NIT – 2023 – U16 Division

The following is our scouting report from the U16 Division of the NIT. Players are listed in no particular order beneath their respective letter grades.

A+

Mary Derrenbacher #15 (Shattuck St. Mary’s U16, F, 2026) : Derrenbacher is a highly skilled and crafty player. She is quick and unpredictable. Her speed and her knowledge of the game are far above average. She has a great work ethic, and she really has passion and love for the game. Derrenbacher has the ability to make those around her better. A great talent with loads of potential. 

Lia Cericola #21 (Rochester Youth Hockey – BK Selects U16, F, 2026) : Lia has great puck control and great hands. She has an above average hockey IQ. She is an intelligent player with the drive and passion to go with it and take it the length of the ice. She can not only outplay but she outwits her opponents. She can slow it down or pick it up depending on the situation. Lia plays big and plays to win. 

Maddy Kimbrel #20 (Orono High School, F, 2026) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Kimbrel showed off some great speed and the ability to turn corners on defenders. Her 4 goals in 4 games led the team. One of those goals came via an absolute top shelf snipe from the high slot. While her shot is not overly powerful, it is in fact very accurate. She is on the smaller stature side, but plays with an incredibly high pace/high tempo to her game.

Zahra Nauhaus #9 (Shattuck St. Mary’s U16, F, 2026) : Zahra is a talented player with a lot of potential in front of her. She has great vision and can really create scoring opportunities. She is a smart heads-up player who is unselfish. Zahra can sneak in behind the play and can fly under the radar. She is speedy, quick witted and can produce. She is such a crafty and skilled player who can create scoring chances for her and her teammates. 

Cassidy Lobisser #23 (NAHA Red 16U, F, 2026) : Lobisser is a talented young player who can take control and command of the play. She has speed and great movement. She can take it the entire 200 feet without being stopped by the opposition. Lobisser is a crafty and driven player. She keeps her head on a swivel and generates offense. 

A

Jane Daley #10 (Shattuck St. Mary’s U16, F, 2028) : Daley is an incredibly talented young player. She plays older than she is and she does not get intimidated. She does a great job on faceoffs, and she puts the puck where she wants it. She knows what play she wants to do ahead of time. Daley is hard to defend; and witty with a great work ethic. She is fast, moves her feet and draws penalties. A smart player who can outwork and outplay her opponent. 

Addison Andre #10 (Roseville High School, F, 2025, Franklin Pierce) : Addison is a tenacious player. She is hard working and constantly creates chances and generates a lot of offense. She is crafty with speed and can outwit and outplay her opponent. Addison is sneaky and smart, she can create offense in any situation. A tough competitor, she has great potential for the next level. 

Reese Ruska #19 (Osseo-Maple Grove, F, 2026) : Reese is a hard working determined player. She is a go-getter who always shows up to play. She supports the puck, helps out in coverages and is an unselfish team player. Reese makes her decisions for the rest of the team, and she can be dangerous with the puck. She can fly under the radar and can be deceiving.

Natalie Joiner #23 (Little Caesars U16, F, 2025) : Natalie is the type of player who can take complete control of the game. She can slow things down and can turn a bad situation into a positive one. She does a great job on special teams and can take control when she needs to, but not in a selfish way. She has good puck control and keeps her feet moving to the net.

Addison Stewart #17 (Chicago Mission U16, F, 2025) : Addison is a quick reacting strong forward who can make a difference when her skates hit the ice. She is strong on the puck and she does not force the play. Addison is smart about when to move the puck or when to hold onto it. She has great reactions to loose pucks and top-notch instincts to make the correct play on the ice.

Julia Gerdes #14 (Andover High School, F, 2027) : Gerdes is starting to make her way and starting to take on a bigger role. She has great vision and awareness. She makes great decisions and plays with her head on a swivel. She is always ready to go and can put her team before herself. She is intelligent with hockey sense and skills. 

Kaylee Idrogo-Lam #18 (Edina High School, F, 2025) : Kaylee is strong on the play. She is a fighter and someone who does not give up easily. She can sneak up on you and can make the opposition pay for mistakes made. She had a very nice weekend and keeps great control of the puck. Kaylee has good hands which she uses to make smart decisions, which is also credited to her high awareness.

A-

Mia Kraut #6 (Little Caesars U16, F, 2026) : Mia has a beautiful release and had a gorgeous top shelf goal against Philly Jr. Flyers. She can use the defense as a screen and can create her own chances. She does a good job on special teams and plays well with her teammates. She uses the ice and perimeter to suit her best and give her the time and space to make a play. 

Teagan Flod #10 (Philadelphia Jr. Flyers U16, F, 2026) : Teagan is a heads-up player. She has speed and plays with passion. She pressures the play and can cause turnovers. She takes advantage of mistakes and makes the most out of her opportunities. Teagan was noticeable right away and kept her head in the game. She was consistent in her efforts which adds to her great play.

Nina Geric #66 (Little Caesars U16, F, 2026) : Geric is a very strong skater. She bullies through sticks and sticks, skates through contact, and maintains puck control. She was incredibly hard to knock off the puck or even get a little off line. Even through all the contact she showcased quick hands in traffic and would bully and/or finesse her way to the net. Lots of high-end skill and power in Geric’s game. She finished the weekend with 3 points in 4 games and helped generate a lot more opportunities for her and her teammates.

Ellie Stewart #12 (Benilde-St. Margaret’s, F, 2026) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) :  Stewart is an excellent skater in every direction. She was great on edges, cuts/turns and moves quickly to open ice. She may be on the smaller stature side, but she is incredibly strong on her skates, making it hard to knock her off the puck.  She showed lots of puck patience especially on power play to draw penalty killers out of position and snap a pass to an open teammate with a quality scoring chance. She was also not just solid offensively, Stewart was strong on the backcheck as well, cutting the ice in half and forcing opponents to the outside. Stewart also showcased some quick hands, carving through some players in the neutral zone. Her 3 points in 4 games tied her for third on the team in points.

Kaiya Sandy #40 (Warroad High School, F, 2025) : Kaiya gets involved in the play with little to no hesitation. She is a knowledgeable player with a good head on her shoulders. Kaiya created numerous chances and didn’t quit on the play. She keeps her feet moving and plays through the whistle. Her vision is above average and her determination and passion are noticeable.

Alara Murphy #18 (NAHA Red 16U, D, 2025) : Murphy is speedy and possesses great awareness. She can win the battle and pinches/closes in on the play. Her timing is great, and she keeps really nice gap control. She can be aggressive and can make the most out of her opportunities. Murphy has some good size and strength. She did not show up on the scoresheet for the weekend, she did show strong defensive positioning especially on the penalty kill. She has solid footwork and nice lateral movement to stay with opponents 1v1 and create lanes to make outlets. She boxes out well at the paint and makes sure she establishes a strong net front presence. She literally will do anything to keep the puck out of her own net. When carrying the puck Murphy showed her strength on her skates when turning corners and protecting pucks, as she shrugs off defenders with ease. Murphy is an impressive young defender.

Addison Tremel #20 (Rochester Youth Hockey – BK Selects U16, F, 2026) : Addison really moves her feet and gets after it. She makes smart decisions and pressures the other team hard. She can cause turnovers and takes advantage of her opportunities. She is quick and plays disciplined. Addison uses her speed and does a great job on special teams.

Kelsey Olson #19 (Maple Grove High School, F, 2025) : Kelsey has great awareness. She has drive and determination. A playmaker who wants to win games. She can pressure hard and isn’t afraid to be physical. She puts herself in the right place at the right time. Kelsey has vision to find the open player and keeps her head on a swivel.

Olivia Vertucci #18 (Team Illinois U16, D, 2027) : Olivia is a young talent with potential. She plays with confidence and heart. She is able to read the play and has great instincts on and off the puck. She is reliable and is a team player. Olivia can step up to the play and stops the opposition which adds to her constant fearless play.

B+

Aruba Skiston #9 (Chicago Mission U16, D, 2025) : Aruba is a strong and reliable defender. She knows when to step up to the play and when to pinch down and keep pucks in play. She creates chances from the blue and angles herself to the play. She keeps the forwards to the outside lane and keeps great gap control.

Macy Rasmussen #13 (Orono High School, F, 2025) (MSP Magazine) – Rasmussen was her team’s leading scorer with 3 goals in 4 games. One of those goals she wheeled out of the corner, cut at the top of circles to the middle of the ice and ripped a heavy wrister through the screen. She has a quick release, plays with her head up, and can pick her spots at pace.

Madison Gaines #26 (Chicago Mission U16, F, 2025) : Madison gets in after it and generates offensive chances for her team. She can be gritty, and she is self-aware. She is good on the draw, and she puts the puck where she wants it when she is passing. She works for her chances and takes advantage of her opportunities. She has potential moving forward.

Kaylee Mandeville #10 (NAHA Red 16U, D, 2027) : Kaylee is a great young talent and highly skilled for her age. She plays older and wiser than she is. She can make a difference and has a nice offensive edge and knack for getting pucks to the net. She has really nice potential in front of her.

Elizabeth Sharpe #91 (Anchorage North Stars U14, F, 2026) : Sharpe is quick on it. She moves her feet and creates chances in front of the net. She has a strong stride and can win the race for control of the puck. She battles and fights for pucks along the boards. She does a great job in small areas of the ice and can come out with control of the puck. Sharpe brings energy and grit to her team.

Jamison Hirsh #5 (Philadelphia Jr. Flyers U16, F, 2025) : Jamison has a good work ethic and is willing to play physical, and to play for the win. She gets pucks deep in the zone and creates chances in front of the net. She has speed and pressures the opposing defense hard. Jamison is knowledgeable of the game and can make a positive situation out of a negative one.

Jasmine Hovda #65 (Roseau High School, F, 2026) : Hovda can be hard core in that she keeps coming at you and getting after the puck. She causes numerous turnovers and takes advantage of mistakes made by the other team. She crashes the net hard and doesn’t give up. Hovda will jump on any chance that she gets and continues to improve. 

Lulu Rucinski #2 (Benilde-St. Margaret’s, D, 2025) (MSP Magazine) : Rucinski takes good angles to the puck carrier and takes the body of players down the boards. She uses her size and strength well to bump players offline, win puck battles, and force turnovers. She did not put up any points on the scoresheet of the weekend, but she played incredibly strong on the D-side of the puck.

Ella Filipenko #18 (Anchorage North Stars U14, D, 2026) : Filipenko gets after it and isn’t afraid to be physical in order to gain control of the puck. She keeps her head on a swivel and is a good decision maker. She makes nice passes and supports the play. Filipenko can be crafty and gets open at the right time to receive the pass.

Taylor Morrison #9 (Little Caesars U16, F, 2026) (Little Caesars) : Morrison made numerous great reads and strong anticipation, especially through the neutral zone as she was constantly disrupting outlets. She has a little bit of everything in her offensive game. She quickly finds soft ice, battles at the net, showcases a heavy shot, and made a nice timing-redirect on the move. Every shift, Morrison was in the mix. There is a lot to like about her game as she finished the weekend with 3 points in 4 games.

Ali Sanders #46 (NAHA Red 16U, F, 2025) : Sanders was engaged at both ends of the ice. She mucks and grinds in corners and wins a lot of corner battles for the puck. She did a great job of getting in shooting lanes and making big timely shot blocks. Sanders does a lot of hard work that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet.

Allison Ryan #9 (Minnetonka High School, F, 2026) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Ryan made a lot of great little touches to short areas for herself. She is quick with good agility and can just chip pucks into areas for her to skate into while defenders are being forced to pivot. But by the time the defenders were turning around, Ryan had already picked the puck and began to make shifty and creative plays. She generates a lot of offense with her speed, creativity, and puck control. She had 3 points in 4 games on the weekend.

Piper Gwinn #6 (Culver Academy, F, 2027) : Gwinn can move quickly up ice with or without control of the puck. She gets her share of chances in the offensive zone. She can control the puck and can put the puck in the back of the net. Gwinn has the ability to take it and charge forward no matter the pressure.

Alexandria Tholl #5 (Dallas Stars Elite U16, D, 2025) : Alexandria makes good things happen. She can pressure the play and she can cause turnovers. She makes the most out of her opportunities and doesn’t back down. She keeps fighting and does a nice job in the small areas of the ice. Her drive and energy can stand out and she plays her game. 

B

Sophia LaColla #8 (Little Caesars U16, D, 2025) : LaColla will step up to keep pucks in play and to control the play from the blue line. She has good instincts and great reactions time. She pinches and closes the gap, so the forwards will not get out of the zone. She uses her linemates and her D partner to help push the puck up ice. LaColla keeps her head on a swivel, and she stays focused on the game.

Audrey Davis #10 (Edina High School, D, 2027) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Davis picked up only one goal for the weekend and it was definitely a great shot that went high blocker. She has some good size, a powerful shot, and is a strong skater who can cover a lot of ice quickly. Her big stride and reach allow her to drive wide easily on defenders. Unfortunately, she does have her head down a lot when stickhandling. If she’s able to improve that aspect of her game, she will have better vision of the ice and potentially be a higher offensive threat with more chances at the goal.

Grace Laager #14 (Centennial High School, F, 2027) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Laager has good size, strength, and athletic ability. She has a heavy shot, moves fluidly, and plays with pace. She does a nice job of utilizing her size to protect the puck, but was seen over stick handling and losing pucks often.

Addison Dahl #8 (Team Wisconsin U16, D, 2026) (Team Wisconsin) : Dahl has some good size in the 5-foot 6/7-inch range. She jumped up on the play often and showed her offensive prowess and led the team in points with two assists. She is strong at net front battles at either net and she showed great hand-eye coordination getting great redirects on net.

Josie Grossman #16 (Lakeville South High School, F, 2025) : Josie creates chances and gets her team in scoring positions. She can be tenacious and aggressive in the offensive zone. She knows how to produce but seemed a little more laid back. When she gives it her all she can be hard on it and hard to read or defend.

Britt Lybecker #26 (Culver Academy, F, 2027) : Lybecker can play in many different areas of the ice and in different situations. She has good vision and reads and reacts quickly to the play in front of her. She can adjust and put herself in the right place at the right time. Lybecker is a young player with drive and potential.

Haven Mills #77 (Dallas Stars Elite U16, D, 2026) : Haven does a nice job making tape to tape passes. She gets things moving up ice and deep into the O zone. She drops down at the right time and can sneak in behind the forward/play. She keeps nice gap control and angles the forwards to the outside and away from the net.

Avery Villacorta #94 (Team Illinois U16, F, 2027) : Villacorta is a quick player. She uses stops and starts to read and react to the play in front of her. She has speed to win the race and to get to the net for rebounds and scoring opportunities. Avery pressures hard and plays each shift hard and plays to win.

Brooke Gnetz #5 (Woodbury High School, D, 2026) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Gnetz made many great outlets. She snaps passes with lots of heat tape to tape and plays excellent heads up hockey. She skates well and creates space on the regroup so she can make that great first pass, moving the play north in a hurry. She only picked up one point on the weekend but was absolutely the catalyst of moving the puck up ice quickly and efficiently.

Faye Brunke #21 (Team Wisconsin U16, F, 2026) : Brunke didn’t show up on the scoresheet in the tournament, but she showed a lot of tenacity to her game. She has good speed and uses it well to pressure pucks and take away space. When she does close gaps and force players down the boards and is strong on the body when she does. She is very hard working each shift and very athletic in her movement.

Mika Cichosz #7 (Albert Lea, D, 2025) (MSP Magazine, D) : Cichosz added 2 assists on the weekend and showed lots of puck patience on her outlets. Her puck patience created lanes and allowed her teammates to swing into routes. She has good size, makes smart passes, and makes the breakout run smoothly.

Maya Engler #14 (Andover High School, F, 2025, St. Thomas) (MSP Magazine) : Engler plays every shift and does everything hard. She made hard/heavy passes on the move. She was hard on bodies along the walls to win puck battles or force turnovers. Engler even shoots hard from anywhere and has potential to score from any range. However, her backcheck did not see the same hard effort that she put forth going north.

Charlotte Crudale #17 (Anaheim Lady Ducks U16, F, 2025) : Crudale puts herself in good positions. She gets her job done and gets her share of chances. She has a quick release, and puts pucks on net to create offense. Crudale is effective in the offensive zone to help create time and space as well as create her own offense. She works for her opportunities. 

B-

Audrey Barretto #17 (Honeybaked U19, D, 2026) : Barretto has a lot of great hustle in her game. While she only picked up one point on the weekend, she was relentlessly hard working every shift she was seen. She does a nice job of moving pucks, especially out of her own zone. She was not particularly strong on her skates in contact, but she does have good footwork and quick direction changing abilities.

Senja Leeper #16 (Minnetonka High School, F, 2025) (MSP Magazine) : Leeper plays with excellent pace. She tallied a goal and one assist for the weekend and created plenty of other chances. She makes strong passes with lots of heat tape to tape.

Katya Sander #19 (Holy Family, F, 2026) (Pellicci Ace Hardware) : Sanders was strong on the D-side of the puck. She had great gaps, forced players to pinch points, took away time and space. She showed excellent lateral movement and some escapability with the puck.

C+

Teagan Kulenkamp #19 (Centennial High School, F, 2025) (MSP Magazine) : Kulenkamp did not show up on the scoresheet this weekend, but she showed some cerebral play and willingness to do the little things that can help the team. An example of her play was getting sticks on players to front them the neutral zone or just inside her own zone and give her defenders more time to retrieve pucks and make a play. She skates well and makes lots of strong plays on the D-side of the puck.

Nicole Bethune #30 (NAHA Red 16U, G) : Bethune did a nice job to fight through traffic and find pucks. She wisely stays up on long shots and collapses well on in tight shots, making herself compact to limit rebounds.