General Game Notes: Five unanswered goals was the story tonight for the Lumberjacks. After going three goals to zero in the first seven minutes of the game, the Lumberjacks figured out how they wanted to play together and made quite the comeback to seal the victory.
Charlie Major (C, R, 5’11”, 178, Chicago Steel, 09/14/2004, Cornell)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: In the offensive zone Major does a good job at playing the role of a facilitator. Fully aware of his skill set, he often opts to slow the game down to a pace at which he’s comfortable, holding the puck and letting lanes develop before looking to dish into the slot or back door. He did a good job at consistently finding ways to get the puck under sticks and through bodies.
NHL Grade: Potential college free agent signing. Major has increased his point totals in the USHL from 14 points in 46 games during his rookie 22/23 season to playing at a point per game pace with a projected 27 goals during 23/24. By NHL standards he is undersized so organizations will pay close attention to him winning just 40% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Jordan Brisson (F, L, 6’1″, 185, Chicago Steel, 12/01/2003, Colorado College)
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Brisson brings more to his game than just in the offensive zone. He showed tonight that he is a player who plays with pace and consistently drives between the dots, quite often by going through defenders. A read-and-react player with advanced scanning habits. Brings tons of defensive energy, too. Closes quickly and will battle to get the puck out of the zone if under pressure.
NHL Grade: Brisson is a late bloomer who after a few years of dedicated off-ice training at Colorado College could be a player NHL teams are willing to take a chance on. This season he is winning 46% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Mick Thompson (LW, L, 5’8″, 171, Chicago Steel, 03/01/2004, Harvard)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Thompson drives off the rush and give-and-goes. He dekes through opponents, burns them down the outside with speed, and then skates through their hands to his way to the net. Couple times tonight he took the middle and passes wide before turning on the afterburners, beating defenders to the net for the return feed. Even if the puck never arrives, he pushes back defenders to create lanes elsewhere.
NHL Grade: At this point Thompson is viewed as a potential college free agent. The reason for this is simply because by NHL standards he is undersized. Overall his game processing and sense are at an elite level and his off puck awareness and movement are as high end as his puck skills. This season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Benjamin Yurchuk (C, L, 5’8″, 165, Chicago Steel, 02/01/2005, Northeastern)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Yurchuk understands the details of the playmaking game and he applies them consistently. He is a relentless inside driver, who never hesitates to go through defenders to go to the net. He orchestrates breakouts from the walls, passing plays in the neutral zones, and he consistently manipulates defenders upon entering the offensive zone, cutting back as they got on him, to reach trailing teammates skating inside space.
NHL Grade: Potential college free agent. Yurchuk is an offensively talented forward but at 5’8″, 165lbs he is undersized by NHL standards so the question will be is he elite enough offensively to overcome this. Organizations would be smart to check back in on him after a few years of college strength training to see if he’s gained muscle mass as well as explosiveness. This season he is winning 46% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Michael Hage (C, R, 6’1″, 190, Chicago Steel, 04/14/2006, Michigan)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: With the puck, Hage starts give-and-goes, uses the middle, and even delays to out wait pressure. He shows playmaking skills, regularly slipping pucks under defenders’ sticks to teammates on the other side. He’s confident on the backhand and has the handling skill to deke around defenders. With his size and ability to move, he creates space that is not there and attacks the slot with an intention of getting the puck on net.
NHL Grade: At this point Neutral Zone has Hage graded as an “A-” for the 2024 NHL Draft. We feel he is smart and offensively can control the pace of play but our area of concern is his explosiveness and how that will translate to being a 200′ center in the National League? This year he is Chicago’s leading scorer and is on pace for 31 goals and 69 points in 58 games. He is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Sacha Boisvert (C, L, 6’2″, 179, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/17/2006, North Dakota)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Tonight Boisvert showed that offense came from his off-puck reads and shooting skill. He doesn’t just identify the best pocket of space, he times his movements towards the play. He hits the brakes after sprinting to become an option at the top of the slot or sneaks behind a defenders back to become a backdoor threat. He does a good job at getting lost in space and becoming available at the right time.
NHL Grade: At this point Neutral Zone has Boisvert graded as an “A-” for the 2024 NHL draft. There is no denying he is big strong and plays with the edge that NHL teams are craving. Offensively he is playing on a 39 goal 66 point pace to go along with 66 projected PIMs. He’s also an ’06 wearing a letter which says something to us. Over the next few years will be looking for improvement in his skating efficiency and lowering his heel kick. This season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Ethan Whitcomb (RW, L, 6’4″, 209, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 05/13/2004, Connecticut)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Whitcomb showed that his passing ability is certainly a strength. He can make breakout passes along the wall and thread the puck to a teammate a zone away and also attacks the ice to be a part of the play after the pass. His skating stance is conductive to balance and he has the size to take contact and make space and plays out of it. At the net front he did a good job at staying loose, not getting picked up or boxed out, to find pucks sitting on the door step available to bang home.
NHL Grade: Although Whitcomb has gone undrafted Neutral Zone has had him with a “C+” draft grade in each of the previous two draft and has him as “C+” again for 2024. IN our mind he’s a 6’4″ forward who plays with an edge and has improved every offensively while his PIMs have gone up too. This year he’s on pace for 70 points and 109 PIMs in 60 games. This season he is winning 42% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Cody Croal (LW, L, 5’11”, 173, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 06/17/2003, North Dakota)
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Croal shows deception. When the defenders are convinced a shot is. coming, he turns the shot into a pass. Along the boards, he combines body positioning with backhand passing skill to connect with teammates in the slot. Even with a defender leaning on him, his hands and creative solutions carve through pressure and create opportunities. In flashes, he fakes outside, then cuts to the inside quickly.
NHL Grade: Potential college free agent. By NHL standards Croal is undersized but he plays with tenacity and aggression. This year he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Justin Solovey (C, L, 6’2″, 210, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 11/29/2004, Harvard)
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Solovey did a good job at anticipating the game, he controls his speed to attack and stay in pockets of space. He reads rotations and switches of coverage well, popping down low or moving high when needed. He was able to generate a separation gear in open-ice, and create scoring chance in the middle of the ice.
NHL Grade: Potential college free agent. He’s a big body who will have time to train at Harvard. This season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Xavier Veilleux (D, L, 6’0″, 190, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/26/2006, Harvard)
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Veilleux has some really smooth footwork on the ice. The give-and-go from the point features heavily in his game, often used to create a shot for himself or a set-up a teammate across the slot. When he is on the weak side, he consistently identifies seams, then fills them without exposing his team to risk. He has some risk to his own game but looks to eliminate that with positioning.
NHL grade: Neutral Zone has Veilleux graded with a “C+” for the 2024 draft. Although he is undersized by NHL standards so far inn his rookie USHL season he is averaging over 21:00 per game and is solid contributor on both special teams units. He is winning 59% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Cameron Aucoin (D, L, 6’0″, 176, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/20/2007, Notre Dame)
Game Grade: B
Comments: The young defenseman showed spurts of being able to move the puck and his feet. Got beat wide a couple times where he mis calculated speed through the neutral zone but has a good jump into forward skating to at least keep his opponents to the outside. Sees the ice well in the offensive zone and knows what he wants to do with the puck before he gets it.
NHL grade: After tendering last spring Aucoin is a 2007 playing in his rookie USHL season. He is averaging just under 13:00 of five on five play per game, This season he is winning an impressive 58% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Matvei Gridin (F, L, 6’1″, 185, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 03/01/2006, Michigan)
Game Grade: A
Comments: Gridin is a play-builder with the puck, preferring to delay, cutback, or pass rather than partake in a needless footrace down the boards. He always scans and draws pressure before passing, and he has the passing skill and uses a slip, backhand, and even some deception to connect plays on the rush. Along the boards, he steps into opponents before cutting back, creating a lane for his escape then uses that ice to make plays. He is able to extend his possessions longer because of this.
NHL grade: Neutral Zone has Gridin graded with a “B+” for the 2024 draft. This is his second season in the USHL and he is on pace for 75 points with 30 goals in 61 games played. He is long and offensively talented when the puck is on his stick and when he feels he has a chance to score. This season he is winning 46% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Ben Marshall