With the Junior Chowder Cup underway in Boston, Mass., Neutral Zone’s Mark Bilotta has been taking in the action.
“We were here checking out many of the top 2008 and 2009 born talents from across North America,” Bilotta said. “We saw players from as far away as British Columbia and as close as Foxborough.”
Broken down by positions, programs and birth years, here are some of the players that stood out on Day 2:
Ryan Hanrahan, F, Mississauga Reps U16 (2009)
“He was one of the more effective forwards that we saw across the entire day in a lot of talented players. He was taking tours of the attacking zone, no one was able to really slow him down. He was really strong on his edges. He had a quick wrist shot with a good release point as well. He looked really dangerous all game and he was one of the better players on their squad.”
Lane Larson, F, Sartell High School (2008)
“Used his size effectively here. He was able to protect the puck, get close to the net. He was at the backdoor ready for tap-in opportunities. He recognized plays and got loose as well, making himself available for the pass. He was really good today.”
Logan Brown, F, Dallas Stars Elite (2009)
“He was one of our favourite players to watch because he had the two most important letters in hockey: I.Q. He was one of the smarter players that we saw on the ice across the entire day. Made some really smart plays. He was good on the break-away. He made some really impressive looks and his passing was really sharp and on the tape. Well done, Logan.”
Xavier Cormier, D, Bishop College (2008)
“He might have been the smoothest skater we saw: forward, defenseman, goalie. He looked really good today. His backpedal was excellent, he was really good in all four directions, his lateral was great. He was really smooth in all aspects.”
Malik L’Italien, D, Séminaire St-Joseph (2009)
“Tall, lean, athletic defender with a long stick. His possessions were very clean. He was great with strong outlet passes. He showed good athleticism where he could rush the puck from coast to coast by himself. He was one of the better D that we saw today.”
Christian Capone, G, Yale Jr. Bulldogs (2009)
“He’s a player we’ve liked for quite some time and he was facing one of the top teams in his division and made some really impressive saves. He was shutting down plays at the post. He was really quick laterally to shut plays down as well. Made good recognition, he saw traffic all day and it did not affect him one bit. He was excellent.”