Thurs. 11/3/16
New England District Tournament Schedule
The Connecticut Hockey Conference playoffs will be held this weekend, with the winners going on to the New England Regionals Fri.-Sun. Nov. 11-13 at the Berkshire School.
The action (single-game elimination) will be at the Newington Arena on Saturday night Nov. 5th. Here are the matchups:
U18
#1 Yale vs. #4 Connecticut Riverhawks, 8:05 pm
#2 Selects Academy vs. #3 Mid-Fairfield, 8:25 pm
The two winners will go to Regionals as the Conn. 1 and 2 seeds and join the RI Hitmen and the winner of this weekend's best two-out-of-three series between the Seacoast Spartans and the New Hampshire Avalanche full season. The four U18 teams moving on to Berkshire, unlike other age groups, will only play on Sat. and Sun. (Nov. 12-13).
U16
#1 Yale vs. #4 Cheshire Elite, 6:10 pm
#2 Selects Academy vs. #3 Mid-Fairfield, 6:30 pm
The losers of the above two U16 games will meet on Sunday. The winner of that game will head to Berkshire as the #3 Connecticut seed, and join Saturday's winners along with the RI Hitmen, RI Saints, and New Hampshire Avalanche (full season) to make up the six-team field at the U16 Regionals.
U15
There is no Connecticut State Tournament for this age group. The four teams going to Berkshire are the Northern Cyclones, Connecticut Chiefs, Yale, and Selects Academy.
U14
To be decided in March.
Nationals will be held April 6-10, 2017. The U14s and U15s will be in Scottsdale, Arizona. The U16s and U18s will be in Pittsburgh, PA.
Here is the full schedule for this coming weekend, as well as next weekend's master schedule for the Regionals at Berkshire:
Schedule for CHC Playoffs and NE Regionals
Thurs. 11/17/16
NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch
NHL Central Scouting Service has released its November Players to Watch list, a 23-page document that covers the CHL, the USHL (page 7), other US junior leagues (page 12), US high schools (page 13), NCAA (page 16), and international leagues (page 18).
Players are ranked either A-B-C, with 'A' players regarded as potential first rounders. 'B' players are potential 2nd and 3rd rounders, 'C' players are potential 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th rounders.
We counted five US-born players: Kelowna (WHL) D Callan Foote, Spokane (WHL) RW Kailer Yamamoto, US U-18 LW Grant Mismash, Eden Prairie C Casey Mittelstadt, and St. Cloud State University freshman C Ryan Poehling.
NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch list of Nov. 16, 2016
Sun. 11/13/16
Mass., New England Championships
New England
All games at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
U18 Tier I
Championship Game:
Mid-Fairfield 4, Yale 2
U16 Tier I
Semifinal #1: Yale 4, Cheshire Elite 1
Semifinal #2: Selects Academy 1, Mid-Fairfield 0 (OT)
Championship Game:
Selects 1, Yale 0 -- Kyle Haskins (from Shane Pinto) for the goal. Matt Stephan with 24-save shutout.
U15 Tier I
Championship Game:
Yale 2, Selects Academy 1 (2-OT) -- Nick Capone with the game-winner.
***
Massachusetts
All games at either the New England Sports Center (18s,16s) or Rodman Arena (14s)
U18 Tier I
Semifinal #1: Neponset Valley River Rats 3, Little Bruins 1
Semifinal #2: Boston Jr. Bruins 6, Boch Militia 3
Championship Game: Neponset Valley River Rats 2, Boston Jr. Bruins 1 (2-OT) -- GWG from Chris Brown, assisted by Austin Magera. Alex Zafonte came up big in net for the Rats.
U18 Tier II
Semifinal #1: Neponset Valley River Rats 8, Eastern Mass Senators 0
Semifinal #2: South Shore Kings 4, Weymouth Youth Hockey 1
Championship Game: South Shore Kings 8, Neponset Valley River Rats 2
U16 Tier I
Semifinal #1: Cape Cod Whalers 5, Boston Jr. Eagles 2
Semifinal #2: Springfield Rifles 5, Neponset Valley River Rats 1
Championship Game: Cape Cod Whalers 6, Springfield Rifles 2
U16 Tier II
Semifinal #1: Neponset Valley River Rats 6, Quincy 67's 1
Semifinal #2: South Shore Kings 5, Dual State Riverhawks 1
Championship Game: South Shore Kings 3, Neponset Valley River Rats 2
15's
Championship Game: Neponset Valley River Rats 3, Springfield Rifles 2 (OT) -- Jack Bavis GWG
U14 Tier I
Semifinal #1: Islander Hockey Club 13, Valley Jr. Warriors 2
Semifinal #2: South Shore Kings 5, Minuteman Flames 1
Championship Game: South Shore Kings 4, Islander Hockey Club 0
U14 Tier II
Semifinal #1: Boston Jr. Terriers 5, East Coast Wizards 2
Semifinal #2: Valley Jr. Warriors 7, Dual State Riverhawks 1
Championship Game: Valley Jr. Warriors 3, Boston Jr. Terriers 1
***
Sites, Dates for Nationals
Tier I Nationals
U14 & 15: Scottsdale, Arizona, April 6-10, 2017
U16, U18: Pittsburgh, PA, April 6-10, 2017
Tier II Nationals
U14: Coral Springs, Florida, April 6-10, 2017
U16: Frisco, Texas, April 6-10, 2017
U18: Lansing, Michigan, April 6-10, 2017
Tues. 11/8/16-updated with program book on Friday 11/11
Mass. Championships Schedules & Rosters
The Mass State Championships are on tap for this coming weekend, Fri.-Sun. Nov. 11-13, with the U14s facing off at Rodman Arena (Walpole, Mass.) and both the U16s and U18s taking place at the New England Sports Center (Marlborough, Mass.).
Schedules include both Tier I and Tier II.
Also included is a U15 division, though it's small, with just four teams.
Mass State Championships Schedule
An Update (for U16 Tier II only)
Program Book with Rosters and Schedules (added. Fri. 11/11)
Mon. 11/7/16
New England Regionals Schedule
The field is set and the schedule finalized for the New England Regionals, to be held Friday Nov. 11 through Sun. Nov. 13 at the Berkshire School.
In U18 action at the Connecticut championships over the weekend, Yale topped the Conn. Riverhawks, 6-2, and Mid-Fairfield beat Selects Academy, 6-1. Both teams advance and will start play Saturday morning Nov. 12 at 10:00 am at Berkshire.
U18 Seeding:
1. Yale
2. Seacoast Spartans
3. Mid-Fairfield
4. RI Hitmen
***
At the U16 level, the Rhode Island Saints dropped out of Regionals due to a shortage of players, and replaced by the low seed from Connecticut. That meant that the U16 Connecticut playoffs that were to have been played over the weekend were deemed unnecessary -- and canceled.
In New Hampshire, the U16 NH Avalanche full season team defeated the Seacoast Spartans to earn a trip to Regionals. Play for the U16s begins Friday Nov. 11 at 6:00 pm.
U16 Seeding:
1. Yale
2. Selects Academy (aka Central Conn.)
3. Mid-Fairfield
4. NH Avalanche Full Season
5. RI Hitmen
6. Cheshire Elite (aka East Haven)
***
The U15s start play at 4:00 pm on Friday Nov. 11.
U15 Seeding:
1. Selects Academy (aka Central Conn.)
2. Yale
3. Connecticut Chiefs (aka Conn. Riverhawks)
4. NH Northern Cyclones
And the U14s will be decided in March.
Master Schedule for Nov. 11-13 at the Berkshire School:
2016 New England Regionals
Thurs. 11/3/16
ECC Prep Cup Review
USHR voyaged up to the hills of North-Central Mass -- Winchendon and Cushing, to be precise -- to check out the East Coast Classic Tournaments Prep Cup (13U, 14U) over Halloween weekend.
The most skilled team we saw -- at either age group -- was the Long Island Gulls U13s, who wound up winning the '03 division with a 3-1 decision over the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers.
"Overall," I thought we had a solid weekend," Gulls coach Mark Cole said. "We competed every night. I'm just happy with the way they played.
In the '02 division, the Mercer Chiefs shut out the Valley Jr. Warriors 2-0.
Note: There were nearly 40 teams on hand and we were only able to see half -- if that -- so there will be a number of very good players we missed. Just something to keep in mind as you peruse the list below.
The players are grouped as simply A's or B's, but within those groups there is no ranking.
'03s
"A" Players:
Roman Schmidt, D, #9 Ottawa 67s -- Fully grown already. 6'2" or 6'3". Good skater and good feet for age/size. Looks like he could a pro someday down the line.
Giovanni Morneau, F, #8 Ottawa 67s -- Forward with poise. Good shot, good hands, and made plays. Good on the PP.
Kaleb Lawrence, F, #24 Ottawa 67s -- Team's best forward. Has size, skill, is a good skater, and attacks the net. Centerman had both goals in 4-2 loss to Gulls in semifinals.
Garbriele Crete, F, #23 Ottawa 67s -- Has size and skill. Skates well. And makes plays.
Matt Gagnon, F, #98 Syracuse Nationals -- Good-sized forward who skates well and really hunts the puck. Gagnon backchecks hard, and takes the play back the other way.
Cooper Flinton, F, #22 New Hampshire Avalanche -- Power forward type has good size and skill. Likes to take the puck to the net off the wall, and make plays.
Nathan Glencross, F, #19 NH Avalanche -- Big, strong player and a good skater. Can finish around the net.
Jeremy Wilmer, F, #16 LI Gulls -- Undersized center has great vision and skill, great edges, competes hard, has high hockey IQ. Relentless on puck pursuit. Just slices through traffic.
DJ Walsh, F, #22 LI Gulls -- Played on a line with Wilmer and together they were pretty unstoppable. Great skill, strong shot, plays a gritty physical game, and scored a highlight reel goal in the finals.
Harry Meirowitz, D, #8 LI Gulls -- Small offensive D with terrific poise. Excellent skater. Reads the game well, has a great stick, and is very creative and deceptive. Quick and clever, an Adam Fox type. Battles and is strong despite lack of size.
Landon Brdey, G, #20 LI Gulls -- Top goaltender among the '03s here. Tracks the puck well, has good size, and good hands.
Michael Salvatore, G, #30 Top Gun -- Undersized goalie -- listed as 5'5" -- moves well and has good hands. Challenges shooters.
Brendan Gorman, F, #7 East Coast Wizards -- Smart centerman. Wins draws. Finds seams. Consistently noticeable. Attends St. Sebastian's.
Joey Borelli, F, #16 East Coast Wizards -- Excellent speed off the wing.
Andrew Cafarelli, F, #15 Valley Jr. Warriors -- Made some really nice plays, but physical too.
Drew Blackwell, F, #12 Valley Jr. Warriors -- Always around puck, strong sense of the game.
"B" Players:
Paul Desaro, F, #66 PAL Islanders -- Strong and powerful, with a good shot. Late '03.
Jake Hall, F, #91 Syracuse Nationals -- Right-shot center, a late '03, has skill and can distribute the puck.
Noah Sladish, D, #5 Syracuse Nationals -- RD with good size and above average skill set and skating ability.
Sam Schonfeld, D, #16 Ottawa 67s -- Huge LD. Tough, stay-at-home shot-blocking type.
Mark MacPhee, F, #15 Ottawa 67s -- Left shot RW has good size, played physically, and made plays. A Strong two-way player.
Owen Hollingsworth, F, #17 Ottawa 67s -- Good sized, and goes to the net. A finisher.
Ian Olenik, F, #8 Top Gun -- Skates well and has a nice shot.
Adam Feldman, F, #23 New York Saints -- Skates well and has good hands. Needs to make more plays to become an elite player.
Nathan Glencross, F, #19 NH Avalanche -- Quick skater with above-average size.
Luca Leighton, F, #11 LI Gulls -- Small, smart forward with speed and a quick stick. Was blocking shots on the PK. Also was strong on the PP.
Joseph Sciabarra, D, #33 LI Gulls -- Average-sized left shot d-man with good feet and poise. Uses his feet to escape trouble and is good on the breakout. Late '03.
Eddie Romano, D, #88 LI Gulls -- '04 playing up playing up due to team being shorthanded is a strong prospect. Got more and more ice time as game went along.
Bryan Gerry, F, #40 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers -- a 200-foot forward who plays a hard, smart, responsible game.
Thomas Rockey, F, #83 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers -- Similar to Gerry -- a hard-working, solid player.
Logan Dittenhafer, D, #6 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers -- 6'2" d-man with some skill and much raw potential.
Tatum Fitzmaurice, F, #10 Cheshire Elite -- Small, but with a quick accurate shot. Scored a couple goals off the rush in one game.
Tyler Ramm, F, #22 Minuteman Flames -- Big power forward with potential.
'02s
"A" Players:
Matt Argentina, F, #13 Mercer Chiefs -- An '03 playing up. Good skater makes plays, scores goals, and is strong on his stick. Excellent young prospect.
Eddie Evaldi, F, #95 Mercer Chiefs -- Small but very skilled. Has the puck a ton, in the manner of Patrick Harper. Effortless skater through the neutral zone. Makes tons of plays on the rush.
Gordon Ogden, F, #68 Mercer Chiefs -- Large d-man with poise. Above average skater.
Kyle Heath, F, #3 Neponset Valley River Rats -- Undersized forward with a solid skill set and high hockey IQ. Needs to get stronger, but is always around the puck and making plays.
Ben Steeves, F, #6 New Hampshire Avalanche -- Small, skilled forward is younger brother of Notre Dame commit Matt Steves. Expect he'll grow some.
Zenas Kennedy, D, #9 Providence Capitals -- Big d-man who can skate and has poise. Defends well and makes a good first pass.
Owen Deslauriers, D, Boston Advantage -- Puck-carrying d-man can really skate with it. Runs the PP. Played tough, made others better. Good hockey IQ.
"B" Players
Danny Griffin, D, Long Island Royals -- Smoooth-skating d-man is on the small side. Good skills, though, and sees the ice well.
Cole Crushberg-Roseen, D, Valley Jr. Warriors -- Right shot D is a good skater who can move it and shoot it. Very reliable defender.
Padraig Condon, F, Valley Jr. Warriors -- Gritty, in-your-face centerman goes to the dirty areas but also has a good finishing touch.
Charlie Addesa, F, Valley Jr. Warriors -- Can grind in the corners and also play a finesse style. Has size, and, if he improves his skating a bit, could be tough to handle.
Avvi Tanasiyenko, F, Team Maryland -- Very smooth skater with a finishing touch.
Ryan Prewitt, D, #3 Boston Advantage Elite -- Small left-shot D froom the Hillside School has good feet and puck skills.
