| Vincent Borgesi | Northeastern University | NCAA | R | D | 5’8″ | 173 | Northeastern | 2022 | Philadelphia, PA | 2004 | 2023-2024: C2021-2022: C |
NCAA: Quinnipiac at Northeastern, 10/8/23: Borgesi is an undersized right shot defenseman with a long powerful quick strides, a shoulder width deep knee’d base and a return leg that lands on its flat edge. He showed excellent edge control and he he had little trouble stutter stepping which manipulated the forechecker’s routes so he or his partner had more time to make plays. He led all Northeastern players in total ice time with 24:06 including 0:49 on the power play and he tied for the team high in shorthanded ice time with 3:25. His breakout passes were hard flat and where his teammate wanted them. When the puck was on his stick we liked how in transition he would look at the his opponent, freezing then for an instant so he could buy his teammate more time. He had the primary assist on the a power play where he attacked the weakside high forward, which froze him, and then gave a perfect pass for a one-timer that went high glove. Defensively he used his skating ability to take away time and eliminate space. Borgesi was constantly a stick’s length away from the intended passing target and his strong edges allowed him to arrive at the same time as the pass or to jump the pass all together. NHL teams will worry about his size but our opinion his elite skating, game awareness and overall anticipation should earn him an opportunity. On the night he finished even with 1 primary assist, 3 shots, 1 hit, received 2 hits, had 1 shot blocked had 3 giveaways and 5 takeaways.
USHL: Des Moines Buccaneers vs Tri-City Storm, January 27, 2022: Offensive minded defenseman for the Storm that is always active on the ice. His deceptive skating along the blue lines opens up lanes to both shoot and skate. Borgesi likes to dive into the play, acting like a fourth forward in the zone. It creates a lot of chaos for the opposition and forces them to check their coverage. He’s skilled enough to be on the power play and smart enough to kill penalties. He’s offensive minded but can handle his own in the defensive zone. Grade: B-
USHL: Tri-City vs Sioux City, January 12, 2022: A solid 2-way defenseman who has lots of offensive upsides. Could walk the offensive blue line with his hips open and head up the entire time. Did a good job at pump faking his opponents, freeing up space in the shooting lane and getting quick shots through to the net. Not the biggest defender but limits his d-zone time by skating with the puck and making quick outlet passes to assist on the transition play. B-
USHL: Tri-City vs Fargo, December 10, 2021: Borgesi is an undersized, quick-footed defenseman who skates well in open ice and transitions quickly. He is a quick-feet-skater and accelerates up the ice which allows him to be effective at skating the puck out of his own end and through the neutral zone. Borgesi distributes the puck well for the most part but he does get lackadaisical with some passes. He had a few plays where it looked like he was just throwing the puck without much intention. Borgesi also occasionally gets too wide/hangs out on the perimeter and far out of the play. He needs to improve strength, shot, decision-making, and positioning. Grade: B-
U17: USA Hockey Select 17’s, July 14, 2021: Was Borgesi one of the best defenders in the tournament? Absolutely. Was he as good as we would have thought after being tendered in the USHL and having an impressive rookie season? No, he wasn’t. He’s got strong edges and balance in his stride which makes up for his lack of size; he has high end vision and puck moving ability and a heavy shot. He is quick in every direction and uses that mobility and range to play aggressive defense, gap up tight and pick off passes in the neutral zone and net front. He is excellent in the transition game as he can pick a pass off and then move it up to his forwards instantly and he’s got enough puck skill and head fakes to make opponents miss when rushing the puck up ice. He is better defensively than he gets credit for, he stops and starts, he has great edges to ride opponents off the puck and has an active stick to block passing and shooting lanes. Borgesi had several skill plays with the puck that few here would have even seen the lane let alone had the skill to make the pass on tape but he took shifts off, was inconsistent and was lax defensively against the rush at times not managing his gaps and allowing opponents easy zone entries. He was actually better in the All-Star games when he was playing with and against the best players. He was excellent on the breakout, able to get to the puck quickly, shake off forecheckers, survey the ice, process his options and move it quickly. He had 1 goal in 4 games here which came from a hard slap shot from the point that got through traffic and beat the goalie clean. College: Northeastern Grade: A-
USHL: Waterloo vs Tri-City, March 22, 2021: Borgesi is a detailed, competitive hockey player who made a difference on both sides of the puck for his team in this game. Offensively, he is a skilled player who likes to slow the game down and make lateral plays, especially on the rush. The Northeastern commit has a good skill set and uses it to make plays high in the offensive zone, especially off the rush. Borgesi uses his vision to find teammates streaking through seams and who are open in scoring areas. Without the puck he is detailed in his game and responsible in his own end. Borgesi stood out on the penalty kill where he blocked shots, took away passing lanes, and won battles to gain possession and clear the puck the length of the ice. He is strong on his stick and competes hard, making him successful in puck battles. Overall, he is a skilled offensive player who focuses on the details of his game and played a solid 60 minutes for the Storm in this game. Grade: B+
2020 USHL Draft Recap, May 8, 2020: Borgesi is a quick, fast, agile, puck possession defenseman who is basically a fourth forward on the ice. In most any other year he’d be on the powerplay for the National Program but this year has a strong group of offensive defenseman so he’s going the USHL route. He can fly, he has exceptional puck control at top speed and can wiggle, shake off forecheckers and create offense up the ice. He is swift, quick and skilled along the offensive blue line and quarterbacks the power play. Exciting young prospect to watch.
Toronto Marlies Classic, February 2, 2020: Borgesi is a pleasure to watch and his skating ability is off the charts. He plays like a fourth forward and has no trouble getting back defensively after creating odd man opportunities. He is athletic catching pucks at the blue line and quickly putting it down and making a play. He is smart and shoots short-side late in a close game to avoid a rebound going to the other side to create a quick transition for the other team. Borgesi is a threat from deep in his own zone, using the net to create separation and head up ice or make smart decisions with the easy pass or a stretch pass through the neutral zone. Grade: A
Whitby Silver Stick (2004), December 18, 2019: here is no skater in this tourney as pure as Northeastern commit Borgesi. He carries a heavy workload on the back end for South Kent and his effortless stride creates separation on the rush, shooting lanes from the point, and allows him to be the late person entering the zone with no one around him. He knows to skate the puck deep on the PK but still seems to be struggling entering the zone to make a play and fumbled the puck just inside the blue line. Borgesi is smart when he shoots from the blue line, knowing he needs to create a second chance or look for an available stick for a deflection. controlled and his focus and rebound control keeps the puck where he wants it to make the next save. Grade: A-
Wendy Dufton Minor Midget AAA, November 3, 2019: Borgesi seems to have the puck on his stick for a vast majority of the game. He is active in all zones and his agility, speed, and acceleration is evident as he quickly transitions both ways. Borgesi displayed great edgework and a strong core, making him very difficult to knock off the puck. An undersized two way defender, he is so strong on his feet and displayed such good compete he was able to neutralize opposition players of any size. On the PP he has cross ice vision and pass execution after drawing defenders to his side. Borgesi’s skating ability creates many passing and shooting lanes for himself. Grade: A-
USA Hockey Select 15 Development Camp, August 24, 2019: Borgesi is a skilled offensive defenseman out of Valley Forge who showed to be one of the more creative, instinctual, puck possession defenders in the camp. He works the give and go well on the power play and along the offensive blue line and gets his shots off quickly before opponents and can get set. His head was always up, he surveys the whole sheet and can process the game quickly and with pace. He has the versatility to hold the puck and wait for a lane to open and also when pressured to move it up ice quickly and without hesitation. He follows must rushes up the ice and even led several himself and showed the first step quickness and agility to maneuver his way around opponents in the neutral zone. His best attribute here however was his puck retrievals and breakouts; he was quick to the puck, he can make nifty stick moves and spin moves to evade pressure and has the passing ability and puck skill to get pucks to his teammates up ice. He did try and do too much at times, once leading to a turnover which the opposing team scored on, but at this age we like seeing skilled players pushing the envelope and trying to make things happen. Agile, skilled, high level puck skill for a young defenseman but he’ll need to learn to pick his spots better, improve his defensive zone discipline and round out his overall game with tweaks in his decision making and body positioning away from the puck. Finished the event with 1 goal in 4 games. Will be a highly sought after power play defenseman at the next level. Grade: B+
World Selects Invite 2004 Division, July 10, 2019: Borgesi is really fast with elite edges. The offensive defenseman is more rover than defenseman but it works for him. He had the puck a lot, broke pucks out easily and often carried it into opponents’ zone. He created problems as teams tried to transition from backcheck to their defensive zone setup as Vinny often would have the puck and be wheeling, looking for openings he was like a fourth forward. He is clever, smart and sees it. He made some nifty plays with his stick and possessed the puck so much, he had to play little actual defense. He subscribes to the best defense is a good offense. Clearly talented and has tons of upside. Seems to be improving and was fun to watch. Grade: A-
U14: USA Hockey Nationals, April 30, 2019: Vinny is a really skilled, puck moving defenseman. In fact, when we first started watching, we thought he was a forward as he spent a lot of time up ice. He has the speed and smarts to get back and defend but his strength in in his ability to break pucks out, start plays up ice and create clean zone entries. In the zone, he stayed moving and snuck in and out of the high slot. He also played well on the high cycle and took the puck deep to create. He is not big but has elite mobility and speed. The puck seems to stay glued to his blade and he is quite clever. Elite on the power play as he moved all over the zone, moved laterally to create along the offensive blue and kept pucks in the zone. Borgesi played well in the defensive zone too. He blocked shots, closed very quickly to break up chances and has an excellent stick. He got a lot of sticks on pucks. He made a lot happen in all three zones. Looked like one of the best athletes here and we like his upside a lot. New wave defenseman who will get pucks to great spots and play fast.
U14: Boston Breakout SuperSeries AAA, October 14, 2018: Borgesi is a fluid skater with great agility. He controls the play from the point on the offensive blue line as well as on the breakout. He is a great puck-possession defenseman: he can rush it end-to-end or make a play at the net scoring on a deke on the goaltender. He has a quick first step and excellent vision looking for a teammate on the backdoor pass. Impressed us in his outing here and should continue to impress throughout the season.
U14: North American Challenge Cup, October 11, 2018: Vinny was one of the best players in this entire event. The smooth skating right shot D man has great vision and skill. The best skater on the ice and very dynamic- loves to join the rush and be a 4th forward. Makes good heads up plays in transition. Does a great job at controlling the puck on the power play. Grade: A
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images