U17 Rochester Select Camps: Team Red

In Part 2 of an 8-part series on the U17 Rochester Select Festival, McKeen's Director of Scouting, David Burstyn, looks at several promising players from Team Red.

Christopher Bradley (2011), D, Youngstown

Improved throughout the tournament .. has good mobility and is a healthy skater .. relies heavily on his partner and using the d-to-d pass .. was smart in his puck decisions and did not throw the puck away, rather took an extra second to skate backwards and make a pass .. smart in the defensive zone and marries it with an improving offensive game .. was taking chances with the puck and pushing it forward .. has the vision to make a play .. athletic and fluid in his movements .. should get a chance to flourish on an improving Youngstown backend and get a chance to play in most situations.

Dan Molenaar (2011), D, Eden Prairie

Green Bay's first pick in the USHL Future's Draft (9th overall), Molenaar will elect to play his final season in Minnesota rather than play in the USHL .. put up modest point totals last year, averaging over a point a game .. has been one of Minnesota's top players for several years, however had a poor camp in Rochester .. he flashed signs of dominance due to his skating and multiple levels of acceleration .. can make an excellent first pass and has smooth puckhandling skills .. understands the game with his play in all three zones .. did not take over the game but there were times in which he appeared content to just blend into the scenery .. plays the body and valiantly defends his crease .. was rumoured to have a leg injury and therefore he missed Saturday's game and was merely ok in Sunday's contest .. has a chance to make this team.

Larry Smith (2011), D, Stars Jr. B (emJHL)

A Buffalo product, Smith is a big defenseman (6'4, 190) but is also incredibly raw .. appeared to be intimidated by the pace of the game, as he threw the puck away on a constant basis .. unable to make plays with the puck, as he seemed generally uncomfortable handling it .. good in a straightaway but had difficulty with his turns .. was beaten to the outside as a result .. does not defend well enough with his stick nor does he use his size advantageously to close the gap .. seems to be able to process the game but just does not have the coordination to execute .. a player to watch due to size and potential but he needs to play much more physically.

Jimmy McDowell (2011), D, Oshawa

Was one of the more dominant defenseman in both the offensive and defensive zone .. consistently made good outlet passes that stimulated offence the other way .. was able to elude fore checkers and spin out of trouble to advance the puck .. very effective logging the puck up the ice .. poised and steady, he skates with the puck close to his body, shielding it in the process .. has a quick shot and gets it on net often .. takes a hit to advance the puck .. eliminates his man from the play but could be more assertive and use his stick more often .. has an awkward skating style, as he appears hunched over, but it does not impede his speed .. possesses good hockey sense and should be able to make the Hlinka roster giving the team depth on the blueline.

Theo Dipauli (2011), C, Chicago (USHL)

An energetic, sparkplug-of-a-player who never stopped moving his feet and created chances due to his strong work ethic and relentless forecheck .. not blessed with an abundance of finishing skill, he is an honest player who works hard for his chances .. simply out works the competition as he is always buzzing .. can garner top-speed level in two to three strides, as he has good acceleration .. positions himself into scoring areas, as he is not afraid to go to the front of the net to take a hit .. his speed allows him to get to loose pucks and he opens up ice for himself by hitting and playing a rugged style of game .. his speed intimidates the opposition and he could make a great fourth-line-energy option for Team USA at the Hlinka.

Kenny Gillespie (2012), RW, Shattuck St.Mary's

Gillespie is another energy-type player who posted good numbers last season with Shattuck's (50-10-15-25) .. he is an excellent skater, who has fast feet and is quick in all directions .. consistency is the big question mark, as he can be dominant on some shifts and then disappear for periods at a time .. he tends to over skate the puck due to his enthusiasm .. understands the game without the puck and routinely retreats deep in the offensive zone, helping support the defence .. not a good stickhandler, but he does have a good shot .. Gillespie is versatile, as he can either forward position and would make an ideal match-up guy at a higher level.

Evan Schultz (2011), LW, Monarchs (emJHL)

Schultz would explode into open ice but too often, he was not to be found when the puck was not in his vicinity .. he can make nice plays in traffic, as he has quick hands .. he shows flashes of stickhandling prowess and is noticeable when the puck is on his blade and not so much when it isn't .. he has a quick burst of speed but he does not apply it in defensive situations .. on the small side, he will need to display better efforts away from the puck for him to be considered a legitimate prospect.

Ryan Rosenthal (2011), LW, Avalanche (AYHL16)

Rosenthal's game is based on speed as he is a lightning quick skater .. he can reach full stride effortlessly .. due to his speed, he is used as an aggressive fore checker .. has a great slapshot and uses his shot regularly, as it can catch a goalie by surprise .. he was yet another American forward who had speed but did not always move his feet away from the puck .. at times, he looked out of place with the level of competition, as he did not engage and was often away from the play .. has good potential as a match-up player with good penalty killing skills but will need to become more involved and not watch the play.

Mario Lucia (2011), LW, Wayzata HS

Lucia has good bloodlines, as his brother is a former San Jose draft pick and his father is head coach at the University of Minnesota .. much like his brother before him, he will probably play his final year at Wayzata HS in Minnesota even though he had a great camp with Sioux Falls .. Lucia has good size but could still fill out, as he is a slight 175 pounds, despite being 6-foot-2 .. a good north-south skater he shows some agility and lateral ability in cutting to the open .. he shoots often but does not have much velocity on his shot .. nonetheless, he is constantly putting himself into position to get shots on goal and create scoring chances .. he can stickhandle around players should they decide to play the puck with nifty toe-drag moves .. he is fluid in his movements for a player of his stature .. he needs to add lower-body strength so he could become more dominant in the trenches .. can become too consumed with one option and does not always evaluate best passing option .. can lose the puck if he looks up to make a play, as he needs to protect the puck better .. should be able to make the Hlinka team and be another player NHL scouts will make a special trip to see in Minnesota.

Jakob Batcha (2011), RW, Admirals (NAPHL)

Another player on this roster that is blessed with size but needs to fill out as he is 6-foot-2, and 175 pounds .. has a silkiness to his stride and has good speed in the straightaway .. his size opened up room for him, however he is not the most offensively gifted player and could not take advantage of his open ice .. shows questionable hockey sense in a few situations as well as inconsistent play .. for a player of his size and stature, he needs to assert himself more physically as a means to stay involved in the game .. his balance also came into question as he fell down with relative ease .. is a player who needs to keep his game simple to be effective.