| Damien Carfagna | Sioux City Musketeers | USHL | L | D | 5’11” | 168 | New Hampshire | 2022 | Wood Ridge, NJ | 2002 | 2021-2022: B- |
USHL: Sioux City Musketeers vs Madison Capitals, May 15, 2022: In the 3-2 loss to the Capitals Carfagna played a game high 26:29 including 4:36 while on the power play and 1:52 while shorthanded. He played a full six minutes more than his closest teammate. Although he primarily played the left side, he looked very comfortable on the right side late in the game. Offensively he showed deception in his passing by not “looking” at his intended target for extended periods of time. Instead Carfagna subtly adjusted his stick blade while he was looking in one direction before passed to a different teammate. His points shots were released quickly and he showed the ability to adjust his shooting position by sliding his lower hand along the shaft of his stick. On Madison’s second goal Carfagna was caught leaning the wrong direction on the zone entry which forced him to turn his back to the puck for an instant. He recovered quickly to his net front before a fluky one went in, but this was the first time we’ve seen him get caught leaning in a long time. He finished the game with 2 blocked shots and 9 giveaways versus 13 takeaways. The 9 giveaways may seem like a lot until you see that they came under the circumstances of him recognizing he had no options and used the walls to put the puck into safe areas that allowed for line changes or to develop a hard forecheck.
Ian Moran’s Thoughts: Yes Carfagna is a slightly undersized defenseman who can skate, but what I really like is his ability to watch everything on the ice other than the puck. His eyes are always scanning the sheet looking for an opponent caught in a long shift, caught going the wrong direction or simply caught out of position. Once he sees the weakness he is looking to exploit it with hard accurate passes that hit his target in stride and on time. Yes he is going to need to get stronger to play pro, but he’s going to be able to do that at UNH. And, I love that he’s going to UNH because he is going to play big minutes right away against some pretty highly touted NHL prospects in Hockey East. This situation is only going to speed his already rapid overall development.
USHL: Omaha Lancers vs Sioux City Musketeers, April 22, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Lancers Carfagna earned 18:52 in TOI including 1:21 while on the power play and 0:53 while shorthanded. As opposed to our last viewing he played primarily on the left side in this one. Defensively we liked the confidence he showed in his feet as he did not retreat off the lines too early. Carfagna would move laterally and then use an explosive inside edge push to match speeds with the oncoming Lancer forwards. In the offensive zone he was very active along the blueline looking to activate backdoor or to utilize a mid-wall scissor whenever possible. He showed a quick release snapshot and an understanding that shooting for rebounds can be the best option for a goal. On puck retrievals Carfagna took extended looks over both shoulders while keeping his feet moving. His passes were hard, flat and on time. He did not put his forwards in bad spots trying to do too much and then put a muffin into their feet. In a strange coincidence Carfagna finished with the same giveaways 2 versus 7 takeaways as our viewing in March versus Des Moines and again his feet were a real asset as his acceleration allowed him to win races to loose pucks to start transition. He also showed very nice hand eye coordination as he knocked a few sauce passes cleanly out of midair.
USHL: Sioux City Musketeers vs Des Moines Buccaneers, March 19, 2022: In the 5-2 win over Des Moines Carfagna played a team high 22:57 including 1:45 while on the power play and 4:01 while shorthanded. He had one secondary power play assist that came while he was running the top of the umbrella. To start the play he gave a solid fake slap shot that sucked the Des Moines penalty killer too high which in turn opened the box and allowed his teammate to expose the royal road passing lane. It will be viewed as a secondary assist on the score sheet, but without Cargfagna selling the fake the royal road passing lane is never exposed. The left shot defender looked very comfortable playing the right side. We liked that he used an open heel to heel pivot while defending with his stick on the ice. As an offensive minded defenseman who thrives in transition we liked that he scanned the ice for options before the puck was on his stick and when there was not a pass he showed a quick first step that consistently trapped Des Moines forecheckers going against the grain. He finished the game with 2 giveaways compared to 7 takeaways and it looked to us like all of his takeaways were a result of showing high level anticipation which allowed him to win races to 50/50 loose pucks.
USHL: Dubuque vs. Green Bay, December 2, 2021: Carfagna is a slightly undersized smooth, skilled, and confident defenseman who contributes offensively. He plays with composure, good defensive positioning, and knows when to activate offensively. He puts up a lot of assists due to his excellent reads and passes which lead to better scoring opportunities for his forwards. Skilled, point-producing forwards should love to be on the ice with him as he makes it more likely they will develop scoring opportunities that shift. He is a very smart player with excellent vision and awareness. He has quick feet which allow him to change direction or transition quickly. He exhibits soft hands which allow him to keep his head up and look to make the right play. He is an excellent passer and puck distributor. He QBs the PP, walks the line well, and does a good job of changing angles from the point position with the puck. He demonstrated a good accurate one-timer pass to #61 for a 3rd-period one-timer PP goal. Grade: A-
8 Underrated NHL Draft Prospects, July 15, 2021: Carfagna is another prospect who was kept off NHL Central Scouting’s final list despite a strong rookie season in the USHL with Green Bay. He lacks ideal size for the position and is still light but he’s agile, quick in all directions and plays a cerebral game. He can read the play and has the anticipation to intercept passes and get himself into position to break up plays. He handles the puck with ease and has great hockey sense and vision which allows him to read forechecks and know where the soft areas are and can make split second puck decisions when pressured. At this point he’s not overly physical but he manages tight gaps and has an active stick defensively to disrupt. He’ll need to grow into his frame and become more difficult to play against, particularly below the dots as he’s actually a very stout defenseman against the rush and plays odd man rushes nearly perfectly. Offensively he’s got skill but he’s calculated, he doesn’t turn pucks over by trying to make fancy/risky plays and had a +13 rating on the season. He showed poise with the puck on the breakout, able to make clever escape moves with slick hands and nimble feet while keeping his head up ice to survey the sheet and find the best option. Areas of improvement for him will be getting stronger and more physical, improving his shot from the point to add power so he can be more of a dual threat on the power play. He’s a smart, mobile defenseman who can make plays at both ends of the ice and given the track record of solid overage prospects in their second year in the USHL, he might be a good value in the later rounds.
USHL: Chicago Steel vs Green Bay Gamblers, March 29, 2021: Carfagna is a first year junior player out of New England prep and looks to be taking his game to another level here. The late ‘02 is light and agile on his feet, he can move quick in every direction and has savvy passing ability. He thinks the game at pace, he can make quick decisions under pressure and has slick hands to make every pass. He was aggressive at the offensive blue line pinching down to keep pucks in and activating from the line to join the offense. He can walk opponents and get shots to the net and has a deceptively powerful release given his size/frame. Carfagna stretched the ice a few times with precise passes through the neutral zone to spring odd man rushes and is a skilled, witty puck mover. He was a breakout machine which isn’t easy given the speed of the Steel roster and he’s patient with the puck not forcing or rushing his progressions. Wouldn’t shock us if he’s on some NHL teams radar this season especially if he gets stronger and improves his defensive zone game. College: New Hampshire Grade: B+
USHL: Dubuque Fighting Saints vs Green Bay Gamblers, March 19, 2021: Carfagna had a highly productive night for Green Bay, registering two goals and an assist from the back end. The UNH commit has a great wrist shot and displayed it on his first goal. On the play he collected a loose puck just outside the offensive zone, walked over the blueline with space and ripped a hard wrist shot that beat the goalie cleanly in the top corner of the net. Carfagna was also solid defensively, remaining sound positionally in his own zone and doing a good job defending the rush. On rush attacks against, he kept his gaps tight and used his stick to get in front of opponents, limit their space, and stall the attack before his blueline. The defenseman capped his game off with a nice empty net goal at the end of the game, sealing the game for his team in a key situation. Overall, he played a solid game for Green Bay and was a big part of their offense. Grade: A-
2020 Senior Battle of Boston, August 13, 2020: Carafagna looked a little rusty at the beginning of the weekend, perhaps getting his feet back after such a long stretch with no hockey, but seemed to improve as the weekend went on. He is a mobile skater with explosive lateral movements and a high quality brain for the game. His shots are not overly powerful, but he gets them through traffic and on the net. On one powerplay, he let one rip for a near goal top shelf before the sprawling goalie barely trapped it in his shoulder. He was younger than many of his teammates but he showed poise and subtle confidence to make plays and create from the backend. He needs to get stronger and improve his defensive zone game but he’s highly aware, he understands time and spacing and gets to the right areas to cut down angles and take away opportunities from opponents. College: New Hampshire Grade: B
USHS: Lawrence Academy NHL Draft Prospects, February 13, 2020: Damien is compact and strong. He has quick feet, is very agile with or without the puck and showed very highly level poise in transition. Although he is averaging over a point per game, we view him as a solid puck moving defenseman who adds value to his team through moving the puck quickly and joining the rush as a late option. Game Grade: B
Groton-Lawrence Holiday Tournament, January 2, 2020: Carfagna comes to Lawrence from Don Bosco in New Jersey and opened some eyes this weekend. He is a tall defender that still has some to fill out. He makes smart plays all over the ice. He escapes pressure in his own end by using quick feet and then snaps passes to his wingers. He is always in the right position and doesn’t waste many movements in either zone. Not afraid to take open ice and has the ability to beat defenders in space. He made several nice plays in transition to hit forwards in stride. Good keeps at the offensive blueline. Athletic and used his feet to create shot opportunities. He will be an interesting player to follow over the season. Grade: B+
ISS Showcase Princeton, December 20, 2018: Another smart defender for Mercer, Carfagna showed good anticipation in the defensive by stepping into shooting and passing lanes. His skating ability allows him to move laterally with ease and he showed his closing speed. He has a very active stick which he does a nice job of touching puck and going into transition. Grade: B
Atlantic District Development Camp, June 27, 2018: Smart skilled mobile guy who had a decent weekend. Has to get stronger to cover better in own end. But there is a lot of skill here he moves the puck well both by the feet and the outlet. Very cool with the puck, sees the ice, makes the right decisions. Late 2002
Liberty Bell Games, June 8, 2018: Damien showed a good first step and was quick to get to loose pucks and to defend. He is still small/thin but defended well with smart positioning and his feet. Feet are mobile and he was able to avoid the forecheck. Carried the puck with success and is poised. Made some nice easy passes but also was able to create and execute cross-ice passes in the neutral zone. He made smart decisions at both blue lines and on the offensive end, he showed he could move laterally to create passing and shooting lanes. Athletic player and the late 2002 has nice upside.
U15: Mercer vs LI Gulls, September 23, 2017: Damien has nice wheels and uses them well at both ends of the ice. He sees the ice and make a nice outlet.
2002: World Select Invite, June 29, 2017: Carfagna is small but strong on his skates, he’s quick to loose pucks and has excellent puck control. He is calm under duress, makes clean outlet passes and always follows the up ice. We were impressed with his ability to walk the offensive blue line and improve his passing or shooting angles. He scored a goal and added an assist over 5 games which led his squad in points.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images