| EJ Emery | NTDP U18 | USHL | R | D | 6’3″ | 185 | North Dakota | 2024 | Surrey, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Emery is a sturdy and responsible two-way defenseman with a big frame. He is very mobile for his size and able to move around the ice surface with ease. He has heavy feet and takes some extra space to accelerate but was able to show good speed when rushing the puck up ice. He is very responsible in his own end. He makes constant scans of the zone and reads plays well, cutting off passing lanes with an active stick and breaking up plays behind the net with physical close offs. He is aware of opponents cutting toward the net and takes away sticks before passes can occur. He will need to work on his agility as he had some trouble staying in front of opponents in defensive transition at times but for the most part was able to keep play away from his net with strong positioning. He is very aware of his surroundings and is able to shut down plays before they can fully develop. He was given time on the penalty kill where he was successful in shutting down chances and protecting his net. Emery’s play with the puck is good as well. He makes responsible passes and does not fold under pressure. He uses well timed pivots to propel himself into space and avoid forecheckers. He does a great job of jumping into space with the puck and makes quick passing decisions to move up ice. He was also able to successfully rush the puck up ice and enter the offensive zone with control on multiple occasions. One of his best rush attempts came in the third period where he took the puck deep into the offensive zone and fired a pass toward the crease creating a chance in tight. Emery is a very strong and responsible two-way player with the potential to become a consistent middle pairing NHL defender.
| Teddy Stiga | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | C | 5’10” | 177 | Boston College | 2024 | Sudbury, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Stiga is a high motor forward that brings a lot of energy on the forecheck. He battles hard along the boards and does a fantastic job of digging pucks off the wall and taking them towards the net with confidence. Stiga picked up 2 assists in tonight’s game, but neither were created directly from his passes. Stiga played the game at a fast pace and was able to rush the puck with speed and confidence. He does have a bad habit of overhandling the puck in 1 on 1 situations where he attempts to get too fancy and winds up losing the puck. Stiga’s work without the puck is very impressive. He applied harassing pressure and forced many turnovers which with some improvements to his play with the puck will allow him to be a high motor middle 6 player on an NHL roster someday.
| James Hagens | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | C | 5’10” | 168 | Boston College | 2024 | Hauppauge, NY | 2006 | 2024-2025: A |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Hagens is a 2025 draft eligible forward who finished this game with 1 goal and 1 assist. He has elite hands which he uses to fake out defenders and slip into space. His combination of smooth skating, quick pivots, and quick stick handles make it very difficult to come close to stealing possession from him. Hagens is a high IQ offensive forward that makes timely cuts into space and always has his head up. He has great vision and was able to set up many chances through his passing. He takes advantage of opening lanes and slides pucks onto teammates sticks in dangerous areas. His assist came early in the game where he fired a quick pass to the crease, directly onto his teammates stick for an easy finish. His goal came late in the third when he crashed the net hard on an odd man rush. His teammate sauced him a pass, leaving Hagens with a 1v0 with the goalie where he made a quick deke and slid the puck 5-hole. Hagens has already proven to be one of the best players in the USHL as a draft minus one player. He has a very strong chance of becoming a top 3 pick in next year’s draft.
| Kamil Bednarik | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 186 | Boston University | 2024 | Elmhurst, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Bednarik is a skilled and speedy forward. He forechecked hard tonight and was able to force multiple turnovers with harassing pressure. He executed quick passes in the offensive zone and was able to collect 2 assists in tonight’s game. His first was a quick pass to the slot to a cutting teammate which he put directly in his wheelhouse for a one-time finish. He is a confident and skilled player. He was able to pull off a skilled drag release around a defender and was hard to steal the puck from when he got moving. At times he over handled the puck and would benefit from a simpler style of play at times. Bednarik was given time on the penalty kill and provided a well-rounded performance in a winning effort for his team.
| Cole Hutson | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | D | 5’10” | 158 | Boston University | 2024 | North Barrington, IL | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Hutson is a smooth skating, agile, offensive leaning defenseman with skilled hands and good vision. The core of his game comes from his skating ability. He has a very fluid stride and is able to change directions in the blink of an eye with hairpin turns and hard stops/quick starts. He walks the line well with agile fakes and is able to explode into space with ease. Hutson uses his hands and footwork to change the angle of his stick/body in order to take advantage of opening lanes and hit teammates with timely passes. He transitions the puck well and is able to rush the full length of the ice while weaving through opponents. He entered the zone with possession many times today and was able to set up his team’s offense with quick passes to trailing teammates. He quarterbacks the first powerplay unit and did a good job of moving the puck quickly to create opportunities. Cole scored the second US goal of the night when he cut into the slot and fired a one-time shot past the goaltender. He is offensively focused and will need to work on his attention to the defensive side of his game, but his offensive abilities allow for most of his ice time to occur in the opponent’s end. Hutson projects as a late 1st or early second round pick in the 2024 draft.
| Max Plante | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | C | 5’10” | 170 | Minnesota Duluth | 2025 | Hermantown, MN | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Plante is a highly skilled and high IQ playmaker who picked up 3 assists and an empty net goal in tonight’s game. He consistently places passes in the perfect spots for his teammates to skate into. He avoids opponents sticks well and cuts into space with his head up, always searching for available options to create offense. His first assist came on a great effort play where he battled hard in the corner and won possession which eventually resulted in a goal for his team. His second assist was a perfectly placed saucer pass over a defender which created a breakaway for his teammate. His final assist was a quick tap pass over to his teammate in the crease which ended up creating the game winning goal. Plante is always aware of his surroundings and does a great job setting up his teammates. He has the ability to fire no-look passes that do not sell the target and is a very skilled playmaker. He has been responsible for creating a majority of Eiserman’s goals this season and has shown high end playmaking ability all year. He will likely be selected in the late first round and can potentially become a steal with the ability of impacting a lineup with high IQ and playmaking ability.
| Cole Eiserman | NTDP U18 | USHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 196 | Boston University | 2024 | Newburyport, MA | 2006 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Eiserman is a sniper with a heavy shot and big frame. He does a good job of finding open space in the offensive zone to become a one-time option. Eiserman finished tonight’s game with 2 goals. His first came on a pass to the crease that he buried blocker side high. His second was on an odd man rush where he crashed the net and buried a loose puck in the crease. He fired man shot attempts in this game. One flaw to Eiserman’s offensive game seems to be his inability to control play with the puck. He fumbled the puck often tonight when trying to beat opponents or carry the puck into space. He seems to work best as a background player that will bury any feed given to him. His defensive energy in this game was quite poor. There was one shift in particular where we watched Cole stand completely still in the high slot with his stick in the air while watching his teammates defend the goal. In another situation the puck was turned over by his teammate in the offensive zone and Cole did not even attempt to back check, he just slowly worked his way back to his own end and the rush turned into a goal against. Eiserman has a great shot, but he will need to learn to become a better playmaker and apply more of himself on the defensive side of the game.
Scout: Henry Lawrence