U20 Team USA White vs Team USA Blue played a high paced game featuring a lot of skill and not much physical play. We primarily focused on first year draft eligible players Cole Eiserman and Zeev Buium.
| Zeev Buium | Denver University | NCAA | L | D | 5’11” | 177 | Denver | 2024 | Laguna Niguel, CA | 2005 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Rating: B
Comments: Buium is a below average sized left shot defender with with high end puck poise and real confidence in his feet. He retrieved pucks with pace while looking over both shoulders locating all three forecheckers and once he gained the net he did an excellent job of getting the opposing forecheckers trapped below the goal line and behind the play. His passes were flat hard and on time. He did not need to make multiple stick handles to settle poor passes or bouncing pucks before moving it on to the open man. While in defensive transition he worked hard to set his gap and we did not notice him standing flat footed waiting for the opposing rush to get to him. He showed good stick placement and forced the rush into the direction he wanted them to go. On the power play he lugged the puck up the ice and was fairly unpredictable at when he was going to use the slingshot or use his feet to attack the offensive blueline with speed and in full control. Buium scored during a first period power play where he quick sticked a snap shot from high in the slot. It was not a rocket, but it was well placed to the five hole. Defensively he used his skating to take away time and space anywhere on the ice from the offensive blueline back. In the defensive zone he moved quickly on bobbled pucks and we liked how he attacked players who were on their backhands. At this point he is still quite light and in a game with very little contact he was able to box out and end the cycle quickly, but he never really had to engage in a physical battle or attempt to clear a shooting lane. This style of showcase event really highlighted his ability to move the puck, make opponents miss in open ice and join the rush as second wave or even lead it when he did not have other passing options.
| Cole Eiserman | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | LW | 5’11” | 190 | Minnesota | 2024 | Newburyport, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Rating: B+
Comments: Eiserman is a slightly below average sized left shot left wing with a shoulder width skating base, quick powerful strides that end with a thrusting toe snap and return leg that lands on it’s flat edge. We have been watching him for what seems like a decade and today we feel that he showed more explosiveness and quicker lateral mobility / movement than we have seen in the past. There were a few times that he caught indirect breakout passes and exploded off the wall into the dot-lane to create more options for himself and his linemates. When he did not have the puck during offensive transition he used his improved speed to push the pace and drive the opposing defenders back so his linemates had more time and space. As usual he displayed a goal scorer’s mentality and was constantly around the net looking for rebounds, taking the goaltender’s eyes away or tying the opposing defender up so his linemates could role into the royal road for an opportunity. He provided the flash screen on Buium’s power play goal. As the puck carrier we liked the fearlessness and anger he showed as he drove the net to the far post. There was not a whole lot of physicality in today’s game, but we liked how he initiated contact on his way to the crease and how he was giving subtle crosschecks to his opponent’s kidneys so they knew he was in the slot to score goals. Midway through the third he scored an even strength goal on a fantastic individual effort. The play originated out of solid defensive zone coverage where he maintained his line-ups to not let his opposing defenseman have clear shooting lanes. After a blue squad turnover high in his zone he received a pass at the defensive blueline, turned on the jets through the neutral zone and then broke down his skating to manipulate the defender’s gap into his favor. Once he had the defender leaning / reaching he quickly pulled the puck forehand to backhand and cut threw the royal road before firing a 6′ backhand through the goalie’s five-hole. It was a beauty. He did nothing tonight to make us change our mind that he is the purest goal scorer in the 2024 draft.
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
Data compiled by ChatGPT