Forwards B+ #19 Hudson Michaelis (5-11/193, Markham Royals, ’96) Good puck handler. Solid face off man. Wins more than his share of face offs and is responsible on those…
Scouting Reports
NAHL Showcase: Top 200
Neutral Zone headed to Minnesota for the annual NAHL Showcase. The scouts gathered in flocks once again in Blaine, MN to see the North American Hockey League’s annual gathering. The country’s only Tier II hockey league has had a knack for producing many Division I and Division III players that shine in their collegiate careers. The showcase displays regular season games, but some teams are still in a preseason mode and trying to sort out their rosters as players are showing up from the USHL daily. It’s early in the year and things will change during the season, but here are the players that had good weekends for themselves in front of the scouts.
The list of 200 players is sorted by teams. Grades reflect performance only here at the showcase and are simply in relation to the other players listed below. For example, a “C-“ player here is not a “C-“ player in the NAHL, simply in this group of 200. All players below have a link to their player profile.
One note: We had very limited viewing of Coulee Region (just how the schedule worked out) and thus only one player is noted.
We were in Blaine for every game of the showcase. We will be attending more NAHL games all season and will have game reports for each one. These evaluations are just the beginning. It looks like it is going to be a good year for the NAHL and we will have it all covered.
Toronto Titans Minor Midget Tournament: Top 64 Rankings
The Toronto Titans Tournament is a kick off to the minor midget season and we had several scouts in attendance. Some players we got a chance to see more than others, so in this report we ranked the players on the top and then did an honorable mention section for players we had limited viewings of. Our Ontario team of 10 scouts will be on the road all season covering both tournaments and individual games and will release an OHL Draft Top 300 after the Toronto Marlies Tournament in late December. All 64 players listed below will have player profiles on our website. Some have already been in our database and others earned a spot on the site after their performance here.
Example:
Jack Hughes (L, 5-9/170, Toronto Marlies, 2001) Hughes has an impressive combination of speed, skill, playmaking ability, and overall ability to make decisions at a high pace. Very skilled offensive player – among the best offensive player in the tournament by points and scoring chances generated. Jack made things happen nearly every time he touched the ice. He is an average sized player but strong on the puck and able to win pucks from players much larger. Jack dictated the play when he was on the ice and if he decides to go the OHL route, he could very well be a top pick in the draft. Also on the NTDP radar. Grade: A
2016 NCAA Men’s Hockey Recruiting Class Rankings
As the 2016-2017 season kicks off this evening, we wanted to share the final 2016 Recruiting Class Rankings with college hockey coaches, players and fans. The interactive rankings can…
Unlikely Beginnings: The Marcus Gretz Story
Albuquerque, New Mexico isn’t exactly known as a hockey hot bed when it comes to breeding future Division 1 players, but it was home to talented Belle Tire defenseman Marcus Gretz. He is defying those odds and proving that hard work and determination is the remedy to success in hockey. Although he is recognized for being one of the top minor midget players in the nation; his hockey career began almost by accident.
East-West Invitational U16 Division Top 50
Neutral Zone headed to Springfield, MA to check out the Rifles East/West invite. We focused on the U16 division as it was a quick tournament and the U18 group was up the road in Amherst.
Games were two 22.5 minute halves on day one and one 30 minute half on day two. The River Rats took home the championship over Mid Fairfield 1-0. It was a good experience with a lot of talent. We felt comfortable writing something about 50 or so players. About 1/2 of those below are new additions to Neutral Zone.
We recognize that these guys are young and playing a possible 120 plus minutes of hockey in 36 hours is not easy. We account for that and as you will read, we have very little negative to say about this age group. If a player appears on this list, it means they had a good tournament overall and grades simply distinguish between those players this specific weekend.
A sample of the scouting reports mentioned below………..
Zachary Rehbaum (L, 5’10”/165lbs; Buffalo Regals, ‘00)-He was perhaps the best overall player in the invite. Zachary is strong on his skates and has terrific edges. He played a tough, skilled, fast game and created offense in a multitude of ways. He has a quick, accurate shot. He gets to the front of the net for rebounds and tips. The winger is good off the cycle and in transition. One play, he stole the puck vs. the Rifles. He used his speed to push the D into a bad gap. He then snapped a shot “bar down” short side. The 2000 also plays with just enough “nasty” to irritate and create even more space without taking bad penalties. He was excellent and committed to Brown very soon after this event. College: Brown Grade: A
NZ Analytics: USHL 23-man Roster Breakdown
When the USHL released its official 23-man rosters on September 21st they noted that 295 players had D1 NCAA commitments and 13 were drafted in the NAHL. Given that…
CCHL Showcase Recap
Neutral Zone was in attendance for the CCHL Labor Day Showcase. Given the hectic schedule we decided to watch games start to finish instead of bouncing around catching glimpses of…
Keep Working: The Griffin Lunn Story
There is an old coach’s adage that goes something like this: the one aspect of hockey you can control is how much effort you put in. No matter whether your…
Minnesota Bantam Elite League: Top 35
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…
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…