| Philip Tresca | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | R | F | 5’11” | 175 | Yale | 2022 | Newton, MA | 2002 | 2019-2020: C+ |
USHL: Weekend #4, October 27, 2021: A center, who plays a skilled, but hard game. His compete level really stands out in all areas of the ice. In the defensive zone, he was routinely the first guy back on the backchecks. In his zone, he did a good job being a third d-man in the corners. He didn’t do anything in particular that was elite but he did everything above average which made him really effective. In the offensive zone, he did a great job finishing checks and getting on loose pucks. His vision was by far his strongest and most noticeable asset. He was always moving pucks quickly to the right areas, whether it was low to high from the corners, or finding his wings through the neutral zone. He seemed to always look for a pass before he would shoot. Even in times where he would get the puck in a prime scoring area, he would look to distribute to an even better option, and majority of the times, it worked really well. Other times, he could have just put the puck on net or tried to generate a goal himself. However, his ability to set guys up was on full display in the first game. He got three assists, two of them primary assist, from putting pucks to guys in great scoring areas. More than just getting the pucks to guys, he did a great job of moving pucks to guys while he was always on the move. He rarely was stationary, making him hard to defend and harder for the d to track where his linemates were when they were trying to stop him from gaining the middle of the ice. When he was moving and would make passes to his linemates, they had success in scoring because he always seemed to put it right on the tape, or right in the wheelhouse. Rarely did it seem that his linemate would have to fight to receive the pass. A-.
USHL: Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. Youngstown Phantoms, March 26, 2021: Quiet game for Tresca overall but he made a few plays that caught our eye; one was a nice curl in the offensive zone to create separation on the defender and then zipped a pass to the weakside point. Another play was a wide side line rush where he slowed it down, saw a trailer coming in behind the play and fed him the puck in the slot area. He showed good vision and touch on his passes. College: Yale Grade: C+
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, May 2020: Philip falls into a weird category. Supposed NHL draft gurus have their watch lists full of players who seemed to have figured it out or put it all together for their draft year. The darling. The hype monster. I saw it every training camp when I was playing in the NHL and I’ve seen it every year since I retired. There’s always going to be a flavor of the month that people fall in love with. You see it in every draft. You see it in every sport. The football player who runs a 4.32 second forty yard dash who ends up being a first rounder, but as soon as the player gets to camp it becomes obvious that he can’t understand a thing his coaches are saying and he’s done before he ever really gets started. Pitchers who throw gas, but can’t change speeds. Hitters who hit bombs, but can’t lay off the junk. Simply, the player who physically dominated the competition, but when it comes right down to being a professional, the young stud sometimes just can’t think. He can’t process it. He doesn’t have the game awareness to survive when everyone else is as physically gifted as he is and he ends up turning into a flop when in reality he never really had a chance.
Philip is the opposite. Philip can think and process the game at a very high level. He played prep hockey for former US Olympian, retired NHL captain and Stanley Cup winner Shawn McEachern. Coach McEachern played a dependable style and demanded a dependable style. There is no doubt that he taught Philip how to prepare for the game like an NHLer and how to be an impactful 200′ player. To me that matters. The coaching and reliability matters. It matters a lot. It makes sense to me. In past years Philip was an offensive machine. He was an offensive catalyst. But this year he averaged a point per game. What happened to his skill? Did he just lose it? Well I’ll tell you what I think happened. Coach McEachern didn’t have the team to play run and gun hockey that would have padded Philip’s stats. He knew that for the team to have success he was going to have to be hard on Philip and ask him to play a style that would help the team win, but wouldn’t necessarily get the draft gurus drooling. And you know what Philip did during the most important year of his hockey life? He acted like an adult, put the team first and led his team to the New England School tournament playing reliable two way hockey. He didn’t bitch. He didn’t moan. He played how Coach McEachern wanted and put the team first. To me that makes sense. Philip didn’t lose his skills or creativity. He was asked by his coach to sacrifice his personal glory for the good of the team and he did it. It shows maturity and understanding. It shows leadership. It is exactly how you would expect a professional to respond and Philip did it as a 17 year old. Philip played reliable big boy hockey that can be over looked by people that judge success only by stats. Well, I don’t. I judge from my past experiences as a player and a coach. Who would I want to have on my team and who I’d trust on the ice during important moments. And I’ll tell you right now that Philip is one of those players.
New England Prep Players on NZ’s 2020 NHL Draft Watch List, March 2020: Post New England Prep season comments and thoughts on Philip’s overall game “Philip has foolish skills and poise, and yet he plays a 2 way game that he does not get credit for.” said Neutral Zone’s Director of U.S. Scouting Brian Murphy
February NHL Draft Rankings, February 2020: Philip was ranked #202 in Neutral Zone’s February NHL Draft Watch List.
NHL Prospect Evaluations: St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tourney, January 2020: NZ NHL’s Take: Very smart player. Has an incredibly high skill set. Philip has excellent balance, edge work and skating ability. He can make plays in tight areas and shows body control / strength while protecting the puck. Has a very quick release and high end accuracy. At times he can try to do too much, but has the hockey IQ to know this won’t work at higher levels. Philip is a player we feel will excel in NCAA hockey and beyond.
NHL Prospect Evaluations: St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tourney, January 2020: Neutral Zone Scout #2 Tresca didn’t have his best weekend but definitely showed why he’s an NHL talent as he displayed his elite skating ability and skill set that separates him from the rest. Needs to work on his play away from the puck but he can really create when he has it as he’s slippery, he can jab step and make guys miss. Very powerful in his legs, low center of gravity and he’s very hard to knock off the puck. Smooth when crossing over and he covers and shields pucks from defenders off drops and switches very well. Positions and swivels his body in right ways to protect puck. Took the puck to the middle a lot and ran out of space or was double teamed at times. Can move it quicker at times so he can get it back. Tournament Grade: B
Philip Tresca NHL Scouting Report, December 2019: (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 (5’5″ 125lbs). 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.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, December 2019: 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 and he has continued to make positive impressions.
Mass Festival 2002s, May 2019: Strong on skates, wins battles, and out works opponents. Puck always seemed to find him and he was constantly on it. Took puck to hard areas and hung out around the net. Quick feet and powerful skater who was rarely taken off the puck. College: Yale Grade: A-
St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tournament, December 2018: Showed a lot of pace to his game as he was able to play in transition. He is a time and space player at this point in time and will need to learn how to play in tight areas. Has tremendous offensive instincts but also needs to improve away from the puck. Grade: C. College: Yale
MA Festival 2002, May 2018: He excelled in the regular season as a key cog in Rivers’ ability to roll four lines all season long. He put up nice numbers in prep hockey but here he wasn’t quite as dynamic, partially because his game is so team oriented and this event highlights the individual. We saw him make quick decisions and kept the line moving through its offensive sets. He maintains a good first step and is able to win puck races because of how quickly he shifts gears. During the regular season we saw some flash and flair but he never got going here. One of our higher rated prep players.
St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tournament, December 2017: Phillip is a smaller framed play making forward. He is smart and showed tricky hands and quick reflexes, especially on face-offs. There were times he played a little on the perimeter but he made plays with pace. He thinks the game well and picks his spots to jump into the action. He has a good stride which will only improve as he gets stronger. He handles the puck well and can make touch plays in tight areas. 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.
Mid Term NTDP Bound Rankings. December 2017: Philip had a 4.25 Star Neutral Zone Amateur Star Rating.
Junior Chowder Cup 2001 Division, 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.
MA Final 40 (2002s) Evaluations Scout #1, May 2017: Seemed like every time he was one the ice, he was involved in a goal. He really showed well here and is an example of a younger player who really benefited playing against older guys in prep hockey last year. He is very smart and knows where he wants the puck to go before defenders. His hands are soft and he has the stick skills to back up his brain. He got to good spots without the puck and drove the net. He was one of the top forwards here and can emerge as a top prep player as he gets even stronger. Grade: A-
MA Final 40 (2002s) Evaluations Scout #2, May 2017: Tresca was the most consistent offensive player for Team Blue. He relies heavily on his edgework at 5’6 and his ability to make a quick pivot when the action dictates. Keeps his stride low to the ground in order to maximize his power both in skating and in contact. Willing to get take chances with his passing, which is great if it succeeds but more importantly he takes high percentage shots when faced with a lane to the net. Big first day on Saturday netting two tallies. Grade: B+
NE Prep Championships, 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 in 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.