| Jeremy Wilmer | Tri-City Storm | USHL | L | F | 5’7″ | 141 | Boston University | 2022 | Rockville Center, NY | 2003 | 2021-2022: C+ |
USHL: Des Moines Buccaneers vs Tri-City Storm, January 23, 2022: Jeremy is a small, but crafty forward with elite skills. His primary attributes are his speed, shiftiness, quick hands, passing ability, and vision. He has the ability to make plays at high speed and in transition which was on full display in this game. He seemed to have an extra step in this game and was buzzing around constantly creating turnovers and offensive chances. He tallied 1 goal and 2 assists in this game but he could have had several points. He scored the storm’s 2nd goal by winning the face-off at the offensive zone left dot and then going to the net to tap home a backdoor pass on a nice feed from the right point man. He set-up the Storm’s 3rd goal in the 1st when he got the puck at the center of the ice just inside the offensive zone blueline, waited for the defense to draw towards him and capture the attention of the netminder before sliding the puck over to his teammate waiting at the left circle for the one-timer. His patience in drawing the attention of the defense and netminder as well as the accurate one-timer pass is what made this goal an easy conversion for the shooter. He showed his elite speed, shiftiness, vision, and passing ability on a 2nd period power play rush, and attracted everyone’s attention before dishing over a pass for a one-timer for his teammate. Grade: A
USHL: Tri-City v Sioux-City; Chicago v Green Bay; Fargo v Sioux Falls, January 12, 2022: He Plays PP, 5 on 5 and PK. Logs a lot of minutes and does a lot of the little things right. Not a physical player, nor necessarily a defensive-minded one. His PK play is effective because his speed and first step are elite! His first step allows him to grab pucks in the defensive and neutral zone and take off. Playmaker and a shooter which makes him hard to defend against. Has a high hockey IQ as he can think the game well and understand where his teammates are and where they are going to be. Forechecks hard, creating turnovers. Once gaining possession of the puck, can make quick plays towards the net. B+
USHL: 57 Players Evaluated, December 10, 2021: Wilmer is a small forward who plays with speed, skill, and energy. He plays a lot of minutes 5-5, powerplay, and penalty kill. Wilmer is small but his quickness, speed, and shiftiness make him difficult to line up. He is always a threat offensively due to his speed, agility, and puck skills. Wilmer is very confident in his speed and offensive skills which is evident in his creativity in the offensive zone. He gets in on the forecheck quickly thus creating turnovers. Wilmer isn’t afraid of any physical play and doesn’t shy away but he does need to get stronger. Grade: B+
Neutral Zone’s Michael Crawford, May 2021: Wilmer is a smaller player who has good skill with the puck on his stick and can create in tight spaces. The Boston University commit has smooth hands and effectively navigates through traffic on a regular basis. Wilmer does struggle when opponents play through his body though. He is a smaller player who isn’t that physically strong and can get outmuscled and outworked if the opponent doesn’t bite on his fakes. Wilmer’s skating also lacks explosion which prevents him from breaking away from opponents if he does beat them initially. He has the ability to make plays and distribute after he makes the initial move, but he often holds onto the puck a half second too long, which can lead to dangerous turnovers. Wilmer is most effective low in the offensive zone where he experiences success off of turnovers and quick transition chances. His skill helps him take advantage of quick strike situations where the defense is out of position. Overall, Wilmer is a skilled playmaker who excels with time and space, but lacks the strength and speed to take advantage of many of the opportunities he initially creates.
BioSteel All-American Game, April 2021: The first thing you notice about Wilmer is his lateral quickness and agility. His stutter stepping and herkie jerky shoulder shake were an absolute nightmare for Team White’s defenders. He liked to play with the puck directly in front of him and it seemed to keep his opponents on their heels as he was able to bounce from side to side with little wasted movements. His puck pursuit angles were excellent and his active stick knocked a few sauce passes to generate turnovers. Wilmer backchecked with his head on a swivel and again we noted that his stick was consistently in passing lanes. One on One Wilmer is very creative with the puck, but he has the awareness to create odd man situations as often as possible so he can dart into open ice.
NAHL: USNTDP U18 vs Johnstown Tomahawks, January 2021: Very strong performance from Wilmer in this game. He was tenacious on the forecheck in multiple instances, playing with high energy. In a 4-on-4 situation in the second period, he quickly rushed around net to pressure the defenseman and force a turnover up the half-wall. He then immediately hammered on the breaks, went to the front of the net, and had a beautiful deflection in tight, high on the short side for the goal. Later, he picked up an assist on the Savage goal by threading a back door pass through the defense and right on the tape, and also added an assist later in the game. Smart, skilled, and always a threat on the ice. Very good performance from Wilmer. Grade: A-
U16 USA Hockey Nationals, May 2019: Wilmer is a highly skilled, slippery forward with elite vision and puck poise. He can play with pace and push defenders back with his speed and quickness but always has his head up surveying the ice and looking for a passing lane. He had some highlight reel assists here and was able to make split second decisions in traffic and under pressure. He scored two beautiful goals; one on a rush coming down the side where he snuck a snap shot over the goalies shoulder just under the bar with a rapid quick release and another on a tricky release just inside the faceoff dot. With that being said we would have liked to see him shoot more as he was being pass-first and passed away several quality scoring chances. His stickhandling is excellet and he has quick, shifty feet to evade pressure and get to open ice. He can dangle, he can side-step, he can pass around you and get open and he has great instincts and creativity which allow him to think on his feet and play the game at a high pace. He was a tournament leader in points with a 2-9-11 line in 5 games. One of the most dynamic playmakers in the entire tournament and will be headed to the NTDP U17 team next season. College: Boston University
NTDP Evaluation Camp Report, March 2019: Wilmer, like Saganiuk, is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the birth year. He’s very quick and deceptive and plays a highly skilled puck possession game. He’s creative, he can read the ice at full speed which is a rare gift and has natural offensive instincts so he can make quick decisions under pressure. He can change directions very quickly which make him difficult to defend against and his puck control and stickhandling ability made several defenders look foolish who tried to poke check him. Wilmers best attribute was potentially his biggest problem in this camp which was his passing ability; while he creates a lot for his teammates, he passed up countless Grade A scoring chances. He needs to develop as a shooter because his stick skill and quickness open up space for him to get pucks on net and can’t always rely on the pass. With that being said his vision, particularly while driving on defenders at full speed is impressive and he can not only see the seams but has the skill to put the puck anywhere he wants in the offensive zone. He is particularly dangerous in tight areas with his burst and quick, elusive hands where he can separate in a step or two and make a play. He scored a nice goal in tight off a nice feed but most of his plays were created on the perimeter making passes into the slot. A perfect complement to power forward goal scorer. College: Boston University
U16: HPHL/Beast Showcase, October 2018: In the game we watched against the highly skilled Mission team , he scored three goals. He is poised, slick, fast and can score from anywhere. He is smaller, but has gotten stronger and has an improved shot. He has elite vision and identifies all passing options quickly. He has great edges which let him change direction quickly and spin away from pressure. He will be a sure-fire NTDP invite and looks to be at the beginning of his development curve. Grade: A College: BU
U16: ECC U16 Labor Day Showcase, September, 2018: Wilmer is one of the more entertaining players you will watch at the 2003 age level. He’s playing up by a year here in U16 but the difference is negligible because his hands are so sublime. He’s able to maneuver around just about anyone and has both elite quickness and elite vision where he sees plays one step before they occur. He is able to lean on his edges and use those sharp cuts to change direction fluidly in all three zones. He should continue to get looks from the NTDP. Grade: A College: BU
Liberty Bell Games, June 2018: Jeremy played fast and always has a plan. Creative player with elite hockey sense. On the rush, he processed option quickly and has the tools to back his brain. Dangerous in space, he thinks outside the box. On one play, he had the puck on the right wing as a left shot. He had enough space to lean and throw a backhand shot on the goal. The goalie was tight to the post and Wimer knew he could not get it in the net. Instead of throwing a puck on goal, he spun to his forehand and quickly passes to the trail guy who has a clear lane and central position. Elite vision and creativity. Also weaved from traffic, went to the net, made no look passes and played hard. Jeremy is small and there were some quiet times in his games. He must become tougher to play against overall but that should come with time. High upside and really instinctive player. College: BU
U14: Labor Day Bantams at Mennen (NJ), September 2017: Jeremy is an exciting kid to watch. He has great wheels, great hands and loves the spin o rama. However, he needs other skill guys to play with and with this team he is clearly the best player by far and is the only reliable guy up front on the attack. Because of that he holds the puck too long. He is willing to pass but just has little help. He needs work on D zone play but on the attack, there is pure talent to work with.
U14: Mini Chowder Cup, August 2017: He is a master of deception and he thinks through the game so quickly. His hands and the speed with which he can stickhandle are likely the best in the 03 Division plus he is great at deceiving defenders with head and shoulder fakes. His poise allows him to create scoring chances whenever the puck is on his stick. More recently, he has improved his ability to shield the puck from the opposition which is impressive given that he is still 5’4” or so. Shows next level vision to find his teammates open in situations where you wouldn’t expect him to have a lane to get the puck through. An entertaining and productive player to watch. MVP of the tournament.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images