Sun. 8/20/17
'03s at Crimson Combine
On Friday, we took the road trip to the green pastures of Harvard University to see what was in store with the '03s at the Crimson Combine.
This is always a good take, with just four teams playing over two days, and a healthy low-key atmosphere.
We felt that the strength this year was up front, with the tournament's best half-dozen or so players all forwards.
Except for the A+ forwards, we didn't really try to rank within the letter grades. These are just the 23 players who impressed themselves on us the most.
Forwards:
A+
Ryan St. Louis, Mid-Fairfield -- For our money, St. Louis is the preeminent forward in this age group. An excellent skater with a burst of speed, the puck just follows him around. Peerless hockey sense. When his team scores, more often than not he plays the key role. When St. Louis gets to college, we expect the experience of watching him will be similar to watching his dad, Martin, in his UVM days. In other words, if you don't keep a close eye on him, you're in trouble. A constant threat when the puck is -- or isn't -- on his stick. Will be going to the Brunswick School.
Jack Hughes, Boston Jr. Eagles -- On the first day, Hughes was electric; on the second day had a bit of a drop-off. Hughes is a strong skater with a sense of the game to match. Has a good frame. Best '03 forward from the Boston area.
Cole Huckins, Fredericton AAA -- Unlike St. Louis and Hughes, this was our first look at the young forward from New Brunswick's capital city. Huckins has size and was dominant on Day #2, going pretty much where he wanted with the puck. Needs to smooth out his skating a bit, but could be a force in time. Will be going to Stanstead College.
A
Anthony Cafarelli, Warriors -- A good skater with good hands. Competitive and consistently noticeable.
Matthew Brille, Team Maryland -- Sturdily built and strong on his skates. Puck is on his stick a lot. Will be playing for the NJ Colonials this season.
Tyler Boucher, Virtua -- The son of former Mount St. Charles and NHL goaltender Brian Boucher notched a hat trick in Friday's action. He's big, strong, and has a ton of potential.
Paul Davey, Mid-Fairfield -- Better on Day #1 than #2. Good size, smooth skater with a long stride.
David Chen, NJ Colonials -- Good stick, smart player, quick, and on the small side.
Timmy Delay, Boston Jr. Eagles -- Good stick, good skater, and good all-around skills.
Matthew McGroarty, Mid-Fairfield -- Big, strong. Works hard. Gets around the ice well.
Kenny Connors, Virtua -- Good size, good stride. Hard to miss when he's on the ice.
Liam Gilmartin, Washington Little Caps -- Big, strong, but has skill too. Seems to find a way to impact the play. Not always the prettiest player, but gets the job done.
Ethan Cordeiro, Providence Capitals -- Another player who finds himself around the puck a lot.
Jackson Morehouse, Pittsburgh Pens -- Good size, productive.
Mike Callow, Junior Eagles -- An '04 playing up. Scored a nifty top-shelf goal.
Defensemen:
A
Will Killoran, Islanders -- Big, strong right shot D with a cannon from the point. A little gangly. Will be growing into his body for a while yet. Good potential. At Belmont Hill.
Patrick Morrisssey, Boston Jr. Terriers -- Right shot D with good wheels.
Nick Wallace, NJ Colonials -- Good smart d-man protects the puck well and has good wheels. Good upside.
Ryan Ufko, Mid-Fairfield -- If he grows a little he could be something. Right now, he's stocky and short. We like his stick, his sense of the game, and his ability to see the options in front of him.
Chase Ramsay, Westchester Express -- Improved a lot over the past year. Just a good, solid two-way d-man.
Silas Van Vranken, Vermont Glades -- Interesting player. Good size, long stride but a little rough around the edges. We'll want to see him more, but he definitely caught our eye. Possible diamond in the rough. Good name, too.
Caiden Hess, River Rats -- Very small and gets pushed around by bigger, stronger players, but that could even out in time. Hess has skill. He's super mobile, with quick feet and a quick stick. Going to Cardigan Mountain.
Goaltenders:
Thomas Heaney, NJ Colonials -- The only goalie that cajught our eye. Moves well laterally. Came up with a nice toe save -- good reactions. And also was very good on penalty shots, which were used to maintain 5x5 play.
Thurs. 8/31/17
ECC Cup Rosters & Schedules
The 2017 East Coast Classics Labor Day Cup -- featuring 109 teams -- is one of two major youth tournaments going on in the Greater Boston/Southern New Hampshire area this weekend.
Run by Peter Alden's organization, the ECC Labor Day Cup will have 18U, 16U, 15U, and 14Us competing across four different divisions and playing in Salem, NH; Hudson, NH; Tewksbury, Mass.; Haverhill, Mass.; Middleton, Mass.; Tyngsborough, Mass.; and Canton, Mass.
The most powerful division is the Red Division, and all their games will be northeast of Boston, i.e. Salem, Hudson, and Haverhill.
The 14Us will be playing exclusively at the Canton Ice House.
Everything you need can be found in the following links:
ECC Labor Day Cup Red Division (18U,16U, 15U)
ECC Labor Day Cup White Division (18U, 16U, 15U)
ECC Labor Day Cup Blue Division (18U, 16U)
ECC Labor Day Cup 14U Division
Wed. 8/30/17
Mass. Tier I Labor Day Schedule & Rosters
The 2017 Mass. Tier I Invitational Labor Day Faceoff runs from Fri. Sept. 1 to Monday Sept. 4.
The bulk of the games will be at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. Additional games will be played at the Rodman Arena in Walpole, the Foxboro Sports Center, the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, and the Boch Ice Center in Dedham.
There will be 170 teams in the tournament.
Below, you will find all the necessary links. All are PDF files. The program book runs 84 pages so you have plenty to study before the weekend.
For convenience, the schedules are divided up by division. That's to keep you from totally losing your mind. If there are any last-minute changes we will have updates here. Best of luck to all teams.
Mass. Tier I Invitational Labor Day Tournament Program Book
Mass. Tier I Invitational Labor Day Schedules (By Division)
Last-minute rosters:
PAL Islanders U18, U16, and U15, and Team Virtua U16
Tues. 8/29/17
Help for Josh Ciocco
Brown University assistant hockey coach Josh Ciocco, following a workout Friday, was diagnosed with compartment syndrome, a painful and dangerous condition in which a muscle in Ciocco's leg was damaged so seriously that it became necrotic, releasing toxins into the blood stream. The kidneys were thus unable to filter those toxins and shut down.
Ciocco is in the ICU at Rhode Island Hospital, and is on a dialysis machine. He's in a lot of pain and is expected to be in the hospital for several weeks. This is not life-threatening, and the leg will be saved. His insurance through the university is said to be good, but co-pays and other expenses can be high. A Go Fund Me page has been set up and has already raised over $10,000.
Ciocco, a former captain at UNH, has been an assistant at Milton Academy, the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and, starting last year, Brown University. Ciocco also worked for USHR during a time when this typist had a life-threatening illness. Ciocco picked up the slack, and that is something for which I will always be grateful. We're hoping now that the prep, college, and pro hockey community can come to his aid now.
Go Fund Me page for Josh Ciocco
Fri. 8/25/17
Program Book for River Rats Jamboree
The 8th Annual Neponset Valley River Rats Jamboree will be held Mon.-Tues. August 28th-29th at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.
It's a good chance to get a first look at the top U14, U15 U16, and U18 teams in the Northeast.
Here's the program book (it's a 30-page PDF and includes all rosters and schedules).
Program Book for 2017 River Rats Jamboree
Sun. 8/20/17
River Rats Jamboree Schedule
Here is the completed schedule for the 8th Annual Neponset Valley River Rats Jamboree, to be held Mon.-Tues. August 28th-29th at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.
8th Annual Neponset Valley River Rats Jamboree
Thurs. 8/17/17
River Rats Jamboree Coming Up
The 8th Annual Neponset Valley River Rats Jamboree will be held Mon.-Tues. August 28th-29th at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.
The following organizations will be sending teams: NE Nordiques, Springfield Rifles, Boston Jr. Eagles, Cape Cod Whalers, Rhode Island Hitmen, Northern Cyclones, NH Avalanche, Yale, Greater New Haven/West Haven, Mid-Fairfield, Connecticut Riverhawks, Connecticut Seahawks, Elite Hockey, North Jersey Avalanche, Frozen Tide, Mercer Chiefs, LI Gulls, Suffolk PAL, Buffalo Regals, Militia, Rochester Coalition, Islanders Hockey Club, and the Boston Jr. Bruins.
When the schedule is finalized, we'll have it for you here.
***
Teams for Yale Jamboree
The Yale Jamboree is scheduled for Sat.-Sun. Sept. 30th-October 1st this year and will be played out of the Northford Ice Pavilion, Yale University's Ingalls Rink, and Wesleyan University.
Organizations sending teams include Yale, the River Rats, Selects Academy, Mid-Fairfield, NJ Avalanche, Cape Cod Whalers, Greater New Haven, NH Avalanche, Northern Cyclones, Boston Jr. Eagles, Springfield Rifles, N.E. Nordiques, NJ Hitmen, Boch Blazers, Connecticut Riverhawks, Mass. Senators, NJ Titans, Boston Bulldogs -- and more.
When it's ready, we will have a full schedule in these pages.
Wed. 8/9/17
Brown Camp Schedule and Rosters
Games at Brown University's camp start this afternoon at Meehan Auditorium and continue through Friday.
Each of the 12 teams practices in the morning, with games Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at 2:00, 3:20, 4:40, 6:00, 7:20, and 8:40 pm.
On Thursday night, Saint Anselm College head coach Jim Tortorella and Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) scout Mike Levine will, along with the Brown staff, hold a seminar on player development and college recruiting.
On Friday there will be no practices, just games starting at 8:00 am, followed by 9:20 am, 10:40 am, noon, 1:15 pm, and 2:35 pm.
Coaching staff includes Brendan Whittet, Jason Guerriero, and Josh Ciocco (Brown), Paul Pearl (Harvard), Josh Siembida (Yale), Scott Borek (Providence College), Jared DeMichiel (UMass), Jason Smith (Northeastern), Peter Roundy (Holy Cross), Matt Greason (Trinity), Bill Kangas (Williams), and Jamie Rice (Babson).
Brown Camp Rosters
Wed. 8/2/17-updated
Kings of East Coast Schedule & Rosters
The 2nd Annual Kings of East Coast Summer Showcase will face off this weekend -- Fri.-Sun. Aug. 4-6 -- at Merrimack College.
The showcase -- which is small, with eight solid teams -- focuses on uncommitted prospects in the area. There will be prospects from outside the area as well, as the historically strong Minnesota Blades are returning.
Last summer's showcase was the first, as director Vinnie Montalbano jumped in and cobbled together a successful tournament after the now-defunct OTB Teal Invite folded less than two weeks before the start date.
This weekend's schedule is below, along with rosters for five of the eight teams coming. Missing rosters are the NH Knights, Top Shelf, and the NE Nordiques. We'll add those in when we get them.
Kings of East Coast Summer Showcase Schedule
Kings of East Coast Summer Showcase Rosters (It's a folder so double-click it and the rosters will come up)
