UMHSEL Report: Team Northwest

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey caught the UMHSEL in action during both the regular season and playoffs and enters notes on the 2011-eligible Tony Cameranesi, Christian Horn, and Jonny Brodzinski, as well as three of the team's top prospects eligible for the 2012 Draft.

Tony Cameranesi (2011), C, Wayzata/Northwest

The top player in the UMHSEL this year .. a model skater .. smooth skater with a powerful, seemingly effortless stride .. has excellent speed and was almost able to drive wide at will .. explosive acceleration and can close gaps quickly in races to the puck, on the forecheck, or the backcheck .. able to shield the puck well using his speed and positioning of his body .. able to make tight turns and circles with the puck to evade opponents .. can also make sweeping stickhandling moves to beat opponents .. able to buy teammates a lot of time through his ability to comfortably maintain possession of the puck for long periods of time .. a heads-up stickhandler with strong offensive vision .. a playmaker off the half boards who can connect through traffic .. fires crisp passes that are quite hard .. has a hard wristshot .. dangerous coming off the boards and can snipe .. an effective forechecker and backchecker due to his speed and skating ability .. able to thrust into his hits, but was more overwhelming to UMHSEL opposition with his speed and stick .. listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, but appeared thicker than that .. led the Upper Midwest High School Elite League in regular season scoring with 16 goals and 17 assists in 21 games .. selected to play for Minnesota White for the Elite League National Invitational Tournament .. plays Minnesota high school hockey for Wayzata and is in his senior year .. led Wayzata in scoring in 2009-10 with 18 goals and 30 assists in 27 games .. committed to Minnesota-Duluth in 2012-13.

Christian Horn (2011), LW/RW, Benilde-St. Margaret's/Northwest

Has good cruising speed with the puck and on the forecheck .. decent speed bursts when needed .. passes are generally smooth and crisp .. has a decent wristshot and a decent snapshot .. off-foot shots are also decent .. shot power isn't elite, however .. typically a heads-up stickhandler .. shows some flashes of puck skills with toe drags, but doesn't always get them around his opponent .. displays some offensive awareness at times, but at other times, he makes ill-advised moves or untimely turnovers .. isn't real big at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, but is willing to drive the net through traffic .. finishes his checks on the forecheck and also at the point .. a player to monitor during the Minnesota high school season .. selected to play for Minnesota White for the Elite League NIT .. plays high school hockey for Benilde-St. Margaret's and is in his junior year .. finished second in BSM scoring in 2009-10 with 17 goals and 35 assists in 27 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Jonny Brodzinski (2011), RW, Blaine/Northwest

Off to a strong start to the 2010-11 season as a top scorer in the UMHSEL, the playoffs, and the NIT .. speed improved over the course of the Elite League .. has decent speed, but skating mechanics could be improved .. could be a bit lower when skating and his stride could be a bit longer .. displays some quickness, but gets a bit upright under acceleration .. possesses quick hands and flashes some slick moves in close now and again .. fires a lot of shots during a game, but isn't indiscriminate in his shooting .. has a hard, crisp wristshot .. also sports a hard slapshot .. does a good job of getting off quality shots in stride .. displays some sniping ability, but also misses the net semi-regularly .. despite not being a powerful skater, can still thrust into his hits and level opponents .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and finishes his checks .. is a player to monitor during the Minnesota high school season .. has adequate size at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds .. selected to play for Minnesota White for the Elite League NIT .. plays high school hockey for Blaine and is in his senior year .. was a teammate to Nick Bjugstand and finished third in Blaine scoring in 2009-10 with 22 goals and 26 assists in 30 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Grant Besse (2012), LW/RW, Benilde-St. Margaret's/Northwest

Impact player in his freshman year at Benilde-St. Margaret's and followed that up as an impact player in the UMHSEL .. speed improved over the course of the Elite League season and went from decent to good cruising speed with the puck .. able to shield the puck well, including with one hand on his stick .. attempted to make quick stickhandling moves, but lost control too often .. decent toe-dragger .. makes hard, crisp passes .. able to serve up some nice saucer passes .. does a good job of reaching for and corralling pucks passed to him that are off target .. possesses a crisp wristshot .. displays good offensive vision .. a dangerous playmaker off the half boards, the end boards, and out of the corners .. a heads-up stickhandler who is patient with the puck and can thread passes through traffic .. finishes his checks on the forecheck .. a smaller player in stature at 5-foot-9, 163 pounds .. plays Minnesota high school hockey for Benilde-St. Margaret's and is in his sophomore year .. finished third in BSM scoring in 2009-10 as a freshman with 30 goals and 20 assists in 27 games .. led the state of Minnesota in goals scored by a freshman in 2009-10 .. no college commitment of yet.

Jake Horton (2012), D, Benilde-St. Margaret's/Northwest

Shows some potential as a two-way defenseman with a physical edge .. has adequate speed and acceleration .. displays some wasted motion in his skating stride .. passing game became more crisp over the course of the Elite League and was making hard, crisp passes .. generally makes simple passing plays .. has a decent wristshot from the point, although needs to work to make it consistently crisp .. maintains a short gap and consistently engages at or near the blueline .. speed backward is only adequate to decent, but is successful defensively by engaging physically at the blueline .. angles his opponent toward the boards and plays the body, but has the hip check in his repertoire .. able to stand up opponents with a stiff shoulder check, too .. one of the most conscientious defensemen in the UMHSEL in maintaining a short gap and engaging physically .. not big by NHL standards at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, but doesn't play small .. didn't put up big offensive numbers in the UMHSEL this year, but put up strong numbers as a sophomore for Benilde-St. Margaret's last year .. led BSM in defenseman scoring as a sophomore with 8 goals and 24 assists in 27 games .. no college commitment of yet.

Gage Torrel (2012), LW/C, Monticello/Northwest

Not a big scorer for Team Northwest in the Elite League this fall, but is still a prospect to monitor .. has decent speed and stride extension .. also has decent cruising speed with the puck .. able to make tight switchbacks along the boards to evade opponents .. makes crisp passes and displays some offensive vision with East-West passing .. a heads-up stickhandler who can assess his options .. tried to make some slick stickhandling moves, but was largely unsuccessful and occasionally lost the handle .. not a big player at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, but can make some big hits .. finishes his checks and lays out the occasional heavy hit along the boards .. selected to skate at the USNTDP Evaluation Camp but was not selected to skate at The Program .. plays Minnesota high school hockey for Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake and is in his junior year .. led Monticello in scoring in 2009-10 as a sophomore with 18 goals and 30 assists in 27 games .. no college commitment of yet