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Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League showcased week #2 of their schedule up in Grand Rapids, MN. The showcase featured 4 of the league’s 8 teams as Great Plains, North, Northeast and Northwest faced off during the weekend. The league features the best High School hockey players from the states of Minnesota, North
NZ had three scouts at the NV River Rats Jamboree which was originally set for Canton, MA but moved to Marlborugh. The tournament organizers did a nice job pulling it all together and there were schedules, rosters and food readily available for scouts. This showcase was a good preview of players before the Labor Day
Growing up in Gloucester, ON, Canada, a suburb of Ottawa, Ryan O’Connell fell in love with the game of hockey at an early age. At age four he laced…
Virtua was all over the CT Wolfpack in this one, holding a 50 to 10 shot advantage. The final score here was 9-2. Some players were all over the ice for Vitrtua, creating offense and getting back fast enough to play defense.
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Maxim Kuznetsov L 5’09 170 Virtua U16 Late 00
Max had a strong game scoring a couple of goals and being an offensive presence. The first thing you notice is his skating, he is quick and has good acceleration, His hands enable him to create and he is a patient player who sees the ice well. He seems to be getting more assertive going into the danger zones as his game is maturing.
Neutral Zone went to the Mass Tier 1 Labor Day Invite in Foxboro, Walpole and Marlborough. Our focus was on the U16 Atlantic/Pacific Red and the U18 Elite East/West. Play overall was good. The Midget Minor division winner was the Buffalo Junior Sabres as they played a solid team game from the net out. The
NJ Avs Premier 7 @ Mercer Elite 0 U16 9/18/16
The score was showed how the game went. All Avs in this one. In all fairness they are a national bound team and Mercer is all 2001. That being said Mercer will be a pretty good team as we go on. No Dowd (injured) or Tabakin (USNDT call up).
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Ryan Willett L 5’09 165 Avs 00
A three-point day and was the best forward shift in, shift out, in the game. He combines hockey sense, hands and tenacity.
The Motor City Cup has historically been a great venue to get an early season glimpse of the top midget teams in the Michigan region as well as a few sleepers from some other programs as well. This year with the creation of the USHL Fall Classic, the U16 Division took a hit as many
Every hockey player’s love for the game is built on a foundation of humble beginnings. In the case of Harrison Roy, that love for the sport started when his feet…
London and Cambridge faced off on September 15, 2016 at Galt Arena Gardens in Cambridge. London took the win in the Minor Midget – Alliance game 6 to 2. Below is the game report.
Brett Budgell #7 (L, London Knights, 2001) B+ Smooth skating center/winger has been a nice addition to London this year. Plays well in both ends of the ice. Scored one and set up two powerplay goals in the game vs Cambridge. Hockey IQ and passing ability were shown on the two powerplay goals as Brett quarterbacked the PP and set up a number of dangerous scoring chances. Brett is a power forward with hands, approx. 6 feet tall and moves very well for a big player. Brett’s goal in the game was a highlight reel goal as he drove wide on the D and beat the goalie with a shot on the glove side.
For NZ Scouts, Labor Day Weekend is exactly that, labor intensive. With well over 100 teams consisting of four age groups, U18, U16, U15 and U14 there was a…
South Shore Kings 6 @ Okanagan Eagles 1; September 14th, 2016 Neutral Zone made the drive to the Foxboro Sports center on Wednesday for the first USPHL Premier game of the 2016-17 season. The NZ USPHL Game of the Week was between the South Shore Kings and the Okanagan Eagles. Both teams call Foxboro home so the
Northern Cyclones 4 @ EC Wizards 2; September 13th, 2016 Neutral Zone started the EHL season on Tuesday as we headed to Bedford, MA to watch the EC Wizards take on the Northern Cyclones. Play was sloppy early as can be expected in both teams’ first games. As the game moved
NHL/NCAA/CHL/Junior coaches and scouts have asked us at Neutral Zone to give them an idea of what we will be covering this month. Most of these tournaments will have…
Don’t tell Drew DeRidder that he’s not big enough to stop the puck. The “undersized” goalie has accomplished more as a sixteen-year-old than most youth players do in their…
At 5’3” and 130 lbs Joey Strada doesn’t look like a hockey player. He certainly doesn’t look like a division one talent…until the puck drops. The fast, cerebral playmaker…
NZ headed to Marlboro, Massachusetts for the Summer Beantown in mid-August with a focus on the futures and pro divisions. The showcase was very well done. Teams had jerseys with matching socks, numbers and names that were visible and respected coaches on the bench. Each team had 16 skaters and the games were all
The Beantown Classic is one of the premiere hockey tournaments in New England and provides scouts and coaches the opportunity to see some of the best players in the region play against one another in a single setting. It also jumbles up rosters and ages which is nice to see. Due to conflicts with
Most fans know Minnesota is a special hockey community, and Brian Halonen’s parents demonstrated the unique dedication to the game that defines the region by building a rink in…
In a world of instant gratification, Mitchell Chaffee’s story is one that serves as a reminder of the value of patience and persistence. Growing up in Michigan, Mitchell learned…
For John Malone, the rising sophomore at Delbarton School, the hockey dream didn’t start as a young boy; in fact, his hockey story began as an eight year old…
As a three-year old growing up in Naples, FL, Zach Solow was first exposed to hockey watching games on TV with his dad. This sparked a desire to play…