Empire Junior Hockey League: Jr. Bruins Win Title!

The Boston Jr. Bruins capped another fantastic season by defending their EJHL Championship crown, beating the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 4-2. By reaching the final, the two teams also won the right to represent the EJHL at the USA Hockey Jr. B National Tournament. McKeen's reviews several notable players from the regular season and playoffs including: John Henrion, Derek Arnold, Evan Gogonis and John Sperzel.

John Henrion (2009), RW, Jr. Bruins

May be the top 1991-born player in New England right now .. possesses superior vision and hockey sense when compared to most in this league .. as a fifteen-year-old, he finished the season with 43 goals, 25 assists and 137 penalty minutes in 42 games .. not physically developed yet as he lacks size and an explosive first step .. both may come with time however .. knows how to create time and space and is an elite finisher .. showed some signs of play-making ability as well, knowing that he generates a lot of attention from opposing defenders .. should make the jump to the Eastern Junior Hockey League next year, where I expect him to have similar success to a player like Steven Moses who made a similar transition.

Derek Arnold, (2008), C, Jr. Bruins

A small, crafty centerman who is difficult to defend 1-on-1 .. uses his skating and edge work well to maneuver through and around traffic .. has nice soft hands .. makes intelligent decisions with the puck and moves well without it .. finished the year second in scoring in the Empire League with 38 goals and 39 assists in 42 games .. makes the transition quickly from offense to defense and works well with Henrion .. size and strength are limitations and both should develop but probably not in time to be considered a pro prospect for the 2008 NHL Draft.

Evan Gogonis (2008), D, Jr. Bruins

Has made measurable strides this season .. finished the season as the fifth leading scorer on the high-powered Jr. Bruins team and second among defensemen .. tallied six goals and 50 assists in 44 games .. has a nice, heavy shot from the point .. the coaching staff has done a nice job stressing hitting the net, which Gogonis has done a much better job with this year .. Willing and often joins the rush up the ice but must learn to pick his spots better .. is poised at the top of the power play and does a good job of getting the puck off his stick quickly .. should develop into a Division-I defensemen, but does not posses a lot of pro potential

John Sperzel (2008), C, Foxboro

Strong skater with excellent offensive upside .. tends to over handle the puck limiting his linemates involvement .. is quick, agile and difficult to defend .. smooth skater who can change speeds and direction easily but lacks an elite top gear .. shoots and passes well in stride .. is able to maintain his speed while handling the puck and attacks defenders with precision .. however, like most young players, he is more interested in the offensive end of the ice .. finished the season for a weak Foxboro team as their leading scorer with 24 goals and 25 assists in 42 games

Players to watch:

Jay Pietrasiak (2008), F , NH Jr. Monarchs

Dan Szerlip (2009), F, Valley Jr. Warriors

Max Capuano (2009), F, Bridgewater Bandits

Derek BeBlois (2009), D, Bridgewater Bandits

Tim Schaller (2009), D, Fitchburg Huskies