Fri. 7/8/11
Select 16 Standouts
There were a number of key players missing from this year’s Select 16 Player Development Camp, held June 24-30 in Rochester, NY.
Up front, Tyler Kelleher, Taylor Cammarata, Brandon Shea, John Hayden, and Brian Williams were all players we liked at last year’s 15 Camp who, for whatever reasons, weren’t on hand for 16s. On defense, Will Butcher and Ian McCoshen headlined the missing. In net, of course, Ian Jenkins (RIP) was missing. Jenkins, who was the top netminder at both the 14 and 15 camps, died on May 23rd, four days after a tragic truck accident in Milan, Michigan.
All that said, we found this to be a strong camp. A couple teams – Black and White – were stacked, and far superior to all other teams on hand. Just watching these two teams warm up, it was pretty obvious they were going to meet in the playoffs – and they did, with Black smoking White, 9-3, thus avenging a 3-1 loss in the final game of the round-robin portion a day earlier.
Please consider these rankings below hybrid rankings. We place the most stock in how a player performs in camp, but we also give a lot of consideration to potential, sometimes splitting the difference between the two. There are other considerations, such as injury (if we are aware of such situations). With games every single day, consistency is often hard to find -- some kids start strong and fade, others get better as the week moves along. We weren't the entire week, but we were there for most of it, and certainly long enough to come up with a list we can stand behind.
Forwards:
1. Gabe Guertler (#18 White) 5-9/170 – 9-7-16 (6 gp) – From TI Midget Minor. Terrific week. Just lit it up. A standout in every game except the final one. First round pick of Fargo (USHL).
2. JT Compher (#8 White) 6-0/164 – 4-3-7 (6 gp) -- From TI Midget Minor. Power forward, drives to net, aggressive. Going to NTDP. Michigan recruit.
3. Luke Voltin (#15 Kelly Green) 6-1/185 – 4-3-7 -- From Hill-Murray (Minn.) HS; going to NTDP. Good hands. Good feet. Extremely athletic.
4. Hudson Fasching (#11 Gold) 6-3/210 – 2-3-5 (4 gp)-- From Apple Valley (Minn.) HS; going to NTDP. Was a little in-and-out. Showed flashes. Injured Sunday after a leg check and didn’t play Monday. Scored on a great shot from the slot on Wednesday.
5. Michael McCarron (#11 Columbia Blue) 6-5/225 – 1-2-3 -- From Honeybaked; going to NTDP. Big, strong center. Already has pro size. Excellent in all-star game. Michigan State recruit.
6. Sam Povoroziniouk (#9 Red) 5-10/185 – 3-0-3 -- From Chicago (USHL). Really good hands and shot. Excellent in tight spots. Drives to net hard. Second round pick of Saginaw (OHL) and will be playing there this year.
7. Daniel Vanderwiel (#9 Kelly Green) 5-11/198 – 5-2-7 -- From TI Midget Minor. Good speed. Scored nice top shelf goal from in tight. Omaha pick. Plymouth owns his OHL rights (8th round).
8. Adam Erne (#15 Royal Blue) 6-0/195 – 3-1-4 -- From Indiana Ice (USHL). Physical, well-rounded. A lot of talk that he is going to the Q. BU recruit, at least for now.
9. Andrew Oglevie (#15 Black) 5-10/155 – 5-3-8 (6 gp) -- Played for Culver U-16 last winter. Had an excellent week. Nice skater. Cedar Rapids pick.
10. Dawson Cook (#10 Black) 6-2/188 – 3-2-5 (6 gp) -- From Cadillac (Mich.) HS. Big, raw, strong kid who played high school hockey in Michigan last winter. Going to NTDP. Will be interesting to see what he can become.
11. Michael Turner (#9 Orange) 6-2/190 – 1-4-5 -- 9/23/95 DOB from Chicago (USHL). Late ’95 with size, skill, really good tools. A lot to work with. Oshawa pick (7th round).
12. Alex Schoenborn (#18 Grey) 6-1/190 – 3-2-5 -- 12/12/95 DOB from Minot HS. Lincoln first round pick. A very late ’95, but already a big strong kid.
13. Kevin Labanc (#8 Kelly Green) 5-10/150 – 2-5-7 -- 12/12/95 DOB from NJ Rockets Jr. B. A late ’95 who can skate, makes plays. Very creative. Needs to fill out, and likely will given that he won’t be 16 for quite a while. Des Moines pick. Barrie too, in third round.
14. Daniel Labosky (#12 Grey) 5-6/150 – 2-5-7 -- From Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Smallish player who can scoot. Hard to miss. Tri-City pick.
15. Shane Eiserman (#10 Royal Blue) 6-1/180 --- 2-2-4 -- 10/10/95 from St. John’s Prep. Big, strong, power forward type. A lot of upside. Going to Cushing.
16. Ryan Siroky (#18 Kelly Green) 6-0/190 – 1-4-5 -- From LA Selects U-16. Green Bay pick. Nice release to shot; made plays.
17. Trevor Moore (#16 Orange) 5-8/150 – 2-3-5 -- From LA Selects. Makes plays; sees the ice well. Quick. Tri-City pick.
18. Jimmy Lodge (#18 Black) 6-0/160 – 1-4-5 (6 gp) – Pennsylvania native played for the Toronto Titans (GTHL) last winter. A third round pick of Saginaw (OHL), he has signed to play with them.
19. Alex Talcott (#11 Grey) 6-1/195 – 5-2-7 -- From Honeybaked. Good hands, skater, sense of game… involved, too. Muskegon pick. Michigan recruit.
20. Karson Kuhlman (#12 White) 5-9/158 – 3-6-9 (6 gp) -- 9/26/95 DOB from Cloquet (Minn.) HS. Dubuque draft pick. Consistently noticeable.
21. Vinni Lettieri (#14 Royal Blue) 5-9/163 – 1-3-4 -- From Minnetonka (Minn.) HS. Can skate. Good skills. Nice release to shot. Is Lou Nanne’s grandson. Lincoln draft pick.
22. Justin Bailey (#16 Columbia Blue) 6-3/180 – 3-2-5 -- From Buffalo Regals. Big, but not without skill. Scored nice goal Tuesday. Made some plays. Dad played for Buffalo Bills (NFL). Indiana pick -- Kitchener also, in the 7th round.
23. Patrick Polino (#14 Forest Green) 5-8/160 – 1-3-4 -- From Buffalo Regals. Good skater, quick with a nice burst of speed. Going to Chicago (USHL).
24. Jacob Pritchard (#11 Red) 5-11/165 – 4-1-5 -- From Little Caesar’s. Very good hands and agility. Scored nice goal Tuesday while cutting hard to the slot. Youngstown pick.
25. Max Becker (#18 Red) 5-11/185 – 3-4-7 -- From LA Selects U-16. Good scorer and playmaker. Youngstown first round pick.
26. Tyler Drevitch (#11 Forest Green) 5-10/140 – 4-2-6 -- Bridgewater Bandits (Empire Jr. B) – Good stick, involved. Needs to fill out quite a bit
27. Tyler Moy (#16 Royal Blue) 6-1/175 – 1-2-3 – From San Diego Jr. Gulls.
28. Conor McGlynn (#11 White) 6-2/193 – 1-4-5 (6 gp) -- From Scituate, Mass. Played for Oakville Rangers Midget Minor squad. Not real smooth, hasn’t grown into body, but big strong kid with definite upside. Going to BC. Sioux City draft pick in USHL. Sixth round pick in OHL (Kingston). Committed to BC.
29. Dylan McLaughlin (#15 Orange) – 5-11/170 – 0-1-1 -- From Buffalo Regals. Didn’t exactly put up points, but showed a good sense of the game. Sioux Falls pick. Brampton, too (7th round). Northeastern recruit.
30. Zachary Diamontoni (# Black) 5-9/160 – 3-5-8 (6 gp) -- From NJ; played for Compuware. Skilled in tight quarters. Feisty. Dubuque pick.
31. Joe Fallon (#15 White) 5-7/166 – 5-2-7 (6 gp) -- 12/26/95 DOB from LI Royals organization. Small, good offensive skills, practically a ’96, so room for growth and improvement.
32. Thomas Aldworth (#16 Black) 5-11/170 – 2-3-5 (6 gp) -- From Keller, Texas and Alliance U16. Good skater. Going to Cushing.
33. Ryan Cloonan (#9 Black) 5-8/155 – 1-2-3 (6 gp) -- From Boston Advantage. Small, skilled, quick stick, good in open ice. Nice breakaway goal in Thursday’s playoff game. Maine recruit.
34. Tyler Sheehy (#17 Black) – 5-9/160 – 2-4-6 (6 gp) -- 11/20/95 birthdate from Burnsville (MN) Bantam. Waterloo pick. Another very late ’95. Nice bang-bang goal in Thursday’s game.
35. Thomas Hajicek (#12 Black) 5-10/165 – 3-2-5 (6 gp) -- From East Grand Forks Senior HS. Was good in playoff game. Sees ice well.
36. Mark Dufour (#15 Gold) 6-1/197 – 2-3-5- From Kents Hill School. A Maine native, so a bit off the beaten track. Bears following.
37. Zachary Evancho (#17 White) 5-8/140 – 1-5-6 (6 gp) -- From Buffalo Regals. Small, quick.
38. Brett Heikkila (#12 Orange) 5-8/160 – 2-1-3 -- Good skater. From Marquette Electricians Midget AAA. Northern Michigan recruit.
39. John Baiocco (#8 Forest Green) 5-8/155 – 1-2-3 -- From Delbarton. Quick, makes plays. Yale recruit.
40. Nicholas Betz (#11 Royal Blue) 6-5/208 – 2-1-3 -- From Little Caesar’s. Big, and very raw. His stride and agility were OK, so he could grow into body well. Liked him more as week went along. Erie (OHL) sixth round pick.
41. Austin Heakins (#12 Columbia Blue) 6-3/175 – 2-3-5 -- From Pittsburgh Vipers Stars. Tall, ungainly… worked hard, though.
42. Luis G. Madill (#17 Grey) 5-11/170 – 3-3-6 -- From Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. Appeared skinner than listed 170 pounds, but no matter. He had a good week.
43. Zachary Hartley (#12 Forest Green) 6-0/185 – 2-2-4 -- From Holy Angels.
44. Drew Melanson (#8 Orange) 5-11/160 – 0-3-3 -- From Delbarton. RPI recruit.
45. Luke Stork (#14 Gold) 6-0/170 – 3-0-3 -- From Pittsburgh Hornets organization. Youngstown pick.
46. Shane Kavanagh (#14 Red) 5-11/180 – 1-4-5 – Quick forward from Bishop Hendricken. Is going to Cushing Academy.
47. Ryan Galt (#9 Gold) 5-9/160 -- 1-0-1 -- From Russell Stover’s. Smallish, skilled, and heady.
48. Tyler Hill (#17 Forest Green) 6-2/205 – 1-2-3 – Big kid going to Hotchkiss. From Hagersville, Ontario and Brantford 99ers Midget AAA. Ottawa (OHL) fifth round pick.
49. Jared Goudreau (#17 Gold) 5-10/165 – 1-3-4 -- From Tampa Bay Lightning Alliance
50. Eddie Ellis (#10 Gold) 6-2/185 – 0-1-1 -- From Phillips Andover Academy. Waterloo draft pick.
Defensemen:
1. Scott Savage (#6 Forest Green) 6-0/175 – 2-1-3 -- From San Clemente, California and LA Selects. To NTDP. BC recruit. Strong skater. Picks his spots to join rush.
2. Steve Santini (#5 Red) 6-3/215 – 2-2-4 -- From NY Apple Core (EJHL) to NTDP. BC recruit. Already looks like a college player. Feet appear to have gotten quicker.
3. Anthony DeAngelo (#2 Black) 5-11/160 – 1-6-7 -- 10/24/95 DOB. Played for Cedar Rapids (USHL) last winter. Will be playing for Sarnia (OHL). Tremendous talent, hard to take eyes off when he’s on the ice. Took some knuckleheaded penalties, however.
4. Trevor Hamilton (#4 Orange) 6-0/184 – 2-0-2 -- To NTDP from Honeybaked. Nothing flashy. Just does everything well. Smooth. Poised. Miami recruit.
5. Michael Brodzinski (# 4 Gold) 5-11/185 – 2-1-3 -- From Blaine HS. Super mobile. Nifty goal Tuesday, skating into slot and wristing one past Devin Williams (one of the hotter goalies here). Great outlet passes. Des Moines’ top pick. Invited to NTDP off his performance here.
6. Keaton Thompson (#6 Red) 6-1/170 – 0-2-2 -- From Devils Lake HS. Joining NTDP. Good defensively, nice outlet passes, and judiciously picks his spots to join the rush.
7. Michael Downing (#4 Grey) 6-3/185 – 1-2-3 -- Catholic Central (Mich.) HS to Dubuque (USHL). Big, strong, and skates easily with the puck.
8. Jordan Gross (#4 Red) 5-10/165 – 1-2-3 -- From Maple Grove (Minn.) HS. Green Bay’s top pick.
9. RJ Gicewicz (#6 Black) 5-11/180 – 0-1-1 -- 11/13/95 from the Nichols School. Very young, but didn’t show it. Had a terrific week. Made Five Nations Team.
10. Connor Clifton (#2 Royal Blue) 5-11/165 – 2-1-3 -- From Jersey Hitmen Empire Jr. B. Excellent skater, very mobile. Showed strong offensive instincts. Hits hard.
11. Willie Raskob (#7 Kelly Green) 5-10/185 – 0-2-2 -- From Shattuck Under-16. Excellent heavy shot -- and not shy about using it. Didn’t find the back of the net, though he did ring one of the crossbar. Sioux City draft pick.
12. Garrett Cecere (#3 Columbia Blue) 5-10/160 – 0-0-0 -- Des Moines native from Shattuck U-16. Very mobile. Competes. Consistently noticeable.
13. Charlie Pelnik (#7 Forest Green) 6-4/190 – 0-0-0 -- From Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. North Dakota recruit. Quite raw, didn’t have a great week, but there’s a lot to work with here. Fargo’s top pick. Also picked by Plymouth in OHL draft.
14. Alec McCrea (#5 Gold) 6-2/200 – 0-1-1 -- From San Diego Jr. Gulls. Big solid defender. Waterloo pick.
15. Alexander Smith (#3 White) 6-0/175 – 0-1-1 – Honeybaked kid will be playing for Muskegon (USHL).
16. Gage Ausmus (#5 Royal Blue) 6-1/193 – 0-1-1 -- From East Grand Forks Senior HS to NTDP.
17. Connor Brassard (#2 White) 6-1/170 – 4-3-7 -- Boston Jr. Bruins (Empire) to Cushing. Put up some eye-popping numbers, tying DeAngelo for scoring lead among d-man.
18. Blake Heinrich (#5 Columbia Blue) 6-0/180 – 0-3-3 -- From Hill-Murray HS. Sioux City draft pick.
19. Matt Calabrese (#7 Orange) 5-9/160 – 1-0-1 -- From Team Illinois. Small D has good feet and good stick. Youngstown draft pick.
20. Parker Reno (#5 White) 6-1/195 – 0-4-4 -- From Edina HS. Lincoln draft.
21. Dakota Ford (#4 Kelly Green) 6-2/180 – 0-0-0 – Defensive defenseman from Potsdam, NY and The Gunnery.
22. Nash Worden (# 6 Gold) 6-1/195 – 0-4-4 -- From Pike’s Peak Miners.
23. Robby Klein (#3 Black) 6-3/195 – 1-1-2 -- From Lawrence Academy. Solid defensive defenseman.
24. Richard Boyd (#7 Royal Blue) 6-2/165 – 0-0-0 -- From Fort Meyers, Florida and Cushing. Good frame; good skater. Omaha pick.
25. Wiley Sherman (#7 Red) 6-5/180 – 0-0-0 -- From Greenwich, CT and Hotchkiss. Omaha draft pick. Good frame, great height and good feet, too. Could be a good defensive defenseman when he gains upper body strength.
Goaltenders:
1. Devin Williams (#1 Black) 5-11/155 – .945 -- 10/30/95 DOB from Michigan Warriors AAA
2. Thatcher Demko (#1 Columbia Blue) 6-3/168 – .897 -- 12/8/95 DOB from San Diego Jr. Gulls. Will be playing for LA Jr. Kings U-16.
3. Timothy Black (#30 Black) 5-7/155 – .933 -- 10/1/95 DOB from Chicago Mission.
4. Chase Horton (# 30 Gold) 5-8/135 – .923 -- From Colorado Thunderbirds.
5. Hunter Miska (#30 Orange) 6-0/150 – .877 -- From North Branch (Minn.) HS. Will be with NTDP.
6. Dylan Parker (#30 Red) 5-11/155 – .915 -- From Duluth East HS
7. James Broomfield (#30 Grey) 5-9/160 – .926 -- From Buffalo Regals. Will be playing for Buffalo Jr. Sabres U-16 this season.
8. Stephen Morrissey (#30 Columbia Blue) 6-0/175 – .836 -- From the Kent School.
9. Jacob Bryniarski (#1 Forest Green) 6-2/180 – .885 -- Will be playing for Maksymum Jr. B.
10. Luke Frawley (#1 White) 5-10/165 – .871 – From Hershey Bears. Will be playing for Valley Forge Minutemen.
Fri. 7/28/11
Select 15 Top 50
Here’s our Top 50 – 28 forwards, 17 D, and five goalies -- from USA Hockey’s 2011 Select 15 Player Development Camp in Rochester, NY.
We were pretty impressed by the depth up front. This typist has been in attendance at the Select 15 Festival for 17 consecutive summers, and can’t recall a deeper group of forwards. They were a pleasure to watch, setting a nice tempo to the games right from day 1. The defense, on the other hand, featured a lot of interchangeable types. Even at the top end there was no player who really grabbed the reins à la Jack Johnson or Cam Fowler (to name just a couple) back when they were this age. However, it’s not a race, and there were a handful of guys who could develop nicely over the next couple of years. Time will tell. As for the goalies… well, time will provide some answers there as well.
Worth noting is the fact that nearly half the kids we’ve listed below – a total of 24 -- come from just a handful of organizations: Chicago Mission (6), Belle Tire (6), Long Island Gulls (5), Shattuck-St. Mary’s (4), and Team Comcast (3).
Select 15 Rankings – 2011
Forwards:
1. John Eichel (#11 Purple) 6-0/170 – Center from Boston Junior Bruins Empire Team and North Chemsford, Mass. native was the best player in camp. In game #1, a dominant performance, he had four points (2g,2a) – and also broke a toe. However, he soldiered on. Gritty, highly-skilled player with size. He won’t be 15 until late October – he’s a 10/28/96 birthdate, but already has one year in the Empire League under his belt, where he put up big numbers (36 points in 40 games) playing against older kids.
2. Blake Clark (#9 Forest Green) 6-2/195 – 4-6-10 – Big, strong power forward will be playing for Fargo (USHL) this fall. A Wildwood, Missouri native, Clark played for the Chicago Mission U16 Team last winter.
3. Ryan MacInnis (#9 Gold) 6-2/165 – 2-2-4 – Big, and strong on the puck. His agility is very good for his size/age. Son of former NHL defenseman Al MacInnis, who coached him last winter for the St. Louis Blues 96 team.
4. Nick Schmaltz (#10 Grey) 5-10/155 – 3-9-12 – Center has soft hands, sees the ice very well. Gets open, and finds the open man. He’s the brother of North Dakota recruit Jordan Schmaltz. From Verona, Wisc. and Chicago Mission U16.
5. Marcel Godbout (#10 Orange) 5-10/180 – 7-2-9 – Hard shot with great release – deadly accuracy. A sniper, he can also make plays. From Center Line, Michigan and Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
6. Jared Fiegl (#17 Gold) 6-0/190 – 5-2-7 -- Has size, skill, aggressiveness, and drives to the net with regularity. Also has good hands and an accurate shot. A University of Denver recruit. From the Colorado Rampage.
7. Nolan Stevens (#8 Gold) 6-2/160 – 4-3-7 – Lanky center with hands, size, and good anticipation. He’s also physical and creative. His skating should get better as he gets stronger. Son of LA Kings assistant John Stevens. From Team Comcast to LA Jr. Kings.
8. Shane Gersich (#12 Red) 5-11/163 – 3-4-7 – Really good hands and a keen sense of the game. Is strong on the puck, and has a nice shot -- really snaps it off. Plays for Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minn. The school, which is about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis), is moving from A to AA this season, at least in part because of the presence of Gersich.
9. Keanu Yamamoto (#17 Purple) 5-4/123 – 4-4-8 – Small, and not the least bit afraid physically. Good hands combined with a strong sense of the ice. Smart player. From Spokane Jr. Chiefs Bantams.
10. Liam Pecararo (#8 Orange) 5-9/155 – 2-5-7 -- Center has speed, athleticism, great hands, and is very good in traffic. From Canton, Mass. and the Boston Advantage. A University of Maine recruit.
11. Anthony Siderio (#8 Kelly Green) 5-9/160 – 6-3-9 -- Nice skills. Nice finisher. Great 1-on-1 type player. From Team Comcast. Going to Selects Hockey Academy U16 Team.
12. Anthony Petrella (#16 Red) 5-10/165 – 2-8-10 -- Had three assists on the first day -- and kept it up. As the numbers suggest, he’s an excellent playmaker. He can shoot it too. Played for Belle Tire 96.
13. Ryan Hitchcock (#18 Forest Green) 5-9/155 – 2-8-10 – Skates and makes plays. From Long Island Gulls; going to New Jersey Rockets.
14. Joe Wegwerth (#14 White) 6-2/205 – 3-2-5 – From Brewster (NY) Bulldogs. Pro style power forward type with plenty of potential.
15. Sonny Milano (#15 Red) 5-9/150 – 1-4-5 -- Nice skater; athletic. Very good early in week. From Long Island Gulls. Will be playing for Cleveland Barons U16 team this coming season.
16. Alex Tuch (#15 Navy Blue) 6-2/190 – 8-2-10 – Big shot, good hands, good size. From Baldwinsville, NY and the Syracuse Nationals.
17. Christopher Wilkie (#9 Columbia Blue) 5-10/165 – 3-7-10 – Worked for his points. Competes. A native of the Cornhusker state. Played last winter for Omaha U16.
18. Dylan Larkin (#10 Red) 5-11/165 – 5-1-6 – Belle Tire kid. Skates well; tremendous shot.
19. Paul Bittner (#14 Kelly Green) 6-5/180 -- 1-3-4 – Intriguing. An 11/4/96 birthdate and already 6’5”. Quite coordinated for size/age, which bodes well. From Crookston, Minn.; will be playing at Crookston HS.
20. Laythe Jadallah (#18 Columbia Blue) 6-0/165 – 4-4-8 – Strong power forward in the making. Good all-round skills. From the Carolina Junior Hurricanes. To Gunnery.
21. Darby Llewellyn (#18 Kelly Green) 6-1/170 – 4-3-7 – Came on after slow start. From Belle Tire 96 team; will be playing for Honeybaked Midget Minor.
22. Seamus Malone (#9 Kelly Green) 5-9/160 -- – 2-6-8 – Quick, slippery and around the puck a lot. Sees ice well. From Chicago Mission.
23. Joseph Snively (#17 Grey) 5-5/130 – 6-1-7 – Shifty little kid – very nifty player. Good passes. Great shot. Going to Selects Hockey Academy U-16 Team. From Virginia and Washington Little Caps 96.
24. Anderson Bjork (#9 Royal Blue) 5-11/159 – 2-1-3 – Has size. Good hands around net. Was stuck on a bad team, but kept working. From Mequon, Wisc. and Chicago Mission U16.
25. Nick Magyar (#11 Navy Blue) 6-1/170 – 5-3-8 -- Good size, good skills, skates, goes to net hard. From Cleveland Barons organization.
26. Dylan Malmquist (#15 Purple) 5-8/145 – 2-6-8 – Hustles, works for his points. Will be at Edina HS.
27. Conor Garland (#9 Navy Blue) 5-7/145 -- 3-8-11 – Smallish, made plays. From Scituate, Mass. Played at Shattuck last year; Boston Junior Bruins this year.
28. John Piccinich (#8 Grey) 5-11/165 – 3-2-5 – Good solid prospect. A little bit of everything. From Long Island Gulls 96. Will play for North Jersey Avalanche Midgets.
Defensemen:
1. Jack Glover (#6 Orange) 6-2-/168 -- 1-3-4 – Roofed one Sunday, an eye-popping beauty. Has size, skill. Will be playing for Benilde-St. Margaret’s.
2. Joshua Jacobs (#3 Columbia Blue) 6-1/172 – 0-0-0 – Solid, poised defensive defenseman. Belle Tire last season; Honeybaked Midget Minor this fall.
3. Johnny Walker (#6 Kelly Green) – 6-1/180 – 1-4-5 – Really nice passes. Skating ability allowed him to gamble, and it usually paid off. From Phoenix, Arizona; going to Culver Academy.
4. Alex Copa (#3 Grey) 6-0/165 – 2-3-5 – Has size and offensive skills. From Ham Lake, Minn; will be playing for Blaine HS.
5. Ryan Bliss (#3 Kelly Green) 6-1/185 – 0-2-2 – A little inconsistent. Expected more. From Bedford, NH and St. Paul’s School.
6. Daniel Willett (#7 Forest Green) 5-6/150 – 3-3-6 – Really nice shot – a laser. Moves puck very well. From LI Gulls; going to Jersey Rockets.
7. Ryan Collins (#5 Black) 6-3/180 – 0-1-1 – Will be at Benilde-St. Margaret’s… with Glover.
8. Adam Baughman (#3 Red) 6-2/170 – 1-1-2 – Great frame, good feet. All the tools are there. Will be playing for Chicago Mission U16.
9. Aaron Haydon (#2 Forest Green) 6-3/176 – 1-2-3 – Huge, defensive d-man with a nasty streak. From Belle Tire ’96.
10. Jonathan MacLeod (#2 Columbia Blue) 6-1/165 – 0-2-2 – Dracut, Mass. native from Cardigan Mountain School; going to Kimball Union. Good size; kind of raw.
11. Kevin Kerr (#2 Royal Blue) 5-11/153 – 0-2-2 – Poised. Good outlet passes. Expected a little more. From Team Comcast.
12. Robert Nardella (#4 Purple) 5-7/140 – 1-2-3 -- Smallish, but makes plays, quick feet, quick stick. From Chicago Mission.
13. Brandon Fortunato (#5 Grey) 5-7/125 – 0-0-0 -- Shifty, smart, great feet, quick stick. From Long Island Gulls. Will be playing for LI Royals.
14. Nathan Billitier (#6 Gold) 5-10/175 – 0-0-0 – Really mobile. Excellent on transition. From Belle Tire.
15. Mitch Reinke (#4 Columbia Blue) 5-5/120 – 0-1-1 – Small. Reads play. Nice stick. Great one-timer. Will be at Stillwater (Minn.) HS.
16. Cooper Watson (#2 Orange) 6-0/145 – 0-0-0 – From Appleton, Wisc. And Team Wisconsin.
17. Tyler Rockwell (#6 Grey) 5-8/145 – 1-3-4 – From San Jose, Calif. and Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
Goaltenders:
1. Jacob Kahler (#1 Purple) 5-8/145 – .944 – Not exactly physically prepossessing, but he certainly stopped the puck. Kicked out 22 of 23 in his first game, then 14 of 15 the next day. From Rome, NY. Playing for Centerstate Wrap (??), which is a new one for us.
2. Edwin Minney (#30 Gold) – 6-4/195 -- .928 – Big, and he stopped the puck, too. From Wind Gap, PA and Berks County Bruins.
3. Blake Weyrick (#30 Columbia Blue) 6-4/180 -- .868 – Another big goalie. From Ojai, Calif. and Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
4. Joe Staely (#30 Orange) 5-10/155 -- .905 – From St. Louis Blues 96.
5. Daniel Mumaugh (#30 Red) 5-11/159 -- .865 – Had a shutout half on the first day; stopped 21 of 22 the next day. From Colorado Thunderbirds.
Fri. 7/8/11
Blashill Leaves Broncos for Red Wings
Western Michigan head coach Jeff Blashill has, after one successful season during which he led the Broncos to the CCHA title game, left the school to become an assistant coach on Mike Babcock’s Detroit Red Wings staff.
The move, rumored for a few weeks, became official this morning.
Blashill, 37, was a goalie at Des Moines (USHL) and Ferris State in the ‘90s. After his graduation in 1998, he went into coaching at his alma mater. Later, he joined Rico Blasi’s Miami staff as an assistant during that school’s rise to power. Blashill’s success there led to his being named head coach of the Indiana Ice (USHL) in ’08-09. In his first season behind the bench, the Ice won a league championship. After his second season in Indiana, he was hired away by Western Michigan where, after getting the school to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years, he was rewarded with a five-year contract by the school. Now, to use a basketball phrase, he is one and done.
And the coaching carousel continues.
-- Former Oswego State and Clarkson head coach George Roll has been named the first head coach at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY.
Nazareth, which has no home rink yet, will start play in 2012-13. The school will compete in the Div. III ECAC West, which includes Elmira, Hobart, Manhattanville, Neumann, and Utica.
Roll was named head coach at a school press conference yesterday. Former St. Cloud head coach Craig Dahl, who is now in the financial services world and based in Rochester, has played a key advisory role as Nazareth established its program and searched for a head coach.
Nazareth, which has no home rink as of yet, will only field a men’s team. No women’s team, at least yet.
-- Dave Berard, an assistant at Providence College for the last 14 years, has signed on as an assistant on Bruce Marshall’s staff at UConn.
Tues. 7/5/11 -- Correction 7/6/11: Pelnik is not going to Ann Arbor. It has yet to be officially determined where he will playing next season. Defenseman Clint Lewis is going to Ann Arbor.
NTDP Incoming
Here is the current roster for the 2011-12 U.S. Under-17 Team. All, of course, are ’95 birthdates.
Goaltenders (2):
Curtis Frye (Northwood, NH/Phillips Andover Academy)
Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS)
Defensemen (8):
Gage Ausmus (E. Grand Forks, Minn./E. Grand Forks HS)
Michael Brodzinski (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine HS)
Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wisc./Madison Capitols Midget Major)
Trevor Hamilton (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Honeybaked Midget Minor)
add Clint Lewis (Burnsville, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's Midget Minor)
scratch Charlie Pelnik (Cary, NC/Carolina Jr. Hurricanes)
Steve Santini (Mahopac, NY/NY Apple Core – EJHL)
Scott Savage (San Clemente, CA/LA Selects Midget Minor)
Keaton Thompson (Devils Lake, ND/Devils Lake HS)
Note: Brodzinski was offered a spot at the conclusion of last week’s Select 16 camp in Rochester, NY, but hasn't yet decided whether to accept.
Forwards (12):
Evan Allen (Sterling Heights, Mich./Honeybaked Midget Minor)
Connor Chatham (Belleville, Ill./St. Louis Blues Midget Minor)
J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill./Team Illinois Midget Minor)
Dawson Cook (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS)
Hudson Fasching (Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS)
John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick School)
Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass./Deerfield Academy)
Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill./Team Illinois Midget Minor)
Michael McCarron (Macomb, Mich./Honeybaked Midget Minor)
Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich./Honeybaked Midget Minor)
Brandon Shea (Marshfield, Mass./Noble & Greenough School)
Luke Voltin (Blaine, Minn./Hill-Murray HS)
Fri. 7/1/11
Northeastern Recruit Decommits
5’10”, 173 lb. Cedar Rapids (USHL) center Justin Kovacs has decommitted from Northeastern, where he was scheduled to matriculate this fall.
Kovacs, who committed to Northeastern in December, was the eighth-leading scorer in the USHL this past season with a 17-42-59 line in 58 games played.
A 10/13/91 birthdate from Grosse Point Woods, Michigan, Kovacs was in his second year in the league. In ’09-10, he played the first half of the season in Cedar Rapids, but in mid-January was sent to the Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL). However, he remained on Cedar Rapids’ affiliate list and returned to the RoughRiders last season, where he had a breakthrough season, leading the team in scoring. In addition to Northeastern, Western Michigan and UNH were among the schools recruiting him last fall.
Before playing junior hockey, Kovacs lit it up in Michigan high school hockey, posting a 19-32-51 line in 28 games for Grosse Point North in 2008-09.
Sat. 7/2/11
U.S. Under-17 Selects Named
Here is the 22-man roster for the U.S. Under-17 Select Team which will compete in next month’s Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
All players competed in this past week’s Select 16 Camp in Rochester, NY.
The tournament is scheduled for August 9-13, with all games at the Ice Cube.
The U.S. Under-17 Select Team:
Goaltenders (2):
Thatcher Demko; Devin Williams.
Defensemen (7):
Michael Brodzinski, Connor Clifton, Anthony DeAngelo, Michael Downing, R.J. Gicewicz, Jordan Gross, Willie Raskob.
Forwards (13):
Shane Eiserman, Adam Erne, Gabe Guertler, Daniel Labosky, Vinni Lettieri, Jimmy Lodge, Trevor Moore, Andrew Oglevie, Sam Povoroziniouk, Alex Schoenborn, Ryan Siroky, Michael Turner, Daniel Vanderwiel.
Head Coach: Bob Corkum
Assistant Coach: Pat Mikesch
The U.S. Schedule:
Tues. Aug. 9 – Czech Republic, 6:00 pm
Wed. Aug. 10 – Germany, 6:00 pm
Friday Aug. 12 – Slovakia, 6:00 pm
Sat. Aug. 13 – Switzerland, 6:00 pm.
