3/30/04

Feisty Forward for Golden Knights

5’11”, 185 lb. Northwood School LW Steve Zalewski will be heading to Clarkson this fall.

Zalewski, who’s from New Hartford, NY (just outside Utica) played for New Hartford HS before going off to prep school. He’s a hard worker, always in motion, always creating energy. At Northwood this season he had a 32-34-66 line.

Other schools in the picture included Yale, St. Lawrence, and Northeastern.

Zalewski, a 8/20/86 birthdate, will compete for playing time with Clarkson’s incoming group of forwards, which, in addition to Zalewski, consists ofShawn Weller (Cap District), David Cayer (Longueuil Jr. A), Ryan Hodkinson (NY Apple Core), and Mike Arciero (Avon Old Farms).

Notes:
Zalewski and many others are appearing in Hockey Night in Boston, which goes into the playoff round tonight. The schedule for today (Tues. 3/30) is as follows.

4:00 pm #6 ISL/Preps vs. #5 New England (the winner of this game does not advance)
                    Semi-Finals:

6:15 pm#2 Mass Publics/Catholics vs. #3 NY/Mid-Atlantic

8:30 pm #1 EJHL All-Stars vs. #4 Mass Privates

Tomorrow, Wed. (3/31), the losers of tonight’s semis will play at 5:00 pm, and the winners will meet for the title at 7:15 pm.

NAHL Playoffs:

Here is the schedule for the NAHL playoffs. The West teams have already started their post-season play, while the North and South will start this coming weekend.

West:
#1 Billings vs. #4 Helena (series tied 1-1)
#2 Fargo-Moorhead vs. #3 Bismarck (Bismarck leads 1-0)

North:
#1 Soo vs. #4 US Under-17.
#2 Springfield (Ill.) Jr. Blues vs. #3 Cleveland

South:
#1 Texas vs. #4 Texarcana
#2 Fairbanks vs. Wichita Falls

The teams to beat in the NAHL are regular-season champion Texas (47-6-2) and the Soo Indians (44-6-6) who finished just a couple points back. After those two, there’s a drop off.

USHL Playoffs:

East:
#1 Chicago vs. #4 Waterloo
#2 Cedar Rapids vs. #3 Danville

West:
#1 Tri-City vs. #4 Des Moines
#2 Sioux City vs. #3 River City

Not making the playoffs this year are St. Louis, Green Bay, Lincoln, and Sioux Falls.

3/29/04

NCAA Players Signing Pro Contracts

What follows is a list of college players who have recently signed pro contracts. About half were drafted; the other half are free agents. 

With the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire in September, agents are worried that, under a new CBA, the rookie salary cap may drop precipitously, perhaps as much as $400,000-500,000 per year. So expect to see more kids than usual sign pro contracts in the days and weeks to come.

We’ll do our best to keep the list updated. If there are any omissions, please e-mail us at information@ushr.com

You will notice that we are also including Americans playing major junior who’ve signed recently – e.g. James Wisniewski of the Plymouth Whalers (OHL). We are not including players singing on with ECHL or UHL teams.

By the way, free agent signee Yann Danis, who just completed his senior season at Brown before signing with the Montreal Canadiens, notched a shutout in his pro debut Saturday night, as Hamilton (AHL) blanked Toronto (AHL) 3-0.

Anyway, here’s the list. You will need to have Xcel in order to open it.

2004 College Players Signing Pro Contracts

3/29/04

Norton to be a Friar

Thayer junior RW Pierce Norton has committed to Providence College.

Norton, who’s 6’2”, 190 lbs., had a 23-40-63 line this season for Thayer.

A South Boston, Mass. native, Norton is abig, nasty, physical winger with soft hands. His skating could improve some.

3/27/04

NTDP Tryout Camp Review

Last week’s NTDP invitation-only tryout camp, held March 13-16 in Ann Arbor, featured a notably strong and deep crop of defensemen-- ridiculously deep, actually. There were defensemen in camp who would have been slam-dunks to get invites to the program in past years that simply won’t get invited this year. Every single D in the camp was a bona fide Div. I prospect. Even so, we’re still going to try and separate them out a bit. We’ll consider how the players performed in camp, but, since there is more to evaluating players than a few scrimmages, we’ll also be considering their season as a whole and various other factors – e.g., some kids arrived in Ann Arbor wiped out from playoffs. Anyway, this tome should give you a rough idea of who the top candidates for the 2004-05 team are.

Our “A” group of defensemen begins with 6’3”, 195 lb. Erik Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Holy Angels). Johnson had a great camp and projects to be every bit as good as he showed. His size combined with his ability to see the ice, and read plays, will take him a long way. His puck skills and shot are a big plus, and he has excellent poise and anticipation. When he jumps up into the play it’s because he knows the puck will be there – rarely does he have to circle back to the point. His skating needs a little work. A potential first-round NHL draft choice.

We have, in no particular order, four others in the A group: Tyson Dowzak (Fergus Falls, Minn./Shattuck), Mike Ratchuk (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Saints), Chris Summers (Ypsilanti, Mich./Victory Honda AAA), and Bobby Sanguinetti (Mt. Holly, NJ/Lawrenceville School).

Dowzak, who’s 6’4” and 220 lbs., is a prototypical pro-type D and could also be a first round NHL pick down the road. However, he came to camp tired and never really got it going. Average at moving the puck. Didn’t play very physically, but, then again, there wasn’t much hitting from anyone in the camp.

Ratchuk, 5’10”, 150 lbs., is an unbelievably dynamic skater, the best at camp, better than Sweatt and Squires. Has great agility, too. He’s a highly offensive type. If he beats the first forechecker, he’s on his way. Some question Ratchuk’s vision and hockey intelligence, both of which go a long way toward determining his ability to be a top guy on the power play at a high level of play. He has the skating down, though, no question about that. Extremely athletic. Has long since received an invitation to the program and accepted it. Had an average camp, though.

Summers, 6’1”, 170 lbs., was very good, and, in most ways, may be the most ready of the D here. Good combination of size, skill, and aggressiveness. Very active. Very good skater, too. Liked to jump into the rush – and he’s good at it. Has already committed to the program. 

Sanguinetti was excellent, a bit of a surprise, an eye-opener who played above expectations. At 6’1” and 160 lbs., he has good size. He’s a very good skater. He has nice hands. Can wheel it out of the zone. Good defensively and offensively. With the depth on the blue line, he was skated up front a bit, and was fine there, too.      

The “B” group would include Brian Strait (Waltham, Mass./Northfield-Mt. Hermon), Trent Palm (Edina, Minn./Shattuck Under-16), Jamie McBain (Faribault, Minn./Shattuck), and Kevin Montgomery (Rochester, NY/Syracuse Jr. A).

Strait, who is 6’1”, 180 lbs., is a strong skater who sees the ice well and moves the puck skillfully and quickly.

McBain, 6’0”, 170 lbs., is somewhat similar to Strait in that he, too, skates well, sees the ice and can move the puck. When making plays he did so with authority.

Montgomery, 6’0”, 170 lbs., is physically weaker than Strait and McBain. He sees the ice well. Made some excellent outlet passes.

Palm, 6’0”, 180 lbs., is not as gifted offensively as most of the blueliners we’ve already mentioned, but he’s probably the truest defensive defenseman -- a stay-at-home type who blocked shots well and cleared out guys in front. Excellent one-on-one defender in closed areas. Neither small nor big, but he is stocky. Not as agile and not as good a skater as those previously mentioned. He’s a late ’88 birthdate.

Those are our top nine, but there are some excellent prospects behind them, including several who may have better long-term potential, in the next, and final, group.

Corey Toy (Round Hill, Va./Hotchkiss), perhaps the best of this group, was likely the most physical player in camp and in past years would have been significantly higher in our ranking. At 6’0”, 190 lbs., he’s strong and well put together. Loves to hit. Skating is good. Defensively, he was going up against the top ’88 forwards in the country and had no problems with them. In comparison to the elite D here, his puck skills and overall hockey sense are areas he came up a little short in.

Matt Kronk (Hudson, Mass./Junior Bruins Midget AAA) is 6’3”, 205 lbs., and raw. He's a bit of a bow-legged skater, but he has great size, soft hands, and a mean streak, which he didn’t really show as much here. It’s early to be projecting these kinds of things, but he looks like he could be a mid-round NHL draft pick someday. Right now, for the purposes of the NTDP, he may be a bit of a project.

Joe Sova (Berwyn, Ill./Chicago Mission Midget AAA) was a little out of place because he doesn’t skate as well as most of the other D, but he’s a smart player with, at 6’1”, 170 lbs., good size and offensive instincts.

Cameron Cepek (Huntington Beach, CA/California Wave), 6’1” and 165 lbs., is simply a solid defensive defenseman.

Steven Kampfer (Jackson, Mich./Jackson HS), 5’9”, 175 lbs., was a late add to the roster. Kampfer is a smart player, a good skater, but smallish. He, too, was tired, coming in from playoffs.. Still, not in the class of the above.

That’s 14 defensemen, not including other top ’88 prospects like 6’1” Eric Baier, the younger brother of Brown recruit Paul Baier. The younger Baier plays at the Eaglebrook School, a pre-prep in Deerfield, Mass. He was traveling with the team in Europe and wouldn’t have been able to make it to Ann Arbor anyway. Alaskan defenseman David Beach is another good prospect. He was on the initial list for the camp but couldn't make it to Ann Arbor.

On top of tall that, there’s an ’88 d-man already in the program in Chad Morin, who’d be available for international competition. In sum, the ’88 defensemen represent an embarrassment of riches.

Taken as a group, the forwards lacked the skill and depth of the d-men. There was no Robbie Schremp-Phil Kessel types with eye-popping skills. However, ’88 forward Peter Mueller is already in the program, and, like Morin, will be there to strengthen this group for international play.

With that said, Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn./Culver Academy) and Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach, CA/California Wave) were the top two forwards here.

Geoffrion, the grandson of former NHL great “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, is, at 6’1”, 175 lbs., a big, strong, poised power forward. Nice hands. Will intimidate players. He’s already been invited to the NTDP, and has accepted.

Rakhshani, 5’9”, 160 lbs., has unbelievable puck skills that allow him to cut in and out of traffic. Very, very elusive. Excellent ice vision; excellent hands. An area he could improve in is his skating, which is not as bad as it is different. He’s a roller-blade type skater, which may possibly help him at times, particularly in heavy traffic, where you have to spin off guys a lot. An excellent prospect. Already committed to the program.

Our next four would include Billy Sweatt (Elburn, Ill./Team Illinois Midget AAA), Mike Carman (Holy Angels Academy), Steve Sperry (Dallas Midget AAA), and Jim O’Brien (Lake Angelus, Minn./Little Caesar’s). 
 

Sweatt, 5’10”, 160 lbs. and the brother of Colorado College freshman defenseman Lee Sweatt, is a speedster who can handle the puck while going full bore. Great feet. Quick. Smart. Plays with a bit of grit, too. A late ’88. Like his brother, Sweatt is also a good roller hockey player. Already committed to the program.

The 6’0”, 160 lb. Carman, like Sweatt,also plays at a high tempo and has good feet. Very good puck skills , great energy, and he makes decisions well at a high tempo.

Sperry, a Texas native, is a different kind of player than the above. He’s big, strong, and raw and didn’t stand out as much as Geoffrion, Rakhshani, Sweatt, and Carman, though he did score two goals in the first half of the final game. He’s more of a projection player. A lot of upside. He’s 6’2’, 170 lbs., just a big raw player who can skate, handle the puck, and shoot it. As the camp went along, he adjusted well to the tempo and played his best toward the end. He was also among the more physical players here. A future monster. He’s a very young ’88. With a 12/15/88 birthdate, he’s actually just a couple of weeks from being an ’89.

O’Brien, who’s only about six weeks younger than Sperry, was the only ’89 in the camp, and he has a ton of upside, too. O’Brien was another who came to camp straight from playoffs. He, like a number of players here, was fried, and didn’t play as well as he can. We’re not making apologies for him, we’re just saying he has what it takes to be a player. At 6’0”, 165 lbs., he has good size, he’s a good skater, he’s pretty strong, he’s smart, and he does a lot of things right, which, considering his age, is noteworthy.

If that’s the A group, we’ll give an A minus to James Marcou (King’s Park, NY/Suffolk PAL Midget AAA). Marcou, who’s 5’5” and just a bit over 120 pounds, was the leading point-getter in the scrimmages – by a good margin. He has great hockey sense; he just knows how to play. Excellent at moving the puck. Can skate. Is elusive; great in traffic. Slips checks and gets open with the best of them. Came up with the biggest hit in the tournament, and it was on a player much bigger than he. A fun player to watch. Based on performance alone, and skill, he belongs among the better forwards here. He is very small, though. Marcou has already committed to college – to UMass.

Our next five – the “B” group – would consist of Chris Atkinson (Sparta, NJ/Salisbury School); Luke Popko (Skillman, NJ/Taft School); Matt Quigley (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA); Greg Squires (White Plains, NY/Brunswick School); and Mike Forney (Thief River Falls, Minn./Thief River Falls HS).

Some people expressed concern about Atkinson’s skating not being good enough to compensate for his size – he’s 5’9”, 180 lbs. However, he does get there, though his stride is not exactly pretty. And he’s quick in small spaces. What sets Atkinson apart is that he’s a smart player, who can make smart decisions on the fly, and make players around him better. Excellent hockey sense. Excellent work ethic, too. He plays hard and the puck is always on his stick.

Popko played very well here. At 5’9”, 190 lbs., he’s strong as an ox and very hard to knock off the puck. Not fast, but he goes hard. Drives to the net consistently. Good along the wall. Wins faceoffs. And he’s a smart player. Scored three or four goals here and had two or tree assists.

Quigley, 5’10, 190 lbs., is a speedster – and he plays hard. Quick. Has strong puck skills. Good sense of the game. Played well here.

Squires, at 5’6”, 160 lbs., is another small player, but he’s very quick, with an explosive stride, and skilled. Goes hard to the net. Didn’t really start scoring until the end of the camp. 

Forney, at 6’1”, 180 lbs., has size, of which there’s not a lot of in this group. He has good puck skills and a decent sense of the game. Stands somewhere in between being a power forward and a skill forward. Lacks strength, which may have been what kept him from using his size and playing more of a big man’s game. Needs to play a little harder. Interesting prospect, though.

That rounds out our top 12. 

The rest of the forwards include players who are good, but just didn’t play well here, or else have an aspect of their game that is exceptional, but also have one or more areas of their game that need work in order to be considered with the above-mentioned players.

Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood, CO/Shattuck Under-16) can really shoot the puck; has a great release and just snaps it off. Very dangerous from the top of the circles in. Without the puck he struggles because his skating is not good. Ruegsegger, who’s 5’11”, 165 lbs., kind of runs, hunched over, on his skates. Would likely have a hard time in international competition.

Tony Mosey (Prior Lake, Minn./Shattuck Under-16). Good skills. Eludes checks well. Great in traffic. Intelligent player. A very good playmaker. Average size at 5’10, ,175 lbs. Moves the puck well. Always finds an open guy. Skating is OK, not great. Intensity could have been greater.

Ben Smith (Avon, Conn./Westminster School) didn’t play up to expectations. That’s about it. Has good tools, and, at 6’0”, 190 lbs., decent size.

Carter Camper (Rocky River, OH/HoneyBaked Midget AAA) didn’t have a good weekend. Very quiet. Two or three years ago he was big for his age, and stood out because of it, but he hasn’t really grown much. He’s 5’8" now. His shot is a good one.

Doug Rogers (Watertown, Mass./St. Sebastian’s) was good, but not really a difference-maker. Started well, but tried to do too much by himself in subsequent days. Didn’t play with a lot of jam. 5’10’, 160 lbs.

Nick Grasso (Smithtown, NY/Suffolk PAL Jr. B) is, like Rogers, a good player, but was quiet here. A 6’0, 160 lb. power forward who works hard. Will improve and get better as he adds strength and quickness. Committed to UMass.

Jack Combs (St. Louis, Mo./California Wave) showed great hands. His feet are pretty average, though. He’s a bit heavy for his height – he’s 5’11”, 210 lbs. – which doesn’t help his skating.

Jeremy Stocker (Baldwinsville, NY/Syracuse Jr. A) has excellent speed and good skills, but wasn’t dynamic or competitive enough to stand out here. He’s 5’8, 175 lbs.

Mike Fillinger (Grand Ledge, Mich./Ice Dogs ’88) was the leading scorer at last summer’s Select 15 Festival. OK skater. Good sense. Worked hard. 5’10”, 175 lbs.

Tony Yearego (Shelby Township, Mich/HoneyBaked) was one of the more physical forwards. A little short when it came to 1-on-1 skills. Good feet. Good hands. 5’11”, 175 lbs.

Jordy Trottier (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman) is tiny -- 5’4”, 110 lbs. – and struggled against the bigger, faster players. He’s Bryan Trottier’s nephew.

Payton Liske (Fonthill, Ont./Welland Jr. B) was invited to camp, but was injured and couldn’t play.

That’s it for the forwards. An invited kid who was unable to play was Ryan Flynn of Centennial HS, who separated his shoulder during his team’s run to the Minnesota state high school championship, and was unable to make the trip. Flynn, who scored 58 points (in 29 games) as a sophomore, is a very good prospect. So, too, is Shattuck's Kyle Okposo, who also wasn't here. 

The goalies were all good, or at least potentially good -- nobody looked totally out of their element.

The best goalie here, and this was pretty unanimous, was Brett Bennett (Williamsville, NY/HoneyBaked). A classic butterfly type, he played his angles well and, at 6’0”, 180 lbs., has good size. Showed good quickness.

6’1”, 185 lb. Joe Palmer (Yorkville, NY/Syracuse Jr. B) came in as the #1 prospect in net – and there’s no reason to think that he shouldn’t still be considered that way. But he was not as good as expected. Came in directly from playoffs, so may have been tired.  

6’0”, 165 lb. Ryan Simpson (Bow, NH/ St. Paul’s School) was extremely athletic. Very good prospect.

Those were the top three in our book. After them, you can throw a blanket over 5’8” Wes Vesperini (Lexington, Mass./Belmont Hill), 5’11” Neil Conway (Concord, OH/Stouffville Jr. A), and 6’0”, 165 Nick Hopper (Culver City, CA/California Wave).

As we mentioned above, the story of the 2004 NTDP Prospect Camp was the strong crop of defenseman, up to a half-dozen or so being potential 1^st-2^nd round NHL prospects a bit down the road. Up front, there is a nice variety of players with a variety of skills that could be molded into a cohesive group. The goaltending looks to be solid.

We should mention, as well, that there are normally a few spots left open for the Select 16 Festival, which enables overlooked players to force their way into contention for a slot in the program. The Select 16’s will again be in Rochester, NY this year. The dates are June 26-July 2.

3/26/04

Great 8 Faces Off Tonight

The annual Great 8 Tournament gets underway tonight with four games at the Wakota Arena in South St. Paul, Minn.

The Great 8 is limited to Minnesota high school seniors only. After the close of the tournament an all-star team will be named. That team will then go on to represent Minnesota at the Chicago Showcase next month. Players who already have college commitments will be playing in the Great 8, but will not be eligible for the team that goes on to Chicago.

CC recruit Jack Hillen is listed on the rosters (Team Orange) but will not be there as he is playing for the Tri-City Storm (USHL). Tri-City will be finishing its season this weekend, then beginning playoffs on Wednesday.  

Rosters and schedule are below (requires Acrobat Reader).

Rosters

Schedule

3/25/04

HNIB All-Scholastic Tourney Trims Down, Moves

The Hockey Nightin Boston All-Scholastic Tourney, which faces off Saturday afternoon, has pared down the number of participating teams from eight to six and moved from Merrimack College to the Chelmsford Forum.

The two teams that have been eliminated are Midwest/Northeast and the Junior Selects. With 25% fewer players than a year ago, the quality of play should be improved.

This year’s tournament will take place at the Chelmsford Forum (formerly the Tully Forum, UMass-Lowell’s former home rink). The Chelmsford Forum, which is technically in North Billerica, not Chelmsford, can be reached by taking Route 3 North to Exit 29. Take a left off the ramp and go a couple of hundred yards – you’ll be on Route 129 East toward Billerica. The rink is on the left side, tucked back but still visible from the road.

Last year’s tournament was won by the EJHL All-Stars, which rolled through the competition by a combined score of 32-8.

ISL/Preps

Goaltenders: Dan Beauregard (Thayer), Chris Mannix (Belmont Hill), Mike Coskren (St. Sebastian’s).

Defensemen: Nick Jones (St. Paul’s), Tom Breslin (Proctor), Arthur Fritch (St. Sebastian’s), Ryan Feldhoff (Thayer), Mark Anthony Passemato (St. George’s), Will Schaetzl (BB&N), Justin Wissman (NMH), Max Sherman (St. Mark’s).

Forwards: Jack Nolin (Lawrence Academy), Ricky Hollstein (BB&N), Tom Maregni (St. Sebastian’s), Brian McGuirk (GDA), Ted Brzek (St. Sebastian’s), Patrick Kimball (Lawrence Academy), Brian Gallagher (GDA), Pierce Norton (Thayer), Kevin Hendrickson (Brooks), Nick Snow (St. Paul’s), Hans Williams (St. Mark’s), Zach Wissman (NMH).

Coaches: Angus Means (BB&N), Kevin Potter (Kent’s Hill/Lawrence Academy), Jeff Matthews (NMH).

New England

Goaltenders: Anthony Tocco (Jr. Blackhawks/Belleville, MI), A.J. Scola (Worcester Academy), Zane Kalemba (Hotchkiss).

Defensemen: Will Boardman (Deerfield), Femi Amurawaiye (Holderness), Nick Jillson (Mount St. Charles), Paul Baier (Deerfield), Jason Tarbell (Laconia Leafs); Joe Cucci (Avon Old Farms), P.J. Pinkerton (Jr. Whalers), Eddie Klein (Brewster Bulldogs).

Forwards: Jay Anctil (Proctor), Olivier Chagnon (Jr. Whalers), Colby Gilbert (Edward Little), Andrei Uryadov (South Kent), Pat McLaughlin (Hotchkiss), Kyle Smith (Edward Little HS), Brian Shea (Bow HS), Mike Arciero (Avon Old Farms), Kevin Kilduff (Jr. Whalers), Steve Rolocek (Andover), Dillon Duncan (South Kent), John Carter (Brewster Bulldogs).

Coaches: Ted Kelly (Pomfret), Craig Johnson (Jr. Whalers), Geoff Marottolo (South Kent).

Mass. Privates

Goaltenders: Cory Schneider (Andover), Keith Longo (Cushing), Rob Horgan (Nobles).

Defensemen: Pat Bowen (Pomfret), Jed McDonald (Andover), Mark Mulhern (Pomfret), Jim Whooley (Pingree), John Burns (Tabor), Brian Warner (Avon Old Farms), Andy Brennan (Tabor), Nate Robie (Proctor).

Forwards: Robert Campbell (Proctor), Joe Fernald (Northwood), Josh Robertson (Proctor), Chris Diozzi (Deerfield), Chris Higgins (Pingree), Matt Germain (Northfield), Garrett Daigler (Pomfret), Alex Muse (NMH), Dan Gordon (Pingree), Brian Kolb (Tabor), Greg Genovese (Pomfret), Mike Foley (Andover).

Coaches: Alex Moody (Berkshire), Mike Walsh (Proctor).

Mass Public/Catholics

Goaltenders: Ryan Mula (Waltham), Joe Grossman (BC High), Phil Greer (AC).

Defensemen: Jeff Landers (BC High), Phil Clark (BC High), Chris Apostolakes (Chelmsford), Patrick Gunn (Winthrop), Eric Quinlan (Saugus), Chris Fahey (CM), Steve McClellan (CM), Billy Glynn (CM).

Forwards: Brendan Harrison (BC High), Ryan Vraibel (AC), Jonathan Hayes (Waltham), Jeff Grant (Austin Prep), Ryan Kelly (Billerica), Cory Quirk (CM), Paul Garabedian (Belmont), Tom Kerwin (Xaverian), Matt Lentini (Belmont), Vic Pacella (CM), Justin Bonitatibus (AC), Michael Bourque (Waltham), Peter Shelzi (Belmont).

Coaches: Peter Doherty (Reading), Dan Shine (AC), John McGuire (Waltham).

EJHL All-Stars

Goaltenders: Jake Thaler (Green Mountain Glades), Jeff Mansfield (Apple Core), Dimitri Papaevagelou (Jr. Monarchs).

Defensemen: Mark Moller (Jr. Coyotes), Nick Barnych (Jr. Coyotes), David MacDonald (Jr. Coyotes), Jake Schuster (Walpole Stars), Drew Reynolds (CD Selects), Matt Duffy (Jr. Monarchs), Marc Bastarache (Jr. Monarchs), Peter Watson (Jr. Lock Monsters).

Forwards: Rob Bellamy (Jr. Coyotes), Nick Monroe (Jr. Lock Monsters), Jeff Pappalardi (CD Selects), Shawn Weller (CD Selects), Paul D’Agostino (CD Selects), P.J. Fenton (Jr. Coyotes), Jon Rheault (Jr. Monarchs), Jon Pelle (Apple Core), Ben Camper (Bay State Breakers), Josh Coyle (Jr. Monarchs), C.J. Tozzo (Apple Core), Matt Fairchild (Walpole Stars).

Coaches: Henry Lazar (Apple Core), Jim Salfi (CD Selects), Lincoln Flagg (Jr. Coyotes).

3/24/04

Ryan Picks Maine

Cushing junior LC Billy Ryan has committed to the University of Maine.

Ryan, who will arrive in Orono in the fall of ’05, emerged as a dominant forward at Cushing this season, leading the Penguins in scoring with a 35-55-90 line and 36 penalty minutes in 37 games played.

Ryan, who’s 6’0”, 155 lbs., is a 10/23/85 birthdate and played for Catholic Memorial before transferring to Cushing. This year, he centered Cushing’s top line, which had BU recruits Chris Bourque and Boomer Ewing on the wings.

Ryan is eligible for June’s NHL draft and could go in the middle rounds

Ryan, a Milton, Mass. resident, received a full four-year scholarship from Maine. Other schools in the picture were BU, Providence, and UNH.

Ryan is the younger brother offormer BC High and Northeastern center Mike Ryan, who’s now playing for the Rochester Americans (AHL), a Buffalo Sabres affiliate.

3/22/04

Coveted Recruit Picks BC

How coveted, exactly? Well, on the day in early February that young Danny Bertram, who was accelerating his studies, officially became a 12^th grader, Boston University head coach Jack Parker was in Alberta, wooing the prized recruit.

Bertram wasn’t playing at the time, having torn his MCL playing for Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Challenge in Newfoundland over the holidays, but Parker was there anyway.

Actually, every major college hockey power worthy of the name gave it their best shot with Bertram. In the end, though, the Calgary native narrowed his choices down to Boston College, Boston University, and the University of Minnesota. The Eagles won out, and Bertram will be arriving at the Heights in September as a 17-year-old freshman.

In the fall, it looked likely that Bertram, despite the best efforts of the top U.S. college programs, would be going major junior with the Vancouver Giants, the team that had selected him second overall in the 2002 WHL bantam draft.

Bertram told us that spurning major junior for NCAA play was difficult. “I’m a Canadian kid,” he said. “And that was a tough decision.” Bertram said that actually watching NCAA games really swayed him. “I saw a high tempo game with goal scoring… it really got my attention. A couple of months ago I decided I was definitely going to go the college route. Vancouver was actually very good about the whole thing.”

Bertram visited the University of Minnesota in January, as well as BC and BU. For the latter, he chose the weekend of Jan 16-17, when the Terriers and Eagles were playing a home-and-home series.

Today, Bertram called the coaches at the schools he turned down. “I made up my mind last night, and I knew I’d have to call the other schools today. You wouldn’t believe how nervous I was. I was wide awake at 5 a.m.,” he said. “Now, I’m relaxed though.”

Last week, Bertram, despite missing six weeks while his MCL healed (it was a partial tear), was named the AJHL Rookie of the Year. In 44 regular season games, Bertram had a 22-33-55 line. Prior to his injury, which came when he collided with the Russian goalie near the blue line, he was seventh in the league in scoring – as an ’87. So far in the playoffs, he has five points in five games, and reports feeling strong. Camrose will begin semifinal play vs. the Fort McMurray Oil Barons this weekend.

Bertram, who’s 5’11”, 175 lbs. and a 1/14/87 birthdate, is a strong student, which also played a part in his decision to come stateside. As for Boston, he said, “I love the city.” He visited the first time with his youth team. He was nine or ten and they were in the city for a tournament. He met BC coach Jerry York at the time and remembers it well. Bertram was also in town last summer for unofficial visits at both BC and BU. His father, Jim Bertram, is in the gas business and makes frequent visits to the city.

As a player, Bertram, a top prospect for the 2005 draft and likely one of the top ten ‘87s in the world, scores goals in his sleep. A very good skater with good hands, he combines creativity and skill with grit and competitiveness. A right shot, he can play center or the wing, where he can beat guys with his speed. His coach at Camrose, Boris Rybalka, described him as “a great hockey player and a great young man. He’s very offensively gifted. He has an exceptional burst of speed and drives to the net hard. He’s a smart, intelligent hockey player with a great work ethic on and off the ice.”

3/22/04

Beantown Spring Classic on Tap

The Beantown Spring Classic gets underway with practices today at the Worcester Centrum. Games will take place Tuesday (Centrum), Wednesday (Boston College), and Thursday (Centrum).

The rosters are available at www.beantownclassic.com

The schedule for the Worcester Centrum (Tuesday and Thurs.) features games at 5:00, 6:45, and 8:30 pm. For Boston College’s Conte Forum (Wed.), games are at 5:30, 7:15, and 9:00 pm.

3/20/04

Streak Ends at 26: Mount St. Charles Falls to Toll Gate

Providence, RI --  For the first time since Jimmy Carter was president, Rhode Island has a high school hockey champion that is not Mount St. Charles.

The Toll Gate Titans, a public school from Warwick, beat Mount 4-0 tonight at Providence College, sweeping a best-of-three series, and snapping the Woonsocket private school’s 26-year title run.

Toll Gate junior goalie Brad Valois, who made 21 saves tonight, was named MVP.

Taking nothing away from Valois, USHR’s MVP was junior center John Cavanagh, who had a 3-2-5 line in the two games and seemed to have the puck all night tonight.

John Cavanagh and his linemates, junior Pat Aldridge, a slick LW, and sophomore RW Chris Labella (2-3-5) were the difference. Junior defenseman Dave Cavanagh, John’s cousin, was superb at both ends.

Toll Gate won the first game Friday night, 4-3. John Cavanagh, the state’s leading scorer, potted the winner with 1:39 left, his third of the night. Cavanagh assisted on the Toll Gate’s other goal.

Tonight, the Titans, who never trailed in the series, took control with two goals late in the second period.

At 11:07, Aldridge fired a pass from behind the goal line in the right wing corner intended for Dave Cavanagh, who was cutting in from the left point. But the puck hit a stick in front and deflected behind Mount goalie Derek Soter (14 saves.)

Two minutes later, sophomore Matt Sheridan bagged his first goal of the year from a scramble after Soter had been upended by one of his d-men.

Seven minutes into the third, Dave Cavanagh, brother of Harvard’s Tom, stripped Mount’s Nick Jillson of the puck at the Toll Gate line, led a three on one, and beat Soter between the pads from the right faceoff dot.

Labella added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Amid a wild, post-game scene, first-year coach Will Park said Toll Gate’s strategy was to pressure Mount’s D and force turnovers. “We have guys who can capitalize on that,’’ said Parker, a Toll Gate alum.

Said Mount’s Dave Belisle: “The streak had to end some time, and the better team won the series.’’

3/19/04

Brown's Danis Signs with Canadiens

Brown senior goaltender Yann Danis signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Canadiens this morning.

Danis, the ECAC Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist, finished the season with a .942 save percentage and a 1.81 gaa. He played 30 games.

Bidding on Danis was between Philadelphia, the NY Rangers, and the Canadiens. We don't have a dollar figure on what he signed for. 

Danis will joining the Canadiens' AHL team in Hamilton on Sunday.

Also signing a free agent contract with Montreal is senior forward Brent Robinson. He will also join Hamilton on Sunday. Robinson, who played prep hockey at Hotchkiss, was Brown's leading scorer this season with a 13-81-31 line in 31 games.

Both Danis and Hamilton are Montreal area residents.  

Look for 6'3", 225 lb. Brown senior defenseman Scott Ford, voted the ECAC's top defensive defenseman, to sign a free agent contract as well.

Update: 6’3, 219 lb. Yale junior defenseman Joe Callahan will be forgoing his final year of college eligibility to turn pro with the Phoenix Coyotes organization.

Callahan, who was drafted by Phoenix in the third round of the 2002 draft, will join Springfield (AHL) immediately, and play his first pro game tonight.

In 31 games for Yale this season, Callahan posted a 6-14-20 line with 38 pims.

A 12/20/82 birthdate, Callahan, from Abington, Mass., played his high school hockey at BC High.

3/18/04

Blais to Lead 2005 U.S. National Junior Team

The next IIHF World Junior Championship will have the University of North Dakota stamped all over it.

The tournament, as you certainly know by now, will be held at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND (with some non-marquee games to be held in Thief River Falls, Minn.) from Dec. 25, 2004-Jan. 4, 2005.

The August evaluation camp will be shifted from Lake Placid to Grand Forks. The dates for that will be Aug. 8-15.

Today, Fighting Sioux head coach Dean Blais was, as expected, named head coach of the team. One of his assistants will be Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, a former Fighting Sioux defenseman and, later, assistant coach there under Blais. The other assistant will be NTDP Under-17 head coach David Quinn, who has no connection to Grand Forks or the University of North Dakota.

This will be the second time around for Blais, as the then-International Falls High School head coach coached the 1994 squad to a sixth place finish (1-5-1). He was also an assistant on Terry Christensen’s staff with the 1988 team, which came in sixth; and an assistant on Steve Cedorchuk’s staff when the U.S. finished fifth in 1989.

Blais will be following in the footsteps of University of Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves, who coached the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal in Finland over the holidays.

On Sun. Dec. 19^th, 2004 Blais will take his first turn on the visitor’s bench at Engelstad Arena when the Fighting Sioux play host to the U.S. National Junior team in a pre-tournament exhibition game.

There are eight incumbents from this winter’s gold-medal winning squad, one of whom is North Dakota freshman forward Drew Stafford. The others are goaltender Alvaro Montoya; defensemen Ryan Suter, Jeff Likens, and Matt Hunwick; and, in addition to Stafford, forwards Patrick O’Sullivan, Jake Dowell, and Danny Fritsche.

3/18/04

A Big, Two-Way Forward for Clarkson

6’2”, 215 lb. Avon Old Farms RC Mike Arciero, a senior captain for Avon Old Farms, the 2004 New England prep champions, has committed to Clarkson for this fall.

Arciero, who, in 28 games for Avon this season, had a 12-25-37 line, is a big, strong solid player whose work in all three zones is very strong. A center for most of the season, he projects more as a wing for Div. I play.

Other schools involved in recruiting Arciero were Holy Cross, Yale, UConn, and Army. He actually grew up on the grounds of West Point.

3/18/04

Long Island Top Prospects Game Rosters

Next Tuesday, March 23^rd, the New York Islanders will be sponsoring a top prospects game at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY at 12:30 pm.The two teams, whose rosters are below, are made up of players either from Long Island or playing on Long Island-based teams. Following the game, the Islanders will host a symposium on the college recruiting process at the Uniondale Marriott Conference Center from 4:30-6:00 pm. The speakers at the symposium will include Bruce Crowder (Northeastern), Scott Borek (UNH), Mark Dennehy (UMass), Jim Ward (Connecticut College), and Bruce Wolanin (Yale).

Later, on Mon. April 19, there will be a “Young Guns” All-Star Game for ’87-88 birth year players. The game, a 7:00 pm start, will be held at the Iceworks, the Islanders’ practice facility in Syosset, NY. The players for the ’87-88 game haven’t been selected yet. When they are, we will have them for you. 

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