On Sunday December 5th Neutral Zone NHL attended the Stanstead at Dexter game. Each team has players on Central Scouting’s preliminary draft list and Neutral Zone came away with a few evaluations that might peak your interest. As always each of these schools have a number of other draft eligible players on their rosters. They were either out of the line up or did not show enough to warrant write-up. We will review these players in future viewings and report on progress.
| Liam Steele | Stanstead College | MPHL | R | D | 6’4″ | 215 | Cornell | 2022 | Cobham, GBR | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
The 6’4″ 215 pound righty may still be growing into himself, but there is a lot to like. When skating backwards his hips are very low with deep knee bend and a full powerful “C” cut. We liked that he did not need to cross-over when pivoting. In this game he played with tight gap and an active stick which forced Dexter’s forwards to make decisions early in the line rush. We liked how he drove opposing forwards out from the net front and he did so without taking penalties. He showed nice communication with his defensive partner and / or goaltender while retrieving dump-ins. Although Steele got himself in trouble a few times below the defensive goal line trying to do too much, we feel that as his game matures he will be willing to learn to hard wrap himself out of trouble. It was only one viewing, but we feel Steele is a defensive prospect worth watching, especially if you’re an NHL team who can wait for his development while at Cornell.
| Chaka Muntu | Stanstead College | MPHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 150 | Uncomm. | Laval, QC | 2003 | Not yet rated |
The December 2003 showed flashes of offensive creativity. We loved the way he would drive Dexter’s defensemen wide, stutter step while looking over his outside shoulder and then use outside leg’s inside edge to do an open faced escape. He was moving at top speed when he did it and the move allowed him to locate activating defensemen or linemates who were driving the net. His passes were hard and well timed. Muntu showed the ability to change pace without changing his stride. He will need to continue adding strength to for a chance at a professional career, but we liked his never ending compete and willingness to outwork his opposing centers on face-offs.
| Aksel Jalojarvi | Stanstead College | MPHL | L | D | 6’6″ | 220 | Uncomm. | Lahti, FIN | 2003 | Long Term Player Watch |
The massive left shot defenseman was surprisingly smooth. Not like his teammates Chaka Muntu or Jeremy Leroux, but he pivoted well and showed the puck skills to get the net after retrieving a dump-in to start a breakout. Somehow the 6’6″ 220 pound defender disguised his poke check and forced multiple turnovers early in the neutral zone. During offensive transition Jalojarvi worked to be an outlet for his partner and his passes were hard and flat. The big Finn has a long way to go before being considered a National League prospect, but we feel like he did the basics consistently well and through hard work off the ice he is a player to watch over the long haul.
| Nathan Garnier | Stanstead College | MPHL | L | LW | 6’2″ | 170 | Uncomm. | Laval, QC | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
We liked Garnier’s game and feel like he played like a professional right now. He was consistently on the right side of the puck and he did not waste his time foolishly digging for pucks along the wall only to get himself trapped. On the power play he showed a nice clean first touch as either the goal line or mid-wall and would attack the net without needing to stickhandle before making a play. We liked his awareness on line rushes where he would drive the net as high tip or delay in the high slot to open his hips for a one-timer. Opposing players seemed to bounce off of him and he had the quick hands to make opponents second guess their attacking angles. He scored on a beautiful one-timer late in the game. Garnier has a deep knee bend skating posture and an explosive first step that left opponents in the dust when they were racing for a 50/50 puck. The June 2003 is uncommitted right now, but with his combination of speed, power and ability to one-time pucks we feel that will be changing soon. Look for him to be getting time with a junior team in the new year and we feel he will take advantage of the opportunity.
| Jeremy Leroux | Stanstead College | MPHL | R | F | 5’9″ | 165 | Uncomm. | Mirabel, QC | 2006 |
Leroux is a 2006 who leads Stanstead in scoring. We were prioritizing watching the 2022 NHL Draft eligible players, but it was very difficult to not enjoy his high skill level and game awareness. His passes were hard, well timed and when needed he showed the ability to riffle passes through very tight windows. He is a player everyone will be hearing and learning more about very quickly.
| Grayson Badger | Dexter School | NE Prep | R | RW | 6’0″ | 172 | Northeastern | 2023 | Hyde Park, MA | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Badger’s continuous motion caused Stanstead confusion and problems all game. His routes on the forecheck were unpredictable and seemed to catch his opponents sleeping on almost every shift. His unpredictability led to Badger have multiple takeaways in the neutral zone and below the offensive goal line which often led to scoring opportunities. Badger is not a banger, but he has a presence on the ice that leads to turnovers and mismanaged pucks by opposing defensemen. We loved his willingness to be a net front on the power play and take Stanstead’s goaltender’s eyes away. He was quick to loose pucks and winning one 50/50 puck battle led to a beautiful backdoor pass on Connor Sutherland‘s back door goal.
| Mick Frechette | Dexter School | NE Prep | L | D | 6’2″ | 202 | Uncomm. | Weston, MA | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Another game where doing the simple things correctly leads to Frechette getting positive notes written on his game. Simply, he won defensive corner battles or net front scrums that led to clean zone exits or killed Stanstead scoring opportunities. He showed nice laterally agility while maintaining tight gaps through the neutral zone and his ability to step-up at the redline had Stanstead’s forwards more worried about him than making a play. Frechette’s willingness to block shots is something all coaches love to have on their bench. He looks like he is still adjusting to the attention to detail that Dexter’s coaching staff demands in transition, but we like his ability to snap off hard flat passes without needing to stickhandle. Frechette was used more as a strong side passer on Dexter’s first power play unit, but we noticed him changing his shooting angles to make sure his snap shots got through to the net where Badger was waiting for rebounds. Frechette is a player we feel will look dramatically different and more confident on January 1st.
Logo courtesy of Stanstead College