The Bantam Elite League is held in Minnesota at various locations and runs from Mid-August through Mid-September. Minnesota age requirements are different from other areas of the country, classifying…
Scouting Reports
AYHL Report: Team Maryland vs. Mercer Chiefs u16 Elite
AYHL Report: Team Maryland U16 Elite @ Mercer U16 Elite 9/24/16
More of slower tempo game but there were players to keep an eye on for both teams. All players have potential; some have real upside. Team Maryland edged out Mercer 2-0.
Forwards
Connor Tait R 6’00 175 01 Team Maryland
Bottom line, he is a finisher. Scored both TM goals. God skater with excellent shot. Good hands. Good work ethic. Finds open ice and but not afraid of danger zones. Gets back well for being a scorer. Good size.
EHL Game of the week; Boston Bandits and NH Monarchs
Boston Bandits 6 @ NH Monarchs 1; September 28th, 2016 Neutral Zone drove to Bridgewater, MA to watch the NH Monarchs at the Boston Bandits in an EHL matchup of…
Alliance Major Bantam Showcase: September 23-25
Neutral Zone attended the Alliance Major Bantam (2002’s) Showcase from September 23-25, 2016. The following names are players who jumped out to our scouts and their respective letter grade….
EHL Bedford Showcase
Neutral Zone attended the EHL Showcase in Bedford on Sunday, September 25th and watched four match ups (Valley Warriors vs NJ Rockets; Boston Bandits vs Philadelphia Little Flyers; Walpole Express…
GOJHL Report: Leamington Flyers vs. London Nationals
Leamington Flyers took on the London Nationals in a game on September 22nd, 2016. Good potential on both London and Leamington. London took the win 5-3.
Liam Hogan #13 (L, 5-7/155, 1997)
Hogan is in his second year with the Flyers. He is a shifty forward who shows confidence with the puck in traffic. He is good on faceoffs and is willing to hold onto the puck and show poise to make a play in the offensive zone. Although he is on the smaller side, Hogan is not afraid to go to the dirty areas. Grade: B+
Upper Midwest HS Elite League Week 2: Top 28
Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League showcased week #2 of their schedule up in Grand Rapids, MN. The showcase featured 4 of the league’s 8 teams as Great Plains, North, Northeast and Northwest faced off during the weekend. The league features the best High School hockey players from the states of Minnesota, North
NV River Rats Jamboree Top 75 (U18 Division)
NZ had three scouts at the NV River Rats Jamboree which was originally set for Canton, MA but moved to Marlborugh. The tournament organizers did a nice job pulling it all together and there were schedules, rosters and food readily available for scouts. This showcase was a good preview of players before the Labor Day
The Road Less Traveled: The Ryan O’Connell Story
Growing up in Gloucester, ON, Canada, a suburb of Ottawa, Ryan O’Connell fell in love with the game of hockey at an early age. At age four he laced…
AYHL Report: Virtua vs. CT Wolpack
Virtua was all over the CT Wolfpack in this one, holding a 50 to 10 shot advantage. The final score here was 9-2. Some players were all over the ice for Vitrtua, creating offense and getting back fast enough to play defense.
Forwards
A
Maxim Kuznetsov L 5’09 170 Virtua U16 Late 00
Max had a strong game scoring a couple of goals and being an offensive presence. The first thing you notice is his skating, he is quick and has good acceleration, His hands enable him to create and he is a patient player who sees the ice well. He seems to be getting more assertive going into the danger zones as his game is maturing.
Mass Tier 1 Labor Day Showcase: Top 110 (U14, U16, U18)
Neutral Zone went to the Mass Tier 1 Labor Day Invite in Foxboro, Walpole and Marlborough. Our focus was on the U16 Atlantic/Pacific Red and the U18 Elite East/West. Play overall was good. The Midget Minor division winner was the Buffalo Junior Sabres as they played a solid team game from the net out. The
Exeter Showcase Report
Neutral Zone spent time at the Exeter, NH Showcase this past weekend. A wide range of ability with the teams involved. The East Coast Wizards showed up on the…
AYHL Report: NJ Avalanche U16 vs. Mercer U16
NJ Avs Premier 7 @ Mercer Elite 0 U16 9/18/16
The score was showed how the game went. All Avs in this one. In all fairness they are a national bound team and Mercer is all 2001. That being said Mercer will be a pretty good team as we go on. No Dowd (injured) or Tabakin (USNDT call up).
Forwards
A
Ryan Willett L 5’09 165 Avs 00
A three-point day and was the best forward shift in, shift out, in the game. He combines hockey sense, hands and tenacity.
Motor City Cup: Top 35 Rankings (U15, U16, U18)
The Motor City Cup has historically been a great venue to get an early season glimpse of the top midget teams in the Michigan region as well as a few sleepers from some other programs as well. This year with the creation of the USHL Fall Classic, the U16 Division took a hit as many
A Development Focus: The Harrison Roy Story
Every hockey player’s love for the game is built on a foundation of humble beginnings. In the case of Harrison Roy, that love for the sport started when his feet…
London vs. Cambridge Minor Midget Scouting Report
London and Cambridge faced off on September 15, 2016 at Galt Arena Gardens in Cambridge. London took the win in the Minor Midget – Alliance game 6 to 2. Below is the game report.
Brett Budgell #7 (L, London Knights, 2001) B+ Smooth skating center/winger has been a nice addition to London this year. Plays well in both ends of the ice. Scored one and set up two powerplay goals in the game vs Cambridge. Hockey IQ and passing ability were shown on the two powerplay goals as Brett quarterbacked the PP and set up a number of dangerous scoring chances. Brett is a power forward with hands, approx. 6 feet tall and moves very well for a big player. Brett’s goal in the game was a highlight reel goal as he drove wide on the D and beat the goalie with a shot on the glove side.
ECC Labor Day Cup: Top 45 (U14, U16, U18)
For NZ Scouts, Labor Day Weekend is exactly that, labor intensive. With well over 100 teams consisting of four age groups, U18, U16, U15 and U14 there was a…
USPHL Game of the Week
South Shore Kings 6 @ Okanagan Eagles 1; September 14th, 2016 Neutral Zone made the drive to the Foxboro Sports center on Wednesday for the first USPHL Premier game of the 2016-17 season. The NZ USPHL Game of the Week was between the South Shore Kings and the Okanagan Eagles. Both teams call Foxboro home so the
EHL Game of the Week
Northern Cyclones 4 @ EC Wizards 2; September 13th, 2016 Neutral Zone started the EHL season on Tuesday as we headed to Bedford, MA to watch the EC Wizards take on the Northern Cyclones. Play was sloppy early as can be expected in both teams’ first games. As the game moved
OJHL Scouting Report: Trenton Golden Hawks vs. Lindsay Muskies
Neutral Zone headed to Trenton on Wednesday, September 14 to watch the Lindsay Muskies play the Trenton Golden Hawks in early season OJHL action. The following players were the…
Neutral Zone Tournament Schedule: September
NHL/NCAA/CHL/Junior coaches and scouts have asked us at Neutral Zone to give them an idea of what we will be covering this month. Most of these tournaments will have…