The lead up to the NHL Draft is always a fascinating time, especially when there is no set player who is expected to be the first overall pick like there…
Get to Know
FREE: Neutral Zone Scout Series: Paul O’Hagan
O’Hagan, who serves as Neutral Zone’s director of Ontario scouting, has been with the team since 2016. Through his experience as a player and his eye for talent, O’Hagan is…
FREE: Neutral Zone Scout Series: Marlin Muylaert
Marlin Muylaert, Neutral Zone’s Canadian director of scouting, has been with the company since its inception in 2015. With a 20-plus year coaching career under his belt, he has gained…
Quick Hit – Eduard Gabdrakhmanov
He plays with pace, has the awareness to work both ends of the ice with purpose and has the vision to make plays on the...
U18 Minuteman Flames vs Boston Advantage (10/4/2020)
In all honesty Hunter was a consistent offensive threat. His compete and energy were noticeable every shift as was his long powerful stride. We loved his game and Hunter is a player we will be looking for as the Massachusetts High School season approaches.
U15 Springfield Rifles at The Jr. Bulldogs Showcase
Neutral Zone had 3 scouts in attendance for the 2020 Jr. Bulldogs Showcase, but one scout primarily focused on the 2005 birth year. Here are his thoughts on the U15 Springfield Rifles and the players who distinguished themselves on Sunday morning versus the U15 Boston Jr. Eagles.
U16 – Boston Bulldogs vs Bay State Breakers (9/20/2020)
Jake was the most impactful player in this one. There was not a shot clock available, but we would guess that he made close to 40 saves. Jake showed excellent body control while being forced to move post to post without ever leaving his paint. His eyes were consistently
U15 – Cape Cod Whalers vs Boston Jr. Eagles (9/13/2020)
Neutral Zone had two scouts in attendance evaluating as the U15 Whalers played host to the Boston Jr. Eagles. These are the players who we feel had a positive impact for their team.
NHL Draft Chaos
2020 NHL Draft information The Draft itself will take place after the Stanley Cup has been won. There are seven teams who have already been eliminated from the playoffs (Ottawa,…
Shane Lachance
Brian Murphy; US Director of Scouting on Shane Lachance, Tabor Academy, Pick #128 in Phase II of the USHL draft by Tri-City. Shane is a four star rated player by…
USHL Draft Recap
Neutral Zone scouts have put together a USHL Draft recap breaking down a total of 110 picks from each team in both Phase I and Phase II. We provided background and scouting information on each team’s top selection in each draft as well as a good value pick and a sleeper pick. In most cases there were several players to choose from but we tried to spread it out among regions so each territory was represented.
Michael Stenberg
Brian Murphy; VP and Director of US Scouting on Mike Stenberg; #4 Overall selection in the USHL Draft by Des Moines: I was told about four years ago to watch…
Get to Know Camron VanSickle
Brian Murphy; VP and Director of US Scouting on Camron VanSickle: There very few players who seem to become more relaxed and more focused near the net. You almost see…
MAHA Bantam Festival 2004
This evaluation was originally written in July of 2017. We came across it doing some "house cleaning" and loved seeing all of the familiar names with their evaluations. We thought it would be interesting to look back at what our scouts said about them as Bantams.
Saxen Robertson
2004 Saxen Robertson from the Pitt Penguins Elite went undrafted in the OHL. I understand that he may not be at the top of team’s lists but he is a…
Jake Bongo
Twenty years ago Jake probably would not have gotten a sniff of NHL attention, but that isn't the case now. He's got a high hockey IQ, great wheels, fantastic motor, is an absolute dog on a bone for the puck and is one of the most competitive players I saw in New England last year (2019-20). And by competitive I don't mean he tries hard. I mean that it's obvious that losing hurts his sole.
Andrew Centrella
Andrew Centrella of the Valley Forge Minuteman is our 81st ranked 2004. he played up on the U16 team and is a player we feel OHL teams missed him in…
Matty Copponi
Matty was selected 8th overall in the American portion of the draft. Familiar names Timmy Delay went 1st overall, Declan Loughnane went 3rd, Jack Hughes went 6th and JP Turner 13th.
Declan Loughnane
But you know what I really liked seeing? Declan showed he wasn't a robot. He was involved physically and emotionally. You could see how much winning meant to him. He was invested in the team and it...
Brody Crane
First off, Brody can fly. He's got quick feet, an extremely powerful stride and is very smooth when transitioning body weight to move laterally. He's a player who doesn't slow down when the puck is on his stick and there's no doubt that he is an...
Nicholas VanTassell
A lot of of big kids who can dominate physically cheat all over the ice. Nicholas does not. He shows a good understanding of cutting the ice in half while on the forecheck, having an active stick to shut down passing or shooting lanes and he forces players at the lines to create off-sides and icings. This stuff might go unnoticed by the toe drag crew, but it is the little details that college and pro coaches notice because they’ll have to spend less time teaching it.