Hot 10

Many of these players (not surprisingly) are on the early stat leaders list.

1. Brandon Saad (F/92) - USNTDP U18 (99.9999% probability he's going to the OHL)
2. Luke Juha (D/93) - Burlington-CCHL (defensive scoring machine, if Lessio bails on the NCAA route, so will this kid...IMHO)
3. Rocco Grimaldi (F/93) - USNTDP U17 (the 93's seem more reluctanct to commit than previous birthyears, but this waterbug should be getting attention)
4. Nick Ebert (D/94) - Waterloo-USHL (yes he's very young, but he's also a nice sized defensemen holding his own in the USHL)
5. Matt Esposito (F/92) - Green Mountain-EJHL (sure it's a weaker league, but this kid has 10 points more than his closest teammate!)
6. Michael Voran (F/90) - Sioux Falls-USHL (yes he was passed over for the draft twice, but his success in the USHL is going to make him very popular)

So who did I miss?

Central Scouting 2010 Draft Rankings - USHL

Strangely missing is Sahir Gill, but otherwise, here are the uncommitted 2010 eligible USHL players that made Central Scouting's preliminary list...

F – BRENDAN WOODS - CHICAGO
F – NICK CZINDER - YOUNGSTOWN
G – ERIC MIHALIK - DES MOINES

Early Season Stats

These are all youngsters that are off to quick starts on the stat sheets. None of these players are old enough to have been passed over for the draft yet.

Alex Micallef (D/92) – Villanova-OJAHL
Brandon Saad (F/92) – USNTDP U18
Danny Federico (F/92) – Bruins-EJHL
Dylan Smith (F/92) – Estevan-SJHL
Eric Coulombe (F/92) – Steinbach-MJHL
Luke Juha (D/93) – Burlington-CCHL
*Matt Esposito (F/92) – Green Mountain-EJHL
Matt VanVoorhis (D/93) – USNTDP U17
Ryan Haggerty (F/93) – USNTDP U17
Shane Walsh (F/91) – South Shore-EJHL
Shawn Pauly (F/92) – Wenatchee-NAHL
Tony Calderone (F/94) – Victory Honda U16
Walker Hyland (D/91) – Woodbury HS
Will Suter (F/92) – Russell Stovers U18

*Not to be confused with the goalie who played Major Juniors a couple of years ago.

Central Scouting Players to Watch List for the 2010 Draft

These are the A & B rated players who are eligible for college yet uncommited. There are also many C rated players, more than I cared to list. The list of USHL players to watch has not yet been released...

A Rated Players
F – JASON CLARK, SHAT.ST.MARY'S
G – SAM BRITTAIN, CANMORE (AJHL)

B Rated Players
F – BEAU BENNETT, PENTICTON (BCHL)
F – TYSON FULTON, BRECK HS
F – SETH HAMILTON, BUFFALO REGALS
F – GARNET HATHAWAY, ANDOVER PREP
F – GARRETT HENDRICKSON, VIRGINIA HS
F – J.P. LAFONTAINE, SHAT.ST.MARY'S
F – BRANDON MCNALLY, BELMONT HILL
F – SHAWN PAULY, WENATCHEE (NAHL)
F – AARON PEARCE, GEORGETOWN (OJAHL)
F – JAMES POLK, SHAT.ST.MARY'S
F – DAVID ROY, BROCKVILLE (CJHL)
D – JOEL BENSON, ALPENA (NAHL)
D – CRAIG BOKENFOHR, CAMROSE (AJHL)
D – ELIOTT BOSTROM, TAFT SCHOOL
D – JOHN CALDWELL, BELMONT HILL
D – DUSTIN DAROU, SMITHS FALLS (CJHL)
D – SCOTT DAWSON, NEPEAN (CJHL)
D – CARTER FOGUTH, MARQUETTE (NAHL)
D – SEBASTIEN GINGRAS, BROCKVILLE (CJHL)
D – NICHOLAS LUUKKO, THE GUNNERY
D – MIKE REARDON, NOBLES PREP
D – BRETT STERN, CENTENNIAL HS
G – MARTIN OUELLETTE, KIMBALL UNION

USNTDP - 1993's

Here are the names and previous teams of the uncommited members of the new NTDP U17 team...

Forwards
Cole Bardreau - Rochester Allaince Midget Minor
Tyler Biggs - Toronto Jr. Canadians
Dan Carlson - Maple Grove H.S.
Rocco Grimaldi - Little Caesars Midget Major
Ryan Haggerty - Trinity Catholic H.S.
Zac Larraza - P.F. Chang's Midget Major
JT Miller - Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major
Blake Pietila - Detroit Compuware Midget Minor
Adam Reid - LA Selects Midget Minor

Defensemen
Barrett Kaib - Culver Academy
Jake McCabe - Eau Claire Memorial H.S./Team Wisconsin
Connor Murphy - Columbus Jr. Blue Jackets Midget Minor
Michael Paliotta - Choate Rosemary Hall
Alexx Privitera - New Jersey Avalance Midget Minor
Matt Van Voorhis - Edina H.S.

Top Prospects You've Never Heard Of

...and you might never hear of again. Playing for the USA, trying out for the NTDP, and scoring points in a top junior league are among the easiest ways to get attention from college hockey fans looking for their favorite team's next potential recruit. However, any diehard fan won't have difficulty coming up with an example of a future college stud who didn't take any of the afformentioned routes. Here are a few players I think could potentially fit the bill, or not.

Seth Ronsberg - (F/91) - Winkler Flyers-MJHL
Why? Seth played Tier III junior hockey in the MnJHL instead of high school because his dad was the coach. Though the level of hockey is low, he was named POTY even though he was a 17-year-old playing against 20-year-olds. Seth could have played for North Iowa of the NAHL next season, but has decided to move north of the border to Winkler instead.

Wally Cossette - (D/90) - Waterloo-USHL
Another player known a little in Minnesota, he's a nice sized defensive defensman playing for Waterloo next season. He looks better in person than on the stat sheet, though the USHL's habit of tracking +/- rating can only help his stock.

Drew Brown - (F/92) - Chelsea HS
In Michigan he's well known, but prospectors outside the state tend to focus on the midget players. He earned the Michigan HS POTY award as a junior last season.

Brandon McNally - (F/92) - Bellmont Hill
You may have heard of him from scouting services, this blog, or because he was drafted in the 11th round of the QMJHL draft... but you didn't see him at the Select 17 Camp. However, that doesn't mean the big name schools aren't interested.

Kyle O'Brien - (D/93) - Cushing Academy
Another Select Camp no show.

USA U18 Select Team for Ivan Hlinka Tournament

These would be your eligible 1992 born players. Just to give you an idea of how hot these prospect are, last year there were nine uncommitted players selected to play in the Ivan Hlinka. Seven have since committed to play D1 college hockey or have gone to major juniors. The best performers on this list will not only receive multiple scholarship offers, they'll gain valuable exposure for the 2010 or 2011 NHL drafts. Like last year, expect that some commitments will come immediately after the August 11th-15th event, or possibly just before.

Forwards
Kyle Rau

Defensemen
Jamieson Oleksiak

USA U17 Select Team for Five Nations Tournament

Here we go! Outside of the NTDP players, these are the hottest uncommited Americans born in 1993...

Forwards
Ben Bahe - Hill Murray HS
Kevin Becker - Hill Murray HS
Kenneth Gillespie - East Coast Eagles
Anthony Greco - Shattuck-St. Mary’s U16 Midget
Christian Horn - Benilde-St. Margaret's HS
Alex Racino - Team Wisconsin
Lukas Sutter - Lethbridge Titans
Austin Wuthrich - Alaska All Stars

Defensemen
Brian Cooper - Alaska All Stars
Garrett Haar - LA Selects
Jake McCabe - Team Wisconsin/Eau Claire Memorial
Dan Molenaar - Eden Prairie HS
Connor Murphy - Ohio Blue Jackets

Goaltenders
Brendan Jensen - LA Selects
Jay Williams - TPH Thunder/Hotchkiss Prep

Select 17 Camp All-Star Roster

The All-Star selections for the final day of camp could probably be considered a preview of candidates for the Ivan Hlinka Tournement.

Forwards
Brian Ferlin
Garrett Allen
John McCarron
Kyle Rau
Max Edson
Terrance Wallin
Vahe Zakaryan

Defensemen
Brandon Carlson
Jamieson Oleksiak
Jordan Young
William Eiserman

Goaltenders
Cody Campbell
Matt Braun
Ryan McKay

Select 17 Camp Round-Up

Like before, the statistical sample is too small and the nature of the event is too different to draw any conclusions from the stat leaders list, but here it is anyway. Again, the team selected to participate in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament will be more telling. All of these players were born in 1992 and are uncommitted...

Forwards
1. Max Edson - Salisbury Prep
2. Terrence Wallin - Gunnery Prep
3. Mark Naclerio - Avon Old Farms Prep
4. Vahe Zakaryan - California Wave
5. John McCarron - Little Caesar's
6. Garrett Allen - Milwaukee Jr. Admirals
7. Gunnar Hughes - Salisbury Prep
8. AJ Reid - St. Thomas Academy
9. William Kessel - Honeybaked
10. Andrew Huff - Honeybaked
11. Kyle Rau - Eden Prarie HS
12. Brian Ferlin - Jacksonville Ice Dogs
13. Adrean Copeland - Buffalo Jr. Sabres
14. Kenneth Babinski - Midland
15. Tyler Hope - Dallas Penguins
16. Garret Hendrickson - Virginia HS
17. Nick Lappin - Chicago Mission

Offensive Defensemen
1. Clay Scott - Shady Side Academy
2. Jonathan Mleczko - Milton Academy
3. Eric Robinson - Berkshire Prep
4. Zack Rall - Alaska All-Stars
5. Brandon Carlson - Chicago Mission
6. Dominic Racobaldo - Shattuck Prep
7. Craig Wyszomirski - Jersey Hitmen-EmpireJHL
8. Jose Delgadillo - Milwaukee Jr. Admirals
9. Jide Idowu - Walpole-MetropolitanJHL

Select 16 Camp Round-Up

The stats don't mean a whole lot because of the extremely small sample size, but I'm not about to list all of the participants. All of these players are D1 prospects based on the rigorous tryouts they went through to get to this point. There will be a follow up post to this one listing the uncommitted players who were selected to represent the USA in the Five Nations Tournament. Meanwhile, these are all 1993 born players...

Forwards
1. Cason Hohmann - Cedar Rapids - USHL
2. Christian Horn - Benilde St. Margaret's HS
3. Ben Foster -
4. Ben Bahe - Hill-Murray HS
5. Travis Boyd - NTDP
6. Joseph Prescott - St. Sebastian's
7. Kyle Gattelaro - Florida Everblades
8. Tyler Poulsen - Eugene Generals
9. Austin Wuthrich - Alaska All-Stars
10. Alex Racino - Merrill HS
11. Brendan Burke - St. Sebastian's
12. Kenneth Gillespie - East Coast - SEJHL
13. Seth Swenson - Colorado Thunderbirds
14. Brian Hart - Greely HS
15. Evan Schultz - Portland - EmpireJHL

Offensive Defensemen
1. Dan Molenaar - Eden Prarie HS
2. Tyler Rostenkowski - Culver Academy
3. Alexx Privitera - NTDP
4. Garrett Haar - LA Selects AAA
5. Travis Walsh - Capital Center Pride
6. Joakim Ryan - NJ Devils - AtlanticJHL
7. Brian Cooper - Alaska All-Stars
8. Jake McCabe - NTDP

Uncommitted NHL Draft Picks

Just one left!!

204. New Jersey Devils - Curtis Gedig - (D/91) - Cowichan Valley

NHL Draft This Weekend

Just a reminder (though it's posted below)...

76. Thompson, Blake - D - Sioux Falls
115. Gedig, Curtis - D - Cowichan Valley
117. Kane, Cory - F - Vernon
125. Scott, Berkley - F - Anoka High School
126. Hughes, Kyle - F - Salisbury
133. Duprey, Luke - D - Andover
143. Carrabino, Joe - D - Millbrook
145. Goldberg, Jacob - F - Berkshire
156. Lee, Oleg - F - Fargo
160. Taft, Charlie - F - Edina High
161. Hourihan, Mark - F - Nobles
196. Boyd, Ronald (R.J.) - D - Cushing Academy
199. Gurianov, Georgiy - F - Walpole
201. Berkle, Adam - F - Northwood School
203. Krushelnyski, Alexander - F - Chicago
205. Knodel, Eric - D - Philadelphia Jr. B
210. O'Donoghue, Dan - F - Ny Bobcats

...these are the CSB NA ranked skaters who are eligible to play NCAA hockey, yet have not committed to play anywhere. There were no uncommitted players drafted in 2008.

EJHL Prospect Rankings

I failed. I admit that, as a Minnesotan, I don't pay as much attention to the east as I should. My apologies. Hopefully, the prospect rankings for the EJHL should help make up for my errors.

The EJHL is really a league pretty much on par with the NAHL, despite the fact that the NAHL is technicallyTier II and the EJHL is Tier III. Like the NAHL, many of these players have secured their college commitments already. Some of the more talented players will go straight to D1, others will transition to the USHL. Due to the lack of youth on this list, I don't think any are considered hot commodities. For the most part, those players have made their college choices already.

Forwards
1. Geraci, Nick (89) - Jersey Hitmen
2. Morra, Steve (89) - Junior Bruins
3. Mitchell, Adam (90) - Baystate Breakers
4. Cantor, Alex (90) - Jersey Hitmen
5. Budnick, Joe (91) - Bridgewater
6. DiFruscio, Mark (90) - Apple Core
7. Ors, Dennis (89) - Junior Bruins

Offensive Defensemen
1. Descoteaux, Nolan (89) - South Shore Kings
2. Merrill, Greg (90) - Baystate Breakers
3. Kimmel, Sabastion (88) - Junior Huskies
4. Grace, Mike (89) - Capital District Selects
5. Barbieri, Dylan (89) - Bridgewater Bandits

Brandon Saad

This is the first post I've ever made about an individual prospect, but considering he's #3 on my Hot 15 and I mentioned he's going the OHL route, I thought it merits attention. Anybody who's got a subscription to the fourth resource down (over on the right) will have noticed that Brandon Saad is going to play with the NTDP next season rather than join the OHL team that chose him 10th overall in their draft last year. Now, that doesn't mean that he won't end up there eventually, but it gives all NCAA D1 programs a good opportunity to convince him otherwise.

Brandon's brother George will be given an opportunity to play for Youngstown of the USHL next season after being selected in the recent Entry Draft. If George makes the final roster, keep an eye out for what opportunites become available to him. That could potentially be a factor, as part of the reason Brandon was in the NAHL last season was so he could play with his brother. This could get interesting.

USHL Entry Draft

Here are the first two rounds of uncommitted players selected in the May 13th USHL Entry Draft. Though some of these players project better as junior players than college players, odds are that 95% of them will earn a D1 scholarship. Also, you can assume that some of these players improved their draft stock because they're likely to report to the USHL team that drafted them.

Forwards
Michael Voran - (90) - Wenatchee-NAHL
Blake Coleman - (91) - Dallas Stars AAA
DJ Vandercook - (90) - Wenatchee-NAHL
Brendan Woods - (92) - Williston Prep
Evan Kovacs - (91) - Grosse Point North HS

Defense
Austin Coldwell - (90) - Springfield-NAHL
Brandon Carlson - (92) - Chicago Mission
Dan Senkbeil - (91) - San Jose AAA
Tyler Amburgey - (91) - NTDP
Taylor Aronson - (91) - LA Jr. Kings
Nolan Zajac - (92) - Winnipeg Thrashers
JD Carrabino - (91) - Millbrook Prep

Goaltenders
Zane Gothberg - (92) - Thief River Falls HS
CJ Motte - (91) - Traverse City-NAHL
Ryan McKay - (92) - Chicago Young Americans

Hot 15 Prospects

It's been a while since I created a Hot 15 list. However, pretty much all of them would be listed on my previous ten or so posts. It occurs to me that a few more of these players than normal are likely to play Major Juniors, but as usual, I'll list them anyhow.

1. Matt Nieto (92/F) - NTDP (not sure, but the leading scorer without a commitment does not look good)
2. Brandon Saad (92/F) - NTDP (OHL possible, but the NTDP committment is a new wrinkle)
3. Adam Clendening (92/D) - NTDP (another goner)
4. Sahir Gill (92/F) - Vernon-BCHL
5. Rocco Grimaldi (93/F) - NTDP
6. Brendan Walker (92/F) - Portage-MJHL
7. Brendon Algeo (91/D) - Olds-AJHL
8. Sean Blunden (90/D) - Gloucester-CJHL
9. Daniel Carr (91/F) - St. Albert-AJHL
10. Andrew Ryan (93/D) - NTDP

Others to consider
Alexx Privitera (93/D) - NTDP
Andy Welinski (93/D) - Duluth East
Barrett Kaib (93/D) - NTDP
Brady Vail (94/F) - Compuware
Cole Bardreau (93/D) - NTDP
Dan Carlson - (93/F) - NTDP
Frankie Vatrano (94/F) - EmpireJHL
Jacob MacDonald (93/D) - Compuware
JT Miller (93/F) - NTDP
Kyle Rau (92/F) - Eden Prarie HS
Mat Bodie (90/D) - BCHL
Matt Van Voorhis (93/D) - NTDP
Michael Paliotta (93/D) - NTDP
Ryan Haggerty (93/F) - NTDP
Shane Sooth (92/F) - NTDP
Tyler Biggs (93/F) - NTDP
Zac Lazzara (93/F) - NTDP

Chicago Showcase

The data set is too small to draw any conclusions, but here are some players who had some statistically good individual performances at the Chicago Showcase that concluded April 19th...

Forwards
Schulz, Matt (Sr) - Team Northwest
Plutowski, Jake (Sr) - North Dakota
Vidal, Matthew (Sr) - New York
Malamud, Peter (Jr) - Philadelphia
Cimoch, Christopher J (Sr) - Illinois
Ziegler, JJ (Sr) - Team Northwest
Mcdonald, Chase (Sr) - Team Northwest
Crawford, Taylor (Sr) - Team Northwest
Petito, Jesse P (Sr) - New York
Dobrzeniecki, Alex J (Sr) - Indiana
Scully, John P (Jr) - Illinois
Cummings, Brandon R (Jr) - Arizona-New Mexico
Platt, Brandon (Jr) - Kentucky-West Virginia
Chase, Mike (Sr) - Northern New England

Defense
Carrabino, Joseph D (Jr) - New York
Linder, Christoffer (Jr) - Northern New England
Cornick, Kinsey Arthur (Jr) - Team Midwest
Stephens, Kyle (Sr) - North Dakota
Williams, Oliver J (Sr) - New York

Some, but not all, of these players will have the opportunity to continue their hockey careers in juniors. Some, but not many, of those players will be able to move on to D1 hockey. Funny thing is, the championship team from Minnesota had solid performances from several players, but didn't lean on any one player enough to put him on the list above. The D1 chances of players like Schyler Adams, Zach May, Andy Pearson, Tyler Voigt, and Sam Rendle are, in reality, better than the chances for most of the players listed above. Anyway, kudos to the Minnesota team and to the players who made the most of their opportunities.

MWEHL Midget Minor Prospect Rankings

Most people assume Hohman will play Major Juniors, but he's listed as long as he's eligible. There's some overlap amongst the best Midget Minors and their similarly aged Midget Major counterparts, so don't assume these players have any less potential. Also, notice Brady Vail on the list. He's the first '94 I've listed anywhere other than the all '94 list.

Forwards
1. Cason Hohman (93) - Compuware
2. Chris Sitler (92) - Belle Tire
3. Matt Berry (92) - Belle Tire
4. Omar Mullan (93) - Belle Tire
5. Michael Vilardo (92) - Team Illinois
6. A.J. Jarosz (93) - Team Illinois
7. Cory Czarnik (93) - Belle Tire
8. Nico Ruggeri (93) - Belle Tire
9. Brady Vail (94) - Compuware
10. Matthew Deblouw (93) - Belle Tire
11. Austin Farley (93) - Team Illinois

Offensive Defensemen
1. Jacob Macdonald (93) - Compuware
2. Craig Duininck (93) - Compuware
3. Dalton Young (93) - Belle Tire
4. Nick Muller (93) - Team Illinois
5. Jordan Oesterle (92) - Belle Tire

MWEHL Midget Major Prospect Rankings

The data on this league is full of holes, and I debated putting this together at all. However, as far as leagues are concerned, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and this league are where the future phenoms of college hockey are found, which is why I decided it was worth the effort. Many youngsters in this league are picked out for service in the NTDP, including players on this list. The 17 and 18 year olds will most likely move on to junior hockey next year (USHL or NAHL for the college bound). I'll put the Midget Minor players on a different post.

Forwards
1. Rocco Grimaldi (93) - Little Caesars
2. Kyle Gibbons (91) - Cleveland
3. Jimmy Murray (92) - Chicago Mission
4. Danny Bahntge (91) - Cleveland
5. Tucker Long (92) - St. Louis Amateur Blues
6. JT Miller (93) - Pittsburgh Hornets
7. Beau Bennett (91) - LA Kings
8. Anthony Hamburg (91) - Dallas Stars

Offensive Defensemen
1. Jason Binkley (92) - Cleveland
2. Nate Brown (91) - S2
3. Zach Schrotenboer (91) - Team Illinois
4. Cory Ramsey (91) - Dallas Stars
5. Brandon Carlson (92) - Chicago Mission
6. Brandon Lubin (91) - Little Caesars
7. Taylor Aronson (91) - LA Kings

CSB Final Rankings

76. Thompson, Blake - D - Sioux Falls
115. Gedig, Curtis - D - Cowichan Valley
117. Kane, Cory - F - Vernon
125. Scott, Berkley - F - Anoka High School
126. Hughes, Kyle - F - Salisbury
133. Duprey, Luke - D - Andover
143. Carrabino, Joe - D - Millbrook
145. Goldberg, Jacob - F - Berkshire
156. Lee, Oleg - F - Fargo
160. Taft, Charlie - F - Edina High
161. Hourihan, Mark - F - Nobles
196. Boyd, Ronald (R.J.) - D - Cushing Academy
199. Gurianov, Georgiy - F - Walpole
201. Berkle, Adam - F - Northwood School
203. Krushelnyski, Alexander - F - Chicago
205. Knodel, Eric - D - Philadelphia Jr. B
210. O'Donoghue, Dan - F - Ny Bobcats

USHL Prospect Rankings

Again, the USHL ranks are extremely picked through. Many of the top players come in with commitments in hand.

Forwards
1. Chartier, Brett (91) - Lincoln
2. Montpetit, Brock (90) - Waterloo
3. Illo, Radoslav (90) - Tri-City
4. Wolfe, Greg (90) - Chicago

Offensive Defensemen
1. Franks, Chris (89) - Fargo

Defensive Defensemen (straight +/- rating)
1. Albers, Kevin (91) - Green Bay
2. Ruhwedel, Chad (90) - Sioux Falls
3. Boldt, Taylor (90) - Indiana

NAHL Prospect Rankings

Woo hoo!! The NAHL is down, only the USHL is left. Funny thing is, the USHL is more picked over than the NAHL, so a couple of these guys could be better than a couple of those guys. The NTDP guys are extremely likely to be recruited by Major Juniors, but as of now, are still college eligible.

Forwards
1. Saad, Brandon (92) - Mahoning Valley
2. Nieto, Matthew (92) - NTDP U17
3. Etem, Emerson (92) - NTDP U17
4. Voran, Michael (90) - Wenatchee
5. Juola, Michael (89) - Fairbanks
6. Cecka, Dan (89) - Owatonna
7. Hudson, Chad (90) - Wichita Falls
8. Vandercook, DJ (90) - Wenatchee
9. Curry, Nick (89) - Springfield

Offensive Defensemen
1. Burrell, Brandon (90) - Wenatchee
2. Coldwell, Austin (90) - Springfield
3. Nelson, Josh (89) - Fairbanks
4. Sloat, Jacob (90) - Owatonna

OJHL Prospect Rankings

This is the last (and the biggest) Junior A league from Canada I'm going to do. Justin Baker is right at the top of my rankings for available Canadian junior players. I also like Blunden, Algeo, and Gill. DePape and Walker would also be favorites if they weren't likely to go Major Junior.

Forwards
1. McCarty, Jeremy (90) - Port Hope
2. Boddy, Blake (90) - Ajax
3. Tresham, Connor (91) - North York
4. Campbell, Colin (91) - Vaughan
5. Basso, Justin (90) - Milton
6. Peca, Dorian (89) - Vaughan
7. Carey, Greg (90) - Burlington
8. Ruberto, Anthony (89) - Hamilton
9. Cousineau, Josh (89) -Couchiching

Offensive Defensemen
1. Lamontagne, Micael (91) - Seguin
2. Campbell, Jim (90) - Newmarket

NTDP Tryout Roster

All were born in 1993. Committed recruits have been omitted.

Forwards
Adam Reid - LA Selects
Blake Pietila - Compuware Midget Minor
Cason Hohman - Compuware Midget Minor
Christian Horn - Benilde-St. Margaret's H.S.
Cole Bardreau - Rochester Midget Minor
Dan Carlson - Maple Grove H.S.
Dan Elser - Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
J.C. Campagna - Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets
J.T. Miller - Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major
Jack Barre - Salisbury School
Kevin Irwin - Cleavland Barons Midget Major
Max Birkinbine - White Bear Lake H.S.
Michael Sit - Edina H.S.
Rocco Grimaldi - Little Caesars Midget Major
Ryan Haggerty - Trinity Catholic
Tanner Sorenson - Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
Thomas Schutt - Minnetonka H.S.
Travis Boyd - Hopkins H.S.
Tyler Biggs - Toronto Jr. Canadiens Midget Minor
Vince Trocheck - Little Caesars Midget Major
Zac Larazza - P.F. Changs Midget Major

Defensemen
Alex Lepkowski - St. Francis High School, NY
Alexx Privitera - New Jersey Avalanche Midget Minor
Andy Welinski - Duluth East H.S.
Barrett Kaib - Culver Academy
Colin Suellentrop - Compuware Midget Minor
Dan Molenaar -Eden Prairie H.S.
J.D. Cotroneo - Hill-Murray H.S.
Jacob MacDonald - Compuware Midget Minor
Jake Worrad - Elgin-Middlesex Midget
Joakim Ryan - NJ Devils Midget Minor
Keegan Lowe Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
Matt Van Voorhis - Edina H.S.
Michael Paliotta - Choate Rosemary Hall

Goaltenders
Daniel Liesman - Capital Center Midget
Garrett Sparks - Team Illinois Midget MinorTeam Red
John Gibson - Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Minor
Kevin Ventroso - Bridgewater Bandits
Matt Mahalak - Culver Prep

CJHL Prospect Rankings

Forwards
1. Stockton, Shayne (89) - Brockville
2. Cross, Damian (89) - Pembroke
3. Byrd, Mike (88) - Brockville
4. Creppin, Andrew (90) - Gloucester
5. Milley, Jonathan (91) - Smiths Falls
6. Just, Kyle (91) - Pembroke
7. Pandurevic, Dario (90) - Smiths Falls
8. Roy, David (92) - Brockville
9. Ouellette, Mathieu (89) - Cumberland
10. Barron, Max (90) - Nepean

Offensive Defensemen
1. Blunden, Sean (90) - Gloucester
2. Poirier, Sebastien (90) - Pembroke
3. Carriveau, Zachary (90) - Nepean
4. Darou, Dustin (91) - Smiths Falls
5. Clark, Jacob (91) - Smiths Falls

MJHL Prospect Rankings

All signs point to DePape going to the WHL like his older brother, but official his eligibility isn't shot yet.

Forwards
1. Jordan DePape (92) - Winnipeg Saints
2. Brenden Walker (92) - Portage
3. Blake Chartier (89) - Winnipeg Saints
4. Shane Luke (90) - Dauphin
5. Nick Lazorko (89) - Winkler
6. Zeanan Buternowski (89) - OCN
7. Russ Payne (88) - Selkirk
8. Michael Wilgosh (90) - Winkler
9. Adam Pleskach (88) - Selkirk
10. Craig Simchuk (89) - Winnipeg Saints

Offensive Defensemen
1. Troy Kliever (90) - Winkler
2. Caleb Suderman (89) - Winkler
3. Steven Shamanski (89) - Dauphin
4. Dylan Heide (91) - Selkirk
5. Kevin Falloon (88) - Dauphin

SJHL Prospect Rankings

Forwards
1. Cole Wilson (90) - Flin Flon
2. Brett Leedahl (88) - Kindersley
3. Logan Herauf (90) - Melville
4. Deven Stillar (90) - Melfort
5. Chad Filteau (89) - Esteven
6. Dane Muench (92) - Battlefords
7. Brody Haygarth (90) - Esteven
8. Alex Lamontagne (89) - Flin Flon
9. Spencer Braaten (90) - Humboldt

Offensive Defensemen
1. Tanner Vandesype (88) - Humboldt
2. Rhys Thomas (90) - Weyburn
3. Taylor Thiessen (89) - Nipawin
4. Justin Favreau (88) - Weyburn

AJHL Prospect Rankings

These forwards range from 4th to 25th in the overall player rankings. The offensive defensemen range from 1st through 9th.

Forwards
1. Daniel Carr (91) St. Albert
2. John Dunbar (91) Calgary Canucks
3. Bryce Williamson (89) St. Albert
4. Reed Linaker (91) St. Albert
5. Chris Duszynski (89) Okotoks
6. James Bannister (89) Okotoks
7. Mitchell Maxwell (90) Olds
8. Scott Hudson (88) Sherwood Park

Offensive Defensemen
1. Brendon Algeo (91) Olds
2. Ryan Wilkinson (91) St. Albert
3. Nicholas Bell (90) Okotoks

BCHL Prospect Rankings

Applying the same principles to the BCHL as I did for the Minnesota High Schools, here are the prospect rankings I got back...

FORWARDS
1. Sahir Gill (92) Vernon
2. Trever Hertz (89) Victoria
3. Trevor Bailey (89) Westside
4. Chad Niddery (90) Powell River
5. Chris Santiago (89) Surrey
6. Mitch MacMillan (89)Alberni Valley
7. Jordan Grant (90) Powell River
8. Ryan Viselli (89) Penticton
9. Garrick Perry (90) Burnaby

OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN
1. Ashford McMaster (88) Salmon Arm
2. Brad Bourke (89) Merritt
3. Steve Koshey (91) Trail

With the exception of Gill, I don't see a lot of blockbuster potential amongst the forwards here. All the of blue chippers are already taken. What you see here are ten forwards that rank between 16 and 46 in my rankings. All of the rest rated above them were already committed or ineligible.

As for the defensemen, all five are amongst the top 11 in my prospect rankings for offensive defensemen.

Minnesota High School Prospect Rankings

These are my Player Rankings adjusted by class.

Forwards
1. Boyd, Travis - Hopkins HS - Fr
2. Rau, Kyle - Eden Prairie HS - So
3. May, Zach - Burnsville HS - Sr
4. Reilly, Connor - Holy Angels HS - Sr
5. Nelson, Brock - Warroad HS - Jr
6. Gaarder, Connor - Edina HS - Sr
7. Reid, AJ - St Thomas Academy - So
8. Hendrickson, Garrett - Virginia HS - So
9. Pearson, Andy - Burnsville HS - Sr
10. Miller, Eric - Red Wing HS - So
11. Hebel, Brett - Warroad HS - Jr
12. Crandall, Justin - St Thomas Academy - Jr
13. Anderson, Mike - St Paul Saints HS - Fr
14. Skalbeck, Archie - Hopkins HS - Jr
15. Horn, Christian - Benilde St Margarets HS - Fr
16. Adams, Charlie - Mahtomedi HS - Jr
17. Lapic, Darren - New Prague HS - So
18. Krause, Adam - Hermantown HS - Jr
19. Useldinger, Jake - East Grand Forks HS - Jr
20. Lovick, Jordan - Centennial HS - Jr

Offensive Defensemen
1. Prochno, Andrew - Minnetonka HS - Jr
2. Reilly, Mike - Holy Angels HS - Fr
3. J.Faust, Joe - Bloomington Jefferson HS - Jr
4. Prow, Ethan - Sauk Rapids HS - So
5. Berglund, Izaak - Little Falls HS - Sr
6. Pauluk, Jeffrey - Bloomington Jefferson HS - Jr
7. Fleming, Taylor - St Thomas Academy - So
8. Rendle, Sam - Grand Rapids HS - Sr
9. Paczynski, Jeff - Hermantown HS - Jr
10. Corrin, Willie - International Falls HS - Jr
11. Brevig, Drew - Lakeville South HS - So
12. Molenaar, Dan - Eden Prairie HS - So
13. Palmquist, Zach - South St Paul HS - Sr
14. Krebsbach, Jordan - Virginia HS - Jr
15. Jaremko, Ryan - Elk River HS - So

How accurate are they? Well, that's for you to ultimately decide, but five of the top six forwards were already committed and thus are removed from the list. Likewise for three of the top eight offensive defensemen.

American Development Model

For a while I've been trying to come up with a visual way to describe the American Development Model (ADM) as proposed by USA Hockey. I think I've come pretty close, though all input (well, most anyway) is appreciated.



First, a little background on the proposal. The biggest change would be the creation of the High Performance Club League (HPC). There would be 36 teams in six regions. Each club would have a team for each birthyear from the Midget Major level down to the Pee Wee level (except the U17 birth year, those players would be forced into the Midget Major level or seek other options). The league will start no earlier than the 2010-2011 season. I think the purpose of the ADM from the NHL perspective (NHL donated money to help fund this effort) is to create and better identify more NHL prospects. From the USA Hockey perspective, it's to create more options for American players who would otherwise play Major Junior hockey .

As for how to read my chart... I tried to include the approximate number of players in each level. If it has a 9999 in it, it means there are either A LOT of players or too many to count. You can assume the NAHL is representative of most second level junior leagues.

Now, for the main reason why I created this chart. I think a lot of causal prospect fans want to know how players in different leagues stack up. The chart was designed to show equivelancies. For example, an elite player really has two options: Play at the elite level for your age group; Or, play with older players. Look at 16 year old Brandon Saad who turned down a spot with the NTDP and is instead playing on an NAHL team... same level. An elite 18 year old like Jake Gardiner, as you'd suspect, would be in the NCAA playing as a true freshman and not in the USHL. In fact, the USHL is never an elite option for an 18 year old, but it certainly would be for a 17 year old (like a Paul Phillips). An elite 20 year old, unless he's really dedicated to getting his degree, is probably ready to move on to pro hockey.

There are two types of players that aren't playing in the right spot on this chart. First, you can probably think of several players who are playing at a lower level because of choice. Many Minnesota High School players turn down offers to go to the USHL and/or NTDP in order to stay closer to home and/or win a state championship. The second type of player is the "Super Elite" player, of which there are usually no more than one or two for any give birthyear. 1993 born Seth Ambroz would normally play no higher than Midget Major for a team like Little Caesar's. Instead, he's thriving in the USHL... quite impressive. Last year, 1991 born Jeremy Morin played with the 1990 born players on the NTDP U18 team. This type of player is rare, and they don't always stay ahead of players in their age groups.

Also, keep in mind that the quality of teams in each league can overlap the quality of teams in other leagues, but I think that I have the leagues as a whole on the appropriate levels.

Anyway, I hope this has been of assistance. Again (some of your) feedback is welcome.

EDIT: Reports are now saying that the HPC proposal as it currently stands is DOA. I don't know what any sort of compromise would look like, but I'm going to leave the graphic of the original proposal up top. Below is how US Hockey looks right now...

As you can see, the options for Elite and Tier 1 players in the current setup are still there, but limited. For example, a Tier 1 U18 player (1991 birthdate right now) either has to play down in Midget Major or Prep, or he can slide over to a second level junior league to play at a more challenging level.

EDIT: In another twist, it looks like the NTDP U17 team is moving up a league from the NAHL to the USHL. I have issues with this for several reasons, the least of which is that the NTDP has only the 8th best winning percentage in the league. Why do they feel the team isn't getting challenged? I think I know why USA Hockey and the NHL have conspired to do this, and I have my opinions on who the winners and losers are in this regard. However, I try to keep biased opinions off this blog as much as I can. Trying to represent this new situation in graphical form could be a challenge. I think I'll wait until I see how next season shakes out. My guess is that the U17 team (without the help of the U18 team) will struggle to win many games at all.

Minnesota High School Player Rankings

By special request, here are the latest player rankings, committed players omitted. At the end of the season I'll add the grade they're currently in. After that, it'll be easier to pinpoint the younger players, who you would assume have the higher potential to be elite D1 prospects.

Forwards
1. May, Zach - Burnsville HS
2. Reilly, Connor - Holy Angels HS
3. Horgan, Riley - Mound Westonka HS
4. Pearson, Andy - Burnsville HS
5. Nelson, Brock - Warroad HS
6. King, Zack - Burnsville HS
7. Gaarder, Connor - Edina HS
8. Adams, Schyler - New Prague HS
9. Haeg, John - Holy Angels HS
10. Westin, Chris - Virginia HS
11. Boyd, Travis - Hopkins HS
12. Rau, Kyle - Eden Prairie HS
13. Adams, Charlie - Mahtomedi HS
14. Krause, Adam - Hermantown HS
15. Alexander, Tom - Rochester Mayo HS

Offensive Defensemen
1. Berglund, Izaak - Little Falls HS
2. Rendle, Sam - Grand Rapids HS
3. Faust, Joe - Bloomington Jefferson HS
4. Prochno, Andrew - Minnetonka HS
5. Miller, Gus - St Cloud Tech HS
6. Corrin, Willie - International Falls HS
7. Pauluk, Jeffrey - Bloomington Jefferson HS
8. Paczynski, Jeff - Hermantown HS
9. Bradley, Eric - Mounds View HS
10. Prow, Ethan - Sauk Rapids HS

Midterm Rankings

76. VALEK, DAVID (F) USA U-18 USDP
81. THOMPSON, BLAKE (D) SIOUX FALLS USHL
93. BENNETT, SPENCER SURREY (F) BCHL
94. SCOTT, BERKLEY (F) ANOKA HIGH SCHOOL HIGH-MN
109. LEE, OLEG (F) FARGO USHL
110. DUPREY, LUKE (F) ANDOVER HIGH-MA
118. GOTOVETS, KIRILL (D) SHAT.ST.MARY'S HIGH-MN
120. YOUNG, GUS (D) NOBLES HIGH-MA
140. RAYNER, WILLIAM (F) SOUTH KENT SCHOOL HIGH-CT
142. HOURIHAN, MARK (F) NOBLES HIGH-MA
145. GURIANOV, GEORGIY (F) WALPOLE JR 'B' USMAAA
148. BEAUCHEMIN, JEAN (D) RUSSELL STOVER MWEHL
155. AMBURGEY, TYLER (D) USA U-18 USDP
162. KANE, CORY (F) VERNON BCHL
163. TAFT, CHARLIE (F) EDINA HIGH HIGH-MN
165. GEDIG, CURTIS (F) MERRITT BCHL
166. WEY, PATRICK (D) WATERLOO USHL
172. O'DONOGHUE, DAN (F) NY BOBCATS ATLH
180. GILBERT, SAM (F) CHOATE-ROSEMARY HIGH-CT
184. SCHMITZ, JOE (D) CENTENNIAL HIGH-MN
187. LOGUE, SEAN (F) SOUTH SHORE EJHL
188. KRUSHELNYSKI, ALEXA (F) CHICAGO USHL
193. HERRINGTON, BROOKS (F) JR. MONARCHS EJHL
198. HUGHES, KYLE (F) SALISBURY HIGH-CT
202. GOLDBERG, JACOB (F) BERKSHIRE HIGH-MA
207. HUSEK, JAKUB (F) WYOMING SEMINARY PR HIGH-PA
209. KELLEY, STEPHEN (F) DEERFIELD HIGH-MA

Minnesota High School Player Rankings

It's been quite a while since my last post... sorry about that. You're all due for a new Hot 15, but instead you're going to get a player ranking based on a formula I'm still trying to tweak. Minnesota High School hockey is the most frustrating league to prospect from just looking at stats. The strength of schedule varies greatly from one team to the next. My thought was to create a formula to account for this, and I think I'm starting to get close. Since the +/- stat is missing too much data to help compare "defensive responisibility", you're going to get my top 15 uncommitted forwards and my top 10 uncommitted (offensive) defensemen. Now, this isn't going to include my thoughts on who's a better college prospect, it's just the players doing well (sometimes just because they're a senior on the top PP unit).

Forwards
1. Reilly, Connor - Holy Angels HS
2. Westin, Chris - Virginia HS
3. Gaarder, Connor - Edina HS
4. Gaede, Max - Woodbury HS
5. Jamnick, Aaron - Hibbing HS
6. McKee, Jake - Tartan HS
7. Haeg, John - Holy Angels HS
8. Skalbeck, Archie - Hopkins HS
9. Siiro, A.J. - Bloomington Jefferson HS
10. Horgan, Riley - Mound Westonka HS
11. Gross, Josh - Maple Grove HS
12. Persian, Ben - Orono HS
13. Christen, Dustin - St Cloud Apollo HS
14. Hendrickson, Garrett - Virginia HS
15. May, Zach - Burnsville HS
16. Worzala, Andy - Sartell HS
17. Lovick, Jordan - Centennial HS

Offensive Defensemen
1. Berglund, Izaak - Little Falls HS
2. Rendle, Sam - Grand Rapids HS
3. Krebsbach, Jordan - Virginia HS
4. J.Faust, Joe - Bloomington Jefferson HS
5. Prow, Ethan - Sauk Rapids HS
6. Peratelo, Spenser - Hibbing HS
7. Johnstone, Michael - Moorhead HS
8. Pauluk, Jeffrey - Bloomington Jefferson HS
9. Palmquist, Zach - South St Paul HS
10. Schmitz, Joe - Centennial HS
11. Prochno, Andrew - Minnetonka HS