| Sacha Boisvert | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | C | 6’2″ | 179 | North Dakota | 2025 | Trois-Rivieres, QC | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Boisvert is a playmaker with good size and hands. He has good vision and his able to hit teammates cutting back door to create dangerous chances. Boisvert lurks around the offensive zone, creeping into open space and becoming an option that can quickly fire a shot on net or complete a one touch pass to an open teammate. He was able to pick up one assist tonight where he slid a perfect pass over to an open teammate while on the rush for a one-time finish. He had an open shooting lane in this situation but picked the better option to get the goalie moving and give his team a better chance to score. He prefers to play the game at a slow pace which can sometimes get him in trouble. He has a hard time beating opponents on the rush due to his lack of speed and often attempts to force fancy moves to get through opponents. He has a bad habit of overhandling the puck and needs to pick smarter options rather than highlight dangles which are easily poked. There were also many times in this game where Sacha chose to throw the puck away when pressure was applied to him. We would like to see him increase his motor and effort levels in order to use that extra push to beat opponents. We felt that he gave up on plays far too early and could have made a cut away or made a quick pass to keep play on his team’s stick. His effort away from the puck needs improvement as well. He was caught many times behind the play and showed no urgency to get back into his own zone. Overall Boisvert is a skilled playmaker that would greatly benefit by giving more effort each shift and picking up his pace of a play a notch in order to control play.
| Matvei Gridin | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | F | 6’1″ | 185 | Michigan | 2024 | Kurgan, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Gridin is a smooth and calculated playmaker with great vision and ability to complete difficult pass attempts. He has a huge frame but moves around the ice well. He controls the pace of play when the puck is on his stick, usually choosing to slow down play. He spins away from pressure with hard tight turns and is able to pull off skilled moves in tight areas using his soft hands. He did a great job of creating dangerous chances through his playmaking and ability to work his way into quality ice. His head is always up when the puck and he complete constant scans of the ice to find the best option and move the puck quickly to dangerous spots. He makes diligent scans before retrieving pucks and seems to always have his next move planned out before picking up the puck. His assist tonight came on a creative play where he fired a heavy shot from the neutral zone off of the back boards which was picked up by his teammate who beat icing and finished his chance. This was a very heads up and aware play from Matvei. Gridin was able to slip into space well without the puck and become a great scoring option. He fired multiple shots on goal tonight and was able to pick up 1 goal. He fired a shot from along the goal line, banking it off the goalie’s pads and into the net. He has heavy feet, and it takes a while for him to accelerate but has an impressive top speed. He was able to rush the puck up ice successfully on many occasions and beat defenders 1v1 with smooth fakes. He was able to maintain possession through contact and powered his way to the net. He plays a very patient style of play. He is not afraid to delay or cut back upon entry and usually waits until a quality option appears before moving the puck. There were a few rare moments where he attempted to force passes through opponents, but most were completed even if there was traffic in the way. Gridin’s defensive effort could be better. He gets to the right spots but does not bring much energy in his own end. A good comparison for Gridin is Nikita Kucherov. Gridin controls the pace of play and has a very highly developed offensive IQ. He always has a great map of the ice and is able to create multiple chances every time he hops over the boards. His combination of brains, playmaking, hands, and size are going to make him a very popular player on draft day. He projects as a top 6 forward and will likely be selected in the late first/early second round of the 2024 draft.
| Andrew DellaSalla | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 169 | Harvard | 2025 | Rye, NY | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: DellaSalla is a two-way forward with good speed and currently leads in points for draft eligible players on his team. He skates while standing straight up and has an awkward posture as well as short strides. He showed good effort in both the offensive and defensive zones. He brought good energy tonight and did not give up on plays easily. His passes were a bit off, but he was able to generate a couple of scoring chances off shots from the slot.
Ryan Kroll | Omaha Lancers | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 190 | UMass Lowell | 2025 | Plainfield, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Kroll is a 6’1 190 lb two-way defenseman. He moves reasonably well and is able to maintain good positioning in order to keep opponents from cutting towards the net. He will need to add a lot of strength as he attempted to be physical but was unable to create much of an impact through his body checks. He was given time on the penalty kill. Kroll’s night was cut short after he dropped the gloves with an opponent during a post whistle scrum and was ejected for instigating the fight. 2024 first time eligible defenseman who is unlikely to be selected this year.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence