A CCM High Performance matchup of the 16s (2009 birth years) took place between Section 4 and Section 6 at the Plymouth Ice Center as part of the Spring Festival weekend. On March 29th, forward John Whisler (Hill-Murray) opened the scoring for Section 4 early in the game, and Section 4 went on to lead 2-1 at the half. Halfway through the second half, recent Des Moines Buccaneers tender Ryland Rooney made it 3-1, and Section 4 went on to win 3-2 in a close game. Each player has been given a grade based solely on their performance at this event.
MN Hockey B16 Section 4
Dylan Kiemele #5 (D, L, 6’1″, 174, MN Loons 15’s, 10/08/2009) – Dylan Kiemele is a solidly-built left-shot defenseman who predominantly played a stay-at-home role. Playing on Hill-Murray’s junior varsity team this season, he was effective in the corners with his physical play and battle/compete. Kiemele showcased an ability to power through physical pressure or escape with his feet on the defensive end, and he kept his head on a swivel prior to retrieving the puck. However, with the puck on his stick, he can work to improve his decision-making and processing of the play, as he at times rushed his reads, which resulted in turnovers. Kiemele defended the rush nicely with an active stick and proper positioning, utilizing his lateral mobility to consistently break up the play. He played a safer role with a focus on defense first and has room to grow in increasing his offensive involvement. Grade: B-
Lance Kohnen #2 (D, R, 5’8″, 160, East Ridge High School, 08/04/2009) – Lance Kohnen is a skilled two-way defenseman who already has two seasons of varsity hockey under his belt after playing for East Ridge High School as a freshman. Kohnen made smart reads all over the ice and largely played a mistake-free game. Along the blue line, he played with his head up, with nice anticipation and activation when the opportunity presented itself. Kohnen showcased a quick first step, and he transitioned the puck up the ice effectively with a willingness to utilize his speed and lead the rush if needed. On those rushes, he surveyed his options and did not force the puck into danger, with smart puck dumps deep when that was his only option. Kohnen used his mobility, sturdy base, and an active stick to defend against the rush with smart decision-making in knowing when to step up and shut down the play. At 5’9″ and 160 lbs, he has a smaller frame and will need to put on more strength and increase his level of physicality to be more effective defensively moving forward. Grade: B
Ryland Rooney #8 (F, R, 6’2″, 177, Des Moines Buccaneers, 03/24/2009) – Recently tendered by the Des Moines Buccaneers, Ryland Rooney is a good-sized, natural goal scorer. Rooney tripled his points total from one varsity season to the next, going from 22 points in 27 games as a freshman to 69 points in 26 games as a sophomore. His offensive skillset is impressive, with quick hands, passing touch, and a powerful shot that features a very quick release. Rooney displayed a strong skating stride with nice pace/speed, and he looked very comfortable leading the rush. On one rush, he took the puck wide before quickly cutting to the center of the ice and beat the defender with a head fake, then utilized his quick release in a shot off the crossbar that the goalie barely reacted to. Rooney demonstrated the vision and awareness to consistently find the soft spots in the offensive zone, and he scored the team’s third and game-winning goal this way. On the goal, he backed into open space on the far side before quickly catching and releasing a cross-ice feed, with the shot beating the goaltender cleanly. In addition to his offensive toolkit, Rooney was involved defensively and on two occasions covered at the point for pinching defensemen. Grade: A-
Gavin Veneruzzo #3 (D, L, 6’4″, 200, White Bear Lake HS, 05/12/2009) – Gavin Veneruzzo is a tall, left-shot defenseman who just completed his first varsity season, posting seven points for White Bear Lake as a sophomore. He is long and physical, with nice usage of his size/strength to separate the opposition from the puck and win battles in both the neutral and defensive zones. Veneruzzo utilized the reach of his 6’4″ frame to force multiple turnovers with several well-timed poke checks. For his size, he demonstrated nice overall mobility in his defensive zone puck retrievals, consistently looking over his shoulder to survey his options before reaching the puck. However, there were some issues when he gained possession of the puck on the back end, as he was at times slow in his reads and needed to move the puck quicker, which led to his team getting caught in the zone. On the breakouts he led that were clean, his passing was crisp and on the tape, and he quickly activated and joined the rush. Defensively, Veneruzzo made smart steps in the neutral zone to shut down the rush, and he took proper angles to force the attacker to the boards before laying a hit. Grade: B-
John Whisler #11 (F, L, 6’0″, 174, Hill Murray HS, 08/05/2009) – John Whisler is a big-bodied, right-shot forward who featured a nice mix of offensive threat combined with physical toughness. Whisler is coming off his first season of varsity hockey where he posted seven points in 25 games with Hill-Murray. His quick shot release was on display immediately in this game as he opened the scoring on his first shift. On the goal, upon entering the zone, he smoothly changed the shot angle around the defender and beat the goaltender cleanly down low. He showcased quick and adept hands as he caught a tough pass with his feet on the rush without having to slow down. Whisler forechecked with purpose and displayed nice usage of his frame/strength as he finished his checks all over the ice. One area of improvement would be his foot speed and acceleration/quickness, as he at times found himself caught behind the play on the rush, and when he led the rush, his speed did not allow him to create much separation. Whisler demonstrated nice balance and usage of his solid frame in battles along the boards or around the net. Grade: B
MN Hockey B16 Section 6
Niklas Anderson #12 (F, R, 5’7″, 140, Armstrong/Cooper High, 09/05/2009) – Niklas Anderson is a skilled, right-shot forward with a smaller stature who recently completed his first year of varsity hockey and posted 21 points in 26 games. Anderson was strong at the faceoff dot and flashed quick hands with nice passing vision in spotting open lanes. He is slightly undersized but demonstrated nice battle and puck pursuit on theck, playing through physicality with high compete. Anderson has quick feet and nice overall mobility, but he has room to grow in his puck control and playmaking ability. He showed commitment to supporting the defense with strong battle down low, and he helped start several breakouts. On the breakout, Anderson headmanned the puck quickly before utilizing his speed to catch up and join the play. To be more effective in corner battles on both ends of the ice, he will need to add more strength to his frame. Grade: B-
Luke Johnson #10 (F, L, 5’9″, 160, Team Minnesota U15, 05/27/2009) – Luke Johnson is a quick and speedy forward who, as a freshman, recently completed his first varsity season and posted 18 points in 26 games for Fergus Falls High School (1A). Lining up at center, Johnson was strong on faceoffs and played an effective two-way game. He has a smaller frame, but he battled for loose pucks and helped out down low defensively, and he consistently backchecked with purpose. His size did hold him back at times when the physicality ramped up, so adding strength will need to be a focus moving forward. Johnson displayed a clean skating stride with nice acceleration as he got up to speed with only a few quick strides and continually pushed the pace. He was strong leading the rush with great puck control, and he kept his head up at all times, reading the defender while also surveying his passing options. On one rush, he simply utilized his mobility and speed to blow past the defender wide before cutting in towards the net for a scoring opportunity. Johnson demonstrated nice battle around the crease area, and he never gave up on the play. He picked up an assist on the team’s second goal through his high compete-level, where he caught the opposition from behind and forced a turnover to hold the offensive zone, with his linemate then picking up the loose puck and scoring. Grade: B+
Evan Lyke #7 (D, L, 5’11”, 155, Wayzata Bantam AA, 06/24/2009) – Evan Lyke is a 2009-born left-shot defenseman who is a fluid skater with nice mobility. Lyke demonstrated strong play when defending the rush with great gap control and lateral mobility that allowed him to consistently remain square to the attacker. He made smart steps in the neutral zone to cut off passes and used his angles well to force the opposition to the boards before shutting the play down. Lyke battled down low and consistently won corner battles with smart positioning and high compete. However, there were examples where he was outmatched physically along the boards, but he currently has a lanky frame that will allow for plenty of growth from a strength aspect. His blue line play was strong with quick reads and nice acceleration, with smart activations to hold the zone and chip in offensively. Grade: B
Becker Wenkus #2 (D, L, 6’1″, 190, Edina HS, 05/22/2009) – Becker Wenkus is a mature, heady defenseman who recently completed his first varsity season as a freshman and played a key role for the Edina Hornets, even logging a ton of ice time in the state tournament. Wenkus read and processed the game quickly with great puck patience and decision-making, both with and without the puck. He is quick on his edges, and when he saw opportunities to activate from the blue line or join the rush, he quickly took them and showed more offensive involvement compared to prior viewings. He kept his head on a swivel in puck retrievals and knew his options before he obtained possession, with crisp and accurate passing that led to easy breakouts. Wenkus is a fluid skater with strong balance, and he displayed nice puck control and puck management when leading the rush. His frame is solid, and he utilized his strength to separate the opposition from the puck when defending the rush or battling in the corners. Wenkus gapped up nicely with lateral mobility to keep the attacker in front of him before shutting down the play. Lastly, he put his body on the line by selling out for a big shot block on a high-danger scoring opportunity late in the game. Grade: B+