Kyle Mitsunaga (LA Selects) 5’10”, 160 lbs. – Another offensive-minded d-man. Fast, with a heavy, hard shot. Moves puck well.
5. D.J. O’Brien (Ohio AAA Blue Jackets) 6’1”, 170 lbs. – Big guy with a long reach, smart defensively, with a very hard shot.
6. Anthony DeAngelo (Mercer Chiefs) 5’10”, 140lbs. – Moves puck well. Smart on when to jump into play and solid defensively.
Honorable Mention – defensemen:
Matt Calabrese (Mission ‘95s) 5’4”, 110 lbs.
Thompson Keaton (Devils Lake Bantam A) 5’11”, 150 lbs.
Eric Macken (Mid-Fairfield Bantam Minor) 5’9”, 155 lbs.
Alex Smith (Honeybaked 95) 5’10”, 150 lbs.
Goaltenders:
1. Ian Jenkins (Detroit Honeybaked 95) 5’5”, 145 lbs. – Great glove, good positioning, smart, finds a way to track puck through screens.
2. Owen Carlson (Alaska All-Stars) 5’7”, 145 lbs. – Good glove. Moves well, and good with rebounds, too.
Honorable Mention – goaltenders:
Stephen East (Mercer Chiefs) 5’8”, 137 lbs.
Talon Miller (Anchorage North Stars) 5’8”, 170 lbs.
Andrew Lee (Hamburg Hawks) 5’9”, 120 lbs.
Max Ciovacco (’94 CP Dynamo) 5’7”, 130 lbs.
7/16/09
Going to Germany
The 2009 U.S. Under-17 Select Team, which will compete in the 2009 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament next month in Fussen, Germany, has been named. The full roster, drawn from participants at the Select 16 Camp, held June 26-July 2 in Rochester, NY, is as follows:Goaltenders (2): Brendan Jensen (LA Selects); Jay Williams (Hotchkiss).
Defensemen (6): Brian Cooper (Alaska All-Stars); Garrett Haar (LA Selects); Jake McCabe (Eau Claire Memorial HS); Dan Molenaar (Eden Prairie HS); Connor Murphy (Ohio Blue Jackets); Jordan Schmaltz (Chicago Mission Under-16).
Forwards (12): Ben Bahe (Hill-Murray HS); Kevin Becker (Hill-Murray HS); Alex Gacek (Governor’s Academy); Kenneth Gillespie (East Coast Eagles); Anthony Greco (Shattuck Under-16); Cason Hohman (Compuware AAA); Christian Horn (Benilde-St. Margaret’s); Shane McColgan (LA Jr. Kings); Alex Racino (Team Wisconsin); Lukas Sutter (Lethbridge Titans); Seth Swenson (Colorado Thunderbirds); Austin Wuthrich (Alaska All-Stars).
Head Coach: Darren Turcotte. Assistant Coach: Rick Bennett.
U.S. Schedule:
Tues. Aug. 18 vs. Slovakia
Thurs. Aug. 20 vs. Switzerland
Fri. Aug. 21 vs. Czech Republic
Sat. Aug. 22 vs. Germany.
(There are no playoff rounds.)
Note:
As is customary, players enrolled in the NTDP are not eligible for this tournament.
7/17/09
Coyle Accelerating
Boston University 2011 recruit Charlie Coyle, who played really well at the Select 17 camp in Rochester, NY last week, will be leaving Thayer and playing the upcoming season with the South Shore Kings (EJHL).Coyle who had repeated, will be accelerating back to his normal class, which will make him a senior this season. He will graduate in 2010 and enter BU that fall, a year earlier than previously planned.
The South Shore Kings, by the way, will be coached this year by former BC star Scott Harlow, who will be giving up his assistant’s position at Noble & Greenough. Nobody new is expected to be brought in at Nobles, as former Middlebury star Mark Spence is expected to take a larger role on Brian Day’s staff.
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Former Bridgton Academy head coach Jamie Printz is the new head hockey coach at the Nichols School in Buffalo, NY. Printz will also be teaching math there.
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There is a sixth candidate interviewing for the Brown head coaching job this week, and it’s Mark Workman, a Brown assistant for the last six seasons. Workman, 39, a Stillwater, Minn. native, was the head coach at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., his alma mater, for six years.
7/12/09
Select 17 Rankings
Here are our rankings from the Select 17 Player Development Camp in Rochester, NY. We have tried to place the focus on how players actually performed at the Festival, but, inevitably, a bit of projecting seeps in.We should point out that we did not include major junior players in our rankings.
Forwards:
1 -- 5’11”, 187 lb. Colten St. Clair (#10 Orange) – 11/92 DOB, Fargo (USHL) last year and this, too. Outstanding in every game. CC recruit.
2 -- 6’1”, 195 lb. Connor Brickley (#10 Kelly Green) – Vermont recruit played for Belmont Hill last year; Des Moines this year. Used speed, played with an edge, racked up points.
3 -- 6’4”, 195 lb. Scott Wamsganz (#15 Red) – Alaskan has size and is a powerful skater. Will be played at Waterloo this year and could really blossom. Uncommitted.
4 -- 5’9”, 168 lb. T.J. Tynan (#16 Gold) – Notre Dame recruit moving from Chicago Mission to Des Moines. Fun to watch. Excellent skills.
5 -- 6’0”, 167 lb. Mike Vilardo (#11 Royal) – 9/16/92 DOB plays for TI. Ohio State recruit.
6 -- 6’3”, 210 lb. Charlie Coyle (#12 Orange) -- BU recruit plays at Thayer Academy.
7 -- 6’1”, 170 lb. Garret Hendrickson (#17 Red) – Uncommitted now, but probably won’t be for long. From Virginia (Minn.) HS.
8 -- 5’10”, 175 lb. Joey Wilson (#12 Forest Green) – Colgate recruit from Syracuse (EJHL). Smart player.
9 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Garrett Allen (#11 Orange) – Wisconsin native played for TI Midget AAA last year. Has a real knack around the net. Uncommitted.
10 -- 5’10”, 165 lb. Joey Benik (#16 Royal) – Scoring machine played for St. Francis HS (Minn.) last year. St. Cloud State recruit.
11 -- 5’9”, 150 lb. Kyle Rau (#11 White) – Eden Prairie HS. 10/92 DOB. Smart, clever, and uncommited.
12 -- 6’1”, 180 lb. Christian Isackson (#17 Gold) – Plays for St. Thomas Academy. Minnesota recruit. Slow start but picked it up as week went along.
13 -- 5’10”, 183 lb. Colin Markison (#8 Kelly Green) – Vermont recruit. Excellent speed. Jersey Hitmen last year; Omaha (USHL) this year.
14 -- 5’11”, 170 lb. Sam Warning (#14 White) – From St. Louis Selects: Moving on to USHL. Also has excellent speed. Uncommitted. 9/29/92 DOB.
15 -- 5’9”, 157 lb. Jamie Hill (#9 Orange) – UNH recruit. Played for Team Comcast; moving on to USHL. Great stick; clever.
16 -- 6’3”, 180 lb. Max Gardiner (#14 Kelly Green) – Gopher recruit from Minnetonka HS. Started slowly, came on by the weekend. A lot of upside.
17 -- 6’4”, 185 lb. Nick Bjugstad (#16 Kelly Orange) – Also a Gopher recruit and also started week slowly. Seemed to be a trait with the Gopher forwards here. Also a lot of upside.
18 -- 6’3”, 200 lb. Phil Lane (#18 Royal) – Played for Buffalo Jr. Sabres. Uncommitted, but major junior reported to be a possibility.
19 -- 5’11”, 162 lb. James Mullin (#15 Gold) – Miami recruit played for Shattuck Under-16 last year. Smart player.
20 -- 6’0”, 188 lb. Michael Parks (#12 White) – North Dakota recruit from St. Louis Selects. Will be at Cedar Rapids this year.
21 -- 5’11”, 175 lb. Michael Montagna (#10 Gold) – Vermont recruit knows what to do with the puck on his stick. Plays for Syracuse Stars (EJHL).
22 -- 5’8”, 160 lb. Max Edson (#8 Gold) – California kid playing at Salisbury. Best hockey we’ve ever seen from him. Totally on his game here. Uncommitted.
23 -- 6’1”, 177 lb. Alex Lippincott (#12 Kelly Green) – Ohio State recruit moving from Mahoning Valley to Fargo (USHL).
24 --- 6’3”, 205 lb. Kevin Hayes (#8 Forest Green) – Sniper from Noble & Greenough. BC recruit.
25 -- 6’0”, 185 lb. John Parker (#15 White) – UMass recruit from NJ returning to Indiana for second season.
26 -- 6’2”, 180 lb. Brendan Woods (#10 Royal) – Played at Williston-Northampton last year; Chicago Steel this year. Uncommitted.
27 -- 6’3”, 215 lb. Charles Orzetti (#18 Forest Green) – Yale recruit moving from Delbarton School to Jersey Hitmen (EJHL). Big and raw.
28 -- 5’11”, 170 lb. Andrew Sinelli (#16 Grey) – Honeybaked kid moving on to USHL. Nice skills. Michigan State recruit.
29 -- 6’2”, 195 lb. Brian Ferlin (#14 Gold) – Played for Jacksonville Ice Dogs last year. Will be with Indiana (USHL) this season. An unknown. Uncommitted.
30 -- 6’2”, 185 lb. William Kessel (#17 White) – Big kid from Honebybaked Midgets. Uncommitted.
31 -- 6’3”, 215 lb. Mitch Hughes (#11 Gold) – Has size. Played for LA Jr. Kings; going to Tri-city. Uncommitted.
32 -- 6’2”, 195 lb. Colton Hargrove (#14 Red) – Moving from Dallas Penguins to Indiana (USHL) Uncommitted.
33 -- 6’3”, 215 lb. John McCarron (#14 Royal) – Physical, grinder type from Lincoln Stars (USHL) put up points here. Uncommitted.
34 -- 6’0”, 149 lb. Nick Lappin (#19 Red) --- 11/92 birthdate. Played for TI; moving on to Cedar Rapids. Heady player. Uncommitted.
35 -- 5’11”, 175 lb. Joshua Roberts (#9 Gold) – An unknown from the Nutmeg State. Good skater; good skills. Going to prep school. Uncommitted.
36 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Terrence Wallin (#10 Red) – Attends the Gunnery. Had a good week. Uncommitted.
37 -- 5’9”, 161 lb. Jonathan Liau (#9 Red) – A skilled Californian playing at St. Paul’s School. A Princeton recruit.
38 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Matt Harlow (#18 White) – Worked hard and cashed in scoring opportunities. Plays for Nobles. 10/92 birthdate. Uncommitted.
39 -- 5’8”, 165 lb. Blake Saylor (#8 Orange) – Air Force recruit put up numbers here.
40 -- 6’1”, 185 lb. Tucker Long (#18 Grey) -- Moving from St. Louis Selects to Cedar Rapids. Good player had off week. Uncommitted.
41 -- 5’8”, 178 lb. Vahe Zakaryan (#10 White) – Small heady player from California Wave. Uncommitted.
42 -- 5’9”, 180 lb. A.J. Reid (#11 Forest Green) – Worked hard, good speed, put up points. From St. Thomas Academy (Minn.). Uncommitted.
43 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Ryan Doner (#14 Forest Green) – From the Kent Valley Selects Midgets in Washington State. Quick. Uncommitted.
44 – 6’2”, 190 lb. Gunnar Hughes – Late ’92 from the Salisbury School. Big part of his team’s offense. Very involved. Uncommitted.
45-- 6’2”, 200 lb. Andrew Huff (#18 Orange) – Big, heavy-footed Honeybaked kid is moving on to USHL. Put up points here. Uncommitted.
46 -- 5’11”, 170 lb. Mark Naclerio (#8 White) – Going to Avon. Scored six goals here, and added a couple of assists. Uncommitted.
47 -- 6’1”, 190 lb. Maxwell Terhar (#15 Royal) – Culver forward has size; worked hard. Uncommitted.
48 -- 6’0”, 185 lb. Brent Darnell (#11 Red) – Michigan State recruit from Detroit Catholic Central HS will be playing for Sioux Falls.
Defensemen:
1 -- 5’10”, 165 lb. Ben Marshall (#3 Gold) – Minnesota recruit from Mahtomedi HS. Excellent offensive defenseman. Can really go, but is also learning how to pick his spots better. Great fun to watch.
2 -- 6’4”, 185 lb. Scott Mayfield (#2 Orange) – 10/92 birthdate. Will be playing with Youngstown this season. Excellent prospect. Uncommitted.
3 -- 6’8”, 223 lb. Jamieson Oleksiak (#6 Kelly Green) – 6’6” might be more like it. Great feet for size. Has high end pro potential. 12/92 DOB. Uncommitted.
4 -- 6’1”, 177 lb. Aaron Harstad (#2 Red) – CC recruit from Stevens Point Area High School. Will be with GB Gamblers this season.
5 -- 6’3”, 200 lb. Kevin Lind (#2 Kelly Green) – Chicago Steel defenseman was excellent early on. Good feet. Uncommitted.
6 -- 6’4”, 175 lb. Kevin Gravel (#6 Royal) – St. Cloud State recruit played for Marquette Rangers last year; will be with Sioux City this year.
7 -- 6’2”, 205 lb. Brandon Carlson (#5 Red) – Played for Chicago Mission last year. Going to Des Moines. Uncommitted.
8 -- 6’2”, 194 lb. Clay Scott (#7 White) – Has size and heavy shot. One of top scoring D here. Brother of Gophers’ Grant Scott. Plays at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh. Uncommitted.
9 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Clark Cristofoli (#4 Kelly Green) – Puck-moving d-man is an Ohio State recruit. Played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets last season; Sioux Falls Stampede this year.
10 -- 6’2”, 190 lb. Charlie Dodero (#3 Forest Green) – 10/92 birthdate played for Tri-City Storm last year. Will be returning there. Uncommitted.
11 -- 6’3”, 198 lb. Craig Wyszomirski (#3 Red) – Another late ’92 birthdate. Played for Hitmen Jr. B last year; going to the Gunnery. Uses his size well. Uncommitted.
12 -- 6’1”, 197 lb. Danny Federico (#2 Forest Green) – Solid, unflashy defenseman from the Junior Bruins. Uncommitted.
13 -- 6’0”, 193 lb. Zach Rall (#3 Orange) – Played for the Alaska Wolves Midget AAA program. Will be with the Chicago Steel this season. Uncommitted.
14 -- 6’3”, 220 lb. Dominic Racobaldo (#3 Kelly Green) – Big Shattuck kid with a big shot. Uncommitted.
15 -- 5’11”, 192 lb. Jake Turrin (#4 Grey) – Smooth-skating Milton Academy kid. Uncommitted.
16 -- 6’0”, 190 lb. Alex Temby (#3 Grey) – 11/92 birthdate from the Colorado Thunderbirds. Uncommitted.
17 -- 5’11”, 185 lb. Jonathan Mleczko (#4 Royal) – Excellent skater and offensive presence is working on his defensive game. Plays for Milton Academy. Uncommitted.
18 -- 5’11”, 165 lb. Cameron Hampson (#2 Grey) – An unknown from the Jacksonville Ice Dogs. Good all around defenseman. Uncommitted.
19 -- 5’10”, 180 lb. Nick Bruneteau (#6 White) – At Shattuck. Made a lot of smart, accurate passes from the point. Uncommitted.
20 -- 5’8”, 175 lb. Brandon Russo (#6 Grey) – Short, but good low center of gravity. Good stick. Plays at the Salisbury School. Uncommitted.
21 -- 6’0”, 200 lb. Kevin Liss (#5 Royal) – Plays for Pittsburgh Hornets. Sees the play in front of him well. Uncommitted.
22 -- 5’10”, 170 lb. David Jarrett (#5 Kelly Green) – Plays for Edina HS. Solid. Good fundamentals. Uncommitted.
23 -- 6’2”, 175 lb. Justin Holl (#7 Grey) – From Minnetonka HS. Has tools, but has to put them all together. Uncommitted.
24 -- 6’2”, 190 lb. Evan Accetura (#5 Grey) – Has size, but needs to learn finer points of position. Uncommitted.
Goaltenders:
1-- 6’0”, 170 lb. Adam Wilcox (#30 Red) – At. South St. Paul HS. 11/92 birthdate.
2 -- 6’1”, 175 lb. Jacob Meyers (#30 Kelly Green) – At Benilde-St. Margaret’s HS.
3 -- 6’0”, 180 lb. Matt Braun (#1 Gold) – With Jersey Hitmen.
4 -- 6’0”, 155 lb. Cody Campbell (#30 Orange) -- At Fargo (USHL).
5 -- 6’2”, 170 lb. Zane Gothberg (#1 White) – At Thief River Falls HS.
6 -- 5’9”, 150 lb. Tyler Kapp (#1 Grey) – With Team Maryland.
7 -- 6’0”, 200 lb. Ryan McKay (#1 Kelly Green) – At CYA last year.
8 -- 5’10”, 210 lb. Cameron Bigelow (#1 Royal) – With the Orange County Hockey Club.
All goaltenders listed above are uncommitted.
7/13/09
Select 17 All-Star Game Rosters
Here are the lines for the Monday morning game Select 17 Festival All-Star game from Rochester’s ESL Sports Center.Team Blue:
Connor Brickley / Nick Bjugstad / Charlie Coyle
Kyle Rau / John Parker/ Sam Warning
Kevin Hayes / Colten St. Clair / Garrett Allen
Michael Parks
Scott Mayfield / Brandon Archibald
Kevin Gravel / Jordan Young
Aaron Harstad / William Eiserman
Matt Braun
Cody Campbell
Team White:
Max Edson / Christian Isackson / T.J. Tynan
Brian Ferlin / Joey Benik / John McCarron
Joey Wilson / Vahe Zakaryan / Watson
Terrence Wallin
Jamieson Oleksiak / Ben Marshall
Kevin Lind / Justin Holl
Austin Levi / Brandon Carlson
Ryan McKay
Zane Gothberg
Notes:
These teams were selected to give the evaluators an extra look at the kids, with the goal of picking the best possible team to send to the U.S. Under-18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in Piestany, Slovakia August 11-15. St. Cloud State assistant Eric Rud and Alabama-Huntsville head coach Danton Cole will be taking that team over.
Since we didn’t include major junior players in our rankings, we should tell you that there are two major junior players are on the above rosters – Plymouth D Austin Levi and Soo Greyhounds D Brandon Archibald.
There are also two players on this morning’s rosters who we did not include on our rankings. They are both defensemen: Jordan Young of PF Chang’s and William Eiserman of Newburyport HS.
The above squads were picked by Rud and Cole, along with Tim Taylor, David Lassonde, Ryan Rezmierski, and others.
7/10/09
Strand Takes Over at Sioux City
Luke Strand, who has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Houston Aeros (AHL), has been named GM/head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL).
A native of Eau Claire, Wisc., Strand, 36, played high school hockey at Eau Claire North. He then played two seasons in the USHL with the North Iowa Huskies before going to UW-Eau Claire where, after a couple of seasons as Green Bay Gamblers assistant, he would return as a head coach from ‘05-07.
Rick Comley, Jr. and Cam Ellsworth will be retained as Musketeers assistants.
Strand replaces Todd Knott, who recently took an assistant’s position at Mankato State.
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Madsen, from Elk River, Minn., was a Niagara assistant captain until an injury ended his career.
After scouting from Des Moines, he joined the St. Louis Bandits (NAHL) as an assistant last season.
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Former Sioux City (USHL) and Merrimack assistant Marty Quarters has been hired as head coach of the Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL). The team, now two years old, is based in Soldotna, Alaska, and is coming off two consecutive last place finishes. Quarters replaces Brent Agrusa, who resigned in order to get back to the Lower 48.
7/10/09 updated
Olczyk a Minuteman
6’0”, 185 lb. Waterloo Black Hawks forward Eddie Olczyk has committed to UMass for this fall.
Olczyk, from Long Grove, Ill., has played the last three years in the USHL. In 53 games, he had a 6-15-21 line. Olczyk is a smart, honest player who can be plugged into a lot of different situations and roles.
A 6/17/89 birthdate, he is the son of former NHL player and coach – and current broadcaster – Ed Olczyk. He has a younger brother, Tom, playing in the USHL, for Sioux City.
Update:
Speaking of Ed Olczyk, now 42, the Chicago Sun Times reported on Tuesday that he won $500,000 last month after placing $166 on a Pick 6 at Hollywood Park in California.
Olczyk, who reported being one of three people to win the bet, made the wager on his way home from the June 18 NHL awards show in Las Vegas.
"Every squirrel finds a nut every once in a while," said Olczyk, "so I just happened to get lucky."
7/7/09 updated 7/8/09 There is one more candidate scheduled to be interviewed for the Brown job: Colorado College assistant coach Joe Bonnett. A Canton, Mich. native, Bonnett is a 1993 graduate of Western Michigan, where he was a forward. After starting his college coaching career at Miami-Ohio in 1997, Bonnett moved over to CC, where he has been for the last nine seasons. In six of those years, CC has reached the NCAA tournament. The interviews at Brown-- one a day -- will reportedly be conducted Monday through Friday of next week.
Brown’s Final Four?
The word we’re getting is that Brown University AD Michael Goldberger and his 11-member search committee has winnowed its list of candidates to four.Unless there is a last-minute mystery candidate -- and we have heard nothing to indicate this – the following will be getting interviews: Dartmouth assistant coach Brendan Whittet, Boston College associate head coach Mike Cavanaugh, UMass assistant Red Gendron, and Union College associate head coach Rick Bennett.
There is a lot of speculation that Brown is looking to hire an alum, in which case Whittet would be the guy.
-- Whittet, a ’94 grad, is an East Providence, RI native who was a star defenseman at Mount St. Charles before going on to Brown, where he was coached by Bob Gaudet, his present boss at Dartmouth. In Whittet’s junior year, Brown made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program’s history.
After his playing career ended, Whittet began his 14-year coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater (on Gaudet’s staff), then went on to Colby for a year before rejoining Gaudet at Dartmouth in the fall of ’98. After a couple of rebuilding years, the Gaudet/Dave Peters/Whittet staff has been right in the ECAC hunt virtually every year since. It’s easy to see how Brown might want a little of that to rub off on them.
-- Cavanaugh, a North Andover, Mass. native and a 1990 Bowdoin grad, has 17 years of college coaching under his belt, the last 14 at Boston College, where the Eagles have had a ton of success, winning two national championships and a half-dozen Hockey East titles. Seventeen of the players Cavanaugh had a hand in recruiting to the Heights became All-Americas, and a good number have gone on to the NHL. Before BC, Cavanaugh was on the Dartmouth staff for two years (so he knows the ways of the Ivies), then he headed west and joined Jerry York’s staff at Bowling Green for a year before York brought him back east with him.
-- Gendron, 51, is a Berlin, NH native who starred on the 1975 New Hampshire state championship team – Berlin was once the high school hockey hotbed of Northern New England. After playing college hockey at New England College, where he was a captain in his final three years, Gendron began to make a name for himself as a coach by leading Bellows Free Academy to four Vermont State High School titles. John LeClair was on board for at least a couple of those campaigns. In the early ‘90s, Gendron joined Shawn Walsh and Grant Standbrook at Maine, and helped recruit the Paul Kariya-led 42-1-2 squad that won the ’93 NCAA title. After that, Gendron joined the New Jersey Devils as an assistant coach and has his name on the Stanley Cup (’95). Gendron also scouted for the Devils and was both an assistant and head coach with the Albany River Rats (AHL) before, after 11 seasons, getting let go by New Jersey in ’04. Gendron, who has also been an assistant for three US National Junior teams and has authored a popular coaching manual, then spent one year behind the bench of the Indiana Ice (USHL) before joining Toot Cahoon’s staff at UMass. The UMass staff has had great success in identifying young prospects early and getting commitments out of them – only to see them get wooed away by major junior teams.
-- Bennett, 41, is a Springfield, Mass. native and former forward – and Hobey Baker award finalist -- at Providence College. After graduating in 1990, he went on to play ten years of pro hockey, including 15 NHL games with the New York Rangers. After his playing days ended, Bennett returned to his alma mater as an assistant on Paul Pooley’s staff. When Tim Army took over and hired Stan Moore, Bennett was the odd man out. He landed at Union, where he has been for the last five years. Bennett, while his coaching résumé is a little shorter than those listed above, is highly respected by his peers. He will be an assistant coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that is going to the Five Nations Cup in Germany next month. He has also helped make Union, which is not an easy sell, a tough opponent in the ECAC.
The salary for the Brown coach is reported to be capped at $85,000.
Brown could be naming their new coach as early as next week – and certainly before the end of the month.
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Yopyk Takes BCHL Post
Yopyk, a 33-year-old from St. Paul, Alberta, was a defenseman at Princeton University, from where he was graduated in 2000. He also has a Ph.D in psychology.
He has been at Merrimack for the last four years.
7/3/09
BU Powers Up
Boston University will name former Terrier forward – and longtime college coach – Buddy Powers as an assistant coach.
Eleven-year assistant Mike Bavis has been promoted to associate head coach.
Powers, a 57-year-old native of Hyde Park, Mass., played his high school hockey at Catholic Memorial before going on to BU, graduating in 1975. After playing briefly in Europe, Powers became a volunteer assistant for BU’s JV team in ’78-79. In 1980, Powers was hired as an assistant at Colgate, staying two years before heading a little farther west and joining Jerry York’s staff at Bowling Green for the next six seasons. Powers was on the Bowling Green staff when, in March 1984, the Falcons came into Walter Brown Arena and KO’d the Terriers in the NCAA quarterfinals; Bowling Green went on to win its only NCAA championship that year, beating Minnesota-Duluth, 5-4 (4 OTs). In 1988, Powers took over at RIT as head coach, but only stayed one year before being hired as head coach at RPI, where he took over from Mike Addesa. Powers staying in Troy for five seasons, posting a 94-63-13 record. Then, when York moved to Boston College, Powers took over the head job at Bowling Green, where he stayed until 2002, compiling a 135-149-26 record in eight years. In 2002-03, Powers served as a volunteer with the NTDP, commuting to Ann Arbor from Ohio. In the spring of 2003, Powers was hired as hockey/golf coach at Wesleyan, but, before coaching a single game, decided that gig was not going to be his cup of tea. Instead, he headed back to Bowling Green, where in recent years he has been the arena director at Bowling Green while also providing color commentary on local Bowling Green hockey telecasts.
Powers has a wealth of experience, numerous contacts, and, on top of that, is an alum. Expect him to be energized by being back in the Boston area, where his roots are. Having been away from coaching for five years, however, means Powers will need time to get up to speed on the current player pool.
7/1/09
Bergman Staying Home
6’0”, 195 lb. LW Robin Bergman, a University of Maine recruit for this fall, has notified Maine head coach Tim Whitehead that he will be pursuing his hockey future in his native Sweden instead of Orono.
A native of Stockholm, Bergman, in his first year (’06-07) with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, committed to Notre Dame. A year later, twenty games into his freshman season and sporting a 1-6-7 scoring line, Bergman left the Fighting Irish and returned to finish out the season at Cedar Rapids. This past February, in his third USHL season, Bergman committed to Maine.
Bergman is a 7/12/88 birthdate.
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6’2”, 180 lb. forward Adam Schmidt, a Warrington, PA native who played with the Valley Forge Minutemen and LaSalle College High School before moving on to he USHL last season, has committed to Holy Cross for the Fall of ’10.
Schmidt, a late ’90, played last season with Sioux City. In 49 games, posted a 5-9-14 line.
7/2/09
Hynes Staying Put
The search to fill the vacancy created on the Boston University staff by David Quinn’s departure for the AHL has been a quiet one.Much of the speculation at the Select 16 Festival revolved around whether former BU winger John Hynes would accept his alma mater’s offer to return. Informed sources, however, today reported that Hynes, after talking with Jack Parker and Mike Bavis -- and mulling things over for a while -- has decided to stay with the National Team Development Program.
