Boston Pizza Cup: Vassos Nicks Title

Toronto Young Nats captain Nick Vassos led all scorers at the 7th Annual 'Boston Pizza Cup', a showcase tournament for Minor Midget 'AAA' teams (1990 birth year). Chief Correspondent David Burstyn reports on the top performers for the Young Nats as well as the standout players from the Oakville Rangers and the Grey-Bruce Highlanders.

Toronto Young Nats (3-1-1)

Myles Micalef (D) 6-1/205 - Toronto Young Nats

The biggest player on the team and a rock on the blueline .. defensively strong as players have a difficult time getting around him .. takes the body and punishes incoming forwards .. however, at times he got caught a little flat-footed by smaller, faster forwards though for the most part his skating can be seen as a positive .. smart player at the point, controls puck effectively and can quarterback a powerplay .. will receive attention from scouts and is seen as a work in progress with the potential to get much better (5-0-1-1).

Matt Edwards (D) 5-11/175 - Toronto Young Nats

A fluid and capable skater who plays very aggressively and shows a mean streak .. always looking to hit a player and take him out of the play .. also boasts a good shot from the point and makes smart outlet passes that get him out of trouble .. an assistant captain .. continued development would bolster his draft status as he will have to elevate his game against stronger competition (5-0-2-2).

David Morley (F) 5-6/155 - Toronto Young Nats

A dynamic little player with an abundance of talent .. strong skater, gets really low to the ice .. hopefully he hits a growth spurt soon however .. gets muscled off puck and is a non-factor in the corners .. prefers to operate in front of the net where his strong stickhandling abilities come to the fore .. his shot release is super quick as he realizes he can't afford to hold onto the puck very long .. elusive, sneaks into plays and wins loose-puck battles but only has limited time in which to make a play before he gets dispossessed (5-4-8-12).

Nick Vassos (F) 5-8/175 - Toronto Young Nats

Led all scorers with 14 points and also tied for the tournament lead with seven goals .. captain of the team .. works very hard for his chances .. good offensive skill set .. showed an ability to get to the front of the net and usually unleash a shot .. could still use better accuracy and power however .. sees the ice well and is a solid passer .. excels in traffic as he is often is the first one to retrieve the puck .. did an excellent job of following up his own rebounds and is always moving his feet towards the goal .. protects the puck well when coming down the wing .. a nice all-around player who bolstered his OHL draft stock with this performance (5-7-7-14).

Honourable mentions go to forwards Thomas Jones (5-3-5-8) and Jordan Koen (5-2-1-3). Koen displayed nice wristshot and is lethal in front of the net. Jones is a strong, well-rounded offensive player who can finish and set up plays.

Oakville Rangers (2-2-0)

Brendan Muise (F) 5-11/155 - Oakville Rangers

Led the Rangers in scoring with eight points in four games .. boasts a decent skill set .. plays on the top line and sees a lot of ice .. excels on the half boards as his good size and reach allow him to stickhandle effectively .. despite his natural physical gifts however, his decision making for the most part appeared still quite raw and not quite at the level it should be .. it will be interesting to monitor his progress if he can add some much needed weight to his wiry frame (4-2-6-8).

Michael Paonessa (F) 5-9/145 - Oakville Rangers

A key weapon up front for the Rangers as the offense seems to start with him .. many scoring chances were generated as a direct result of his hard work .. stickhandles with modest success and attempts to be creative in beating his man one-on-one .. needs to realize he has more time and space when he has the puck .. blocks shots and leads by example powered by a tremendous work ethic .. size is a concern and may hinder him from playing at the OHL for a few years, however he certainly possesses the necessary offensive tools (4-3-0-3).

Kristian Johansen (D) 5-11/160 - Oakville Rangers

A strong skater with nice fluid strides and excellent mobility .. emerged as the best defender on team with his ability to play a reliable defensive game .. able to clear the puck out of his zone or make a good first pass .. not overly big at 160 pounds, but is obviously still growing into his decently-sized frame .. capable defender in terms of angling and maintaining gap control against opposing forwards .. one to monitor as his poise and skating skills make him an intriguing prospect (4-0-1-1).

Patrick Marsh (F) 5-10/175 - Oakville Rangers

A talented forward who can stickhandle well in traffic .. good skater, jumps into the offense with ease .. willing to take a hit to make a play .. positions himself well to cause turnovers .. his play away from the puck is also an asset (4-2-3-5).

Robby Lucciantonio (F) 5-11/175 - Oakville Rangers

Led the Rangers with four goals in the tournie .. the best skater on the team .. very fluid and fast on his skates .. an offensive-minded forward who is always working hard to get the puck .. also boasts a tremendous shot from the top of the slot .. will need to make adjustments to his defensive game however (4-4-1-5).

Grey-Bruce Highlanders (2-2-0)

Brian Striegal (F) 5-8 155 - Grey-Bruce Highlanders

Possesses quick hands and a knack for scoring goals .. knows what to do with the puck .. makes good offensive reads and displays sharp anticipation skills .. not overly big nor strong and gets knocked off the puck a little too easily .. seemed a little tentative around the net against bigger defenders .. neutralized in the game against the Red Wings and rendered a non-factor (4-2-1-3).

Chris Gard (F) 5-9 170 - Grey-Bruce Highlanders

Failed to register a point yet still managed to impress .. captain of the team .. demonstrated good vision and capable hands as he made some nice moves in close .. a swift skater who isn't afraid to attack the net in spite of his smallish size .. showed good two-way skills here as he plays both ends of the ice equally well (4-0-0-0).

Kaleb McGuire (F) 5-9 165 - Grey-Bruce Highlanders

A superb skater with a tremendous first step .. really cuts the ice well and is a fast pesky forechecker .. exhibited limited offensive ability as he tended to overskate plays .. also needs to improve on his strength as he got knocked down a lot .. defensively he plays a solid game and is relied upon heavily in that area (4-2-1-3).

Tyler Felstead (G) 5-10 150 - Grey-Bruce Highlanders

Quick butterfly goalie with sharp reflexes .. very fast when in butterfly formation as he moves well side to side due primarily to his good skating skills .. very athletic with quick feet .. goes down a little too early however .. also tucks his glove a bit too close to his body .. played a strong game in the quarterfinals until he let in a few goals and then his concentration level seemed to fade (4GP, 2-2-0).

Honourable mentions go to Dave Grant (4-1-2-3) and Keith Morrison (4-1-0-1) as they created several chances and showed above average offensive abilities. One other player to keep an eye on is Corey Spears (4-0-0-0), a big defender who already stands at 6-2 and can skate fairly well.