Over the course of the next week (or so) we will be continually adding and updating this list. It will almost be a running blog of quick hits on New England Prep kids who will be getting some love from NHL Teams. We will tell you our quick thoughts on why they’ll have The NHL Eyes on them and if you want more information please let us know. #2020NHLDraft #2021NHLDraft #2022NHLDraft #2023NHLDraft
NZ NHL Draft Grade: A = Top 10, A- = Mid to Late 1st Round, B+ = Top to Mid 2nd Round, B = Late 2nd to 3rd Round, B- = 4th-5th Round, C+ = 6th-7th Round, C = Late Round Consideration
Doug Grimes (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
We recently (12/1/19) saw Doug play against St. Andrews College. In all honesty we came away shocked that he was an uncommitted 2002 and wouldn’t you know it, a few days later he committed to Boston University. So that got us thinking, how do NHL teams view Dougie Grimes and he his potential?
Doug is a player who gets better every time we see him. Not only his physical skills, but his positioning and processing the game as well. There were times in the past where Doug would sometimes get lost in defensive zone coverage or appear to chase the puck in neutral zone transition. In our most recent viewing he was positionally sound in his end providing consistent slot coverage as the weak side wing. He also showed improvements in his game awareness and processing. Awareness Example – He is the weak-side wing covering the slot… when his weak-side defenseman would need to engage the strong side battle, Doug showed the awareness to slide lower to provide the net front coverage needed and in transition he was clever enough to “fall below the goal line” to be an outlet for an easy D to weak-side wing break out to the soft side corner. A year ago we are not sure if Doug would have made these reads or had the patience to be that sound defensively, but against St. Andrew’s he was very good away from the puck. So what will an NHL Organization think about his physical tools? Well, he’s a 6 year project and they’re going to say he’s a big kid who is going to Boston University. That is a huge long term plus if he gets drafted. BU will consistently have high end, high NHL draft picks coming on to their campus while Doug is there. Meaning, Doug will have to battle his ass off every day in practice and in the weight room competing against high end players who are National League prospects. Huge Plus. His feet will improve by osmosis, but we feel he is showing the signs of a kid who wants to be a player and will therefore put in the work needed to get stronger and quicker. Doug has the building blocks to be a physical force in the professional game. An NHL team knows that they can draft him and stash him (for years) before they will think about signing him to a contract. The drafting team knows they can bring him in for Development Camps each summer and keep reliable stats on his off-ice progress without investing a dime into him. And if he shows the consistent commitment into being a pro, they’ve got a 6’3 215lbs diamond in the ruff…. and that’s not a bad thing to have hanging around. In summary, Doug’s physical stature combined with his trending game will mean that there will be plenty of NHL eyes on him as the season progresses.
Nolan Cunningham (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
So how does a player like Nolan Cunningham end up on our New England Prep NHL Draft Watch List? Well, a little birdie thinks that he is a kid on the upswing. No, it wasn’t an agent. No, it wasn’t a college coach. It was a Neutral Zone scout who has spent some time in rinks who has an eye for late bloomers. Anyway, back to Nolan. He is the son of the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager, Scott Cunningham. And do you know who played for the Brooks Bandits before winning the Hobey Baker Award and heading out to Colorado to start their NHL Career? Bing, Bang, Boom …. Cale Makar. Now obviously Nolan Cunningham is not Cale Makar, but Nolan has grown up watching Makar and has paid attention to what he has done to prepare himself for professional hockey. So what do we know about Nolan’s game? He is a right shot defenseman who has a great stride and good foot work. He retrieves the puck quickly on dump ins, moves his feet well in transition and has the puck skills & touch to make hard accurate tape to tape passes through traffic. He has a quick release from the point and shoots with his head up looking for potential tips. This is a big year for Nolan, who is probably not on any NHL team’s radars and probably not on most college team’s lists either, but he is going to be counted on to play in every situation imaginable for Kent’s Hill. And this is why our interest is peaked. Nolan is the son of a coach. He has spent time hanging around the rink(s). Has he absorbed the “hockey talk” that coaches naturally have while watching games? Has he watched Calgary Flames games with his Father and had casual conversations about gap control, reading breakouts, killing penalties or power play concepts that he can implement this year on the ice. What it really comes down to is Nolan’s brain. We feel he has the physical skill set to play at a high level. And this prep season we will be watching to see how he processes the game and how quickly he can make decisions. Again, Nolan is a long term project who has grown up around hockey. We are excited to watch him develop and to see if he can establish himself as a high end defenseman in New England Prep hockey this year.
Philip Tresca (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
There are some players that you remember the first time that you saw play. Philip Tresca is one of those kids. He was a Pee-Wee for the Boston Jr. Eagles playing a Saturday morning game at a prep school called Belmont Hill. I was there to watch a few Belmont Hill defenseman who were playing in the next game. I walked in the rink to see Philip carrying the puck on a line rush. As he approached the offensive blue line he recognized that he was getting pinched off by a back-checker and the defenseman. Rather than try to do a toe drag or pull a tricky dribble through the defenders legs, he made an escape to his right sucking both players to the wall with him and threw back hand sauce to a streaking line mate who went in on a breakaway. I can’t tell you if he got a helper, but I can tell you that it was a ridiculous play for a Pee-Wee to make. I’ve obviously been tracking Philip since then, but lets find out what makes him a ‘C+’ NHL Prospect as he enters the New England prep season?
(1) Brain – We feel Philip has an incredibly high hockey IQ. He reads offensive gaps very well and has the ability to put the opposition in vulnerable positions. He sucks big defenders to him and makes them play with the puck in their feet. He attacks smaller defenders and uses his body to protect the puck while making skill touch passes into the open ice. He reads the entire ice both with and without the puck and instinctively knows where everyone on the ice is. He has high level anticipation and is always a threat to pick off passes that will create quick transition. In the defensive zone he provides consistent low support and has the strength to contain larger players while pinning them to the wall. Philip can feel pressure and will use a soft touch center to weak-side D to create an easy breakout rather than foolishly slam pucks up the walls. He understands when to use slash support or when to delay to the wide side during transition. Although he has high end skills, Philip is the type of Center that professional coaches will love to have on their bench because he does not sacrifice his defensive responsibilities, ever. He is a dependable two-way forward who has always played big boy hockey.
(2) Vision & Poise – He has high end skill and plays the game with his head up. Offensively – he can create both individually and has the poise to generate odd man rushes. He excels on give and go situations and can find the seems to the weak-side. Defensively – He is as responsible a center as you will find in this draft class. He is patient in containment and will not chase the puck or puck carrier.
(3) Feet – While Philip might not have the most explosive first step, his body control and edge work are exceptional. He can stop and change direction very quickly and can lose defenders in incredibly tight quarters. His out side edge is powerful and he can generate top speed with one powerful cross under. We feel his explosiveness will not be in question after he is done maturing.
(4) Compete & Effort – We feel Philip has an unearned reputation for being easy to play against. We honestly think anyone who feels this way is not paying attention. When he started playing New England Prep hockey Philip was the smallest player on the ice every game. He survived on his brain and did very well. Now he wins battles in the corners and in front of the net. He is willing to take a hit (or hits) to make a play. He competes his ass off and wants to win. He also as developed an “exploding shoulder” that he has begun to use on unsuspecting attackers.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is not a bruiser and he will never be considered a power forward, but he protects the puck very well and has the skating skills to contain much larger players while defending.
(6) Release – He has an NHL caliber shot right now. He gets it away smoothly, uses screens well and can fire the puck while in any type of body position. His accuracy will never be questioned.
(7) One Timer Ability – Is a threat to score off of any type of pass. He can fire poor passes and put the puck where he wants it.
(8) Body Language – Appears very even keeled and does not get flustered.
(9) Special Teams Potential – He will play on a first unit power play and can be positioned in any spot. His vision allows for the mid-wall or goal line, his skating and shot will allow him to play the point, his strength and quick hands make him a net front presence and his one timer can put him on the weak side. We also feel his brains, anticipation and attention to detail will make him a high end penalty killer.
We have 9 Amateur Evaluation Reports on Philip. So before we get to our 10th NHL Evaluation Point, Intangibles, lets take a look at some of the past comments;
March 2017 – Tresca is one of the best kept secrets in prep hockey. An ’02 playing a regular shift in the Elite 8 championship at 5’5” and 125 lbs is impressive. He’s a cerebral playmaker, see’s the ice very well for his age, reads the play and moves to the soft spots on the defense. He has nimble hands, quick feet and poise under duress. He had an assist on River’s second goal and made several plays in the offensive zone. His size limits him at this point, but given his age, his hockey sense and skill set, his future looks very bright
August 2017 – Diminutive forward that plays a solid all-around game. Not overly flashy but consistently made solid plays. Anticipates well and thinks the game plays ahead. Positionally sound and once he gets stronger/bigger could become even more interesting. Very good head for the game.
December 2017 – Phillip is very effective on the PK and takes smart angles to cut down passing lanes. He played a detailed game that helped him succeed in all three zones. Will be interesting to watch as he continues to mature physically as he has improved a lot since last year and still has some growing to do. Lots of upside.
December 2018 – Showed a lot of pace to his game as he was able to play in transition. Has tremendous offensive instincts.
(10) Intangibles – Philip’s older brother went into his senior year of high school at 6’0 170 pounds and is now playing for Tufts University at 6’2 190 pounds. As Philip enters his senior season he is 5’11 175 pounds and does not look like he is done growing. Now we’re not saying that Philip will grow 2″ and put on 20 pounds, but we do feel that whatever organization drafts him is going to be looking at a dramatically different player when he turns pro after his time at Yale University. He also plays for a former US Olympian and retired NHL captain Shawn McEachern at Rivers School. Coach McEachern is teaching Philip how to approach the game like an NHLer and how to be a 200′ player which is only going to help his transition to college and professional hockey.
Ian Moore (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
Who loves 6’3 athletic right shot defensemen with a brain? NHL General Managers. NHL Coaches. And NHL fans. Who hates them? Anyone playing against them. So lets get to know a little more about him and see just how high we think he can go in the draft.
(1) Brain – Ian has a hockey brain and his IQ is one of the first things a scout notices when he takes the ice. He breaks down fore-checks well by not only looking for the first fore-checker, but by taking in the full sheet to see where the F2 and F3 are in their progression. This allws him to break down the fore-check off of where they are on the ice. But what makes him special in this regard? He not only surveys the ice when he has the puck, he also works hard to be the eyes for his partner, is vocal when calling out his break out options (WHEEL, REVERSE, D to D, Etc) and works to be an open outlet for him as well.
(2) Vision & Poise – Ian makes quick decisions with the puck. He does not over handle it or try to get pretty.
(3) Feet – He has quick feet for a big kid, but they are still developing and will get quicker. He has good knee bend and loose hips while pivoting to retrieve pucks or while gaping up in transition. We feel that as he trains and becomes more focused on being a hockey player that his natural athleticism will allow him to be a big man who can dominate games with his physical skills.
(4) Compete & Effort – A hard working player who battles for his ice.
(5) Contact & Physicality – He is not a threat to put anyone through the boards, but instead contains through his feet, anticipation and body positioning.
(6) Release – He carries the puck with his head up and can make plays while his feet are moving. Ian walks the offensive blue line well in either direction, hits the net with his shot or has the ability to find his forward’s sticks for tips.
(7) One Timer Ability – He can shoot one timers off of poor passes and passes from multiple angles. He does not have a rocket just yet, but we feel he will develop a bullet once he focuses on his training.
(8) Body Language – Only note extremes
(9) Special Teams Potential – He will kill penalties in professional hockey. Ian has an excellent stick and anticipation. He willing maintains shooting lanes, battles for net front ice and clears shooting lanes without getting tied up. We do not feel he will be a first unit power play guy, but we do feel that he will be a second unit option. If his shot develops the way we feel it will, then he could be a second unit weak-side shooter in an umbrella power play setup.
(10) Intangibles – Ian’s improvement over the past few years has been quite dramatic. Physically he has all of the tools for a long professional career. But his mental game / awareness has grown by leaps and bounds as well. We feel this has a lot to do with his coach at St. Mark’s, Carl Corazzini. Coach Corazzini was a captain at Boston University, an NCAA All-American and played in the NHL. There is no doubt that he has been an invaluable resource for Ian both on the ice and off.
All told we have 11 past published evaluations on Ian. Here are some past comments on him over a 2 year period heading into this season. As you will see, he has gone from “nice mobility” to “excellent speed” in a relatively short period of time. We feel he has National League potential;
MAY 2017 – Ian showed some nice mobility from his defensive zone. Some D have trouble keeping their head up while in motion, or they tend to stare at the puck. Moore is readily aware of his surroundings and is able to move with the puck as he reads the situation. He kept things simple here, and that was enough to merit our attention: didn’t overexert himself, just made quality decisions. Grade: B
AUGUST 2017 – We didn’t notice Ian too much early on here. However, as the week went on, he showed more and more. The 2002 is tall, thin and athletic. He wasn’t here to just survive. He wanted to make plays. Used his stick and feet to win pucks in his end and transitioned it quickly to his forwards. The 2002 was unafraid and involved. He has as much upside as anyone in the Futures Division.
MAY 2018 – As an athletic defender with length and fluidity, he can transition the puck smoothly up the ice or make a clean first pass out of the zone. He looked to be in control at every turn, regardless of if he had the puck or not: he closed up gaps defensively and snapped off great passes to create scoring chances. Considering the maturity level of his game at this age he is a player to watch closely.
MAY 2019 – Big body, excellent speed, and a good skater. Jumped into plays effectively and made good tape to tape passes to get puck out of his own end and get on offensive attack. Long reach and big frame allowed him to shut down opponents throughout the weekend. Always looked to jump in play. College: Princeton (Now Harvard) Grade: A-
Owen Fowler (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Why is Owen Fowler going to have NHL eyes on him during the prep season? He is an absolute bulldog. He competes every second of every shift and will not give an inch to any opponent. But then after you really start watching him, you realize that he can make plays off the rush. He reads defenders gaps very well and is smart enough to not force low percentage plays. Owen has the agility / edge control to make a hard cut to the middle and the power to drive the defender wide and beat him to the far post. He enjoys going to the scoring areas and will battle for net front positioning, simply he jams the net for high grade scoring chances. We feel his skill level is higher than he gets credit for because he is such a pain in the ass to play against. Owen can make touch passes around the net to his teammates and fully understands that his quick release will generate rebound opportunities. Our first report on Owen comes from September 2017 and his love of physical play was evident then “is a brick house for this age group and he isn’t afraid to use that to his advantage. He has a strong lower body and really bolts himself to the ice when he possesses the puck: tough to take it away from him. He really likes to throw his weight around as well: he knows that it will either knock the puck loose or at least force the puck carrier to adjust his route. Gathers speed well given his bulk, not the fastest player on the ice, but he moves at a good clip because his feet remain active. Intriguing player who could be a nice developmental look at Central Catholic.” Our next look back comes from May 2018 and Owen had added some confidence and skill to his game “was impressive throughout the season largely playing up in MIAA action and he didn’t disappoint this weekend. He was shifty and quick yet balanced on his skates and remained planted to the ice using a strong base to win puck battles. He continually moves his feet to make plays happen: he uses his edges effectively and is always around the puck. He uses his body to create leverage by lowering his shoulder and driving wide to skate around the defense. He isn’t afraid to take on anyone despite giving away a few inches in height. He attacks the net with his feet and gets off accurate shots in stride, which are difficult to defend at this level. He was very impressive throughout the Festival. National Camp Selection. And then this past May 2019 “Strong, plays low and powerful. Tough to knock off the puck and caused turnovers with quickness on forecheck and heavy stick pressure. Made some silky passes in traffic through defender’s feet and sticks right onto teammates sticks. Had a quick release on shot and found the back of the net consistently all weekend. College: UMass-Lowell Grade: A-. All told we have 12 Amateur reports on Owen. He has always played with snarl and has been difficult to play against, but we feel his upward trajectory and overall skill development will make him a very interesting player for NHL teams to watch this winter.
Jacob Quillan (4.25 Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Forward
Some of you might be reading this and thinking “Quillan? Really? Draft-able?” Well, quite simply, “Yes”. He may be undersized in the NHL I played in, but in today’s game he might turn out to be a rock star. We’ve been watching Jake for almost 2 years and in every viewing he continues to improve and becomes a more complete hockey player, so much so that on more than one occasion our in game notes say simply “He’s a hockey player.” He is smart with the puck and without it. When he has possession, Jacob plays with his head up and he has excellent on ice awareness. He understands that he is (and can be) successful playing in tight against big defenseman and using their size advantage against them. The only way I can explain this is Jaromir Jagr playing against Hal Gill or Zdeno Chara. You might not remember this, but Jagr told the great hockey writer Stan “The Maven” Fischler – “I would say that Gill is the first defenseman I just cannot beat,” said Jagr, when asked to name his toughest opponent. So you know what we did in Pittsburgh? We countered by having lightening fast Marty Straka line up on left wing while Jagr played right, as soon as the puck was dropped Marty and Jags would switch sides to avoid the match-up. It sounds simple, and it certainly was, but Marty was a smaller guy who loved to initiate contact with larger defenseman, then play with the puck in their feet and use their size against them while he was spinning and attacking the net. Now we’re certainly not saying Jaocb Quillan is going to have Straka’s NHL career (954 games played, 717 points), but we do think that Jacob has the potential to play at a very high level. We said he’s smart… and he is. He also has very quick feet and elite anticipation which only makes him seem faster. He plays with an attitude, consistently wins 50-50 battles and when he attacks the net off of the cycle Jacob has high level poise which allows him to be a dangerous play maker or scoring threat. We feel Jacob will be a power play option in professional hockey and after playing for Coach Rand Pecknold and his staff at Quinnipiac he might be a potential penalty killer as well. Here are a few past Neutral Zone comments on Jacob’s game and it is obvious that he is trending in the right direction; From January 2018 “Quillan wasn’t over-the-top dominant and didn’t play his best here, but he has upside. He has good speed, but we expected to see more from him” . One year later in January 2019 – “Quillan comes to Salisbury out of Midget AAA in Nova Scotia where he gained attention from several junior teams and was drafted in both the QMJHL and USHL draft. He’s a highly skilled player with an effortless stride, smooth hands, great touch on his passes and keen offensive instincts. He played more of a set-up role here in this event but was able to maintain possession through chaos, hold onto the puck for that extra second and dish to his teammates in scoring areas. He had several nice cross-crease feeds or centering passes from behind the net and maybe even more impressive was his ability at the offensive blue line on the power play. He has the vision and the poise to pick apart the penalty kill with precision passes and even threw some low shots to the pad to generate rebounds. He doesn’t rest on his talent, he hustles, he battles in the corners and is the first guy back in transitions. On a deep offensive lineup, Quillan leads the Knights in points and assists. And lastly, this past May – “He had one shift that really spoke to his overall game here; he was stopped on the puck on a zone entry, hustled on the backcheck, caught his man deliver a big hit just inside the blue line then got the puck and carried it through the neutral zone and made a cross slot assist for a one-timer goal. He was all over the ice making plays in all 3-zones and proved to be a complete player who can fill any hole on a team’s roster. Along with his ability; we loved his compete level and edge to his game“. That sounds like a “Hockey Player” to us and his size, quickness and compete combined with his IQ may make him an ideal late round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Lucas Mercuri (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
Mercuri is a big strong forward with a brain. He finds the quiet areas off of the cycle very naturally. On line rushes he reads the defensmen’s gaps very well and will not force plays, but instead takes what is given and makes the opposition pay. His cannon of a shot is accurate and he can fire it through screens while his feet are moving. At this point he is almost too strong physically for NE Prep competition and appears ready for Junior Hockey. Here is a snip-it of a November 2019 report “Mercuri is a towering prep forward who also would have fit in nicely playing in the USHL games going on a few miles north. He started off his prep hockey career with a massive first campaign which he will likely build on this season with an even more dominant performance and that pretty much tells the story of what he did during this showcase: dominate. He was too big and too strong for the opposition to handle at this level: they simply were whacking away at his legs trying to get to the puck but simply couldn’t do it. He was incredibly strong both in front of the net and along the walls. Unsurprisingly he was able to put a ton of force behind his shot using all of his mass which made him even more dangerous. He also was smart at the net front not just parking himself there but knowing when to attack and when to pull back looking for more options. He will be an absolute menace to defend at the prep level this season as one of the elder skatesmen. Grade: A-, College: Vermont” .. Mercuri has the ability to score and we feel he may average a goal per game this winter for Salisbury.
Alex Jefferies (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-) Forward
Jefferies is a smart stocky forward who is probably ready for the USHL right now. He plays 50-50 correctly and always stays on the defensive side. He’s very good at providing support to his defensemen when he is the low forward or when he is the easiest outlet in quick transition. He has poise on the line rush and consistently makes the proper decision when approaching the lines. Jefferies has a low sturdy base that allows him to be very smooth laterally and his first step is explosive. He plays as if he expects to win every puck battle and often times the scouts in the crowd expect the same. He is a bull who not only plays through contact, but will initiate it in the corners or in front of the net. He rolls off contact very well and his acceleration allows him to attack the net or vulnerable defenseman in an instant. His release is deceptive and accurate. We feel he carries himself like a leader and he plays the game like a veteran right now. He has the chance to be a top 9 forward in the National League who plays in all special teams situations. From a 2019 evaluation “shows a maturity to his game that was difficult to find at most other age levels in this showcase. Truthfully, his skill set and poise with and without the puck would have made him a good candidate to play in the USHL games that were occurring at a different venue, but we digress. As you can see from his listing he has both good size and good strength and he uses that most effectively on the puck. Once he gains possession, it is very difficult to take it away from him and we didn’t see him lose one all game. He keeps his head up at all times and is really good at recognizing ways to gain zone entry quickly and take himself wide of the net, while firing a puck back across the zone for easy tap-in passes at the other end of the net mouth. He is a great surveyor of the zone and he simply uses his anticipation to slice and dice the zone. We routinely saw him carry the puck in and just hold it for extended stretches, waiting for the right pass or shot option to come available as he slipped around the D. He will be a force of nature this season for Gunnery after the season he put up last year. Grade: A College: Merrimack .. Even though he is approximately 4 full seasons from turning professional, we can see him sneaking into the top of the 3rd round because he may be NHL ready when he does turn Pro.