Boston Pizza Cup: Gaulton Delivers

Brantford Minor Hockey recently hosted the 7th Annual 'Boston Pizza Cup', a showcase tournament for Minor Midget 'AAA' teams (1990 birth year). Chief Correspondent David Burstyn reviews the top performers from the champion Toronto Red Wings featuring Mitch Gaulton, the tournie's best player and a probable top pick in the upcoming OHL Priority Selection.

A total of 18 teams participated as the sudden cancellation of a Kitchener tournament resulted in an influx of late entries, including many of the same teams that had played in the Tim Horton's Tournament.

Toronto Red Wings (6-0-0)

Mitch Gaulton (D) 6-1/190 - Toronto Red Wings

The best player at the tournament as far as potential is concerned .. a sure-fire top pick in the OHL draft .. anchors the defence and is rock steady, never getting beaten .. protects the back-end exceptionally well - superb at prohibiting players any space to make a play .. mobility is excellent .. very adept with his stick, often knocks the puck away from opposing attackers .. hits hard and often .. a strong one-on-one defender who commands respect .. able to twist and turn his body to shake off the peskiest of forecheckers .. a solid skater, fast and strong on his feet .. also possesses a hard shot and uses it frequently on the powerplay .. saved his best for the Finals with a pair of goals and an assist in a 7-3 win .. conversely, at times he looked bored with this competition and didn't always go as hard as he should .. will benefit from playing at a higher level .. could easily have competed in Jr B this season (6-6-2-8).

Josh Dadic (F) 6-3/210 - Toronto Red Wings

Exceptionally strong forward who physically dominates the opposition .. sturdy on the puck and on his skates .. blessed with such a massive player that opposition simply can't budge him .. displays good offensive instincts as he jumps on loose pucks and scored an impressive backhand goal on a breakaway .. the main area that needs improvement is skating as he is a knock-kneed skater which prevents him from developing a long, fluid stride .. will draw plenty of attention from OHL clubs looking to add a pro-sized forward with offensive abilities (6-5-8-13).

Chris Dunham (F) 5-10/195 - Toronto Red Wings

A dynamic player who mans the first line and plays all key powerplay minutes .. a competent scorer with a knack for battling through checks and making plays in front of the net .. slick skater with good acceleration and outside speed .. always wants the puck .. at times however displayed a lack of patience as he would release passes early instead of waiting an extra second for mates to get into position .. will also need to address his backchecking and overall defensive play before he makes the jump to the next level .. a potential second-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection depending on how he finishes the year (6-4-8-12).

David Mathers (F) 6-1/195 - Toronto Red Wings

A strong top-line player .. tied for the tournament lead with seven goals, many of which were the result of his ability to stay unhindered in front of the net and bang away at rebounds .. also a slick playmaker and a prime catalyst in offensive situations .. reads plays very well .. quickly identifies holes and goes for them, attacking the net with authority .. likes to play a physical style .. good defensive zone awareness as well - pays close attention to his checking duties (6-7-4-11).

Guy Carteciano (F) 5-10/190 - Toronto Red Wings

Team captain .. skates hard and is always competing .. does not give up and is committed to playing a two-way game and leading by example .. displays good offensive instincts .. also boasts a nice hard shot and impressive accuracy .. despite posting good totals however, his decision making and overall hockey sense are merely average .. continuing to make strides to improve his draft position, definitely on the radar (6-6-7-13).

Michael Colavecchia (F) 5-9/175 - Toronto Red Wings

Quick skater .. very agile with superb acceleration coupled with a strong first step .. though his anticipation skills are not as finely tuned as others, he still attacks the offensive zone regularly and is able to get back safely if the play doesn't develop .. a consistent producer for his team .. possesses good hands and is always moving his feet .. somewhat resembles a poor man's Bryan Cameron from the Marlies last season .. will need to show improvements in his defensive play if he hopes to climb the draft ladder .. certainly the new rules favour a player of his size and skill set (6-1-4-5).

Stephen Francella (F) 5-11/180 - Toronto Red Wings

An aggressive player who looks to finish his checks .. a decent skater who is efficient cycling and playing a down-low game .. many of his chances are created as a result of his hard work along the boards coupled with his ability to carry the puck out towards goal .. boasts a nice wristshot and a timely release .. a valuable complementary player to a highly-skilled team as he does the dirty work for his more offensively talented linemates (6-2-4-6).

Jesse Hebscher (D) 6-0/185 - Toronto Red Wings

A mean and aggressive defender .. his size is certainly a big plus .. an intimidating presence as opponents often think twice before charging the net whenever he's on patrol .. a slick skater blessed with quick lateral movement .. still could use a little work on his first step however .. possesses a powerful shot, though he didn't utilize it much at this tournament .. shows an abundance of potential and is at times overshadowed by the strong play of blueline mate Mitch Gaulton (6-0-4-4).

Tournament Scoring Leaders

Player, Team, GP G A PTS

Nick Vassos, Toronto Young Nats 5 7 7 14

Guy Carteciano, Toronto Red Wings 6 6 7 13

Josh Dadic, Toronto Red Wings 6 5 8 13

Chris Dunham, Toronto Red Wings 6 4 8 12

David Morley, Toronto Young Nats 5 4 8 12

David Mathers, Toronto Red Wings 6 7 4 11

Chad Sumsion, Brantford 99er's 6 4 7 11

Adam Henrique, Brantford 99er's 6 5 5 10

Alex Szczechura, Brantford 99er's 6 2 7 9

Mitch Gaulton, Toronto Red Wings 6 6 2 8

Thomas Jones, Toronto Young Nats 5 3 5 8

Brendan Muise, Oakville Rangers 4 2 6 8

Brock Smith, Brantford 99er's 6 4 4 8

Stephen Francella, Toronto Red Wings 6 2 4 6

Matthew Horst, Waterloo Wolves 3 3 3 6

Griffin Lacey, Guelph Jr. Storm 4 1 5 6

Eric Lekun, Waterloo Wolves 3 2 4 6

Dan Mitchell, Brantford 99er's 6 2 4 6

Luke Puiras, Toronto Red Wings 6 4 2 6