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