NCDC Futures Draft The NCDC held its annual draft on June 10, 2020. The league has a regular draft of older players and then a Futures Draft of mostly 2004…
Junior
Boston Advantage Joins USPHL, NCDC
The Boston Advantage will join the USPHL and NCDC for the upcoming 2020-21 season; the sides announced an agreement last week. The Advantage will join the Tier-II NCDC along with…
WSHL Cancels 2020-21 Season
The Western States Hockey League announced on Wednesday that it has canceled the upcoming 2020-21 season, and has begun preparing for the 2021-22 season. “Based on the forecasted medical problems…
Top 50 Uncommitted 1999s Updated
Neutral Zone released its Top 750 1999’s where the first 300 were ranked 1-300 and then the rest were listed in alphabetical order. While only 10 of the top 100…
NA3HL Top Prospects: Top 45
Neutral Zone had a scout responsible for gathering as much information as possible on the NA3HL Top Prospects event in Attleboro, MA. It was one of the last big events…
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.
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.
Patrick Geary
Honestly, I like his jam. I like his compete. And I like the fact that he sticks up for his goalie and doesn’t take any crap. I have no idea where he’ll end up this year, but he’s a kid I’ll be looking for.
Devin Kaplan
I’m legitimately excited to watch his development over the next few years. He’s a kid that the U.S.N.T.D.P. can do great things for. Being on the ice every day training with the best kids in the U.S. is going to really ramp up his intensity and attention to detail. It’s going to be great preparation for all of the kids, but I really think the increased intensity is going to make his game take off.
David Goyette
David can distribute the puck while his feet are in motion or stop on a dime to create space. There’s no such thing as “train tracks” for him.
Chase Pietila
He’s strong in the corners battling and his ass is his center of gravity… not his head. That’s huge for a big man.
Spencer Sova
He has always put up good numbers, but what makes me really start paying attention is his willingness and ability to defend. He plays stick on puck, but does not…
Gavin Brindley
I thought he was a given for the NTDP, but he may be a player who is better off in the long run by not being on that roster. He’s competitive as hell and I hope he’s using the snub as gas.
Thomas Budnick
Neutral Zone NHL’s comments, April 2020: NHL NZ Scout Ian Moran said “Oh boy do I love this pick….”
MJHL Goalie Reports & Rankings (Sept-Jan)
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is known for its sharp and hard nosed play but our scouts feel the league is under rated a bit and has some legitimate collegiate…
NCDC Showcase: Top 85
Neutral Zone attended the last NCDC Showcase of the season hosted by the South Shore Kings at Foxboro, MA. The Kings did a great job. We were able to see…
CHL Releases Statement on Status of 2020 Memorial Cup
Hockey Canada announced last week that it was canceling all sanctioned events until further notice due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Canadian Hockey League released a statement on the status…
NAHL Cancels Regular Season Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced on Monday that all remaining 2019-20 regular season games have been canceled, effective immediately, due to the international medical emergency caused by COVID-19…
Hockey Canada Cancels All Events Until Further Notice
Hockey Canada announced on Thursday that it was canceling all events, including the national championships, until further notice. The cancellation also means that all of Canada’s junior leagues have come…