2006 John Cunniff Chowder Cup Report

2006 John Cunniff Chowder Cup: Center of Hockey Excellence (CHE) Captures Title Over Champlain Valley (posted 9.4.06)F

by Vincent Montalbano

Nebraska-Omaha freshman goalie Jeremie Dupont led Ontario's Center of Hockey Excellence (CHE) to victory at the 2006 John Cunniff Chowder Cup. A total of 80 teams from around North America participated in the tournament held last month in Boston. Here are notes on some of the notable performers including Nick Palmieri and New Jersey draftee Tony Romano.

Visit link below for all highlight video clips, pictures, and complete tournament stats. Tournament Stats Via Pointstreak

Atlanta Jr. Flames

Matt Milley D, (Proctor) (3-1-1-2)

Plays a physical defensive game .. strong hitter and plays the body ever chance he has .. does very well with defensive zone coverage .. provides little offense, but does have a solid shot from the point.

Victor Saponari F, (Culver Academy) (3-2-0-2)

at Culver, had 6 goals and 16 assists in 43 games to go along with 53 penalty minutes .. has solid speed with a good stride .. possesses a hard, quick release on his shot .. had a quiet game offensively as the play was most in the defensive zone.

Will MacDonald F, (Culver Academy) (3-1-2-3)

-decent size forward with good speed and hands .. has the ability to skate the puck into the offensive zone or make crisp passes up the ice .. in the offensive zone he is smart with puck and uses his teammates well .. defensively he is very reliable and helped out when the team seemed to be running around .. on ice when team needed a goal to tie the game.

Chris Kamal G, (Gilmour) (3-1-0-1, 1.33 GAA)

-tremendous game against CHE (1-0 loss) in the playoffs .. comes out to challenge shooters and plays on top of crease .. kept his team in the game as he stopped numerous scoring chances from CHE .. solid positioning as he always gets square to shooter.

Atlantic Canadians

Michael Ford D, (Yarmouth Jr. A) (3-0-0-0)

-possesses a strong hard shot from the point and did occasionally join the rush .. had no points in the tournament, but does look like he has some offensive capabilities .. defensively, he did not have much work as his team dominated for most of the game.

Colby Longmire D, (Halifax Midget AA) (3-0-1-1)

-another offensive defenseman with good hands .. skates well with the puck and can make good outlet passes .. needs work defensively, especially keeping stick down in the passing lanes.

Luc Melanson F, (Saint John, QMJHL) (3-1-0-1)

-traded from Shawinigan to Saint John last year .. had a total of 22 games with 2 points (1 goal and 1 assist) .. showed good speed and patience with the puck .. had a quiet game.

Cody LeFrancois F/D, (Saint John Midget AAA) (3-2-2-4)

-played forward, but listed as a defenseman on the roster .. scored a nice goal by sneaking back door behind the defenseman .. has great vision in the offensive zone and moves the puck around well in the offensive zone with one touch passes .. showed good patience with the puck .. attended Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL training camp, but left camp to maintain his NCAA eligibility.

Lucas McKinley D, (Fredericton Midget AAA) (3-3-1-4)

-an offensive defenseman as seen with his three goals in three games .. scored a nice goal on a partial breakaway against Pro Am Stars .. defensively, he did not have much work .. he was able to use his body well and take the puck away and move it up to his teammates .. attending PEI Rockets training camp.

Adam McIllwraith F, (Restigouche Jr. A) (3-1-2-3)

-creative with the puck in the offensive zone .. made a tremendous pass to LeFrancois for his back door goal .. showed good patience with the puck and drew the defender to him before dishing it off .. works hard on the backcheck .. strong skater with a good stride.

Brendan Dooley F, (Saint John Midget AAA) (3-1-3-4)

-tremendous size (listed as 6'5") .. could be more physical .. his skating is decent for his size .. has good quickness, but not much strength in his strides .. has decent hands and good shot.

Mike Neil F, (Saint John, QMJHL) (3-2-1-3)

-drafted by Rouyn-Noranda in 2003, but traded to Saint John back in June 2005 .. played in 54 games for Saint John and had 2 goals and 4 assists with 26 PIM's .. moves the puck quickly and keeps his feet moving to get open .. has a good shot with a quick release .. a good, strong stride.

Bradley Smith F, (Charlottetown Midget AAA) (3 -1-2-3)

-good size (listed as 6'3") .. has good hands and moves the puck around well .. goes to the net hard .. has patience with the puck .. Bradley's biggest set-back is his skating .. he has no strength in his strides.

Andre Guay G, (Holderness) (2-1-1-0, 4.00 GAA)

-played in the first half of the game against Pro Am Stars .. was not tested much.

Andrew Flemming G, (Saint John Midget AAA) (2-1-0-0, 0.00 GAA)

-played in the second half of the game against Pro Am Stars .. was also not tested much in the game .. was very vocal with his defenseman .. very comfortable coming out to play the puck and move it up the ice.

Bret McGinnis F, (Saint John, QMJHL) (3-2-2-4)

-played in 10 games (0 points) for Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL .. has a quick release on his shot .. had a few scoring chances, but relatively quiet game against Pro Am Stars.

Brandywine Global Selects

Chris Gentile F, (Junior Flyers Midget) (3-1-1-2)

-showed good speed and hands .. drives to the net and seems to do whatever it takes to create some offense .. needs to work a little on his defensive coverage.

James Chamness F, (Avon Old Farms) (3-1-2-3)

-can play a chippy game at times even despite his size .. always seems to be the first one in one the forecheck .. uses teammates well, but has tendency to look to pass too much .. drives to the net hard and has ability to fight through checks .. moves the puck around the zone well .. scored a nice goal with his quick hands around the net .. he managed to quickly move the puck around a sprawling goalie and slide it into the empty net.

Trey Milstead F, (Junior Flyers Midget) (3-0-0-0)

-listed as 6'1", but seems to play smaller .. solid puck movement in the offensive zone, but could not seem to get his game going .. missed an open net when received a great pass from Chamness as he was open back door, but fired it wide.

Can Am Stars

Derek Foam D, (Brampton) (3-1-1-2)

-has good size (listed as 6'2") .. played for Brampton Capitals of the OHA .. in 48 games had 9 goals and 14 assists along with 37 PIM's .. has decent hands and joins the offense at times .. makes good decisions with the puck and strong defensively.

Luke Gazdic F, (Toronto) (3-2-1-3)

-last year for Wexford Raiders, Luke played in 47 games and had 17 goals-16 assists and 105 PIM's .. will play for the Junior Canadiens next year .. great size (listed as 6'4") .. uses his body well on the PP as he battles in front to create a solid screen .. a strong player who goes hard to the net .. has good hands and vision in the offensive zone.

Wilson Ngai D, (Toronto) (3-0-1-1)

-played last year for Wexford Raiders .. played in 42 games and collected 4 goals, 12 assists and 19 PIM's .. will play for the Junior Canadiens next year .. a lanky defender who definitely needs to add strength to his frame .. possesses an above-average shot from the point as he kept all his shots low and hard from tips in front .. makes good defensive decisions and is very patient with the puck .. had a couple bad passes in overtime, but overall, makes good outlet passes .. a solid skater, but needs to work on his speed.

Nick Palmieri F, (Erie Otters, OHL) (3-4-4-8)

-played in 68 games for Erie last year and had 23 points (13 goals and 10 assists) .. lacks a first move quickness, but has a long, strong wide stride and after a few strides develops good speed .. has a tremendous shot with a good variety .. his snapshot comes off his stick with unbelievable speed, but needs to be more accurate .. slapshot is powerful and released at a good speed .. he uses his long reach and stick handling abilities well in 1-on-1 situations .. needs to get a little stronger as he had a tendency to get knocked off the puck with ease in the corners when the bigger defenders went in after him .. game went into a shootout and Nick was the third shooter .. scored on a quick snap shot to the 5-hole.

Mike Shirley F, (Undecided) (3-0-1-1)

-displayed good stick handling and offensive abilities .. despite own registering an assist, Mike played a strong game .. physical for his size (5'11") as he always looks to take the body .. made a bad pass in overtime that led to a scoring chance for CHE.

Kyle Wetering F, (Toronto) (3-1-2-3)

-played last year for Wexford Raiders .. played in 46 games and collected 15 goals, 28 assists and 26 PIM's .. will play for the Junior Canadiens next year .. uses his body well to protect the puck along the boards .. displayed good vision on the PP .. strong shot.

Adrian Krmec G, (Undecided) (2-2-0-0, 1.00 GAA)

-seems to play with a lot of confidence .. battles for his position in the crease and does well locating the puck through traffic .. made a tremendous save on a 2-on-1 to keep the game tied .. allowed three goals on five shoot-out attempts.

Central Hockey of Excellent (CHE)

Jeremie Dupont G, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (3-2-0-0, 1.18 GAA; playoffs 4-0-0, 0.92 GAA)

-named to the All-Tournament Team .. plays angles well .. watched the team throughout the playoffs, Dupont played extremely well for his team .. in the playoff game against the Connecticut Yankees, Dupont made a tremendous save on Tony Romano to keep the 1-0 lead .. against Can Am Stars, allowed only one goal on four chances in the shoot-out .. has solid fundamentals and the ability to steal games .. covers down low very well and has quick reflexes .. in the championship game, Dupont did not have much work .. freshman at Nebraska-Omaha.

Andrew Eastman D, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-0-2-2 incl. playoffs)

-very vocal on the ice .. joins the rush from the backend and make good decisions when he jumps into the play .. he does try too many moves when rushing the puck when he should pass it up .. possess a strong shot from the point and keeps it low for tips .. has good speed to join the rush and get back on defense.

Robert Martini D, (Indianapolis Ice, USHL) (7-0-2-2 incl. playoffs)

-a strong defenseman who moves the puck well .. has good defensive zone coverage .. in the playoff game against Connecticut Yankees, Martini made a solid open ice hit and it led to a scoring chance for his teammates.

Quinn Waller D, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-0-0-0 incl. playoffs)

-named to All-Tournament Team and 2006 Chowder Cup MVP .. Waller had zero points throughout the tournament, but was still named MVP, wondering why? Waller is an extraordinary defenseman and plays a solid, unspectacular game .. he was on the ice for all of his teams important situations, short-hand, some powerplay, and most importantly, to keep a one-goal lead .. makes crisp passes and never holds onto the puck for too long .. never takes a bad penalty, but is very aggressive in the corners .. finishes all of his checks and is a vocal leader for the team .. overall, he reminds me of Adam Foote.

Thomas Middup F, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-0-3-3 incl. playoffs)

-displays tremendous hustle .. works very hard in the corners and has the ability to battle through checks .. very good around the net .. a '90 DOB and showed a lot of maturity playing with and against a lot of older players.

Andrew Favot C, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-1-4-5 incl. playoffs)

-strong on face-offs .. scored a beautiful goal in the championship game as he went in on a 2-on-1, held the puck as the defenseman slid down to block any pass, Favot pulled the puck around the d-man and snapped it up top.

Jamie MacQueen W, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-2-0-2 incl. playoffs)

-displayed good hands and tremendous patience with the puck in the offensive zone .. has a strong shot with a quick release and good hand-eye .. scored a nice goal against Connecticut Yankees and was their best forward during that game .. has good moves and always comes back to help out defensively .. uses teammates well and is creative with the puck .. possesses a short, quick stride and has decent speed .. was one of player chosen for the shoot-out, and lost the puck on his deke.

Paul Zanette RW, (Cedar Rapids, USHL) (7-10-2-12 incl. playoffs)

-had a tremendous tournament and playoffs .. scored a nice goal in the championship game by driving to the net and finding the loose puck and slide it home .. had a beautiful assist on the 4th goal in the same game finding his linemate from the side of the net .. has good moves and skates very well with the puck .. can play a physical game .. during the shoot-out with Can Am Stars, scored on a weak shot that he seemed to misfire, but went off the post into the net.

Mark Mayea W, (Strathroy Rockets, Jr. B) (7-2-3-5 incl. playoffs)

-in the championship game, played a tremendous game .. made a good pass for the first goal of the game .. scored the fifth goal when he found the loose puck in front of the net (goal was given to Colin Williams) .. has quick pursuit for loose pucks.

Jordan Watts RW, (Aurora Tigers, OPJHL) (7-1-6-7 incl. playoffs)

-very small (listed as 5'9") and has quick, strong strides .. moves very well with the puck .. scored a great goal in the championship game as he went down on a 2-on-1 and snap a quick shot glove side .. also had an assist on the third goal .. during the shoot-out, Watts never ended up getting a shot off as he lost the puck.

(Other players who had a strong playoff: Doug Henderson, C, Aurora Tigers-All-Tournament Team, Colin Williams, F, Aurora Tigers-All-Tournament Team, Kyle Bochek, F, Collingwood Blues, Brandon Donches, LW, Aurora Tigers, Domenic Menardo, RW, Collingwood Blues)

Champlain Valley

Andrew Mather F, (Undecided) (7-5-2-7 incl. playoffs)

-goes hard to the net and battles for loose pucks .. protects the puck well and can take hits while still holding onto the puck .. had a quiet playoffs/ championship game.

Ian Boots F, (Undecided) (7-5-6-11 incl. playoffs)

-has good hands and moves with the puck .. very shifty 1-on-1 .. possesses a quick, strong shot .. after getting 9 points in three games, Boots had a quiet playoffs/ championship game.

Brock McBride F, (St. Lawrence University) (7-4-4-8 incl. playoffs)

-displays a heavy slap shot .. scored in the championship game when he unleashed a hard shot glove side after a drop pass .. also possesses a great snap shot with a quick release .. goes to the net hard and keeps his feet moving in the offensive zone, finds the open space.

Connecticut Yankees

Peter Boldt D, (Dartmouth College) (5-0-1-1 incl. playoffs)

-skates well with the puck .. does have tendency to rush passes at times in the offensive zone .. in the defensive zone, he does possess a good outlet pass .. plays a unspectacular game and seems to have limited offensive abilities.

Sean Carty F, (Colgate) (5-2-1-3 incl. playoffs)

-has good size (listed as 6'5") .. a decent skater for his size and has good speed .. has a heavy shot, but takes a little too long to get it off .. needs to get strong, but does use his size well in the corners.

Doug Jones F, (Cedar Rapids, USHL) (5-2-2-4 incl. playoffs)

-possesses quick strides and has good speed .. skates very well with the puck and showed tremendous poise .. has a great arsenal of shots .. a quick snap shot along with a strong slap shot .. has good vision in the offensive zone.

Andrew Margolin G, (Taft) (3-3-0-0 5 GA 1.67 GAA) Playoff stats (2-1-1-0 2 GA 1.02 GAA)

-small (listed as 5'10") and goes down too quickly, which leaves a lot of room upstairs .. has some difficultly with his rebound control as a few times he left a rebound right out in front of him.

Max Pacioretty F, (Sioux City, USHL) (5-1-0-1 incl. playoffs)

-although his stats are not very good, Pacioretty is a tremendous player with good size (listed as 6'2") .. possesses great hands and receives passes in his skates with ease .. has very good vision and always seems to make good decisions with the puck .. tremendous poise and never gets flustered when pressured .. has good strength and the ability to take a hit and still make a play .. like the Pre-Draft Showcase Tournament, Pacioretty for some reason does not put up good numbers.

Tony Romano F, (Cornell University) () (5-4-1-5 incl. playoffs)

-drafted 178th overall by New Jersey in 2006 .. speedy, talented player who showcased an elite skating ability with tremendous smoothness in his stride .. skates very low to the ice and has ability to breakaway from checks .. uses his body well to protect the puck and has good positioning in the offensive zone .. on the powerplay, Romano was able to display his tremendous hockey sense as he finds the open areas .. drives to the net and has great hands in close .. take a hit to make a play, but have to catch him first.

Ken Trentowski D, (Avon Old Farms) (5-1-3-4 incl. playoffs)

-has good hands and ability to move the puck up the ice with good, crisp passes .. skates well with the puck, but at times tries one too many moves .. during the playoff game against CHE, Trentowski had a few bad giveaways and made some bad decisions with the puck .. needs to work on making the quick, easy decisions with the puck as he sometimes tries the difficult plays instead .. seemed not play like he did during the season at Avon.

GBL White

Todd Chinova F, (Quebec Remparts) (3-0-1-1)

-played in 59 games for the Remparts and registered 3 points (2 goals and 1 assist) .. seemed to try to play a finesse game when really more of a grinder-type player .. average skater with short, quick strides and a wide skating stride .. was physical at times and takes hits to make plays .. missed a few passes that went on his stick and hanged a little bit when he tried to sneak behind the defense for the long outlet passes .. also a defensive liability at times.

Matt Bourdeau F, (Columbus Jr. Blue Jackets, USHL) (3-1-2-3)

-an awkward skater with no power in his strides .. needs to add strength in his upper body .. in the game against Brandywine, Bourdeau did not show mush offensive ability, but did show a decent set of hands .. also gets in on the forecheck quickly.

Joe Capuano F, (Salisbury School) (3-1-1-2)

-will be a PG ay Salisbury after a successful career at BC High .. BC High's leading scorer last season with 24 points (8 goals and 16 assists) .. a small forward (listed as 5'8") with good hands and vision .. has the ability to receive passes well and uses his body to protect the puck when going to the net .. has a hard shot with a quick release .. uses his teammates well and sends hard, crisp passes .. took a few dives and tried to get a call.

Chris Brown F, (St. Sebastien's) (3-0-3-3)

-a solid forward with good playmaking skills .. had a nice assist on the third goal against Brandywine .. has average speed, which took away his chances on a few scoring opportunities .. receives passes well and has decent hands .. needs to be more vocal on the ice .. has a good shot with a quick release .. works hard on the backcheck.

Sean Roche F, (Phillips Andover) (3-1-2-3)

-will be a PG at Phillips after scoring 3 goals and 11 assists for Catholic Memorial .. has good pursuit at the puck and has ability to battle through checks, despite his 5'11" frame .. looks for the big hits and plays physical at times .. a definite playmaker as he looks to dish the puck more than shoot, which he should try to shoot more as he has a strong shot.

Mike Diorio F, (Berkshire) (3-1-2-3)

-will also be taking a PG year at Berkshire after a solid career at Catholic Memorial .. was the second leading scorer at CM behind Joe Devin with 22 points (14 goals and 8 assists) .. a very offensive player who like to shoot every chance he can and from anywhere .. is very quick and has tremendous hands .. he is very creative with the puck, but at times tries to be too fancy .. despite his size (listed as 5'8"), he is physical and at times chippy .. seems to have a strong upper body .. look forward to watching his progress at the prep school level.

Michael Collins F, (Catholic Memorial) (3-4-1-5)

-a '90 DOB who led his team in scoring .. scored a nice goal against Brandywine when he snuck behind the defense and got himself open in front .. had all four of his goals in the tournament against Brandywine .. has good poise with the puck and possesses a solid shot.

Sean Coughlin D, (Cushing Academy) (3-0-2-2)

-an offensive defenseman and has tremendous patience with the puck .. he moves well with the puck and joins the rush as much as possible .. needs to work on his defensive positioning.

Global Hockey Selects

Seth McNary G, (Sioux City, USHL) (3-2-1-0, 2.00 GAA)

-seen only against Brandywine and was not tested much .. always to squared to the shooter and seemed to be more of a stand-up goalie.

Daniel Lawson D, (Chicago Steel, USHL) (3-0-1-1)

-played in 53 games for Chicago Steel last season and had 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) .. a solid defenseman who looks to jump into the offense .. has average hands and possesses a solid, low shot from the point on the powerplay .. had one opportunity when moved in from the point and had a point blank shot, but fired it wide .. makes good outlet passes from the defensive zone .. seemed to lack some effort at times .. looked to use this tournament to practice his offensive skills and add to his totals from last season.

Mike Beck D, (Sioux City, USHL) (3-3-0-3)

-a veteran in the USHL .. going into his fourth year and last year had 28 points with Sioux City (7 goals, 21 assists) .. offensive defenseman who can skate well with the puck .. no weakness in his skating and has average speed .. displayed a hard, accurate slapshot from the point .. scored the first two goals of the game against Brandywine .. moves the puck up the ice well.

Joseph Sova D, (Sioux City, USHL) (3-0-3-3)

-played 40 games for Waterloo last season and had 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) .. has good size (listed as 6'4") .. possesses a strong shot, but needs to hit the net .. like Lawson, does not seem to be an offensive player, but in the tournament was jumping up in the play.

Dustin Gazley F, (Sioux City, USHL) (3-2-3-5)

-has good hands with quick moves .. has solid skating with and without the puck .. good, quick strides .. average patience with the puck and finds open space well in the offensive zone .. needs to get stronger along the boards.

Kyle Politz F, (Apple Valley HS) (3-0-1-1)

-an '89 DOB who has good hands, but seemed to be overpowered by opposing defenseman .. a solid skater with a strong stride .. after a few battles in the corners, Politz became a perimeter player and less involved.

Derek Arnold F, (Jr. Bruins) (3-2-3-5)

-a '90 DOB and the youngest member of the team .. had a solid tournament and displayed tremendous offensive ability .. has good vision in the offensive zone .. blessed with good speed and hands .. needs to make quicker decisions with the puck as at times held the puck too long.

Players who did not play: Kyle Greco F, (Chicago Steel, USHL) and Yuri Cheremetiev F, (Halifax, QMJHL)

Mass Mariners

Mikael Bedard F, (Undecided) (3-3-2-5)

-a late addition to roster .. Bedard was an 8th rd. #116 draft pick by Baie-Comeau in 2004 .. played only 8 games for Baie-Comeau last season and had 2 points .. one of the top players in the tournament and definitely made a name for himself .. a tremendous stickhandler, poise with the puck, and a goal scoring touch around the net .. scored a few highlight reel goals and clutch goals for his team .. physically, Mikael plays the body a lot, but will not overpower anyone and does not go out of his way to make a hit .. a smooth skater with good speed and a strong stride.

Gabriel Chenard-Poirier D, (Undecided) (3-0-0-0)

-despite the lack of offensive numbers in the tournament, Poirier has good offensive ability .. a solid skater with a strong , quick stride .. extremely patient with the puck and sees the ice well .. has ability to skate the puck or make a solid outlet pass and join the rush .. plays physical in the corners, but does need to get stronger.

Scott Barchard G, (Choate) (2-0-1-0, 2.50 GAA)

-strong performance in both games he played .. displayed good lateral movement, but does have a tendency to slide himself out of position .. can be a scrambler at times, Scott never lets a bad goal get to him .. his play against the Texas Tornados that ended 1-1 made a lot of noise and brought a few more scouts to their games .. the game against Team Cleveland, Scott ran into some bad luck as 3 out of the 4 goals were not his fault, as 2 goals went in off his defenseman and the third was a scramble in front that saw him stop two point blank stops, but could not stop the third.

National Capital Recruits (Ontario)

Jeff Hayes C, (Guelph Storm, OHL) (3-0-0-0)

-an '89 DOB and the youngest on the team .. a diminutive player with great speed and good hands .. has quick, strong strides .. very surprised he did not register a point all tournament .. very patient with the puck and has good vision.

Josh Newberg C/RW, (Cornwall Colts, CJHL) (3-0-1-1)

-another player with quick, strong strides that allows him to get in on the forecheck quickly .. has good vision in the offensive zone .. created the first goal against Team Cleveland with his speed and vision as he knocked the opposing defenseman off the puck and found his teammate, defenseman Dave Presz coming in from the point.

Keith Wynn D, (Mississauga Icedogs, OHL) (3-0-0-0)

-played in 42 games last season for Mississauga and had 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) .. a solid defensive defenseman with good outlet passes .. has poise with the puck and occasionally joined the rush .. possesses a low, hard shot from the point .. has a good, long stride with average speed .. in the defensive zone, Wynn has good positioning, but at times can get caught running around.

Nicolas Lortie D, (Cumberland Grads, CJHL) (3-0-0-0)

-good size defender (listed as 6'3") .. plays a physical game and solid one-on-one .. possesses a hard shot from the point, but does not get involved offensively much.

Team Cleveland

Brian Prost F, (Cleveland Barons MM) (3-1-0-1)

-has good speed along with a quick stride .. had good hands and ability to carry the puck up the ice with speed .. a quick release with his snap shot, but could be more accurate at times .. his team only scored 6 goals total in the 3 games .. an '89 with lots of upside.

Team Michigan

Anton Thornquist D, (Victory Honda MM) (3-0-1-1)

-a small defenseman (listed as 5'11") with good puckhandling skills .. skates well with the puck, but needs more speed to his game to be effective .. also needs to be more patient with the puck when being pressured and better outlet passes .. on the powerplay, he displayed good puck movement .. his shot from the point needs more power.

Calvin Reed D, (Little Caesars MM) (3-0-1-1)

-a smaller defenseman (listed as 5'9"), but unlike Thornquist, joins the rush a lot and is very offensive .. moves the puck up the ice well by either skating himself or passing it up .. has good hands and ability to skate with the puck .. has a average stride in terms that his does not have much speed and strength when he skates .. could be better defensively as a few times got caught out of position.

Rick McEnhill F, (Undecided) (3-0-1-1)

-a choppy skater who has good playmaking abilities .. did not have as good of a tournament like he did in the Pre-Draft Showcase .. works well in the offensive zone and moves the puck around .. never stops moving in the offensive zone and always seems to be creating some offense when he is on the ice .. needs to work on his shot as he did not have much on it .. a '90 DOB and one of the youngest members on the team.

Nicholas Shahar F, (Undecided) (3-3-5-8)

-led Team Michigan in scoring .. a slick skater with quick, smooth strides and good speed .. has tremendous hands and is dangerous in the offensive zone .. always keeps moving and makes passes then gets open, never stands still .. closes the gap quickly on the forecheck with his speed .. needs to get stronger in the corners (listed as 5'9") .. has a quick release as displayed on his beautiful 2-on-1 goal .. coming down his off wing, he released a quick snap shot over the goalies glove as the defenseman came sliding across.

Garrett Ladd F, (Victory Honda MM) (3-1-0-1)

-like McEnhill, did not seem to have a good tournament, similar to the one he had at the Pre-Draft Showcase .. a quick player with strong strides .. has a very good shot and seems to shoot from everywhere .. against the Jersey Wildcats, he seemed disinterested a few shifts and could not generate much offense with his linemates.

Louis Lemak F, (Catholic Central) (3-2-0-2)

-the second youngest member of Team Michigan, a late '90 DOB .. a good skater with long, strong strides .. has good speed that created a breakaway opportunity short-handed .. has a good shot, but needs work on his accuracy, one example is the SH breakaway as he put it right in the goalies chest .. has good hands and vision in the offensive zone .. excellent on the powerplay .. needs to get stronger and be more physical .. at times he looked afraid to get hit.

Leading Scorers

Name Team GP-G-A-PTS

Connolly, Brett ONT 3-6-4-10

Lange, Tom NSR 3-7-2-9

Cohen, Daniel CAR 3-4-5-9

Boots, Ian CVE 3-3-6-9

Shemansky, Adam NJS 3-2-7-9

Bandazian, Brett NJT 3-4-4-8

Henderson, Doug CHE 3-4-4-8

Elliot, Byron BUR 3-4-4-8

Budd, Mike BUR 3-4-4-8

Palimeri, Nick CAN 3-4-4-8

Vranek, Daniel MIN 3-4-4-8

Kramer, Bobby DEV 3-3-5-8

Shahar, Nicholas MIC 3-3-5-8

Laganiere, Chris CVE 3-3-5-8

Smith, Chris NSR 3-3-5-8

Sylvester, Sean BLB 3-0-8-8