U.S. Hockey Report
December News
12/31/01
U.S. Under-17 Team Edges West, 3-2
The U.S. Under-17 Team Topped West, which encompasses Manitoba and Saskatchewan, before a packed house at the World Under-17 Championship in Winnipeg tonight.
West, spurred on by the crowd, took a two-goal lead -- both coming on the powerplay -- in the first period before the U.S. came back in the second with a Jake Dowell goal, and, early in the third, a Ryan Suter goal. At 8:50, on the powerplay, Robbie Earl notched the game winner, with an assist going to Suter.
The U.S. has now won the first two of a four-game round robin. Tomorrow night, Jan. 1, they face off against Germany.
Happy New Year, everyone.
12/30/01
U.S. Jr. Team Ties Slovakia, 4-4; Faces Russia on New Year's Day
The U.S. National Junior Team finished preliminary round play with a 4-4 tie against Slovakia in Pardubice, Czech Republic this evening.
Both teams finished with a 2-0-2 record, but Slovakia claimed first place in the A Pool by goal differential. The U.S. has the day off tomorrow before a New Year's Day quarterfinal matchup against Russia, the #3 seed in the B Pool.
In today's game, five goals were scored in the first period, including two USA powerplay goals by, respectively, Jim Slater and, with a second left in the frame, Ryan Whitney. Brett Lebda also scored for the U.S. in the first.
Slovakia came back with one in the second and one in the third to take a 4-3 lead. However, with 6:24 remaining Lebda notched his second of the game, converting a pass from Ryan Hollweg to make it 4-4.
Box Score and Preliminary Round Final Standings
12/29/01
U.S. National Jr. Team; U.S. Under-17s Both Victorious
The U.S. National Jr. Team and the U.S. Under-17 Team both won today, with the former knocking off Belarus, 5-2, overseas; and the latter defeating the Czech Republic, 5-4, in opening day action in Stonewall, Manitoba.
The junior team, now 2-0-1, broke open a 2-2 game with three third-period goals: Chris Higgins on the powerplay at 7:35, followed by a Rob Globke blast at 9:02, and a Keith Ballard powerplay goal at 13:49. Earlier, in the second period, Gregg Johnson and Kris Vernarsky scored for the U.S.
The U.S. outshot Belarus, 55-15 on the game, with the most lopsided of margins, 24-3, coming in the second period.
The U.S. meets Slovakia tomorrow afternoon (Sun. 12/30) in its final round-robin game before moving on to quarterfinal round action on New Year's Day.
Box Score: U.S. Jr. Team 5, Belarus Jr. Team 2
Up in Stonewall, right outside Winnipeg, the U.S. National Under-17 Team opened its defense of the World-Under 17 title won last year in Nova Scotia with a 5-4 win over the Czech Republic.
The U.S. came out strong, scoring two goals in the first 2:18 of play, with Robbie Earl notching a power-play goal at the 1:20 mark, and then, 58 seconds later, John Vigilante firing a loose puck past Czech goaltender Vladislav Koutsky to make it 2-0. Jake Dowell then gave the U.S. a 3-0 lead at 11:11 of the first, flipping a loose puck past Koutsky.
After that, things then got a little hairy, as the Czechs scored the next three, twice in the first and then again at 12:28 of the second. Two of the goals were power-play tallies, with one coming with the U.S. two men down.
However, the Czechs only had 43 seconds to enjoy the tie -- the U.S. got the lead back for good when Josh Sciba lifted a shot over a diving Czech goaltender at the 13:11 mark.
In the third period, Michael Bartlett extended the U.S. lead to 5-3 at the 5:09 mark. Vojt Polak then scored for the Czech Republic -- his second goal of the day -- to cut the lead to one with 9:11 left, but the Czechs couldn't tie it up against U.S. goaltender Alvaro Montoya.
The U.S. outshot the Czechs, 31-23.
The next game for the U.S. is on New Year's Eve against Western Canada.
Box Score: U.S. Under-17 Team 5, Czech Republic Under-17 Team 4
12/29/01
Cushing Wins; Coyotes Advance in New England Prep Tourney Action
Host Cushing Academy won the E.J. Watkins tournament this afternoon as Steve Jacobs scored two goals in the Penguins 3-1 win over Lawrence Academy.
In Marion, Mass., St. Sebastian's and the New England Jr. Coyotes met in a battle for the right to face Holderness in Sunday's championship game. In a tense, hard-fought, physical game, nothing was decided, as the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after regulation and a five-minute overtime period. That's the way it goes into the books, but a shootout gave the win to the Coyotes.
Check back in the morning (Click on the Prep Page, and then This Week's Scores) for more info on both of these games.
12/29/01
CM Takes Interstate Battle in Third OT
Mount St. Charles (R.I.) and Catholic Memorial (Mass.) played old-time, firewagon hockey for nearly 73 minutes last night before CM's Scott McDougall scored from a rebound scramble 7:59 into the third overtime.
Played at a high tempo on a small sheet, this was a fun one to watch. We don't have the final shots, but there were plenty. In OT both goalies, MSC junior Ryan Hatch and CM junior Ed Nehiley, really had to come up big, and did, stretching the game deep into the night. For both teams, it was their third game in three days and when the second OT got underway, the players slowed. Defensive miscues ensued, and it fell to Hatch and Nehiley to keep everybody from getting home at a reasonable hour.
Top skaters in the game included CM senior RD Kyle Sibley, CM senior RW Chris Myers, and CM freshman LW Billy Ryan (brother of Northeastern's Mike Ryan).
For the Mount, senior RW Matt Roy, senior LC Corey Goglia, and LD Chris Kane, all were highly involved.
The two teams meet again Wed. Feb. 20, at Boston University.
12/26/01
How USA Hockey Bungled the McKenzie Situation
"After further investigation and additional consideration, Jim McKenzie has been re-instated to the NTDP U-18 Team. Jim McKenzie has declined the invitation and has opted to remain with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL."
The above was posted to the National Team Development Program page on USA Hockey's web site ten days ago, after we refused to run it. If you read it and smelled a rat, you're onto something.
This is what happened: After McKenzie, who violated team rules, was asked to leave the NTDP just before Thanksgiving, the boy's father, Tim McKenzie, believing his son should not have been expelled from the program, carried his grievance straight to the top, right to USA Hockey's executive director Doug Palazzari. Mr. McKenzie claimed that, in his son's dismissal from the program, due process as outlined in USA Hockey's rulebook wasn't followed. Therefore his son should have been allowed a hearing in order to "clear" his name. Apparently, Mr. McKenzie doesn't understand that representing your country is an honor, not a right -- and if you break a team rule, you're gone
Palazzari, of course, should have said "No" right away. As USA Hockey's executive director, he should have stood strongly behind the decision of NTDP head coach Mike Eaves. But, fearing a lawsuit from McKenzie, Palazzari vacillated, thus allowing McKenzie to gain the upper hand on him.
Palazzari, perhaps realizing his error and looking for an exit route, dumped the problem back onto the NTDP, undermining Eaves and the Ann Arbor staff by failing to back them to the hilt in their expulsion of McKenzie. The reinstatement above, bogus enough to curl a counterfeiter's toes, was the result of an agreement worked out by Palazzari and Tim McKenzie. Now, the next time a player is caught drinking, to use just one example, does Eaves have to reinstate him, too? How many different ways can you say "left dangling."
Full Disclosure:
There is a bizarre parallel issue to this whole saga, but, before getting into it, some full disclosure is in order. Many of you reading this site know that most of the main articles are written by Chris Warner. Many of you probably also know that for nearly five years I've served as a scout for the NTDP. This job is a stipend position without benefits, something I was hired to do by Jeff Jackson and Bob Mancini well before a single game had been played by the NTDP. Back then, I was producing independent scouting reports on New England players. I was also producing the monthly New England Hockey Report, which, in 1997, changed its name, and turned from a paper publication into the web site you are now reading.
The Parallax View:
A day or two before Thanksgiving, this reporter received a call from coach Eaves, who knew that, as a journalist, I would soon learn of -- and be reporting on (USHR: 11/22/01) -- McKenzie's expulsion. He just wanted to ask me, as a favor, to not give the specific reason that McKenzie was kicked off the team. I told Eaves, who sounded worn down by talking to the boy's father, that I was willing to just write "violation of team rules" and leave it at that. No big deal.
I figured that was the end of it, but I was wrong: it was just the beginning. After Thanksgiving, I received another call from Ann Arbor. Apparently, Tim McKenzie, unhappy with what I thought was a generously kind USHR story on his son's expulsion from the NTDP, had successfully pressured Palazzari into a situation where USA Hockey's executive director was asking that it be -- snip, snip -- made to disappear, as if the USHR were owned by USA Hockey! A couple of times in the past, I'd tried to explain to Palazzari, who doesn't read this site, that USHR brings a ton of attention to USA Hockey and its programs, but that, once in a great while, a piece might rub him the wrong way. That's just life. You take the good with the bad.
Later that morning, I spoke to Eaves again, telling him that I couldn't bring myself to take the article down. Eaves, a class act -- as is the whole NTDP coaching staff -- said he understood where I was coming from and respected my point of view. Believe me, there were a lot of calls between Cambridge, Mass. and Ann Arbor, Mich. on this issue.
Interestingly, I still had not received a single call from Palazzari. He probably could have helped himself, USA Hockey, the NTDP the McKenzies, myself, and many others if he'd had the courtesy to simply pick up the phone and give me a call. I'm always willing to listen. However, Palazzari handed this responsibility to coach Eaves and his staff, as if they didn't have enough to do -- like coaching and watching the players already in the program -- without being used as go-betweens by Palazzari.
Meanwhile, it was fast becoming clear that unless the whole McKenzie affair was resolved in a manner that pleased the boy's dad -- the tail was really shaking the dog now! -- that I would be fired from my scouting position. At one point, Palazzari called and told a member of the Ann Arbor staff that there was a check on his desk for a month of scouting work I'd already completed, and that he wouldn't release it unless I took down the article. Where I come from, that's called extortion.
For about four days, I held my ground, then decided to suck it up -- and take it down. In retrospect I should have resigned right then, but it was December and numerous tournaments crucial to putting together the 2002-03 U.S. Under-17 Team were quickly coming up. I felt loyalty to the NTDP, and felt I had a responsibility to finish what we, as a team, had started months earlier. Resigning could always wait. Besides, everybody had read the original article anyway. That said, I still felt awful about pulling the piece down (it's something I'll never do again), and resentful that Palazzari's flubbing of the situation had led to this point where I -- whose only obligation to USA Hockey was as a scout -- was being asked to use my privately-owned business to help bail out USA Hockey's executive director. I just wanted to scout games and write. Instead, I had this axe hanging over my head, and the prep tournaments just a few days away.
Within days of taking the piece down, something I now wish I hadn't done, Mr. McKenzie upped the ante on Palazzari again. This time it was a biggie.
On Tues. Dec. 11, I got another call from coach Eaves, telling me that he had a faxed copy of a statement Palazzari and McKenzie had hammered out together. This statement -- the one appearing at the top of this article (and on USA Hockey's web site) -- was, though Palazzari denies it, written behind my back with the understanding that it would appear in the USHR. Eaves read it, asked how I felt about putting him up. I told him I could not knowingly print a lie. I also told him that I thought this time Palazzari had gone way too far, that I had no idea where it would all end, and that I just wanted out ASAP. I was sick of Palazzari, sick of the McKenzies, and sick of the way the situation had been mishandled.
So I resigned from my scouting position.
The next day, Wed. Dec. 12, Palazzari called. Right at the start, he said, referring to the original article, "Chris, why'd you print this shit?" Since it was all true, I had no problem explaining it to him. I also tried to get him to discuss, either on or off the record, anything that might give his side to the story. However, he had little to say, and nothing that was edifying except a small admission that "mistakes were made." Mostly, I was stonewalled.
It's Not Just Me, Either:
Sports Illustrated reporter Michael Farber received the same evasive treatment from Palazzari recently. A story by Farber appearing in last week's SI (Dec. 17), concerns the 1998 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team. Specifically, Farber wondered what had happened to all those promises USA Hockey had made in the wake of the post-elimination dorm trashing in Nagano. Among other things, Farber wanted to know what became of the vow, made by USA Hockey president Walter Bush, to find out which players caused the damage to the Olympic village (to say nothing of dishonoring the U.S. and the Olympic games) and to punish them. Why, Farber asked, were the players allowed to avoid accountability?
It seemed like a legitimate question, what with 13 of the 23 players from that team, including St. Louis LW Keith Tkachuk, on whom the "investigation" was centered, again representing their country this February in Salt Lake City.
When Farber asked Palazzari about Nagano, the best quote he could get from USA Hockey's executive director was that, "There was a great deal of overreaction at the time."
Actually, what there was at the time was a lack of accountability. From the guilty players, a simple, "Yes, I did it, and I apologize for embarrassing my teammates and my country" would have ended the whole sorry affair right there. The press would have reported it, then quickly moved along to another, perhaps happier, story. There was no overreaction by the press in Nagano. They only wanted the truth -- and weren't getting it. As for the players, they're smiling. Not only did they put one over on the press, but they put one over on USA Hockey, on '98 U.S. Olympic coach Ron Wilson, who referred to what happened as a "deplorable act," and to U.S. sponsors and citizens, who helped pay for the whole debacle.
The only reason the men on the 1998 U.S. Olympic team were able to get as far as they did was because they met no resistance from USA Hockey. The reason Tim McKenzie got as far as he did was because he, too, met no resistance from USA Hockey. The message that USA Hockey is sending, probably without realizing it, is that it's OK to break rules. And when an organization cedes moral authority, you can be sure that kids will be the first to notice.
Major Work Ahead:
There are big problems at USA Hockey, and, since I don't work there anymore, the gloves are off. I can now be as uninhibited as I want to be when it comes to reporting on problems, particularly when kids are getting short-changed. Remember in August, when the U.S. Under-18 Select Team ( picked from the top players at the Select 17 Festival) went to Fussen, Germany? Remember how they plowed through the opposition, outscoring their opponents by a combined 38-4? That was because they were in the wrong tournament. USA Hockey, specifically the office of senior director of international administration Art Berglund, screwed up. The tournament they were expected to be in -- the tournaments the scouts and reporters were all at -- was the Six Nations tournament, where they would have faced Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Sweden. Instead, U.S. kids played a couple of poor German teams, a team from Norway, and took a nice boat trip on Lake Forggensee. Hockey-wise and exposure-wise, the kids would have been better off staying home, for they'd have found better competition against a good midget program.
A similar situation happened to the NTDP a couple of years ago, when one of the program's in-season overseas trips was similarly bungled.
Why are there so many problems at the upper reaches of USA Hockey?
Basically, the Peter Principle is at work. This principle states, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, that "employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent". That's the MO at USA Hockey, where the top jobs are essentially sinecures.
It's becoming a problem, too, mainly because the world has changed, become more complicated, and the old boys approach to running USA Hockey simply isn't working. However, nobody wants to do anything about it.
As an administrator, Palazzari certainly appears to be in over his head, and we have heard from one reliable source that some members of USA Hockey's Board of Directors are unhappy with him. Palazzari, a star forward at Colorado College in the early '70s, came to USA Hockey in 1991 after six years as an assistant at his alma mater, where he worked under Mike Bertsch and then Brad Buetow. Those were dark days for CC hockey, with awful teams, and a recruiting scandal that led to an NCAA investigation, Buetow's eventual resignation, and the near shutting-down of CC's hockey program. In 1991, Palazzari slid down the street to USA Hockey, where he oversaw youth and education programs before being named executive director in 1999.
Starting Fresh:
While it may sound like I'm despairing of USA Hockey, I'm actually not, mainly because I believe that through hard work and placing employees into situations where they can succeed, all sorts of change is possible. Right now, there are a couple of good young employees in Colorado Springs trying new things, breaking the mold, experimenting a little. Let's hope they don't get hammered down and leave USA Hockey -- something that too many good people have done in the past.
Let's hope also that the NTDP is spared from again having to go through a situation such as what they had to endure in the last month. The NTDP is USA Hockey's crown jewel -- a great program with great coaches and great training. Anyone who gets the opportunity to go should leap at the chance.
Let's hope also that the thousands of USA Hockey volunteers who are working their tails off for free don't get discouraged by the leadership void from above. If there is one thing you can count on in this world, it's change. It may take a little nudge, or even a hard shove sometimes, but it will come -- eventually. Let's just hope that instead of feckless administrators we get strong, visionary types. In hiring, USA Hockey can no longer just look around Colorado Springs and see who needs work or would like a promotion ( yes, I know it saves relocation expenses), they must conduct real job searches. They owe it to every kid whose parents fork over the registration fee to play in USA Hockey sanctioned programs.
On a Personal Note:
Before going, I just wanted to say that I waited two weeks before writing this simply because, in situations that make the blood boil, it's best to avoid writing immediately, while the anger is immediate. If you do, you run the risk of coming off the page too hot, which can turn readers off (particularly in the days leading up to Christmas!) It's better to wait awhile, let your emotions settle down, and try to gain some objectivity.
I spoke again with Palazzari last week, specifically as a reporter, looking for quotes. I didn't get far, though Palazzari insisted that the reinstatement of McKenzie was totally "true."
What, I asked, would you do if the boy were to show up in Ann Arbor tomorrow with his sticks and his hockey bag, wanting to play? Would you order that he be put in the lineup?
"That won't happen," Palazzari said.
We sure hope not -- for the sake of the integrity of USA Hockey and the NTDP.
Even though I look forward to covering USA Hockey in a more honest way than the organization has ever previously been covered, I am still angry about how my work situation came to an abrupt and highly unnecessary end. I wish I were still scouting for the NTDP. It was a rewarding and challenging experience and I'm optimistic that our work will pay dividends this week at both the World Juniors in the Czech Republic, and the World Under-17 Challenge in Winnipeg. While I'll miss working for the NTDP, I won't miss working for USA Hockey.
I hope your Christmas was great, and 2002 is better for us all. I look forward to seeing you around the rinks.
12/25/01
U.S. National Jr. Team Upsets Czech Republic, 3-1
The U.S. National Jr. Team, lead by the Plymouth Whalers (OHL) trio of goaltender Jason Bacashihua, and forwards Kris Vernarsky and Chad LaRose, today upset the Czech Republic, 3-1, despite being outshot 31-18.
Bacashihua kicked out 30 of those 31 shots. Vernarsky and LaRose each had a goal and an assist. Yale's Chris Higgins also scored for the U.S., who next play Thursday the 27th (2:15 pm EST) vs. Sweden.
12/25/01
U.S. Junior Team Opens with a Challenge
Set the alarm clock, get up early, and hold off on the presents, for the U.S. National Junior Team has a biggie at 8 a.m. EST today, facing hosts and two-time defending champions Czech Republic in the opening game of the 2002 World Junior Championship. The U.S. is a true underdog in this game, but if they pull it out, they could finish atop their pool because, with Sweden (Thurs 12/27, 2:15 pm EST), Belarus (Sat. 12/29, 1:00 pm EST), and Slovakia (Sun. 12/30, 11:30 am EST), they have an easier go of it than the "B" poolers, i.e. Finland, Canada, Russia, Switzerland, and France.
The IIHF has an excellent website with in-game updates, and dynamically-updated stats. Unless you live along the border and get TSN out of Canada, this is as good as it gets. Click on either "Program" or "Statistics" along the left-hand column. Between them, you will find pretty much everything you need.
IIHF World Under-20 Championship
12/22/01
Rediker to Join U.S. for Under-17 World Challenge
Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 6'1", 195 lb. LD Frank Rediker, a native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, will be joining the U.S. NTDP Under-17 Team for the World Under-17 Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba next week.
Rediker will not be replacing anyone already on the Under-17 roster. Twenty-two players are allowed for international events, and this season there are just 21 players in the '85/'86 age group rostered in Ann Arbor. In Manitoba, Rediker is expected to be a big contributor, in the manner of Compuware D James Wisniewski, who, last year, was a last-minute add, logged major minutes, and, teaming with Mark Stuart, was a key to the U.S. Under-17s winning a gold medal in Halifax, Nova Scotia. However, Rediker, whose strong suit is his physical play, is a different kind of player than Wisniewski
With the U.S. a little banged-up on D right now, Rediker, will add a strong physical presence to the U.S. lineup. In 33 games with Windsor, Rediker has a 5-6-11 line with 115 pims, good for second on the Spitfires.
Leading the way on the U.S. blueline will be Ryan Suter, who has skill plus a strong physical presence.
12/22/01
U.S. Under-18 Team Surpassing Expectations
The U.S. Under-18 Team, now off until Jan. 5, had a strong outing against Notre Dame last night, losing to Dave Poulin's club by a 3-2 score despite outshooting the Fighting Irish, 34-24. The best line on the ice -- and this goes for either team -- was the Under-18 Team's Patrick Eaves-Ryan Kesler-Greg Moore combination.
Notre Dame comes at you hard, and the U.S. was not only able to stand up to them, but, at times, seriously outplayed the Fighting Irish, who, it should be said, were missing Rob Globke and Brett Lebda to the National Junior Team). In fact, they almost tied up the game at the end, but Brett Sterling's goal a half-second after the final buzzer was, well, a half-second too late.
In the last six weeks, the Under-18 team, under Mike Eaves and assistant John Hynes, has come a long way. While lacking the hockey savvy or pure skill of Under-18 teams of recent memory (or even the current Under-17 team), they've taken huge advantage of the learning experience afforded by the program's increased number of games vs. U.S. Div. I colleges. To cite just one player, Nate Raduns, an 11th grader coming out of Sauk Rapids (Minn.) High School, a Class A squad, and a one-year player with the NTDP, had perhaps the farthest to come. Now, he's ahead of where many observers thought he'd be at the halfway mark. Raduns, who's adding strength bit by bit, had a strong game against Notre Dame, making nice plays, etc. (As an aside, Raduns was also on the receiving end of the night's biggest hit. While looking back over his shoulder while skating through center ice, Raduns was totally smoked by former U.S. NTDP defenseman Neil Komadoski. You live, you learn, and you get better, right?)
12/21/01
Siembeda Commits
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) goaltender Josh Siembeda made up his mind last night, committing to the University of North Dakota.
Siembeda is going through the enrollment process right now. We're told that if all goes well with admissions, the goaltender should be in uniform when the Fighting Sioux hit the ice for the Great Lakes Invitational Dec. 28-29 in Detroit. If the admissions process gets bogged down over the holidays, Siembeda will be in uniform when UND travels to Minnesota Jan. 5-6.
The five schools Siembeda visited were: North Dakota, Boston University, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Colorado College.
In 21 games with Waterloo, the last place team in its division, Siembeda has a 2.81 gaa, but a .918 save percentage. Among goaltenders who've appeared in 15 or more games, Siembeda is third in save percentage, trailing only Cedar Rapids' Bobby Goepfert (.942), and Omaha's Marty Magers (.919).
Siembeda, who's from Porcupine, Ontario, which is way north, just a few kilometers east of Timmins, is a 3/14/83 birthdate who's 5'10" and 170 lbs. at best. He's very good fundamentally, plus he's athletic, quick, and exciting to watch. He has a good glove, handles the puck well enough, communicates nicely with his defensemen, has very good anticipation, and great competitiveness.
In early October, Siembeda came to Waterloo from the Espanola Screaming Eagles of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Screaming Eagles, who got cash in return, sent him to the USHL simply because the goaltender expressed a wish to go there in order to be seen by more colleges. (Espanola, a town of about 5,000 two-thirds of the way along Route 17 between the Soo and Sudbury, is a bit off the beaten track.)
Right now, the two primary goaltenders at North Dakota are senior Andy Kollar, who's played 13 games, but is having an off-year; and freshman Jake Brandt, who's played six, and looked shaky until this past weekend, when he stopped 51 of 54 shots in a pair of wins over St. Lawrence.
Previous Siembeda article: USHR News, 10/26/01
12/21/01
Later on Time
Steven Later, a 6'3", 195 lb. RD from the Winnipeg South Blues (MJHL) has committed to Michigan State.
Later, a 9/9/84 birthdate, will be playing for Team Manitoba in the Viking Cup, which gets underway next week in Camrose, Alberta. He's also the second D in the Spartan's current recruiting class, following Corey Potter of the U.S. NTDP. Later is a full scholarship player, who just needs to get through the NCAA clearinghouse in order to join the Spartans. This is not expected to be a problem.
Right now, Later leads all MJHL defensemen in scoring. In 37 games, he has a 15-24-39 line. He also has a rather incredible 247 penalty minutes.
He's a very aggressive, involved, intimidating, high-energy type of player. Also, as the numbers above indicate, he's offensive-minded. He shoots well, passes well, and can make a play while keeping his feet moving.
Later was the only skater in the league rated as an "A" prospect in Central Scouting's recent preliminary rankings.
The Saskatoon Blades of the WHL own his rights, and battled to get him to go major junior -- to no avail, though. Michigan State had already seen him and that's the route he chose. As far as we know, it was between the dub or Michigan State. There were no other U.S. colleges onto him, at least seriously.
12/19/01
A Short Glass of Water for BC
Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) 5'7", 175 lb. LW Chris Collins committed to Boston College yesterday, and will be at the Heights this coming fall.
Earlier this fall, the Eagles coaching staff had been thinking of Collins for 2003-04. Then, of course, Chilliwack forward Jeff Tambellini signed with Michigan, and BC began to think of Collins, who was already accelerating in school, for the more immediate future.
BC head coach Jerry York went to Des Moines to watch Collins' game against Cedar Rapids this past Saturday night, and must have been impressed. "I played a pretty good game," Collins said today.
After the game, Collins, who never even got around to taking an official visit to the Heights, received the invite. At BC, he'll be reunited with former Taft teammates Ryan Shannon, who centered his line last season, and defenseman Taylor Leahy. Today, Collins notified coaches from other schools that showed interest in him. St. Lawrence was the only school he made an official visit to. Denver made a big push for him, offering a full. Bowling Green, UNH, BU, Providence, and Northeastern were all in the mix, too, some for this year, some for next.
In 24 games, Collins has a 6-10-16 line with 32 pims. He's tenacious, and skilled. He's gotten stronger over the past year, and as a result his game has become more dynamic. A 6/8/84 birthday, Collins is from Fairport, NY, a bit southeast of Rochester, the hometown of the Giontas.
12/19/01
A Tall Glass of Water for Harvard
6'4", 190 lb. RD Peter Hafner of Taft has committed to Harvard University.
A 7/26/83 birthdate, Hafner didn't play much at Taft as a junior last season, so it was difficult to get a read on what he could do. However, he came to Hockey Night in Boston in the summer, and opened the eyes of both pro scouts and college recruiters. Over the past several weeks, with the games actually meaning something, he's continued his strong play. Yesterday, he decided on Harvard.
Other schools in the hunt included BU, Princeton, and RPI.
Hafner, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, is very solid positionally and plays a simple game -- in other words, you won't see him lugging the puck much, or looking to make home-run passes when he can move it with a shorter tape-to-tape pass. He moves his feet well for a player of his size and age. Reportedly, he hasn't been on the ice for an even-strength goal against all season.
Hafner was listed as an "A" player on Central Scouting's preliminary list. Like many kids from Maryland, he's also an excellent lacrosse player.
12/19/01
Get Your Fix
For New Englanders, it's a pretty slow week, with few games on the docket. On Thursday, however, there's a nice twinbill at Boston College's Conte Forum.
At 3:00 pm the Boston Junior Bruins and the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs face off in an EJHL game. Currently, the Junior B's lead their division by four points over the Monarchs.
Afterward, you'll have time for dinner, and then, at 7:30 pm, St. Sebastian's and Catholic Memorial will face off in their annual Mutch Cup matchup. Admission for the game is $10, and this year St. Sebastian's will donate all proceeds to the Mark Bavis Scholarship Fund, which is administered by Catholic Memorial. Both St. Seb's and CM draw almost exclusively from the Eastern Mass. area and, as such, have many players who were coached by Bavis in Mass Hockey's satellite program.
12/18/01
College Commitments
This typist is a little behind, which happens every year right around the time of the prep tournaments. Watching more than two dozen games in half a dozen different places in one weekend can do that. Anyway, you may have heard that some of the players below made their college picks over the weekend.
Both Tim Wallace and Noah Babin, currently teammates on the U.S. Under-18 Team have committed to play for coach Dave Poulin at Notre Dame.
Wallace is a 6'2", 197 lb. RW/C from Anchorage, Alaska who is in his second year with the NTDP. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, Wallace played for the Alaska All-Stars Midget AAA program, coached by Dennis Sorenson. Wallace was also on the Pacific Select Teams that won the gold at both the Select 15 and Select 16 Festivals. In addition, he picked up a gold medal at last winter's World-Under 17's in Nova Scotia. He's strong along the walls and in the corners, skates and uses his size well, plays physically, and will chip in with his share of goals. He's an 8/6/84 birthdate.
Notre Dame is set on the blue line for next year, so Babin will play a year of junior hockey before entering Notre Dame in the fall of 2003. Babin, a 6'0", 180 lb. RD from the hockey hotbed of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is in his second year with the NTDP, to which he came from Chris Coury's Little Caesar's Midget AAA program, where he was converted to defense partway into the '99-00 season. The year before that, Babin, then 14, left Florida to play in Michigan for the Compuware organization. An excellent skater, he has only been playing defense for a little over two years. Other schools in the hunt for Babin included Harvard and Yale.
Babin scored the game-winning goal when the U.S. Under-17 Team won the gold medal in the World Under-17s in Nova Scotia last January. The stick used to score that goal is in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ont.
Notre Dame fans can get a sneak preview of both Wallace and Babin when the Under-18 Team plays at Notre Dame on Friday night.
See A Sun-Dried Samsonov? USHR News, 6/7/98
Princeton University received a commitment from St. Paul's School LW Colin Koch, who was out of action this past weekend with a concussion, so we've yet to see him this season. Koch, who's from Charlotte, Vt. is a 6'3", 185 lb. LW. He was born 12/30/82 -- not a good hockey birthdate.
12/17/01
Deerfield Still On Top
The new USHR Prep Poll came out tonight. It should come as no great surprise that Deerfield is still on top.
12/16/01
Nystrom Replaces Injured Welch on U.S. Junior Team
6'1", 194 lb. University of Michigan freshman LW Eric Nystrom has been added to the U.S. National Junior Team, replacing Harvard freshman defenseman Noah Welch, who suffered a knee injury Dec. 1 and hasn't been able to suit up since.
The U.S. squad arrived in Ann Arbor today and began practicing tonight in preparation for World Juniors, which begins Dec. 25 in the Czech Republic. The U.S. leaves for Switzerland on Wednesday, and will play exhibition games on Dec. 21 (Switzerland) and Dec. 22 (Swden) before beginning tournament play with a toughie -- a Christmas Day matchup with the Czech Republic, the defending champion, and host country.
Nystrom, the son of former New York Islander RW Bob Nystrom, played for New York Apple Core (EJHL) and then the U.S. National Team Development Program before heading off to Michigan this fall. Nystrom, in 18 games for the Wolverines, already has an 8-6-14 line in 18 games for the Wolverines, making him the team's #4 scorer overall (and leading freshman scorer).
Adding Nystrom switches the configuration of the team from 12 forwards, 8 D to 13 forwards, 7 D.
The roster -- in pre-injury form -- can be seen by going to Dec. 5 news below and clicking on the link there.
12/12/01
Project Minnesota
Below is our list, a work-in-progress really, of the top Minnesota high school players. You may notice that the bulk of the players listed below are from the Twin Cities area. As the season progresses, and more of the upstate teams are seen, more players from those schools -- well, schools everywhere, actually -- will begin appearing on the list as well.
There are nine players listed below who will be attending Div. I schools next year. The rest of the list, 85 or so players, consists of players -- 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders -- who we feel merit a look from Jr. A recruiters, either for next year or the seasons ahead.
If there is anyone who can help fill in some of the blanks below, please e-mail info@ushr.com. Thank you.
| School | Player | Pos. | Sh. | H/W | Birthdate | Grade |
| Anoka | Ben Hendrick | F | L | 5-7/165 | 1/9/85 | |
| Apple Valley | Matt Jackson | F | ||||
| Armstrong | Michael Zacharias | G | 5-9/175 | 5/21/85 | ||
| Armstrong | Brett Beckfield | F | 6-0/180 | 1/31/85 | ||
| Bemidji | Mike Hendricks | F | L | 5-8/160 | 2/6/85 | |
| Benilde | Josh Pauer | F | 5-10/170 | 7/2/85 | 11 | |
| Benilde | Ian Schaser | F | 5-10/165 | 1/25/85 | 11 | |
| Benilde | Blake Friesen | D | 6-2/176 | 6/4/85 | 10 | |
| Benilde | John Paulson | D | 6-2/195 | 3/9/84 | 12 | |
| Benilde | Greg Battani | D |
| 5-8/170 | 2/1/86 | 10 |
| Benilde | Ricky Hopkins | C |
| 5-9/175 |
| 12 |
| Blake | Rob Page | D | R | 10 | ||
| Bloomington-Jefferson | Adam Dirlam | D | L | 6-1/184 | 5/29/83 | |
| Bloomington-Jefferson | Mike Bernhagen | F | 5-9/160 | '83 | ||
| Breck | William Parenteau | C | 5-9/170 | 5/19/86 | 10 | |
| Breck | Dustin Fulton | F | 5-11/170 | 2/20/86 | 10 | |
| Breck | Andrew Birkholz | F |
|
|
| 9 |
| Breck | Adam Dunlop | D | 6-0/190 | 12 | ||
| Buffalo | Ben Geelan | F | 6-1/180 | |||
| Burnsville | Mike Franks | C | 5-11/165 | 4/15/84 | 11 | |
| Burnsville | David Graden | F | 6-1/175 | 3/3/85 | 11 | |
| Centennial | Tom Gorowsky | F | 5-11/165 | 4/8/86 | 10 | |
| Centennial | Phil Todd | F | 6-1/190 | '84 | 11 | |
| Cloquet | Josh Johnson | G | 5-10/165 | 1/25/84 | 12 | |
| Cloquet | Matt Maunu | D | R | 4/3/84 | 12 | |
| Cretin | Mike Vannelli (Minn.) | D | R | 6-2/170 | 10/2/83 | |
| Cretin | Matt Bolig | F | 5-9/165 | |||
| Cretin | Brian Kilburg | D | 6-3/197 | 5/10/84 | ||
| Crookston | Joel Gasper | F | 6-1/185 | |||
| Duluth East | Tom Kolar | F | R | 5-11/160 | 7/22/83 | 12 |
| Duluth East | Nick Licari (Wisc.) | F | 5-8/160 | 1/19/84 | 12 | |
| Duluth East | Chris Johnson | D | 6-0/175 | 4/23/86 | 10 | |
| Eden Prairie | Jon Erickson | F | L | 6-3/188 | 8/23/83 | |
| Eden Prairie | Ryan Hawkins | F | 5-8/160 | 9/23/84 | ||
| Edina | Josh Budish | C | '84 | |||
| Edina | William Wetterlin | D | 6-0/195 | 4/12/84 | 12 | |
| Elk River | Brent Solei | G | ||||
| Fergus Falls | Ryan Miller | C | 5-9/165 | 4/19/84 | 12 | |
| Greenway | Andy Sertich (Minn.) | F/D | L | 5-11/165 | 4/6/83 | 12 |
| Greenway | Corey Carlson | C | R | 5-10/175 | 1/15/85 | |
| Greenway | Gino Guyer (Minn.) | F | L | 5-10/165 | 10/14/83 | 12 |
| Greenway | Tom Sobtzak | G | 6-2/175 | 10/3/84 | ||
| Greenway | Jamie Guyer | F | 5-9/170 | |||
| Harding | Ryan Freeman | C | big | 12 | ||
| Hastings | Nick Harris | F | 12 | |||
| Hermantown | B.J. Radovich (MTU) | F | 12 | |||
| Hibbing | Ian Ross | F | L | 6-2/170 | 1/18/84 | |
| Hill Murray | Jim Jensen | D | 6-0/175 | 7/1/84 | ||
| Hill Murray | Tom Morrow | D |
| 6-5/190 | '84 | |
| Hill Murray | Garrett Regan | F |
| 5-11/165 | 4/23/85 | |
| Holy Angels | Dan Kronick | F | L | 6-2/182 | 7/16/84 | 12 |
| Holy Angels | Jim Kilpatrick | F | 5-11/160 | 1/27/85 | 11 | |
| Holy Angels | Tyler Howells | F | 5-7/170 | 12 | ||
| Holy Angels | Nate Hagemo | D |
| 5-10/170 | 10/8/86 | 9 |
| Holy Angels | Matt Kaiser | F | 5-9/150 | 4/12/86 | 10 | |
| Mahtomedi | Brent Borgen | F | 5-11/165 | 1/17/85 | 11 | |
| Maple Grove | Rob Dubel | D | L | 6-2/165 | 8/5/83 | |
| Minnetonka | Teddy Bickel | F | R | 6-3/194 | 5/10/83 | |
| Moorhead | Matt Hayek | F | 6-2/180 | 12 | ||
| Mounds View | Justin Bostrom | C |
| 5-7/145 | '86 | |
| Osseo | Travis Morin (Mank.) | F | 6-2/180 | 1/9/84 | 12 | |
| Osseo | Josh Williams | F | 5-10/160 | 2/23/84 | ||
| Osseo | Tony Gliniany | D | 6-3/190 | 8/18/83 | ||
| Osseo | Nick Pernula | F | 5-8/155 | 3/28/84 | ||
| Rochester Mayo | Scott Thauwald | C | L | 5-10/160 | 10/26/84 | |
| Rochester Lourdes | Josh Duncan | D | 5-10/195 | 3/4/86 | ||
| Rochester Lourdes | Brandon Harrington | F | 6-1/170 | |||
| Roseville | Mark Van Guilder | F | 6-2/180 | 1/17/84 | 12 | |
| Roseville | Andrew Carroll | F | 5-10/165 | 5/7/85 | 11 | |
| Roseville | Tom Anderson | G | '83 | 12 | ||
| Shattuck Prep | Zach Parisé (UND) | F | R | 5-9/165 | 7/28/84 | 12 |
| Shattuck Prep | Tyler Hirsch (Minn.) | F | 5-10/165 | 1/4/84 | 12 | |
| Shattuck Prep | Chris Porter | F | L | 6-1/190 | 5/21/84 | 12 |
| Shattuck Prep | Casey Borer | D | 6-1/190 | 7/28/85 | 11 | |
| Shattuck Prep | Drew Stafford | F | 6-1/180 | 10/30/85 | 11 | |
| Shattuck Prep | Ken Rowe | F | 5-11/170 | 5/9/85 | 11 | |
| Shattuck Prep | Matt Smaby | D | 6-4/185 | 11 | ||
| Shattuck Prep | Brady Murray (UND) | F | 5-10/160 | 11 | ||
| Shattuck Prep | Jacob Hipp | F | 5-10/165 | '85 | 11 | |
| Shattuck Midget AA | John Vadnais | D | 5-11/165 | 4/7/86 | 10 | |
| Shattuck Midget AA | A.J. Thelen | D | 6-2/175 | 3/11/86 | 10 | |
| Shattuck Midget AA | Jason Miller | D |
| 6-0/165 | 3/27/86 | 10 |
| Spring Lake Park | David Backes | F | R | 6-2/190 | 5/1/84 | |
| St. Louis Park | Matt Woodard | D | 5-11/201 | '85 | 11 | |
| Stillwater | Jeff Beck | F | 5-11/180 | 7/28/86 | 10 | |
| Thief River Falls | Justin Klinkhammer | G | 5-9/150 | 4/2/86 | ||
| Totino-Grace | Nick Miller | F | 6-1/180 | |||
| White Bear Lake | Jon Anderson | G | 5-11/180 | 6/19/84 | 11 | |
| White Bear Lake | Chris Anderson | D | R | 6-2/190 | 8/4/84 | 11 |
| White Bear Lake | Dustin Mercado | D | 6-2/190 | 11 | ||
| White Bear Lake | Ryan Carter | W |
| 6-0/195 | 8/3/83 | 12 |
| Woodbury | Ryan Helgason | F | 6-1/175 | 5/2/84 | ||
| Woodbury | Ryan Swanson | F | 6-0/200 | 4/12/84 |
12/11/01
Denver's Goalie of the Future
The Denver Pioneers, sitting pretty with a 12-2-0 record and a #3 national ranking, have received a verbal commitment -- for the fall of 2003 -- from goaltender Glen Fisher of the Fort Saskatchewan Traders (AJHL), currently in seventh place in their eight-team division, which may explain why you may not see Fisher among the league's goalie stat leaders right now. Fisher, 6'1", 165 lbs. and a 4/25/83 birthdate, stands a good chance at winning the starting nod for Team Alberta's Viking Cup squad.
Speaking of Denver, the brother of Denver sophomore defenseman Lukas Dora has committed to Michigan Tech University. Marek Dora, 6'1" and 190 lbs., is a 9/20/81 birthdate from the Czech Republic currently playing for the Danville Wings (NAHL).
12/09/01
Deerfield Tops First USHR Prep Poll of Season
The first USHR Prep Poll of the season was released tonight and Deerfield sits at the top of the heap.
12/05/01
U.S. National Junior Team Roster Finalized
Following is the 22-man roster for the 2002 U.S. National Junior Team, which will be competing in the World Junior Championship Dec. 25-Jan. 4 in the Czech Republic.
The team includes five returnees from last year's team, which went 5-2-0 and finished in fifth place. They are Kris Vernarsky, who'll be playing in his third WJC, Michael Komisarek, Rob Globke, R.J. Umberger, and David Steckel.
There are 16 '82s on the squad, five '83s, and one '84 (Dustin Brown, an Ithaca, NY native playing for the Guelph Storm).
There are eight players from the CCHA, six from the OHL, three from Hockey East, two from the WHL, two from the ECAC, and one from the WCHA.
The team will gather in Ann Arbor on Dec. 16 to start practice. On Dec. 19, they leave for Switzerland for a pair of exhibition games (12/21 vs. Switzerland; 12/22 vs. Sweden) before beginning tournament play on Christmas day with a big tilt against host and defending champion Czech Republic.
2002 U.S. National Junior Team Roster
12/04/01
Gleason Turns Thumbs Down to U.S. Junior Team Invite
6'0", 199 lb. LD Tim Gleason, a Clawson, Michigan native playing for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) has turned down an invitation to play for his country in the World Junior Championship Dec. 25-Jan. 4 in the Czech Republic.
Gleason, drafted in the first round (23rd overall) by the Ottawa Senators in June's NHL draft, was the only 17-year-old on last year's junior team (in what is essentially a 19-year-old's tournament) and reportedly felt that it was a negative experience (read: not enough ice time).
Gleason, represented by Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management in Toronto, came up through the Little Caesar's organization, played a year for HoneyBaked, and then went on to the Leamington Flyers (WOJHL) before getting drafted by the Spitfires.
Look for the U.S. Junior Team to be named late Wednesday.
12/02/01
Gophers Go North
For the first time in twenty years, the University of Minnesota has gone north of the border for a player.
Next fall, 6'2", 175 lb. LD Peter Kennedy of the Ottawa Senators (COJHL), an offensive defenseman in the Paul Martin mold, will join the Gophers.
The last Canadian to play for the U was Frank Pietrangelo, a goaltendner from Niagara Falls, Ont. who, between 1982-86, appeared in 85 games for the Gophers.
Kennedy, a May '84 birthdate, is a native of Brookfield, Nova Scotia who last season was playing midget AAA there. He was a member of the Atlantic Under-17 team that played in, and hosted, the World Under-17's in Truro and New Glasgow, N.S. last winter.
Kennedy, tall and lanky, is a good skater with a big-time shot. He's currently the third-leading scorer among all rookies in the COJHL with a 7-8-15 line in 21 games. Central Scouting has him on their A list of Canadian Tier II players.
Minnesota was onto Kennedy as far back as the summer. At the time, Kennedy was still largely unknown, mainly because he'd yet to play a game outside of midget hockey in Nova Scotia.
Pietrangelo, in case you were wondering, went on to play 141 games in the NHL, mostly with Pittsburgh, between 1987-94. Now 38, he's still at it, playing pro in Great Britain.
12/01/01
Make that Ten!
New England Jr. Coyotes (EJHL) 6'3", 195 lb. defenseman James Pemberton has decided to attend -- surprise! surprise! -- Providence College.
Pemberton, a right-shot D from Cumberland, RI, is in his first season with the Coyotes. Last year, at Mount St. Charles, he was ranked #4 among 11th grade New England d-men by the USHR, right behind Jaime Sifers, Danny Spang, and Michael Hutchins. In this week's Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings, Pemberton, like the others, was designated an "A" prospect. All except Hutchins are opt-in players.
Pemberton, who will either arrive at Providence next season or in the fall of '03, is a tough, physical player with great size. He loves to mix it up, makes good decisions, reads plays well, and has a strong shot. The one area of his game that needs a bit of work is his overall agility and foot speed, but that will come as he grows into his body a bit more. He's a 10/2/83 birthdate.
Pemberton, in 11 games this season, has a 1-3-4 line. He had missed the last 3½ weeks with a bad back before returning with a strong game vs. Deerfield on Wednesday.
An Ivy-level student, Pemberton drew considerable interest from a number of schools, but Providence appears to have had the inside track right from the beginning.
If Pemberton joins the Friars next season, Paul Pooley's squad will have ten ex-Coyotes on its roster -- D Dominic Torretti, D Jeff Mason, D Eric Lundberg, F John Luszcz, F Jon DiSalvatore, F Chris Chaput, F Peter Zingoni, incoming forwards Torry Gajda and Bryan Horan, and, of course, Pemberton.
If there is anyone out there who can think of a Div. I college that has carried more players off any one team at one time, please let us know. When Horan committed earlier this month, we offered as a prize a bobble-head doll in the likeness of Gary Dineen, who for over twenty-five years has headed up the Pics/Whalers/Coyotes program.
So far there has been no winner, and it's just getting harder by the day.
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