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5/31/00 Slater Nixes O; Picks State Cleveland Barons 11th-grade center Jimmy Slater, the second-leading scorer in the NAHL this past season, has decided on the college route over major junior. Slater will enroll at Michigan State in the fall of '01. The other schools in the final mix were Maine, Wisconsin, Boston College, Michigan, and Notre Dame. The OHL teams Slater visited -- all over the past month or so -- were Sarnia, Plymouth, and Windsor. Slater, 6-0/175 and a 12/9/82 birthdate, is a native of Detroit who played in the Little Caesar's organization before going to Cleveland two years ago. This past season, Slater posted a 34-50-84 line in 56 games played for the Barons, coming in second to teammate Colin Shields in the league scoring race. Slater also had 129 pims. Slater, a natural centerman who distributes the puck adroitly, is noted for his extreme competitiveness. He'll battle for every square inch of the ice, and is equally good at both ends of the rink. His hockey sense is excellent. In other news related to Michigan State, recent reports have had recruits Joey Hope and Jeremy Jackson heading to the WHL. It ain't necessarily so. Hope, a defenseman from the NTDP and Anchorage, Alaska, has yet to qualify academically, and final word won't come until the end of the current semester. Reports indicate that qualifying, while far from certain, is an achievable goal. Hope's rights are owned by Prince George. As for Jackson, a Los Angeles native playing for the Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL), his decision was made during the early signing period, when he had to choose from between Maine, BU, Michigan State and Tri-Cities, the latter owning his rights in the WHL. Since then, Jackson has gone thorough each step of the college admittance process without a glitch, and is reported to be excited about becoming a Spartan this fall.
5/31/00 Quesnelle Takes Over at Princeton Len Quesnelle, who arrived at Princeton 16 years ago as a freshman defenseman out of Bramalea, Ontario and has been there ever since, has been named the Tigers new head coach by Princeton A.D. Gary Walters, who took nearly two months to come to a decision. Quesnelle, an assistant under both Jim Higgins and Toot Cahoon, was a major player in the Tigers success in the 90's, working as Cahoon's recruiting coordinator. Cahoon, for those of you tuning in late, left Princeton in early April to take over the head job at UMass-Amherst. Other finalists were Lake State head coach Scott Borek, who withdrew his name last week; and Boston College assistant Scott Paluch. 5/30/00 '83 D Shine at Prospects This past weekend's Prospects Tournament in Etobicoke, Ontario confirmed what many observers have felt for awhile. That is, there's a really strong group of '83 defensemen in the U.S. -- and the '83 goaltenders aren't too shabby either. The American kids were scattered among maybe half of the 45 teams competing in the tournament, and were often facing off in the same time slots, so scouts and recruiters had to be on their toes. To these eyes, the top four '83 D were -- in no particular order -- Jesse Lane (Des Moines Buccaneers), Bryan Miller (Chicago Freeze), Matt Greene (Little Caesar's Midgets), and Matt Jones (Green Bay Gamblers). Miller has the best overall skills of the four -- skating ability, a great stick, excellent poise with the puck, and an unerring sense of when to jump up into the rush. The best pure skater? Jones. The two most physical players? Lane and Greene, who are both six foot plus. The best pro prospect? Greene. Right behind that group we were able to dig up a solid group of eight consisting of Peter Harrold (Cleveland Barons Midgets), Gerard Miller and Dinos Stamoulis (Apple Core), Frank Burgio (Rochester Jr. Americans), Brian Yandle and Donnie Grover (Catholic Memorial), Brian Lafevor (Culver Military), and Phil Youngclaus (Cushing). There were some excellent '83 U.S.-born goaltenders as well. To this observer, the top five consisted of Mike McKenna (Springfield Jr. Blues), Eric Marvin (Chicago Freeze), Tim Warner (Avon Old Farms), Barclay Anderson (Little Caesar's), and Jeff Jakaitis (Rochester Mayo). The '83 U.S. forwards don't have the depth that the other positions do. However, Chris Chaput (Mt. St. Charles), Rob Flynn (Milton Academy), Stephen Gionta and Mark Langdon (Rochester Jr. Americans), Mike Morris (St. Sebastian's), Justin Laverdiere (Mt. St. Charles), Blake Stewart (Team Illinois), Carson Strang (Cleveland Barons Midgets), Joe Jensen (Osseo HS), Bryan Baron (Lake of the Woods HS), A.J. Greco (St. Michael's Buzzers Jr. A), and Lee Stempniak (Rochester Jr. Americans), all stood out from the pack. Of the '83 Canadians, this observer thought the best D was St. Lawrence bound (in 2001) Jimmy Ball of the Markham Waxers. He's hard-nosed and he's skilled. Ball's teammate, forward Joel Kitchen, is another excellent college prospect. Another team in the same division, the Niagara Ice Dogs, boasted four excellent '83s in Brandon Nolan (St. Catherine's Jr. B), Michael Melinko (St. Catherine's Jr. B), Scott Sheppard (Kitchener Jr. B), and Al Nolan (Soo Jr. A). The Nolans are the nephew and son, respectively, of former Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan. As for the '82s, some of the Americans that stood out included goaltenders Matt Kelly (Cedar Rapids), Chris Simpson (Little Caesar's), and Bill Petrucci (Thayer). Defenseman Nate Guenin (Pittsburgh Hornets) looked very solid. Up front, Matt Field and Matt Davis (Cleveland Barons Jr. A), Greg Mauldin (Boston Jr. Bruins), Yan Stastny (St. Louis Sting Jr. A), Craig MacDonald (Nobles), Mark Noble and Jon Goodwin (Catholic Memorial) are all players to follow. For more top '82s look no further than the Chicago Chill squad, which wound up taking second place in the tournament, losing 2-0 to Comp U Smart -- White (where do they come up with these names, anyway?) in the final. Chris Michael, Matt Mannina, Joey Olson, and Colin Greenlees - in addition to the Chicago players mentioned above -- all stood out. However, what brought this team to the title game was depth plus the fact that these players knew where to look for each other on the ice. The team consisted exclusively of Chicago-area kids, and all but six member were teammates with the Larry Pedrie-coached Chicago Chill Midgets. To get to the final game, the Chill had to go through Pittsburgh.
5/30/00 From Fort Mac to Denver Left shot center Jeff Drummond of the Ryal Bank Cup-winning Fort McMurray Oil Barons has committed to Denver University for the fall of '01. In 62 regular season games, Drummond, an '82 birthdate from Leduc, Alberta, posted a 17-35-52 line, tying him with Scottie Upshall in points. In the league playoffs and the Royal Bank Cup, Drummond's number were 5-13-18 in 24 games.
5/25/00 Road Trip The U.S. Hockey Report will be closed until through Memorial Day. We're not going to the beach ( it's 58 degrees in Boston, anyway), but to the rink -- specifically, the Prospects Tournament in Toronto.
5/25/00 Michigan Select 16's, 17's Announced Here are the Michigan kids who will be representing their district this summer at St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Select 17's, coached by Joe Bonnett, will be attempting to repeat and take home the gold they won as 16's last summer. However, they will have to do it without a couple of that team's key contributors -- forward Dwight Helminen and defenseman Eric Werner. (U.S. National Program players do not play in the Select Festivals.) The 16's reached the gold medal game as 15's last year. They'll be missing Eric Sargent, who played for the National Program, and Compuware Jr. A defenseman James Wisniewski. Team Michigan, 16's Goalies (2): *Justin Tobe - Northville - Honeybaked 84 Dominic Vicari - Clinton Township - Honeybaked 84 Defensemen (6): Noah Babin - Northville - Little Caesars *Brendon Boyes - Northville - Little Caesar's *Mitch Ganzak - Redford - Compuware 84 *Chase Podsiad - Wyandotte - Compuware 84 Corey Potter - Mason - Honeybaked 84 Chris Trick - Troy - Honeybaked 84 Forwards (12): *David Booth - Washington - Honeybaked 84 *Mike Dagenais - Marquette - Marquette Electricians Alex Foster - Canton - Compuware 84 Jonathon Grabarek - Sterling Heights - Belle Tire 84 Ryan Kesler - Livonia - Honeybaked 84 Jamie Milam - Lake Orion - Honeybaked 84 Rob Overfield - Novi - Compuware 84 *Jason Paige - Saginaw - Honeybaked 84 David Rohlfs - Northville - Compuware Tom Sarnovsky - White Lake - Compuware 84 *Devin Shencopp - Oak Park - Honeybaked 84 Chris Wright - Fraser - Honeybaked 84 Head Coach - Kelly Miller - Grand Rapids Griffins Assistant Coach - John Bowkus - Soo Kewadin Indians Assistant Coach - Dean Miller - Honeybaked 84 Team Leader - Ward Johnsen - Escanaba Notes: There are eight players returning from last year's Select 15 squad. Their names are preceded by a * .... Team contributing the most players: 10 of 20 played for Honeybaked 84...Highest level played: 4 players played Major Midget last season Goalies (2): *Marc Bowen - Bloomfield Hills - Compuware Brian Papcun - Sterling Heights - Ann Arbor Ice Dogs Defensemen (6): *Matt Bobo - Mattawan - Marquette Electricians *Sean Collins - Troy - Sarnia Steeplejacks (Ontario Jr. "B") *Matt Greene - Grand Ledge - Little Caesar's *Rob Lehtinen - Marquette - Marquette Electricians Matt Puopore - Livonia - Tecumseh Bulldogs (Ontario Jr. "B") Kelly Sullivan - Beverly Hills - Compuware Forwards (12): *Chris Conner - Westland - Honeybaked Reese Dobrick - Traverse City - Honeybaked Marty Guerin - Lansing - Honeybaked *Mike Johnson - East Lansing - Little Caesar's *Dan Knapp - Rochester Hills - Compuware Jr. "A" *Bob Kukulka - Macomb - Little Caesar's Nick Lang - Livonia - Little Caesar's *Jason Moul - Redford Township - Redford Unified H.S. *Jason Tejchma - Muskegon - Honeybaked *Mike Walsh - Farmington Hills - Compuware *Kevin Wilson - Canton - Little Caesar's Head Coach - Joe Bonnett - Miami University Assistant Coach - Ryan Rezmierski - National Team Development Program Assistant Coach - Jeff Blashill - Ferris State University Team Leader - Tim McIntosh - Marquette Notes: There are 13 players returning from last year's Select 16 squad. Their names are preceded by a * .... Team contributing the most players: Five of 20 played for Little Caesar's... Highest level played: three players played junior last season.
5/22/00 Upshall Glitters Perhaps the most-coveted 11th grader still available is Scottie Upshall, a 5'11", 165 lb. LW with the Royal Bank Cup champion Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL). Only problem is that Upshall may well decide to take the major junior route. His situation is similar to that of Ben Knopp, a star AJHL forward who, last year at this time, was the most talked-about recruit in Canada. However, when fall came, Knopp was in camp with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He had an excellent season there, and could go in the first two rounds of the NHL draft June 24 in Calgary. Upshall, a 10/7/83 birthdate and a rookie playing in front of his hometown crowd, was one of best players for the Oil Barons, a team laden with ex-major junior players. Fort McMurray, as the Royal Bank Cup Tournament's host team, loaded up with veterans for their cup run. Upshall, who models his style after Paul Kariya, is an extremely clever player who creates offense every time he steps on the ice. He's slippery, he's intelligent, and he has excellent anticipation, quick hands and a quick release. His skating is very good. Look for Upshall to be pursued by NCAA powerhouses right up to the opening of major junior camps in September.
5/22/00 Love That Dirty Water While we're on the subject of Fort McMurray, we should mention Oil Baron defenseman Dave McCulloch, who'll be bringing his game to Harvard's Bright Arena, on the leafy banks of the Charles River, this fall. McCulloch, a 6'1", 185 lb. native of Lacombe, Alberta, up near Edmonton, is a 3/4/82 birthdate who's steady and very physical. He likes open-ice hitting, and makes good decisions with the puck. McCulloch has good hands, too, and can occasionally chip in offensively. He scored the game winner in OT to give Fort McMurray the Doyle Cup (the precursor to the Royal Bank Cup). In 51 games, McCulloch, a left shot, had a 5-27-32 line and 113 pim. He's the second d-man from western Canada that Harvard is bringing in this fall. The other is Bruce Barlow, who, although he played for Nanaimo in the BCHL, is also an Alberta native. Mark Mazzoleni and his staff, before the start of the season, stated a desire to add some grit to the squad. Long-time observers who remember Harvard's last NCAA championship in 1989 will remember that it was a 5'10", 210 lb. bruising D from Red Deer, Alberta named Kevan Melrose who helped push them over the top.
5/22/00 Laying Down the Law Jim Hunt, an assistant for the past two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., will be taking over as head coach at Fairfield University (MAAC) in the fall. Hunt, like Pat Burns back in Gatineau, Que., has a background as a cop, having spent 12 years as a detective in the Fort Lee, N.J. Police Department. Hunt has been with the National Program from the beginning, helping the program prepare for its inaugural season in 1997-98 and then coming on board full-time the following season. Hunt, who back in the day put in six years coaching Paramus Catholic High School, later coached the New Jersey Junior Devils. From 1996 to the present, he has been USA Hockey's Atlantic District coach and director of player development. Hunt is taking over for Mark Dennehy, who's rejoined Toot Cahoon at UMass.
5/22/00 Scary Steven King has been hired as an assistant on Roger Grillo's staff at Brown. No, no, this is the other Steven King, the former Brown right wing (1987-91) who went on to spend a few years in the NHL (N.Y. Rangers, Anaheim) and a whole bunch more in the AHL/IHL. King played for Springfield Falcons (AHL) this past season. King is a native of East Greenwich, RI.
5/22/00 In Line for #2 Position? The top two candidates for the #2 position at the National Program are reported to be Troy Ward and Moe Mantha. Whoever gets the job would likely be coaching the Under-17 Team, which plays in the NAHL. Ward has coached at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the University of Denver, Dubuque (USHL), and Indianapolis (IHL). Most recently, he was an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins under Kevin Constantine. Mantha, a coach in the IHL, played for Eaves when the latter was an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers in the late '80s. A big defenseman from Ohio, Mantha went major junior as a 17-year-old with the Toronto Marlies, then two years later jumped to the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets. In his 12-year NHL career, Mantha also played for Pittsburgh, Edmonton, and Minnesota. In his final year as a player, he joined the U.S. Olympic Team for the 1992 games in Albertville, France.
5/22/00 Minnkota Select Teams Chosen Here are the Minnesota Select 16 and 17 squads. The 15's will be chosen next month. Twelve of the 17s are returnees, and thirteen of the 16s. New players have a * after their name. Minnkota Select 17 Team Goaltenders (2): Jeff Jakaitis, Chris Kapsen*. Defensemen (6): Tim Hambly, Judd Stevens*, Mike Dagel, Bryan Nelson*, Tom Gilbert*, Barney Birkeland*. Forwards (12): Gino Guyer, Mike Erickson, Mike Neilon, Matt Duncan, Beau Kretzman*, David Boguslawski, Andy Sertich, Joe Jensen, Joe Bauer*, Tommy Kolar*, Jeff McFarland, Matt Miskovich. Head Coach: Pat Guyer. Assistant Coaches: Pat Forte and Dave Hendrickson. Minnkota Select 16 Team Goaltenders: John Curry*, Dusty Hall*. Defensemen: Matt Czech, Matt Maunu*, Brandon Longley*, Mark Stuart, Tom Sawatske, Josh Williams. Forwards: Tom Dickhudt, Patrick Eaves, Tyler Hirsch*, Mike Howe, Mike MacMillan*, Jim McKenzie, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Nick Pernula, Nate Raduns*, Ian Ross, Scott Thauwald. Head Coach: Mike MacMillan. Assistant Coaches: Doc DelCastillo and Pat Westrum.
Eaves Takes Over in Ann Arbor As expected, Mike Eaves was today named head coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Eaves replaces Jeff Jackson, who was fired on May 2. Eaves, 43, was born in Denver, Colorado, and played for the University of Wisconsin from 1974-78. A center, he helped lead the Badgers to a national championship in 1977. He was an All-America as both a junior and a senior. To this day, he's the leading scorer in school history with a 94-173-267 line in 160 games. After graduation, Eaves played eight NHL seasons with the Minnesota North Stars and Calgary Flames. When his playing career ended, Eaves broke in as head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire for a year (1986-87), then worked as an assistant with St. Cloud State in 1987-88. The following year, Eaves moved on to the NHL as an assistant to Philadelphia Flyers head coach Paul Holmgren for two years, then spent three years as head coach of the Hershey Bears (AHL), the Flyers' top minor league affiliate, before moving back to the Flyers for another year as an assistant in 1993-94. In 1994-95, Eaves coached the Shattuck-St. Mary's Midget AAA team. The following year, 1995-96, he took over the prep team. From Shattuck, Eaves moved on to Finland, coaching IFK in the Finnish Elite League (1996-97). He spent all or parts of the last three seasons as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins on the staff of Kevin Constantine. Eaves is the father of Ben Eaves, Boston College's superb incoming freshman forward; and forward/defenseman Patrick Eaves, who's sought after by the National Program. The brothers were teammates last season at Shattuck-St. Mary's. Eaves will arrive in Ann Arbor on Monday, meet with the support staff, and then commence job interviews with current assistants Ken Martel, Alex Roberts, and John Hynes.
USHL Draft Here is the entire USHL Draft, held in Minneapolis, Minn. Also included are drop/adds, trades, and the dispersal draft of the Thunder Bay Flyers.
At this point a number of teams, having filled their a 25-man roster, are finished. Those that still have room keep drafting.
Drop/adds from the period May 13-17: Dubuque -- Dropped Daron Underwood, D, Service HS (Alaska) and added Joe Stewart, D, Hastings HS Chicago -- Dropped Josh Miskovich, F, Fargo (USHL) and added Mike Hoffman, D, Loomis-Chaffee School (Conn.) Tri-City -- Dropped Jake DeSanto, F, Duluth Marshall HS and added Glenn Thoben, F, Kindersley (AWHL) Omaha -- Dropped Jim Dahl, F, Omaha (USHL) and added Ryan Ronkowksi, F, Lincoln (USHL) Dubuque -- Dropped Chris Jones, F, Dubuque (USHL) and added Brendan Clark, F, Northfield-Mt.Hermon School. Lincoln -- Dropped Buddy Peters, F, Chicago Chill and added Chris King, G, Vernon Vipers (BCHL) Chicago -- Added Buddy Peters, F, Chicago Chill and dropped Bryan Baron, F, Lake of the Woods HS Trades: Rochester -- Traded the rights to Dan Krmpotich, F. Edina HS to Waterloo for Mike Samela, D, Waterloo Sioux Falls -- Traded Joe Ulwelling, F, Sioux Falls to Rochester for rights to David Siler, D, Eden Prairie Dispersal Draft of Thunder Bay Flyers: Dubuque -- Dropped Lenny Hoffman, F, Dubuque and added Aaron Grynal, F, Thunder Bay (USHL) Green Bay -- Dropped Steven Kabazchiczk, F, Soo Indians and added Jesse Baraniuk, D, Thunder Bay (USHL) Dubuque -- Dropped Brandon Anderson, D, Park Cottage Grove HS and added Kody Mintenko, D, Thunder Bay
5/17/00 Hometown Star Picks Friars Mount St. Charles star center Chris Chaput has committed to Providence College. Chaput is the second 11th grader to commit to Providence. Early last month, Eric Lundberg, a defenseman with the New England Junior Coyotes (EJHL), committed to the Friars. Chaput, a 5'9", 175 lb. left-shot center from Pawtucket, RI, was the MVP of the Rhode Island State High Championships for each of the last two seasons. He was also the leading scorer among all players at last summer's Select 16 Festival in St. Cloud, Minn. It's possible that Chaput will pass up his senior year in high school to play junior A hockey. The Tri-City Storm (USHL) drafted Chaput in January. As far as we know, there's only one school that Chaput visited besides Providence, and that's cross-town Brown.Chaput, a Nov. '83 birthdate, scored 19 points (11g,8a) in six playoff games. In 18 regular season games, he posted a 28-26-54 line and finished tied with Tollgate senior center Tom Cavanagh. Cavanagh, by the way, will be PG'ing at Exeter this coming season. He's the son of former Harvard star Joe Cavanagh, now an attorney in RI, but, back in the day, a three-time All-America and captain of the '70-71 Crimson team that reached the NCAA semis, held that year in Syracuse, NY, before bowing to the University of Minnesota, 6-5 in OT. Last month, the Providence Journal polled Rhode Island players, coaches, and officials (at least those who've been around for a while) and came up with an All-Time Rhode Island High School squad. Cavanagh, who played for Cranston East, was named the state's best schoolboy hockey player ever. Right behind him was current Washington Caps coach Ron Wilson. Wilson played for East Providence High before going on to play for Lou Lamoriello at Providence College. Wilson, a defenseman, is still PC's all-time leading point producer. And by a wide margin -- he notched 250 points in 111 career games for the Friars. Here's the full squad:
The Journal article mentioned something that this typist had never heard before. In 1965, North Providence High, in an effort to stop Cavanagh and Cranston East (29-1-1 that year), used two goaltenders at once. Cavanagh told Providence Journal reporter Bill Parrillo that he remembered skating to the faceoff circle before the start of the game and hearing a buzz from the crowd, but, he said, "I had my head down waiting for the ref to drop the puck so I didn't see anything." In the first 30 seconds of the game, Cavanagh took off on a breakaway. "I came down the ice, looked up and there was the goalie with pads on, coming out to meet me," Cavanagh said. "I went right around him and I said to myself, 'Great. I've got an empty-netter.' But then I looked up again and five feet in front of me was this other goalie. I was so shook up I lost the puck and it went off into the corner. And I thought to myself, 'Now I know why the fans were buzzing.'" Dick Ernst, the North Providence coach, knew the rulebook. "The only thing the rules said was that only one player could wear goaltender's pads and only one player could use a goalie stick," he told Parillo. "I let my regular goalie, Steve Izzi, handle that. My other goalie was Steve McKell. We gave him a chest protector and extra padding and he held his stick like a goalie stick." Seconds after Cavanagh lost the puck, one of his linemates, Rich McLaughlin, dug it out of the corner and fired it on net. The goalies got their legs tangled up with each other and fell in a heap as the puck sailed into the net. Cranston East went on to score five times against the dueling goalies before Ernst pulled both, going for the entire second period with six skaters. Cranston East only scored twice. In the third, both approaches were utilized -- and Cranston East scored five more times, winning the game, 12-4. Ernst, who now coaches at Cranston East (!), told the Providence Journal reporter that his maneuvering was done out of respect for the Cranston East players, who also included Dan DeMichele, who would also go on to star at Harvard, as well as wingers Rich McLaughlin and future NHLer Curt Bennett, who both went on to Brown. "I was just trying to get them off their game," he said.
5/17/00 New Coach for Noted Pre-Prep Peter Tufts, the head coach of New Hampshire College (ECAC, Div. III) for the past 11 years, has been named head coach of the Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, NH. Tufts replaces Angus Means, who will be taking a faculty position at BB&N. Cardigan Mountain has perhaps the top pre-prep program in the country. In the past five years, Cardigan Mountain grads John Sabo, Freddy Meyer, Todd Jackson, Brady Leisenring, and Ryan Murphy have gone on to play in the U.S. National Program. Other ex-Cardigan stars are Michigan recruit Michael Woodford and Maine recruit Ben Murphy, who will both be seniors at Cushing Academy this fall; and Deerfield freshman defenseman Ben Lovejoy.
5/16/00 NAHL Draft Here are the results of yesterday's ultra-top-secret NAHL Draft (both the regular draft and the dispersal draft of the Rochester Americans). Our go-between, a wily Solomon Islands princess who speaks only Melanesian Pidgin, communicates with us via semaphore signals and an ever-changing array of encoded messages. So there may be some minor spelling mistakes. If you see any, let us know. Here's the list: NAHL Draft 1st Round: Lansing - Brian Billiard, F, Columbus Crush Jr. B St. Louis - Cam Janssens, F, St. Louis Midget AAA Chicago - Cameron DeYoung, D, Choate School Springfield - Joe Zurenko, D, Chicago Chill Midget AAA Texas - Dave Gallagher, F, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA Soo - Chris Michael, F, Chicago Chill Midget AAA Chicago - Bobby Goepfert, G, Suffolk PAL Jr. B Compuware - Marc Bowen, G, Compuware Midget AAA Texas - Dwight Labrosse, G, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA 2nd Round: Lansing - Ryan Thompson, F, Fort Wayne Wheels Jr. B Lansing - Scott Rippstein, D, LA Jr. Kings Midget AAA Chicago - Justin Flaishans, F, Omaha (USHL) Springfield - Richard Young, D, Carmel (Ind.) HS Lansing - Jozef Lukac, D, Dubuque (USHL) Soo - Matt Greene, D, Little Caesars Midget AAA Soo - John Thomas, F, Detroit Honeybaked Midget AAA Compuware - Vince Jalaba, F, Compuware Midget AAA Danville - Lou Garritan, F, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA
4th Round: Chicago - Charlie Mattersdorfer, F, Fernie (AWHL) St. Louis - Tony Zancanaro, F/D, Ann Arbor Ice Dogs Midget AAA Chicago - Paul Lynch, D, Brooks School Springfield - Brian Fleuter, Compuware Midget AAA Lansing - John DiPace, F, Belle Tire Midget AAA St. Louis - Brandon Davis, D, Honeybaked Midget AAA Danville - Landon Bathe, F, Des Moines (USHL) Compuware - Troy Brummet, F, Compuware Midget AAA Lansing - Rob Starrs, F, Little Caesar's Midget AAA 5th Round Texas - Chris Bolognino, D, Team Illinois Midget AAA Lansing - Steve Sabo, F, Little Caesar's Midget AAA St. Louis - Phil Flesher - Soo Bucs Midget AAA Soo - Jon Booras, F, Billings Bulls (AWHL) Springfield - Max Langford, D, N.J. Devils Jr. B Texas - Ryan MacNeil, G, Cushing Academy Cleveland - Bill Thomas, F, Cleveland Barons Midget AAA Danville - Rick Casares, G, Team Illinois Midget AAA Soo - Aaron Grynol, F, Thunder Bay (USHL) Texas - Jared Allison, Cranbrook (Mich.) HS The Dispersal Draft 1st Round: Soo - Brian Burns Cleveland - Steve Gionta Lansing - Lyon Porter Springfield - Matt York Texas - Mike Pasley Soo - Mark Langdon Texas - Chris Konnick Compuware - Jeremy Sherlink Texas - Frank Burgio 2nd Round: Lansing - Ron Miller St.Louis - Jim Kubas Chicago - Blake Acton Springfield - Tim Thomas Cleveland - Corey Latulippe Lansing - Jason Asadoorian Danville - Pass Compuware - Lewis Lanway Texas - Pass 3rd Round: 1) Lansing - Chad Bennetts 2) St.Louis - pass 3) Chicago - Mike Collins 4) Springfield - Adam Prescott 5) Cleveland - pass 6) Soo - Pass 7) Danville - pass 8) Compuware - pass 9) Texas - pass 4th Round: 1) Lansing - Martins Rostoks 2) Chicago - pass 3) Springfield - Tim Danlow 4) Lansing - Andy Ford 5) Springfield - Kevin Wheatley 1/15/00 Another Top 11th Grader Picks BU U.S. National Team Development Program star forward Justin Maiser, a highly-coveted 11th grade recruit, has committed to Boston University. Other schools Maiser, a native of Edina, Minnesota, was considering were Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Boston College. Maiser, 6'0", 177 lbs., is a strong-skating left wing, and was the top point producer among the talented '83 forwards in Ann Arbor this past season. Along with his high skill level, he's a hard-nosed, gritty player, picking up 114 pims in 48 games this season. He's an excellent pro prospect. Maiser, who visited BU the first week in March, is the third 11th grader to commit to the school, joining defenseman Ryan Whitney and center Brian McConnell. All three, who are good friends, are '83s, and will be teammates on the National Team next season. McConnell and Maiser were linemates this past winter. Defenseman Whitney joined them for the World-Under 17 tournament in Ontario over New Year's. Maiser played for Edina High School before going to Ann Arbor last fall.
5/15/00 Like a Phoenix Rising? Like a Phoenix rising from its ashes (though nowhere near as old), the NAHL's Grand Rapids franchise will live to play another day. The league has found a buyer for the team, which will be moved immediately to Lansing, Michigan. The team, which has yet to name a coach, will play at the Summit at the Capital Center. This past season, the franchise's second in Grand Rapids after moving from Gaylord, Michigan following the 1997-98 season, was marked by the team's going bankrupt, forcing the league to jump in and take over operations midway though the season. The Tom Rudrud-coached team, which started the season as the BearCats, became the Rockets and, playing in borrowed uniforms, finished the campaign on a downer, sharing (with St. Louis) the second-worst record in the league, and averaging 584 fans.
5/15/00 Like a Turtle on its Back The Rochester Junior Americans (NAHL) are folding up shop -- at least temporarily. The upstate New York franchise, which will be taking what's described as a "one-year hiatus" from the league, could resurface somewhere in the fall of 2001. The Americans, an expansion franchise, posted a league-worst 12-41-3 record, and averaged only 363 fans per game. The team, founded by Don Kirnan, was not only an expansion franchise, but a number of key producers were young, e.g. '82-born forwards Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer and Brian Burns; and '83-born forwards Stephen Gionta and Mark Langdon. With the exception of Fouladgar-Mercer, who's headed to Princeton, these players will be much sought-after when the Americans get doled to the remaining NAHL franchises in a special dispersal draft this morning.
5/15/00 Random Notes The Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) have named Craig Heggs, an assistant for the last four season at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, as the team's new head coach. Heggs, who's from the St. Louis area, will be taking over from Brian Gallentine... Kent School goaltender Rick MacDonald, who's from Deerfield, Mass., will be attending Holy Cross in the fall... Norm Bazin, an assistant at UMass-Lowell the past few years, has been hired as an assistant at Colorado College. Former CC assistant Steve Nelson is working in real estate in the Twin Cities now... Jim Hillman, who coached the Twin Cities Vulcans to the National Jr. A championship last weekend in Green Bay, was a forward on the only other Vulcans team to win the Gold Cup, the 1990-91 edition coached by current Gophers assistant Mike Guentzel. Current Providence College assistant Brad Willner was a defenseman on that squad... Alex Kim, a 5'11" forward from Fullerton, California who played for the Des Moines Buccaneers this past season, will go to Colorado College in the fall. Kim will be a sophomore -- he played his freshman season at Miami of Ohio in 1998-99, notching 20 points in 36 games played. Kim, who's 5'11", and 200 lbs., had a 20-42-62 line in 57 games with the Bucs this season. He'll join fellow Des Moines teammates Peter Sejna and Noah Clarke at CC. 5/12/00 Changes at Select Festivals This year, both the Select 16 and Select 17 Festivals will be introducing all-star games. The games -- there will be one at each festival -- will be an aid in selecting the squads for the August trips to Europe. Of the 200 players at each festival, 40 (two teams of 20 players) will be chosen for the all-star game, which will be played on the last day of the festival, starting at 4:30 pm. To allow the game to be played in the afternoon, all the playoff games will be held earlier, starting at 8:15 am. There will be approximately four hours between the conclusion of the gold medal game and the start of the all-star game. In that time, closing ceremonies will be held. There will be not be an all-star game at the Select 15 Festival. The annual Dave Peterson goaltenders camp will be held at Kent State University in Ohio this year. The dates are July 12-16. Here are the dates for the 15, 16, & 17 festivals, all of which will be in St. Cloud, Minnesota this year. 16's -- Arrive in St. Cloud Fri. June 23. The competition starts the following afternoon, Sat. June 24, with games at 2:30, 3:30, 4:45, and 7:00 pm. That schedule will be followed through Tues. June 27. On Wed. June 28 the round-robin portion of the tournament concludes with games at 9:00, 9:30, 11:15, and 11:45 am, with the playoff s starting that night at 6:00 pm (9th place game) and 7:00 pm (7th place games). On Thursday June 29, there will be playoff games at 8:15, 9:00, and 10:30 am. The closing ceremony is scheduled for the conclusion of the gold medal game, and the all-star game will start at 4:30 pm. 17s -- Arrive in St. Cloud Fri. June 30. The competition starts the following afternoon, Sat. July 1, with games at 2:30, 3:30, 4:45, and 7:00 pm. That schedule will be followed through Tues. July 4 (ka-boom!). On Wed. July 5 the round-robin portion of the tournament concludes with games at 9:00, 9:30, 11:15, and 11:45 am, with the playoff s starting that night at 6:00 pm (9th place game) and 7:00 pm (7th place games). On Thursday July 6, there will be playoff games at 8:15, 9:00, and 10:30 am. The closing ceremony is scheduled for the conclusion of the gold medal game, and the all-star game will start at 4:30 pm. 15's -- Arrive in St. Cloud Fri. August 4. The competition starts the following afternoon, Sat. Aug. 5, with games at 2:30, 3:00, 5:00, and 7:30 pm. That schedule will be followed through Wed. Aug. 9. On Thursday August 10 there will be playoff games at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm. 2:00 pm, and 4:30 pm. The closing ceremony is scheduled for the conclusion of the gold medal game, and, as we mentioned above, there will be no all-star game at the 15 Festival. The all-star teams -- i.e, one Select 16 squad, and one Select 17 squad -- chosen from the festivals will be going to Europe in August. The 17's will go over first, arriving in Slovakia Aug. 12. After playing some exhibition games, they will, between Aug. 18-20, meet Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Canada. They return home to the U.S. on Aug. 21. The 16's will arrive in Slovakia Aug. 19 for exhibition games, but for the tournament will move on to the Czech Republic. From Aug. 25-27, they will play the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Switzerland. They return home to the U.S. on August 28. Participation in the European trips is only open to players who appeared at their respective festivals. There will be no last-minute additions to bolster the squad.
5/12/00 Time Inches Along Who will be the next head coach of the National Team Development Program? Right now, the smart money is on Mike Eaves. Though he hasn't been offered the job yet, he's reportedly the only candidate who's been brought in to Colorado Springs for an interview. This past Monday, several days after meeting with Eaves, USA Hockey Executive Director Doug Palazzari took off for the IIHF World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. Among topics Palazzari is likely to be discussing over there with USA Hockey President Walter Bush is the Ann Arbor situation. Look for Palazzari to name the successor to Jeff Jackson shortly after his return next week. Meanwhile, for the staff at Ann Arbor, time inches along. Assistant coaches Ken Martel, Alex Roberts, and John Hynes, scouts, and others are polishing up their resumes in the event the new coach wants to bring in all new faces.
5/11/00 RPI Adds Two A pair of Minnesotans -- Steve Collova, a right-shot D at White Bear Lake HS, and Josh Budish, a RW from Edina HS -- will be headed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this fall. Collova is a 6'0", 195 lb. offensive d-man who moves the puck well, sees the ice nicely, and is a strong skater. Collova, an '82, posted a 6-26-32 scoring line this season. Budish is a 6'3", 200 lb. power forward who can finish his checks. He had a 9-6-15 line for Edina, and was also a standout on the football team. A couple of Big 10 schools wanted Budish to put on 30 lbs. and come aboard as a linebacker. He's similar to Cornell's Stephen Baby, in as much as he's physical and works the boards nicely.
5/10/00 USHL Signed Tenders Here is the list of USHL signed tenders, updated as of this afternoon, and the number of tenders (in parentheses) remaining to each team. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (0): Ted O'Leary, F, Vail Midget AAA; Kevin Fredrick, D, Vail Midget AAA; Reynold Fauci, D, New Jersey Titans Jr. B Chicago (2): Bryan Baron, F, Lake of the Woods HS (Minn.); Darryl Smoleroff, D, Maple Grove HS (Minn.) Des Moines Buccaneers (1): Doug Meyer, F, University of Minnesota; Ross Carlson, F, Duluth East HS (Minn.); Gabe Gauthier, F, Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) Dubuque Fighting Saints (0): Dan Weinrieb, G, UMass-Lowell; Jaymie Harrington, F, Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL); Anthony Blumer, F, St. Thomas Academy (Minn.); Adam Gerlach, F, Hastings HS (Minn.). Green Bay Gamblers (1): Nathan Guenin, D, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA; Dwight LaBrosse, G, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA. Lincoln Stars (2): Marc Peluso, F, Bismarck Bobcats (AWHL); Jake Brandt, G, Roseau HS (Minn.); Matt Wavra, F, Butte Irish (AWHL). Omaha Lancers (0): Jake Fleming, F, USNTDP; Keith Ballard, D, USNTDP; Aaron Slattengren, F, Proctor HS (Minn.); Chris Harrington, D, St. Cloud-Apollo HS (Minn.) Rochester Mustangs (0): Bill Bagron, F, Alaska Blue Devils; Tim Conboy, D, Brainerd HS (Minn.); Aaron Quigley, F, North St. Paul HS (Minn.); Jesse Stokke, D, Hermantown HS (Minn.) Sioux City Musketeers (1): John Zeiler, F, Pittsburgh Hornets Midget AAA; Matt Fetzer, D, Chicago Young Americans Midget AAA; Patrick Knutson, F, East Grand Forks HS (Minn.). Sioux Falls Stampede (1): Robbie Barker, D, Lawrence Academy (Mass.); Kellen Briggs, G, Vail Midget AAA. Waterloo Black Hawks (2): Ryan Connelly, F, White Bear Lake HS (Minn.); Cole Baron, F, Ventura Mariners (Calif.); Ryan Langenbrunner, F, Cloquet HS (Minn.) Remaining tenders must be signed by Saturday at midnight. We'll post the final list on Monday. At that time, all rosters will be at 20 players (including the signed tenders above). The "Spring Draft" will be next Wednesday, May 17, and is open to all players. After the draft, rosters will go up to 25 -- and remain there, meaning a player cannot be added unless a player is cut. A Couple of Points: A signed tender is simply an agreement to play for a particular team. In other words, a signed player may not change his mind and jump to another USHL team. However, a player can sign a tender and then jump to another league (not that it happens much).
5/10/00 Mandes to Hotchkiss Steven Mandes, a highly-skilled forward from Pennsylvania, will be going to Hotchkiss this fall. Mandes played for the Valley Forge Minutemen Bantams this past season, and in March was invited to Ann Arbor as one of only three '85s at the NTDP tryouts. Readers of this page may recall reading of Mandes's domination at the 1999 Pee Wee Nationals, and, eight months later, his MVP-winning performance at the Toronto Marlies Bantam Tournament. If you missed them, we dug them out of the archives: Mandes at Pee Wee Nationals: Laurel, Maryland, April '99 Mandes at Marlies Tournament: Toronto, Ont., Dec. '99
5/10/00 Smart Move Chris Smart, a senior center at the Northwood School, will be playing for the Cornwall Colts next season.
5/10/00 From the U, With Love University of Minnesota coach Don Lucia, who'd asked Doug Meyer to shape up or ship out, has cut the 6'2" sophomore wing loose. Meyer, a Pittsburgh Penguins draft choice, followed up an eight-point freshman campaign with four points as a sophomore. He'll attempt to get a new lease on life in the USHL, having signed with the Des Moines Buccaneers....Speaking of the USHL, it's looking like the Thunder Bay Flyers, who recently ceased operations, may put the franchise in mothballs for a year before selling it on this side of the border, most likely to Northland Sports, which already owns the Billings Bulls, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Waterloo Black Hawks and, until recently, the Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks... The Lincoln Stars picked up forward Marco Peluso from the Bismark Bobcats (AWHL). Peluso, an Iron Ranger, is a tough, gritty player with a scoring touch. He's an '81... The USHL is now up to 95 players committed to Div. I colleges for this year, their most ever. We haven't counted, but that's probably more than all other US-based leagues combined.
5/10/00 From Ann Arbor to... The Omaha Lancers got themselves a good haul, landing D Keith Ballard and C Jake Fleming, a pair of Minnesotans, from the U.S. National Team Development Program. Fleming and Ballard are both currently 11th graders and would have been eligible to return to the program. However, as 82s, they wouldn't have been able to take part in the World Under-18 championship. (Put in more info.)....And '83 goaltender Steven Belanger, a native of Anchorage, AK, will be leaving the NTDP to go major junior with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL)... Yet another teammate in Ann Arbor, C John Snowden, has accepted a full scholarship to Michigan Tech for the fall. Snowden, who's from Snohomish, Wash., had a 16-13-29 line at Ann Arbor this season, primarily playing with the Under-17 Team... Also headed to the WCHA is Under-18 team LW Cole Bassett, who's going to Mankato State on a full ride scholarship. Bassett, who's from Oakdale, Minn. and went to Hill-Murray HS before heading to Ann Arbor, had a 20-16-36 line this past season... All of this year's National Program graduating class of 19 seniors is now signed, sealed, and delivered to Division I programs, and all have accepted athletic scholarships except Kenny Smith, Dennis Packard, and Matt Maglione, who are going to the Ivy League, which does not permit them. Of the class of 2000, seven players are going to the WCHA, six to the CCHA, three to the ECAC, two to Hockey East, and one to the CHA.
5/7/00 Vulcans Gain Revenge The Twin Cities Vulcans won the Gold Cup -- the National Jr. A championship -- Saturday night, topping the host Green Bay Gamblers, 4-1, before 3,085 fans at the Brown County Arena. For the Vulcans it was sweet revenge, as they'd been beaten by Green Bay four games to one in the previous week's USHL finals. The irony here is that the Vulcans are now history. Saturday's win was their last game. The franchise is moving to Kearney, Nebraska, effective immediately, and will be reborn there as the Tri-City Storm. Jamie Steinert, Kris Birch, Tim Jackman, and Jon Maruk (an empty-netter) each scored for Twin Cities. Adam Berkhoel had 40 saves for the Vulcans; Jure Penko 23 for Green Bay. In the consolation game on Saturday, the Danville Wings beat the Fernie GhostRiders, 4-1, behind a 24-save effort from Nick Aulich and a pair of goals by Todd Grant. Ambrose Tappe and Shane Saum also scored for the Wings. In Friday's first semifinal, Twin Cities snapped Danville's 20-game win streak with a 3-0 win. Berkhoel made 24 saves en route to picking up the shutout. Matt Koalska, Tim Olsen, and Joel Peterson scored for Twin Cities. In Friday's late game, Green Bay edged Fernie, 2-1, in a game that took three overtimes and four hours to decide. Green Bay outshot Fernie 68-28. At the 5:23 mark of the third overtime, Joe Kautz took a pass from Aaron Smith, split the D and fired the game winner over the left shoulder of Fernie goaltender Grady Hunt. Earlier, Tristan Lush, had put Green Bay up, 1-0, at 6:05 of the second period, only to have Fernie's Mark Ewing tie it up 20 seconds later. The two teams participating in this marathon each lost the following day.
5/5/00 Eaves the One? Mike Eaves, most recently an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was in Colorado Springs today interviewing for the head job with the U.S. National Program in Ann Arbor. The 43-year-old Eaves, who has also coached IFK in Helsinki, was a center and two-time All-American at Wisconsin in the late '70s. Eaves then went on to play in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and Calgary Flames. If hired, Eaves would have a chance to coach both his sons. Ben, an '82 forward and Boston College recruit from Shattuck-St.Mary's, is a strong candidate for next winter's U.S. National Junior Team. Patrick, an '84 birthdate and 10th grader, played defense for Shattuck this past winter, but most observers seen him as a playmaking center. Patrick's potential rivals that of his older brother. Other names we've heard mentioned as possible candidates include Keith Allain, Mark Osiecki, Lou Vairo, Jim Johannson, Kevin Constantine, Troy Ward, and Mark Kumpel.
5/5/00 Jackson's Legacy Whoever is hired to take over the U.S. National Team Development Program will, of course, also be taking over as head coach of the National Junior Team. That means he'll have an excellent chance of bringing home a medal. We ran down the players returning and it's a strong core. Up front, returnees are Andy Hilbert, Brett Nowak, Jeff Taffe, Connor Dunlop, Brad Winchester, Dan Cavanaugh, John Sabo, and Patrick Foley. On D, Ron Hainsey will be returning, and assuming the club that drafts him allows it, Rick DiPietro will be in net. That's 10 players who have both a year of WJC competition plus a year of NCAA Division I play under their belt. That's a far cry from the mid-'90s when the U.S. World Junior team was comprised largely of major junior players and college freshmen. That full year playing at the Div. I level -- in tandem with the experience of having already been through the tournament once (or, in Hilbert's case, twice) -- will make a difference. Add in strong candidates Jon DiSalvatore, Freddy Meyer, and Marc Cavosie and you have an unprecedented 13 college sophomores, and it could go even higher. This brings us to the obvious question: How does Jeff Jackson feel, knowing he won't be behind the bench when next Christmas comes around? The answer: not good. "I expect it will hit me when the tournament starts," he said yesterday, while clearing out his desk in Ann Arbor. "I'll be watching very closely, and if they have the success I think they will, I'll know I'm a part of it. That was my motivation -- to win the gold. I'm going to really miss that opportunity." Jackson said he's gotten numerous calls from former players this week. "It's just very satisfying to have built a sound structure that helped kids," he said. "I invested my heart and soul into this and I feel very good about it." The program he insisted, should "definitely" be kept alive. Asked what he might have done differently, he said, "I would have tried harder to educate people within USA Hockey that if you're going to pursue something like this, you have to nurture it, give it time, and grass-roots support. It wasn't about financial support. We had that. It takes everybody being behind it. If you can't support it, you shouldn't have allowed us to built it. From year to year, we never really knew if we were still going to be here a year later. That was difficult." As for his troubles with the brass at USA Hockey in Colorado Springs, Jackson said simply, "I'm not a political animal. I'm a hockey coach." Those disagreements eventually caught up to Jackson. "There's an expression, 'Cut off the head of the fish and the rest of the fish dies.'" The results from he Under-18 Championships," Jackson said, "gave them the ammo they needed." Jackson said that running the program was a tremendous experience for him as a coach. "I really got to expand my horizon and work with kids I never would have it if hadn't been for the program. At this time of year I used to watch the NHL playoffs and see a few of my former players from Lake State like Doug Weight and Jimmy Dowd. Now, I turn on the playoffs and see twenty or so players that I've coached in the U.S. Junior program. It's gratifying." Jackson, who's been contacted by pro teams, expects he'll catch on with an NHL organization and probably be working soon as an AHL head coach or an assistant to an established NHL head coach.
5/5/00 USHL's Fargo Franchise Sold -- and Gone The Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks (USHL) have been sold to Chicago area investors and are moving immediately to 2,600 seat Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois, just a few miles southeast of O'Hare Airport. They have hired former Chicago Black Hawks scout and University of Michigan player Steve Richmond as coach. Richmond, who has no coaching experience at this level, was reportedly given a four-year contract,. Current Ice Sharks assistant Mike Aikens, who served under Dave Christian this season, will stay on. The Ice Sharks have been in Fargo since the fall of 1996, six months after the previous USHL franchise in Fargo, the Bears, went belly up just before the end of the season.
5/5/00 A Scorer for the Huskies Ryan Dudgeon, the leading scorer in the Mid-Western Jr. B League, has committed to Northeastern University. Dudgeon, who's 5'9" and 150 lbs. (he's a throwback, and he's never lifted weights) is an '80 birthdate. He's an elusive type who, in 43 games with the Owen Sound Greys this past season, posted a 55-42-97 line -and 111 pims.
5/4/00 Radnus Radiant at 16's Nathan Radnus, a 6'1", 170 lb. RC from Sauk Rapids, a Class A Minnesota high school, stood out at last weekend's Minnesota Select 16's tryouts in Plymouth, Minn. Radnus, who's 6'1" and 170 lbs., is a bit on the raw side, but he has the tools -- excellent size, good skating ability, good hands, and hockey sense. He's prime NTDP/Jr. A material. Don't forget his name. Who else looked good at the 16's? First off, because we've written about them in the past and don't have anything particularly new to add, we're not going to ramble on about 6'1" LD Mark Stuart of Rochester Mayo, and Shattuck-St. Mary's forwards Zach Parise and Patrick Eaves. Until someone convincingly knocks them off their perch, they are the top three Div. I prospects in this age group/district -- although we can add Radnus to that list now. We liked Parise's winger, Nick Pernula of Osseo HS. Pernula, who's 5'9", is a smooth skater, very creative, and has a future beyond high school. Right now he gets knocked off the puck a bit, but that's likely to take care of itself as fills out. A good pair of linemates was LC J.P. Platisha of Brainerd and RW Mike Howe of St. Cloud Apollo. Platisha, who played for the Select 15's last summer, is 5'10", 170 lbs., and a good skater -- though not necessarily fast. His hands are very good, and he distributes the puck extremely well. Howe is a 5'10", 155 lb. N-S type winger who can fly. Howe also has good hands, and has grown and filled out over the last year. Howe was also at last summer's Select 15 Festival. LC Tom Dickhudt from Woodbury HS has the tools to become a top Div. I prospect. He has size, he can skate, and he has excellent hands. He's fluid, smooth, and has a knack for scoring. Could be a big-timer, but must work harder. 5'11" LW Ian Ross of Hibbing HS looked unbelievably good at times, and invisible at others. When and if he gains consistency his whole game could pull together nicely. LC Scott Thauwald of Rochester, Minn. is 5'10" and skinny. He's also fast and has good hands. Didn't accomplish a lot over the weekend, but showed some things that make you want to go back and watch him again later. Another to check back on is LW Travis Moran, who played on Osseo's third line over the winter, and scored 12 goals in 22 games. Moran, a skinny 6'0"-6'1" raw talent, has scoring ability. His skating is good underway, but he needs to concentrate on his footwork. RW Jim McKenzie, is a rough and ragged banging type of winger who's not afraid to wade in and get the puck. He makes his presence known. However, his skating needs further improvement. Kyle Schantzen, a 5'11" RC from East Grand Forks HS, also looked good. While there was no one aspect of his game that stood out from the others, he was solid in all areas. On defense, Tom Sawatske, a 5'11", 192 lb. right shot out of Duluth East, looked very good. A powerful skater, Sawatske has committed to the National Program for the fall. Nick Bydal, a 6'1" thickly-built defenseman from East Grand Forks, showed promise. He's big, he's tough and he hits everything in sight. Doesn't have the greatest feet. Could possibly play at the Jr. A level next year, but definitely the year after that. A couple of other D we liked were Osseo defenseman Josh Williams and 6'3" Brian Kilborg from Henry Sibley HS. In goal, Jon Anderson of White Bear Lake was the standout. Anderson, who was on the Select 15s last year, is a technically sound hybrid type of goalie. Likes to put the paddle down, covers his angles very well, and is excellent post-to-post. Another goalie who played very well was Josh Johnson of Cloquet HS. Johnson has very quick feet, and directs rebounds nicely to the outside.
5/4/00 Edina's Kapsen Top Goalie at 17's At the 17 tryouts, also in Plymouth, the incumbent forwards ruled the weekend: Mike Neilon (St. Paul Johnson), Matt Duncan (Bloomington Jefferson), Jeff McFarland (Wayzata), David Boguslawski (Park HS), Joe Jensen (Osseo), Mike Erickson (Eden Prairie), and Gino Guyer (Greenway) all played their customary games. Other forwards in the picture would include Cole Koidahl of Minneapolis South; and Beau Kretzman, a LC from Edina HS. . In goal, our top prospect was 5'11" Chris Kapsen of Edina HS. Kapsen has quick feet, and covers everything down low. We also liked Jeff Jakaitis of Rochester Mayo. Similar in style, but perhaps a couple of inches smaller, Jakaitis played for the Select 15 team last summer. The weak point for the Minnkota 17's will be on D. They just don't have anywhere near the skill there that they do up front. However, a non-incumbent who forced himself into the picture is Jud Stevens of Wayzata HS. At 5'11", Stevens is a hybrid type of D -- solid defensively, he can jump up into the play, too. He's a good skater, and highly mobile. Could be more physical in his own end. Other D who played well include 6'3" Robert Dubel, who has good mobility for his size, and could be playing in the USHL next season; Brent Cummings of Austin HS, who's another big kid; and Bill Jenkins of Edina HS who, while he doesn't have the greatest feet, plays a good, steady game.
5/4/00 Paint Him Red and White Ex-Boston College High School forward Mark Mullen, who spent the past season with the Des Moines Buccaneers, will be heading to Boston University in the fall. Mullen, who turns 19 next month and is 6'0,180 lbs., is a Dorchester native. His final choice came down to BU or Northeastern. For Des Moines this year, Mullen played 58 games and posted a 10-16-26 line with 31 pims.
5/3/00 ????? The 11th graders in the National Program in Ann Arbor, the bulk of whom made up the U.S. Under-17 Team this year, were stunned when notified earlier today of the widespread changes in store for them. The majority of these players are '83s, the same group that went up to the World Under-17s in Ontario, tied a super-skilled Russian team, whacked Finland, and then, in front of a highly-partisan crowd in Timmins, battled a highly-skilled Ontario team for four periods. In the end, only a shootout, that most unsatisfactory of endings, kept the U.S., coached by Bob Mancini, from advancing to the gold medal game. Now, parents and players are left wondering why coach Mancini got axed after such a successful showing. This typist has fielded calls all day from parents of both the '83s, as well as the recruits for next year, mostly '84s. Some are angry, some are confused, most are both. All are looking for answers. Right now, there aren't many forthcoming. A terse statement out of the Colorado Springs office said simply, "We remain firmly committed to the program and all of its players. Beginning immediately, USA Hockey will conduct an extensive, nationwide search to fill these positions." So the waiting begins. Finding someone, and doing it both quickly and well, will be an enormous challenge. The program, which derived continuity by the presence since Day 1 of both Jeff Jackson, the program's architect and National Coach, and Mancini, his top assistant, is sailing into uncharted waters -- with the clock ticking. The main issue here, as is often the case in these situations, is a personality clash. Jackson, known for his bluntness, lacked friends on USA Hockey's executive board. So even though the U.S. came within a shootout goal of medaling at the World Junior Championship in Sweden, and had its strongest showing in four years, it wasn't enough. When the Under-18 Team stumbled in Switzerland last month, the excuse was there to lower the boom.
5/3/00 Purge at Ann Arbor U.S. National Coach Jeff Jackson and Associate National Coach Bob Mancini have been fired by USA Hockey. USA Hockey Executive Director Doug Palazzari flew in to Michigan yesterday to deliver the news. Right now, those are the only details we have, though we expect that USA Hockey -- in order to maintain continuity for the players in the National Team Development Program -- will quickly fill the positions, and probably already have someone in mind. We do not know who among the current NTDP staff could be retained. The United States failure to medal at any of the major international competitions since the program got underway is a major factor in the firings. Ten days ago, the U.S. Under-18 Team returned from Switzerland, where they finished 7th at the World Championship. For Jackson, the NTDP's architect and chief builder, the firing is the second blow in months, as his mother died in February. Before starting the National Program, Jackson coached Lake Superior State from 1990-96, also serving as AD for a couple of years. During Jackson's tenure at Lake State, his teams posted a winning percentage of .751, won two national championships and reached the title game in three consecutive seasons. We'll have more news on the events in Ann Arbor as it becomes available, so please check back.
5/2/00 Hennes, Hearon Make Their Picks Ty Hennes, a 5'9", 176 lb. forward who posted a 14-26-40 line for the Omaha Lancers this season, will be a Boston College Eagle in the fall. Hennes, who's from Kent, Washington, went to prep school in the east (Deerfield Academy, '98) before heading out to the USHL. Tim Hearon, whose interest in Michigan State (and vice versa) we mentioned last month, will indeed be a Spartan come fall. Hearon, like Hennes a member of the Omaha Lancers (and they're both 5'9", too), posted a 16-41-57 line in 62 games for the Lancers this season. He's from Clarkdale, Michigan.
5/2/00 Check 'Em Out An all-star team of Russians, Czechs, Slovaks, Latvians, Estonians, and Belarusians is coming to Walpole, Mass. this Thursday night to face off against an all-star squad composed primarily of top New England prep school players. The game, and the three-day tournament to follow, is being put on by Barry Armstrong and Bob O'Connell's New England Advisory Group, a sports management company in the Boston area. Readers of this site are probably familiar with the prep school players. The Europeans, however, are not exactly household names in these parts, though some of them may be some day. Here are a half dozen you might want to come out and take a look at: 1) Milan Langhammer is an '85-born center from the Czech Republic who's tall, skinny -- 6'3", maybe 175 -- and can skate and handle the puck. He has a chance to be a special one. 2) Juraj Kanas is a skilled centerman from Slovakia, a playmaker with speed and skills. He's 6'0", 175 lbs. and a 5/17/83 birthdate. 3) Jan Vytisk is a 6'0", 200 lb. left-shot D from the Czech Republic. He's nasty. He's dirty. And it was a bit of a surprise he wasn't drafted last year. Played for the Czechs at the Under-17's in Kitchener, Ontario two years ago. He's a 7/20/81 birthdate. 4) Tomas Plekanec is yet another Czech, a 5'9" skilled, speedy right wing who is an excellent puckhandler, and has a great release to his shot. He's a 10/31/82 birthdate. 5) An '83 to keep an eye on on is 6'1" Russian forward Alex Alexeev. Also watch Mihail Kuleshov, who's kind of in a category of his own as he was drafted in the first round by by the Colorado Avalanche last June but returned to Cherepovec, one of the better Russian programs. Kuleshov, who's 6'2", 200 lbs., is a banging type of winger who'll bull his way to the net. Decent hands. The New England players include forwards Sean Collins (Reading HS); Josh Hennessey (Milton Academy); Scott Selig (Thayer); Kevin Coughlin (Cushing); Tyler Kolarik (Deerfield); Tony Voce (Lawrence Academy), and Scott Horvath (Avon). Defensemen include Jesse Lane (Des Moines, USHL), Mike Hoffman (Loomis), Steven Wood (Lawrence), Brett Peterson (Cushing), Mick Mounsey (Avon Old Farms), and Jeff Dwyer (Choate). Goalies are Matt Hanson (Deerfield) and Adam Russo (Quebec Midget AAA). Game time is 6 p.m.
5/2/00 OK Given to 20-Minute Periods The coaches of the New England Prep School Hockey Conference East Division voted unanimously last Thursday to go to 20-minute periods in conference games this coming season. Included in the East Division are Cushing, Exeter, Holderness, Tabor, Northfield-Mt. Hermon, Kimball Union, and New Hampton. The motion has to be passed by the schools' athletic directors before it becomes official. The hockey coaches are reportedly optimistic that the AD's will go for it. Early indications point to the conference's western teams also giving a thumbs-up to 20-minute periods. With the limited number of prep games in a season, going to 20-minute periods seems like a no-brainer. It allows the top players more opportunity to develop their skills in game situations, as well as affording college recruiters more minutes to watch them in. In addition, it will allow teams to utilize their fourth lines and extra d-man more, thus breaking in young players who might otherwise be languishing on the bench or "playing down" on JV squads. If the motion passes -- or even if it doesn't -- it could be just a matter of time before all the prep leagues, at least at the Div. I level, follow suit.
5/2/00 DiPietro Opts In Boston University freshman goaltender Ricky DiPietro has opted into this year's draft. Yesterday afternoon, DiPietro, after a round of golf with friends and family, stopped by Woolf Associates, the Boston-based agency representing him, and signed the necessary paperwork before a notary at around 3:00 pm. The deadline for players to opt in was 5:00 pm EST. BU coach Jack Parker was notified of the decision last night. On Friday, DiPietro, along with his parents, and BU coach Jack Parker, met at Woolf Associates. After the meeting, in which the pros and cons of opting in were presented to the 18-year old goaltender, DiPietro decided to take the weekend to mull over his choice. For the June 24 draft, being held in Calgary this year, DiPietro is projected as the top available goaltender. He's sure to go in the first round, most likely among the top 10 overall, and he could even nudge into the top five. Look for him in the AHL or IHL next season. DiPietro played in 29 games for the Terriers this past season, posting an 18-5-5 record to go with a 2.45 gaa and a .909 save percentage. In the Beanpot, DiPietro, after shutting out Harvard and then allowing a single goal in a 31-save effort vs. BC in the title game, was named tournament MVP by a unanimous vote. Also, DiPietro won the Directorate Award as the top goaltender at this winter's World Junior Championship in Sweden, where he posted a 1.81 gaa and .935 save percentage in five games. He'll be eligible for the WJC again next season. Whether he actually is allowed to play is up to the NHL team that signs him. DiPietro, who's from Winthrop Mass., played for St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Mass. in 1996-97. (That season, St. Sebastian's carried three goaltenders, all of whom would go on to play Div. I -- DiPietro at BU, Tim Kelleher at BC, and Mike Morrison at Maine.) The following season, DiPietro moved on to the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor. Behind DiPietro on the BU depth chart this season was sophomore Jason Tapp (14 games, 7-5-2 record, 3.13 gaa, and a .879 save %.). Another rostered goalie, Andy Warren, did not play. DiPietro, who in January felt that he'd be returning to BU for his sophomore season, began to have a change of heart once the season was over.
5/1/00 NHL Central Scouting: Final Rankings The NHL's Central Scouting Service came out with its final rankings today, and we have it in its entirety. The highest-ranked North American player is 6'1" LW Dany Heatley, a Calgary native who, as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin this season, notched 52 points. Heatley was also the #1-ranked North American skater in Central's mid-term rankings, which came out in January. The highest-ranked U.S.-born player is Boston College LD Brooks Orpik, who's in the #4 slot (up from #5 in January). Other top-ranked U.S. players are LD Ron Hainsey (UMass-Lowell, #9); LC Jeff Taffe (University of Minnesota, #10); LD Paul Martin (Elk River HS -- Minn., #18); LC Kris Vernarsky (Plymouth Whalers, #21); C/LW Brett Nowak (Harvard University, #22); LD David Hale (Sioux City -- USHL, #25); LD Matt DeMarchi (University of Minnesota, #28); and LW/C Andy Hilbert (University of Michigan, #29). The top-ranked high school/prep players were Martin (see above), Matt Hendricks (Blaine HS -- Minn.,#54), and Deerfield Academy forwards Rob Fried (#61) and Tyler Kolarik (#66). Players who have not opted in were not included in this ranking. The top European is Russian-born RW Pavel Vorobiev of Yaroslavl in the Russian senior league. Look for the draft, to be held in Calgary June 24-25, to be heavily dominated by Europeans, particularly in the first round or two. (Note: 18 of the top 34 ranked Europeans are from Russia.) Here are numerical breakdowns of where ranked North Americans (goaltenders included) played this season.
The Europeans are from the following countries:
Final Ranking -- May 2000 -- North Americans Final Ranking -- May 2000 -- Europeans
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