In May of 1997 the Hartford Whalers owner, Peter Karmanos announced that the team would be moving their franchise to Raliegh, North Carolina. While moving an ice hockey team from…
Prospects
Select 16 USA Development Camp Rankings
The Neutral Zone staff was on hand for the Select 16 National Development Camp in Buffalo, NY. We saw every game as well as the All Star Game and put together a comprehensive scouting report based on what we saw. The players are put in the order we saw fit, but we decided not
Dartmouth Lands Prep Standout: The Shea Courtmanche Story
Dartmouth has a long track record of recruiting in the New England Prep School market with verbal commitments from some of the top defenders in the league in Sean…
Jimmy Dowd Jr. Commits to Penn State
Jimmy Dowd Jr., the son of 17-year NHL veteran Jim Dowd, made his college commitment to Penn State this week. The talented puck moving defenseman out of the NJ…
USA Select 17 Development Camp Rankings
Every year our scouts attend the Select Festivals in Buffalo, NY as a chance to see all of the country’s best players (excluding NTDP) on the ice at the same time. It’s an opportunity for NHL, CHL, NCAA and junior scouts to see how the USHL players compare to the CHL players or how
Atlantic Development Camp Top 80 (99-01)
Neutral Zone staff were in attendance at the recent USA Hockey Atlantic District tryout camp held at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. As a whole, our scouts reported sort of a mixed bag in terms of both the level of competition and performances by individual players.
Ethan DeStefani commits to Merrimack
Merrimack added its first recruit to the 2019 recruiting class with a verbal commitment from Ethan DeStefani, a power forward from Bedford, New Hampshire. DeStefani has been on the radar…
Moncada signs with Guelph Storm
It is somewhat rare to see a third round draft pick sign with an OHL team in June, but for Luke Moncada and the Guelph Storm it was the right fit at the right time. Moncada brings a power game to the Storm, a big, strong two-way forward with a high compete level. We caught up with the 42nd overall pick and asked how he came to sign with Guelph.
Top 5 College Hockey Recruiting Classes for 2016
Neutral Zone has created an algorithm-based ranking system for college hockey recruiting, a description of which can be found under the Team Rankings tab. Every player committed to a D1…
Aidan Dudas signs with Owen Sound
Aidan Dudas, the 10th overall pick in this year’s OHL Draft, signed with the Owen Sound Attack this past week. In many ways Dudas is a beacon of hope…
Against the Grain: Inside Mittelstadt’s decision to return to Eden Prairie
More than at any other point in history, the hockey landscape facing today’s generation of amateur players is defined by an ultra-competitive, accelerated, and stop-at-nothing culture where players and…
Dylan Seitz signs with Kitchener
The Kitchener Rangers come south of the border to sign one of their late round draft picks from the previous year’s draft in Dylan Seitz. The gritty, two-way forward…
Wyllum Deveaux: On his road to Harvard
Wyllum Deveaux is not your average Harvard commit, his road to Cambridge was unique. He grew up in Nova Scotia with his family but moved at the age of…
Curtis Hall Commits to Yale
Our scouts at Neutral Zone have watched Curtis Hall since he was a Bantam and every year he gets better and better and better. He announced his commitment to Yale…
AIC Surges in Recruiting Class Rankings under Eric Lang
Eric Lang was hired by his alma mater in April after longtime Head Coach Gary Wright stepped down after 32 seasons behind the bench. It’s a unique situation as Lang…
Matthew Fawcett Commits to Quinnipiac
Matthew Fawcett, a little speedster out of Rhode Island who plays a fast and aggressive game, committed to Quinnipiac this past weekend. We caught up with him shortly after to talk…
Jacques Bouquot Commits to Boston College
Q & A with ’00 Jacques Bouquot, Salisbury School F and Boston College commit Neutral Zone caught up with 2000 forward Jacques Bouquot of Salisbury School (New…
USHL Phase I Draft Grades
The Phase I USHL Draft took place Monday night and provided a setting for the top 160 prospects born in 2000 from around the United States (and beyond) to be selected…
USHL Draft Phase I Top 200
The USHL Draft, similar to the OHL Draft, is what they call an “agents draft.” This means that it is not simply the best players who are selected in the early rounds. These players are chosen for a combination of factors including upside, willingness to attend camp, relationships with advisors and team management,etc.
USHL Combine Top 2000’s
Another season has come and gone, but just like that, preparations are already underway all over the country for next hockey season. The USHL is no exception.
U16 Tier 1 USA Nationals Recap
It felt strange getting out of the hotel room, stepping out to 85-degree weather, and passing palm trees on the way to the rink at the end of March. The tournament ran from March 31 through April 4, a five-day event that featured 32 of the best Tier 1 Midget AAA teams in the US. The event was held in San Jose at the Sharks practice facility, a four sheet complex with a restaurant upstairs that became a hangout for the NCAA/CHL/USHL/NAHL scouts putting in long hours in the rinks. The tournament was hosted by the San Jose Sharks youth program and they did a nice job keeping scouts fed, handing out programs, and printing shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc.