Ontario midget AAA players that stood out on December 3, 2016. Players’ grades are for that day only and versus others in that game. Players here did an overall positive…
Scouting Reports
Belmont Hill at Nobles
Belmont Hill at Nobles; Saturday, December 3, 2016 We headed to Dedham, MA for an early Keller matchup between rivals Nobles and Belmont Hill. The game was littered with penalties away…
Rivers at Thayer
Rivers at Thayer Friday, December 2, 2016 Neutral Zone headed to Canton to check out some prep hockey. It featured our pre-season top picks for the Keller and Eberhart division….
Cushing at Dexter
Cushing Academy @ Dexter Southfield; 11-30-16 Dexter made a real loud statement on Wednesday night beating perennial powerhouse Cushing Academy 3-2 at home in front of a lot of D1…
Blue Ox-MN Bantam Tournament
Neutral Zone has been out watching Bantams in Minnesota early this 2016-17 season. Here is a quick look at some of the early performances from the Blue Ox Tournament.
First, a quick preamble in regards to Minnesota Hockey: Minnesota is a community based program. Each town has a youth hockey association. Players must play for the town association in which they live. They also use the athletes’ grade in school as the determining factor as to which team you are eligible for (Peewee, Bantam, High School.) The highest level in the Minnesota system is “AA”. Some associations choose to play “A” because they have lower numbers in that age group. This means, if a player is on an “A” team, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are behind a “AA” player in ability. It might simply indicate that his town didn’t have enough players to field a “AA” team.
Players listed below stood out in this tournament. Grades are for this event and in relation to others on the list. Players here did well to get noticed. All these athletes are new to our Neutral Zone profiles. If you click on a name, that player’s profile will appear. Because of the young age of this group, the profiles are incomplete. However, as we gather more information you will be able to see all scouting reports, stats and updates on those profile pages.
Zachary Michaelis (’02 Elk River AA)-Second in Tournament Scoring: 4 goals 6 assists- Speed kills and Michaelis was flying this weekend. Couple that with his excellent balance and puck skills and he’s a big reason Elk River walked out as 2016 Blue Ox Champions. We love his skating and how he took pucks to the net, we’ll be tracking his ability to make little plays and show that he won’t be relying soley on his speed at the next level. Grade: A
OJHL; Stouffville Game Report
OJHL game Kingston at Stouffville; November 26, 2016 #29 Hunter Jones (L, 6-3/195, Stouffville Spirit, ’00) Goalie. Catches left. Big body who challenges the shot well. Strong puck handler also….
St. Paul’s Jamboree: Top 16
Neutral Zone attended the St. Paul’s Jamboree in Concord, New Hampshire on November 27th and 28th,. Four prep schools (St. Paul’s (host), Tabor, Loomis Chaffee, and Groton School) were in attendance and played a total of three games. Records during the weekend: Loomis Chaffee 3-0; Tabor 2-1, Groton 1-2, and St. Paul’s 0-3.
Below is a listing of players that had a strong weekend. It is important to note that this is early in the season and many of the teams are just starting to find chemistry playing together. Neutral Zone will check back in with the teams later in the year to track development.
Grades are for this weekend and in relation to others on this list. These are the players stood out the most.
Joey Cipollone (Loomis, 5’11/165, 7/12/1999) – Had a very strong weekend and was consistently the best player on the ice. Plays a complete game at the prep level. Stronger player that skates well using long powerful strides. Has the speed to beat defenders wide, and plays more of a finesse game. Finds seams with ease and on numerous occasions split the defense through the neutral zone for break-a-way chances. Has a heavy shot with a quick release. Smart player who thinks the game well and uses his teammates to his advantage. Also not afraid to be physical and is relentless on the forecheck. College: Vermont. Weekend grade: A
Whitby Siver Stick Minor Midget
Whitby Siver Stick. Minor Midget; Nov 24-27, 2016 Thursday, November 24, 2016 Brampton vs Hamilton Brampton had control of the game and an opportunity with a 5 on 3 and…
ON Midget AAA; CP, Pembroke, Nepean, Cornwall, Smiths Falls, Kemptville
ON Midget AAA November 26 and November 28, 2016 The reports below are on players that stood out in these games. Grades are for these games only and in relation…
GOJHL: St. Catharine’s vs. Fort Erie
St. Catharine’s Falcons 5 vs. Fort Erie Meteors 4 – Nov 25th, 2016-Neutral Zone headed to a GOJHL game and below are players we evaluated. Grades are for this game only and are in relation to other players in the game.
Fort Erie Forwards
Dakota Miskolczi (Forward, L, 6’1” 172 lbs, Fort Erie Meteors, Jun/98) – Dakota is 2 weeks back from the QMJHL were he suited up for a few games in that league. He was a 5th rounder by the London Knights in the 2014 OHL Priority Draft. Dakota had a good game making things happen on the forecheck and effective on the power play. Power play goal with a nice shot through traffic in the first period off the post and in. A
Alex McAteer (Forward, R, 6’2” 180 lbs, Fort Erie Meteors, Feb/99) – Alex looked better this time I saw him. Playing with more confidence it seemed, in on the forecheck harder. He scored a beautiful goal when he was set up all alone in the slot with a lane to the never, drove the lane and put a nice move on the Canadians goalie. A good skater with decent hands it will be interesting to see how he improves. B
St. Andrew’s College at Belmont Hill (scrimmage) Recap
Neutral Zone took a ride over to Belmont to watch St. Andrew’s take on Belmont Hill in a scrimmage. The game was played like a regular season tilt. They played three 18 minute periods with three officials. St. Andrew’s supplied rosters, line sheets and recruiting information. Belmont Hill only had an informal roster shared by parents and wore practice jerseys (with numbers). We will only list the Belmont Hill players that really stood by jersey numbers as we cannot be sure the roster is correct. Belmont Hill has yet to start their season and St. Andrew’s had a dozen games under their belt. We didn’t apply game grades to this group as we will wait for a regular season or tournament game. St. Andrew’s players have links to their profiles.
Corey Andonovski #19 (F, 6’, 192 lbs. 1999)-Corey is a smart player who uses his strong core, balance and stick to create. He made quick decisions with the puck and was tough to handle along the wall. He showed excellent vision. He doesn’t make many mistakes. The 1999 played in all situations and is relied on heavily be a very good team. College: Princeton
NAHL: NJ Titans at NE Generals
New Jersey Titans 8 –NE Generals 6
Neutral Zone headed to Attleboro and the brand new New England Sports Village to take in some NAHL action. We have seen both these teams before but not in a game like this. It looked more like an all-star game than a league showdown. It was “pink in the rink” night for the Generals which is always great. However, their jerseys numbers were almost impossible to see as they were white on light pink. As a result, we are a little short on the Generals in this report.
The new arena still has a lot of work to be done but the seats are well placed and the people from the facility and the team should be proud of what they have there. It will be great when completed.
We will have the NAHL covered all season and will see each team many times over the next several months. They are listed in no particular order.
Players that we noted in this game:
Todd Goehring (1997; NJ Titans, #19-F)-Todd had a four assist game. The 1997 played an elusive, clever game that allowed him to be a factor all night. What we liked most, however, was his play without the puck. He worked to get in good spots and understands space. College: Sacred Heart Grade: A
Guelph Gryphons vs Oakville Rangers; SCTA/Bantam
Guelph Gryphons vs Oakville Rangers SCTA- Bantam; November 25, 2016 Oakville scored early and often and ran away with this game. Guelph goaltending struggled and left them trailing 5-1 after…
Ontario Minor Midget AAA Alliance East: Waterloo, Cambridge, Kitchener, London
Minor Midget AAA Alliance East – November 2016. Players all have profiles with Neutral Zone.
Games reported on: 4
- Sunday, Nov 6 Waterloo @ Cambridge
- Thursday, Nov 17 Kitchener @ Cambridge
- Sunday, Nov 20 Cambridge @ Waterloo
- Monday, Nov 21 Cambridge @ London
Waterloo @ Cambridge – Nov 6 – Cambridge win 2-1
Goalie – Jet Greaves #31 (L, Cambridge, 2001) A – great rebound control as he faced a number of quality scoring chances from the Waterloo offense. Jet played an aggressive game and took the angles away from the Waterloo attackers.
Forward – Ryan Campbell #18 (L, Cambridge Hawks, 2001) B+ – powerful skater who was tough for the opposing team to handle off the attack and off the cycle. Ryan played a strong two way game and won the majority of puck battles during the game. Ryan scored the game winning goal on a one timer in the slot and created a number of scoring chances in the game.
GOJHL; Waterloo, Kitchener, Stratford, Cambridge, Listowel, Elmira
Games reported on here: Game grades are for that game only and in relation to others in that contest. Sunday, Nov 1 Waterloo @ Kitchener – Kitchener 5-2 win Saturday,…
Alliance Minor Midget: Waterloo, Sun County, CK Cyclones
Alliance Minor Midget AAA
Information based on games November 13th CK Cyclones vs Waterloo, and November 19th CK Cyclones vs. Sun County. Waterloo beat the Cyclones 6-1 and the Cyclones beat Sun County 5-3. Players listed were noted by the Neutral Zone staff as having an overall positive influence on their teams. The grades are a result of that players performance in that particular game and not a reflection of their overall ability or upside.
Keean Washkurak #9 Waterloo Wolves (L, 5-9.5/165, 2001)
Washkurak is the team’s captain and leader on the ice. He is strong in the faceoff circle and goes to the net hard. He has good speed and pursuit of the puck and plays with a physical edge. He has good offensive skills and can finish around the net. Grade: A
Ontario Midget Reports: Nepean, Gloucester, Smiths Falls, CP, Ottawa, Kanata
Neutral Zone reports on some Ontario Midget action on November 19, 2016. The grades given to each player are a reflection of their performance at this event and not an overall assessment of their ability or upside.
Brody Bernard #30 (Catches Left–Goalie-6’1 175 lbs- Smiths Falls Midget AAA- Sep. 8, 2001)
Big heavy goalie (he looks heavy in the net) but moves well and is squared to the shooters. He wasn’t overly aggressive but was calm and controlled. He needs to work on his skating but he had very good rebound control and was good in all areas (down low, glove, blocker, and wrap arounds).
Game rating- B
EHL November Showcase – Top 125
Neutral Zone spent lots of time the last week watching the EHL Premier. We have been attending individual games all year and have reports published on the site but wanted to immerse ourselves in the league. We developed a list of 125 players that we liked. The players below are overall positive influences on their teams and grades are relative to other players listed. That’s not to say that a player not listed is a negative influence. These are the EHL players we have noticed recently and over 40 are new additions to our profiles.
This report is mainly influenced by the EHL Showcase in Hudson, NH from November 13-15, 2016. The event was well run with each team playing at least two games. Teams played at two rinks and times were staggered to allow scouts to bounce from game to game. We saw every team at the showcase and also supplemented our evaluations here with games we attended several days prior to the event. We will be covering the EHL all season and along with this report will publish reports for Simsbury, CT and individual games all year.
There were a lot of scouts in attendance and the play was good. The officiating was very good and the coaches were professional and prepared. The players worked hard.
One thing that was clear in speaking to college coaches at the event was that they enjoy the event because EHL players and coaches are always willing to consider the opportunities at their schools. There is no pretense and that makes spending time in a VERY cold Cyclone Arena worth their while.
One issue we did have is that we could not see the numbers very well on the CT Oilers uniforms. They only played two games and wore white sweaters which have a black and green stripe across the back with black numbers over them. They look great but we had trouble picking players out. They have a good team and we will try to figure them out in Simsbury in December.
Philip Elgstam #22 (F, 5’10”, 201lbs, NJ Rockets, 1998)-Philip is a mature, strong 1998 who was a factor here with 6 points in the three games. He used his body well and has a strong core and stride. He created space with strength and leverage and used his strong, reliable hands to make plays with the puck. He can score. He is not fast but he worked very hard in all three zones and go to the puck. He was good here. Grade: A
AYHL U16; Team Maryland at Virtua
11/19/16; Team Maryland U16@ Virtua U16; AYHL U16 Good battle. The teams jockeyed the lead back and forth until the start of the third when Virtua scored back to back…
U18 Five Nations Tournament: Top 25 NHL Draft Prospects
The Five Nations Tournament in Plymouth, MI displayed many future NHL picks that may develop into impact players at the highest level. Teams from the United States, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic and Switzerland brought good teams to the tournament to compete. There were some high end prospects that were not there from some of the European countries due them playing Pro Hockey in their country or in the CHL. Many of these top players will be summoned by their respective countries for the U20 World Junior or U18 World Championships coming up.
However, there was plenty of talent to go around and keep the NHL Scouts busy at the USA Hockey Arena. The tournament went down to the wire with the United States taking the title. From this tournament we have listed the top 25 NHL prospects for the upcoming 2017 and 2018 NHL Drafts. This tournament was just a snap shot of these prospects as they all have many more opportunities to move up and improve their stock before draft time.
Top 25 NHL Draft Prospects
- Brady Tkachuk (F) (USA) 6-2/194, LH, 2018 NHL DRAFT – The younger brother of Calgary Flames rookie Matthew Tkachuk has a different game than his older sibling. He has taken on the identity that is more of his father and former NHL player Keith Tkachuk. He is a bit bigger and plays a more physical north and south game. With a very high compete level, he plays very hard in traffic and uses his body very well. Always mixing it up as well as making plays. He has grown a lot in the last 2 years and still adjusting to his body. He has long reach and a good skill set in traffic. Not the top player here right now, but he is a late 99 birth year and is not even eligible to be drafted until the 2018 NHL Draft. Look for him to be an ‘A’ player on NHL Central scouting next fall. COLLEGE: BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Scouting Report: Shattuck St. Mary’s vs NJ Avalanche U16
Neutral Zone made the trek to Hackensack for a great game between two of the country’s top U16 teams on Friday. It was a well-played game featuring a lot of the top prospects in the ’01 and ’00 birthyears. It ended up 5-3 Shattuck but the Av’s held a 2-0 lead early on and had the better part of play for about the first half of the game. While these players are ranked A-C, the rankings ONLY reflect how they played in this particular game and its relative to the competition. Meaning a “B-” in this group, is an “A” just about anywhere else.
Cole Kodsi (L, 5’11”, 168lbs, ’00, Avs)
Under rated player coming out of NMH. He has an excellent shot with a quick release. Powerful skater who is likely to get bigger and stronger in time. We’d like to see him distribute the puck better as he forces passes at times or misses them all together. He has a versatile game at this level where he can play for power or go wide on defenseman and get pucks to the net. College: Michigan State Grade: B