| Christian Schwartz | Buffalo Jr. Sabres U18 | T1EHL 18U | L | G | 6’3″ | 174 | Williamsville, NY | 2005 |
Tournament Grade: B+
Standing at 6’3 and playing with an upright posture Schwartz was an imposing figure who did not give opposing shooters a lot of net to look at. The EAK was our first viewing of him, but we liked the way he recognized the width and depth of odd man rushes and how quickly he sorted out who was a potential one-timer versus who had to use a catch and release before shooting. Versus Mid-Fairfield he showed explosive quickness when going post to post, especially on the multiple clear 2 on 1’s he faced and we liked his ability to control rebounds. He gave up one goal versus MF that came off point shot that looked like it hit his net front defender’s thumb and then bounced to a forward on the backdoor. Schwartz may have given up five goals versus the Regals but truthfully we feel without his efforts the score could have been fifteen nothing as he faced 51high quality shots in 45 minutes of game play with another 21 attempted shots missing the net. Over the course of the weekend he did get beat cleanly on a few shots to his blocker, but two of those were left to right royal road one-timers with a screen. As the weekend progressed and he became more fatigued Schwartz sat farther back in his net and he was not as aggressive when challenging shooters in the North Suburban Wings game, but his performances against Mid-Fairfield and the Regals are reasons for NHL organizations to pay attention to him over the next few months.
| Erik Kald | Long Island Gulls U16 | AYHL 16U | R | D | 6’3″ | 198 | Merrimack | 2025 | Oyster Bay, NY | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B+
Kald is an athletic powerfully built right shot defender who had little issues clearing the shooting lanes in front of his net or pinning opposing forwards to the end boards to end the cycle. Offensively he showed nice poise by keeping his eyes up to locate forecheckers while settling bouncing pucks along the wall and his passes were on time in the Gull’s high flying transition game. We like how he used indirect passes to trap forecheckers below the puck and then he showed improved footspeed as he joined the rush as a secondary option. Kald has the size and frame to line opponents up in the neutral zone and really punish them but at this point he is still playing a more patient game that might not get the fans out of their seats but will certainly help him gain a coaching staff’s trust. In the offensive zone he showed the game awareness to understand when to scissor down the wall, activate through the dot-lane or when to fall off along the blueline for better pass receiving lanes / options. He shot the puck with his eyes up and when he did not have a clear shooting lane to the net he used the end boards for an indirect pass to his opponent’s net front. At this point in the season we have him rated as a “C” 2024 draft prospect.
| Liam O’Keeffe | Dexter School | NE Prep | L | D | 6’0″ | 179 | Holy Cross | 2025 | Boston, MA | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B
O’Keeffe is a thickly built left shot defender with a powerful shoulder over toes shoulder width athletic skating base. He showed excellent edge control and outside edge thrust when coming out of a power turn that allowed him to create separation from his opponent. During offensive transition he worked to be an outlet for his partner and we like how he did not follow his pass up the wall after making an out let. Instead he either positioned himself for a return pass or hustled to get off the wall and into the dot-lane. He walked the offensive blueline with confidence and showed a consistently hard snapshot that was 8′ to 12′ off the ice. Defensively he his his poke check and used a quick active stick to break-up odd man rushes. O’Keeffe showed a real willingness to block shots and took a a knee to eat pucks while playing shorthanded. At a shade under 6′ we feel his size will limit his high end professional potential, but he plays a very sound two-way game that professional coaches love to have on their bench.
| Jack Harney | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | D | 6’8″ | 197 | Needham, MA | 2005 |
Tournament Grade: B
Harney is an ultra long right shot defender, who with his added strength, has the ability to control play in his defensive end and dominate defensively. Standing at 6’8 he is impossible to miss and we immediately noted improved body control, foot speed and overall agility. We’ve seen Harney play since his U14 days and it was very obvious to us that he trained very hard this off-season and is aware of how he can play most impactful hockey. Offensively he showed a soft first touch and consistently gave hard flat passes that were easy for his teammates to handle. During defensive neutral zone transition we liked his puck anticipation as he read the play early and was often times arriving to his opponent as he received the pass. Harney is a long term professional prospect but we feel he has turned himself into a legitimate prospect who should be watched very closely and organizations should be thinking about he will look like at 24 or 25 years old.
| Dylan Hunt | Milton Academy | NE Prep | L | D | 6’1″ | 179 | Yale | 2026 | Marlborough, MA | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B
Hunt is a highly competitive left shot defenseman who might not impact the score sheet offensively but he will certainly do whatever it takes to impact the score sheet on the defensive side of the puck as he fearlessly blocks shots and wins 50/50 pucks like he playing versus much younger players. He showed an understanding of leverage by getting opposing forwards on one leg so he could easily push them in any direction he wanted and then win the puck. While killing penalties he maintained shooting lanes and when an opponent attempted a one-timer Hunt would get as big as possible in the shooting lane so he could eat the puck. Offensively he moved pucks quickly without stickhandling the puck before moving it and we liked how worked to be an outlet for his partner whether he worked a hinge in the neutral zone or called for a short near side post D to D pass to create a clear weakside breakout. There a few times when his stretch passes were wobbly or bouncing when they arrived at his target but during quick neutral zone transition he one-touched flat passes to the tape. In the long run he is not a player who will run your power play, but he has a nice combination of mindset, size and athleticism to play against the other team’s top line and be a valuable member of the penalty kill unit. At this point we have Hunt has a “C” rated prospect.
| Ben Merrill | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | C | 6’4″ | 190 | Harvard | 2025 | Hingham, MA | 2005 |
Tournament Grade: B
Merrill is a long 6’4 slight right shot center with high end puck poise and and vision. Below the goal line and while driving the net he showed improved strength during as he was able to hold opponents off by lowering his shoulder and driving his feet into the ice / direction that he was looking to go. He is still showing an upright skating posture with a bit of an “A frame” skating base but we saw a longer stride and an improved glide. Overall he has a skill set that will make NHL organizations watch him closely, but we feel to really keep an NHL team’s attention he will need to continuing adding sandpaper and urgency to his game.
| Matty MacDonald | Thayer Academy | NE Prep | R | D | 6’2″ | 151 | Walpole, MA | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B
MacDonald is a long right shot defenseman who improved with each viewing during last year’s prep season and this weekend was no different. He looked more confident when setting his gap and added ‘surfing’ through the neutral zone during defensive transition. He used his long wingspan & an active stick to force mishandled passes and he then showed improved strength as he skated through his opponent. In the defensive zone he used his improved strength to end the cycle by pinning his man to the wall and then hold them to the wall. During high cycles MacDonald maintained net side positioning and used an inside edge leg drive to move his man from the shooting lane keeping them away from secondary opportunities. Offensively he is at his best when he keeps things simple and goes with his first option. During neutral zone transition there times when he looked off his first option trying to find the homerun pass forcing passes into a 1 on 2 situation for his forwards. At this point we don’t view him as a potential draft pick but the combination of his size, added strength and continued upward trajectory makes him a player we feel professional organizations should be watching long term.
| Laz Giardina | Lawrence Academy | NE Prep | L | LW | 6’4″ | 191 | Reading, MA | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B
Giardina is an athletic 6’4 left shot left wing who at this point is still quite raw, but his upward trajectory is impossible to deny. Offensively he showed a hard snap shot and the ability to put touch on his passes to his swinging center as well as finding his activating weakside defenseman. Defensively there were times when he drifted in defensive zone coverage but he showed the quickness to close on his man to take time and space away. Giardina is best suited to be a physical presence who lives at the top of the crease while making life hell for the opposing defenders. At this point we have him rated as a “C+” 2024 draft prospect because of consistent and continued improvement and truthfully as recently as a few months ago NHL teams had never even heard his name before and now teams are coming to watch him.
| Cael Primanti | Philadelphia Jr Flyers U18 | T1EHL 18U | R | RW | 5’10” | 166 | Chester Springs, PA | 2006 |
Tournament Grade: B-
Primanti is below average sized right shot right wing who played the game on his inside edges. He showed a quick explosive burst that allowed him to be a very effective F1 in both the offensive and neutral zones. He also used his quickness and puck anticipation to be an impactful penalty killer where we saw him get his stick on multiple passing attempts to the bumper as well as passing attempts through the royal road to the weakside. He showed a high compete and was always prepared on face-offs to pick his man or force the opposing defenseman to make a play before he was ready. In the neutral zone we liked how he did not force plays up the strongside wall. Instead choosing to use his defensemen so the Jr. Flyers were able to maintain puck possession. He may have earned a secondary assist versus the Rockets, but the real play was made after he gained the offensive zone when he moved his feet to the top of the crease to take away the goalie’s sight line. At this point we feel Primanti is a long shot to be drafted but his intensity, high compete and willingness to play with winning habits make him an interesting prospect to track.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Average player size by league;
U14 – 5’5” , 127lbs
U15 – 5’7” , 136lbs
U16 – 5’8” , 149lbs
U18 – 5’11” , 168lbs
NCDC – 6’0” , 183lbs (Tier 3)
BCHL – 5’11” , 179lbs (Tier 2)
AJHL – 5’11” , 176lbs (Tier 2)
NAHL – 5’11” , 173lbs (Tier 2)
USHL – 5’11” , 174lbs (Tier 1)
NCAA D3 – 5’10” , 170lbs
NCAA D1 – 6’0” , 190lbs
WHL – 6’0” , 188lbs
OHL – 6’0” , 185lbs
QMJHL – 5’11” , 179lbs
ECHL – 5’11” , 183lbs
AHL – 6’0” , 194lbs
NHL – 6’1.5” , 206lbs
NHL All-Star – 6’1” , 201lbs
Player Size Data compiled by ChatGPT