| James Mackey | Madison Capitols | USHL | L | D | 6’6″ | 229 | Harvard | 2024 | Morristown, PA | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Mackey earned 15:07 in ice time (4th among D) including 2:02 on the PK (2nd among D). He did not play PP. He finished -1 with 1 shot, 3 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Mackey is a 6’6, 230 lb, stay at home defenseman. He made some nice defensive reads to shut down opponents in front of the net, both with his body and active stick. He plays with a bit of an edge and gets involved in post whistle scrums. One area to his game that he is still developing is his explosiveness and stride frequency and stride length. At this moment he is still adapting to the pace of play at this level. We feel he is still developing his core strength and as such he still has a shorter stride and was unable to create much separation when attempting to rush up ice. Agility is also an area that he will be focusing on as he grows into his body. He had trouble changing direction and was walked around multiple times by smaller quicker opponents on the rush and showed some difficulty staying on the net side while defending the cycle. Offensively he distributes the puck reasonably well, but there are times his puck handling is a bit awkward and he had a tendency to fumble the puck when it was closer to his feet. Some nice defensive choices to breakup plays but at the moment his lack of skating mobility makes it difficult for us to see him playing professionally but as we know there are not many 6’6″, 230 lbs defensemen who are winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles so we feel he has a chance to be a late round pick.
| Charlie Michaud | Madison Capitols | USHL | L | D | 5’11” | 183 | Miami (Ohio) | 2025 | Denver, CO | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Michaud earned 23:34 in total ice time (1st on team) including 3:31 on the PP (Game high) and 1:54 on the PK (tied for 2nd among D). He finished +1 with 2 shots, received 1 hit, 6 giveaways, 12 takeaways (tied for game high) and for the season he is winning 61% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Michaud is a strong two-way defenseman that logged a ton of ice time tonight. He was matched up with Tri-City’s top line and was effective in slowing them down. He showed good effort in his own end, joining battles behind the net, clearing the crease, finishing his checks, and shutting down passing lanes with an active stick. He skates well, with a smooth stride, and was able to effectively transition the puck up ice with his feet and passing. He quarterbacked the powerplay and did a good job of distributing the puck. There were times where he did not scan enough before passing which resulted in some avoidable turnovers. Michaud also had some time on the penalty kill where he helped shut down many chances. Solid two-way defenseman with potential to be selected in one of the later rounds of the 2024 draft.
| Philippe Blais-Savoie | Tri City Storm | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 185 | Colorado College | 2024 | San Jose, CA | 2005 | 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: B
Blais-Savoie earned 20:57 in ice time (1st among D) including 1:25 on the PP (3rd among D) and 1:38 on the PK (5th among D). He finished +1 with 0 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 PIMs, received 1 hit, 6 giveaways, 12 takeaways (tied for game high) and for the season he is winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Blais-Savoie is a mobile, overage defenseman with potential to be selected in his draft+1 season. He is a great skater, showing off a smooth, powerful stride as well as the ability to transition the puck into the offensive zone with speed and confidence. One of his best rush attempts came in the second period where he exploded up ice with speed, beat the defenseman wide, and was able to get a solid wrist shot on goal. He is great on his edges and was able to escape pressure with a couple of quick pivots and cuts into open space. He controls the puck well under pressure and was able to distribute in the offensive zone. Blais-Savoie is good in his own end as well. He is positionally sound and able to keep play towards the wall. He maintains a good gap in transition and slides to slow down/break up play. Impressive two-way game from Blais-Savoie tonight.
| Cameron Briere | Tri City Storm | USHL | L | C | 5’10” | 153 | Nebraska Omaha | 2025 | Oakville, ON | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: Briere earned 17:40 in ice time (4th among fwds) including 1:33 on the PP (6th among fwds) and 2:47 on the PK (2nd among fwds). He finished +1 with 1 goal, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 hits, 4 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Briere is a solid two-way forward who scored the Storm’s first goal of the night. He has quick feet and rushes the puck up ice with confidence. His skating also came in handy when closing the distance between himself and opponents with the puck while forechecking. He brought good energy without the puck tonight and made opponents’ lives difficult with strong pressure and by finishing his checks. He is a decent playmaker but a bit inconsistent. For most of the game he was very patient with the puck and waited until he found the right option. There were a few moments where he rushed passes without looking but far less than he did in our last viewing. His goal came late in the first period when he was sprung on a breakaway with a well-placed stretch pass. Briere burst into the offensive zone and pulled off a skilled move to the backhand which dropped the goalie then roofed the puck. Impressive game from Brier
| Ryan Smith | Tri City Storm | USHL | R | RW | 5’10” | 180 | UMass Amherst | 2024 | Pendleton, NY | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Smith earned 20:45 in ice time (2nd among fwds) including 2:26 on the PP (4th among fwds) and 2:38 on the PK (3rd among fwds). He finished +2 with 3 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 7/15 on face-offs, 8 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Smith is a skilled offensive player able to control the pace of the game when the puck is on his stick. He is very difficult to steal the puck from due to his quick hands, tight turns away from pressure, and well-timed fakes to avoid stick checks. Smith also does a good job of moving pucks towards the net. He is constantly searching for dangerous options around the cage and does not hesitate to fire passes that will create chances. He prefers to play the game at a slower pace which he uses to his advantage when the puck is on his stick but can also be a downside when he is up against much quicker opponents. He showed a good forechecking game tonight, forcing multiple turnovers with a harassing effort to keep pucks inside the offensive zone. He was given time on both special team’s units and was effective on both. Smith is a highly skilled forward that we feel would benefit from picking up his foot speed when the puck is on his stick.
| Dallas Vieau | Tri City Storm | USHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 174 | Penn State | 2025 | Duluth, MN | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Vieau earned 18:02 in ice time (3rd among fwds) including 1:33 on the PP (7th among fwds). He did not play PK. He finished even with 2 shots, a game high 5 grade “A” scoring opportunities, 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 9 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 41% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Vieau had a decent two-way showing tonight. He applied good pressure on the forecheck and finished his hits along the boards. He was aware of movement around him and able to jump plays to capitalize on opponents’ mistakes. Offensively, he needs to hold onto the puck for a bit longer. There were multiple times where he rushed passes as well as one shot that he took from deep with a better look available if he had taken a few extra steps towards the net. Some good energy but lacks offensive ability/sense.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence