General Game Notes: Matchup between the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 18U Prep team and a Minnesota Elite League All-Star team on Saturday, 11/4/23, with this game part of the International Invitational Showcase that is held at New Hope Ice Arena. Shattuck-St. Mary’s led all the way through in this game, leading 3-1 after the first, 5-3 after two, and eventually winning by a score of 7-4.
| Mason Minor | Benilde St. Margaret’s | Minnesota HS | L | D | 6’0″ | 188 | Wayzata, MN | 2007 | 2024-2025: C+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Hard-nosed defenseman Mason Minor plays a strong two-way game, playing a shutdown role that is tough to beat defensively while also showing the ability to rush the puck and chip-in on the offensive end. He has a solid frame and utilizes physicality well, showing a good win-rate in corner battles while also stepping up in the neutral zone at the right moments and laying a hit. He keeps a tight gap and uses his stick well to force turnovers, transitioning the play up ice nicely on puck rushes and surveying the ice well. Minor shows great passing vision and overall passing ability, with accuracy and speed behind his passes that rarely miss their intended target. In the defensive zone behind the goal line, Minor at times forced the puck up the boards into traffic when the opportunity was there to control the puck, survey his options, then break the puck out. On the offensive end he has great presence on the blue line, anticipating well and holding the puck in along the boards, with also a hard shot that he fired off when the opportunity was there.
| Javon Moore | Minnetonka HS | Minnesota HS | L | LW | 6’3″ | 190 | Minnesota | 2024 | Minnetonka, MN | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Comments: 6’3′ forward Javon Moore possesses great playmaking abilities for a big man, showing great game awareness and vision to find open teammates, then firing hard passes. He utilizes his size well on the defensive zone half-wall, positioning himself to collect passes and break the puck out, either skating it out on his own or passing it to a linemate. On one play, Moore raced for a loose puck in the neutral zone and with his head on a swivel, noticed an open passing lane to a breaking teammate on the far side and in one motion, fired a backhand pass across ice to spring his teammate for a scoring opportunity. He is an excellent skater with great edges plus a long and powerful stride, with the opposition struggling to stop him once he gets up to speed. To round out his skating ability, Moore can work to improve his first step and acceleration. He possesses a hard wrist shot with a quick release, however, he can work on his shot precision as he had opportunities to bury the puck in this game but came away goalless. His size and long reach make him an effective penalty killer, with Moore getting his stick in lanes and using his body to effectively prevent scoring opportunities.
| Ryan Lund | Warroad HS | Minnesota HS | L | D | 6’4″ | 190 | Warroad, MN | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Left-shot defenseman Ryan Lund plays a steady and largely mistake-free defensive game, locking down the crease area with his strength and chipping pucks off the glass when pressured. He has a powerful stride and plays a physical game, pinning the opposition to the boards and overall being hard to play against. Lund makes clean, crisp passes, also possessing a hard shot with a nice release, scoring off a slap shot in this game from the point that beat the goalie cleanly. He can improve his acceleration and side-to-side mobility but is still a strong skater, showing the ability to skate the puck out for a clean breakout and then lead the rush if the opportunity presents itself. Lund showed real strength controlling the offensive blue line, showing great patience and surveying the ice nicely when possessing the puck, or utilizing his long reach to hold the puck in the zone.
| John Hirschfeld | St. Cloud Cathedral | Minnesota HS | L | C | 5’8″ | 159 | St. Cloud, MN | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Small but mighty forward John Hirschfeld centered the Elite League’s second line and was strong on the draw all game. He plays a positionally sound game and was constantly supporting in corner battles, helping in both the offensive and defensive zone. Hirschfeld plays with high effort and compete, with his feet always moving and possessing a low center of gravity that allows him to withstand physicality. He carried the puck well on offensive zone entries and remained patient with the puck, allowing his linemates to drive the net and then making a quick cut to the middle of the ice for a scoring opportunity. Hirschfeld showed nice body positioning in net front battles, blocking out the defender while keeping his stick firmly on the ice for a pass or shot target. His compete-level shined when backchecking or on the penalty kill, making a couple great reads to disrupt the power play and force zone exits.
| Landon Cottingham | Hill Murray HS | Minnesota HS | R | D | 5’11” | 177 | Woodbury, MN | 2007 | 2024-2025: C+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Cottingham is a 2007-born right-shot defenseman whose skating ability is immediately noticeable, showing great acceleration and agility with nice edgework. He has an extremely smooth backwards skating stride that allows him to keep a tight gap, then once possession of the puck is obtained, he will accelerate and quickly join the rush. There were times when Cottingham was the first forechecker into the offensive zone and out of position, but due to his speed, he has the ability to get back and cover. He makes nice reads on the blue line, showing no hesitation to pinch and lay the body or use his stick to break-up the play and hold the zone. Cottingham sometimes backed out of the offensive zone too early, getting caught in no man’s land when the opposition exited the zone – one specific example of this saw the puck flipped out towards him and due to his positioning, he hesitated not knowing whether to step up and catch the puck or continue to back up, which allowed a Shattuck forward to pounce and win possession, then score on a breakaway. With his strong skating he excelled on puck retrievals in the defensive zone, keeping his head on a swivel and then firing crisp passes to start the breakout.
| Austin Moline | Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep | Prep | R | D | 6’4″ | 193 | Las Vagas, NV | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Right-shot defenseman Austin Moline stands at 6’4′ and due to his size and reach, is tough to beat, playing the body well and giving the opposition very little space to maneuver. For a big man, Moline shows good puck control and little panic with the puck on his stick, excelling on defensive zone breakouts by not forcing anything and making crisp/hard passes. He is not the fastest skater and can work to improve his sideways mobility, but he surveys the ice well and keeps his head on a swivel, retrieving pucks in the defensive zone and chipping them off the glass to relieve pressure if necessary. Moline patrols the blue line nicely, utilizing his size and reach to hold the zone along the boards, or stop a rush with a stick check before the play can develop. He won’t be someone that logs a ton of points but will consistently play a steady, shutdown game on the back end, with good decision-making in all three zones.
| Mikey Berchild | Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep | Prep | L | C | 5’9″ | 162 | Excelsior, MN | 2008 |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Center Mikey Berchild was the most dynamic player on the ice in this game while also being the youngest at only 15. Always hounding the puck, Berchild is undersized but does not shy away from physicality, and when he wins possession, his creativity with the puck shines. He is agile with nice jump and acceleration, with these attributes on display on one play where Berchild attacked a 50/50 puck that was flipped out of the defensive zone into the neutral zone, and due to the pressure he applied, the opposing defender misplayed the puck, and he walked in for a breakaway, easily beating the goalie with quick hands. On his second goal of the game, Berchild beat the goalie cleanly from the slot with a quickly released snapshot, also showing the ability to change the shot angle on other scoring attempts. He has great awareness and excels with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, showing shiftiness and creativity around the net, with an ability to survey and create a scoring opportunity through a nice pass when being pressured. When the puck is not on his stick, Berchild is always moving, finding open ice and anticipating/supporting the play.
| Shaun Rios | Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep | Prep | L | C | 5’11” | 193 | San Jose, CA | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Forward Shaun Rios is noticeable on the ice due to his strong puck pursuit and overall consistent involvement in the play from shift to shift. He seemed to always be the first player to the puck on the forecheck and made key passes on breakouts, showing strong half-wall play with great positioning and passing. Rios showed good speed and puck control on rushes up the ice, transitioning the play nicely and making smart zone entries. His passing vision and stickhandling abilities are top attributes, with his stickwork standing out on a nice tip in front with a defender all over him, and another play saw Rios engaged in an offensive zone corner battle and after winning possession, he shielded the puck and laid off a nice pass that led to a goal. Rios also displayed a strong scoring ability in this game, tallying two goals. On the first goal, he made a nice move to catch an off-target pass between his legs on a zone entry, then used his speed to drive the net and beat the goalie on a wraparound goal. On the second goal, Rios showed great net-front positioning, battling to stay on top of the crease and when a pass came his way, he caught the puck, then made one quick move to beat the goalie and score on an open net.
Nolan Caffey | Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep | Prep | R | F | 5’8″ | 172 | Belmont, CA | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Undersized center Nolan Caffey plays a game predicated on pace, energy and compete, battling for his team on every shift. He is positionally sound in all three zones, showing great reading of the play and then supporting the puck carrier or forechecking hard to obtain possession of the puck. Caffey continuously helped his defenseman in puck battles behind the goal line, playing with grittiness and showing good physicality. His acceleration is top notch and his feet are always moving, pushing the pace and showing good transition speed when carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Caffey showed good puck control with quick hands and due to his smaller stature, is shifty and tough for the opposition to contain. He is not a high-end playmaker with elite offensive skills, but someone who will always put in high effort and compete for the team every night.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images