USA: Founders League Jamboree

USA: Founders League Jamboree (posted 01.19.07)

by Vincent Montalbano

A 10 team showcase that consisted of some of the top teams at the prep school level and arguably the top league. Here are notes on some of the notable performers including Tommy Cross, Nick Bonino, Kevin Quick, Michael Biega, Paul Carey, Alexander Killorn and Brian Gibbons.

Avon Old Farms

Cam Atkinson (2007), F (JR)

Committed to Boston College for 2008.. 2006 USA U-18 Team .. diminutive player (listed as 5'9" and 165), but a high-flying winger with good offensive instincts that create numerous scoring chances .. despite size is not afraid to mix it up in the corners and battle for loose pucks .. has a strong shot and good puck handling skills .. his size could be the only reason why he does not get drafted this upcoming summer, but on skill and speed alone, he is one of the top in the league .. against Salisbury, similar to many of his teammates, it was not his best game .. did not seem to have his top speed that creates so many chances for himself and his linemates .. was able to give his team some powerplays with his speed and aggressive puck pursuit .. against Kent, his legs were back along with his hands .. showed good puck movement and vision on the powerplay and works well with Nick Bonino on Avon's top line.

Patrick Mullane (2008), F (SO)

2006 USA U-17 Team B .. Has developed so much from last season and has gained the trust of Coach Gardner to center the second line .. displayed a tough, nasty edge to his game and seemed to have bulked up over the summer .. strong in the corners and forechecks hard .. reliable defensively and solid shorthanded .. against Salisbury, the time-off for winter break made him look a little slow on the ice, but continued his physical game .. against Kent, displayed more offensive skill and good vision with the puck .. worked well with linemate Chris Wieland.

Nick Bonino (2007), F (SR)

Committed to Boston University for 2007 .. captain .. has always been a scoring machine, but seems like this season has become more reliable defensively .. his skills are just unbelievable, it is like the puck is attached to his stick .. he beats defender with his deceptive speed .. his skating may be a concern, but that can be worked on, while his skills are top notch .. a definite possible late round pick .. against Salisbury, quiet game offensively, but did make a few good drives up the ice and at one point, Salisbury used two guys to cover him .. seems to read the play so well and slow the game down .. against Kent, despite staying off the score sheet, displayed his tremendous hands and creativity with the puck, especially on the powerplay .. could shoot more as twice made one too many passes on the powerplay.

Ken Trentowski (2007), D (SR)

Committed to Yale for 2007 .. captain .. a strong skater with the puck and a quarterback on the powerplay .. has good offensive instincts .. needs to work on his defensive responsibilities and being stronger in the corners .. will never score a lot but does have good vision in the offensive zone.

Lee Moffie (2008), D (SO)

His development has taken off and has secured a lot of playing time and some time on the powerplay .. smooth skater with a long stride .. strong offensive tools and patient on the powerplay .. vocal on the ice despite only being a sophomore .. smart, skilled puck mover and has the potential to be a two-way threat .. can carry the puck end to end and defensively is strong in the corners .. needs to get back defensively after joining the rush and seems to throw puck high off the glass in the defensive zone a lot, which is okay when he is in trouble, but a few times could have made a tape-to-tape pass.

Chris Wieland (2008), F (JR)

Has a lot of offensive skill and works well with Patrick Mullane .. showed tremendous patience with the puck and never seems to be rushed into a play .. sees the ice well and has ability to battle through checks.

Against Kent, scored on a breakaway when he made a nice move to get the goalie to stretch from post-to-post and Wieland stuffed it in the net.

Patrick Enloe (2007), G (SR)

Has been switching games with fellow senior Randy Wolcott and has not given Coach Gardner any reason to change that .. played against Salisbury and really bailed out his teammates who seemed slow coming back from break .. showed quick reflexes, but seems to be a stand-up goalie .. needs to work on playing the puck, but a definite solid goaltender that may not get the press like some of the other prep goalies.

Players to Watch: Randy Wolcott (2007), G (SR), Brian Malchoff (2007), D (SR) – Committed to Williams College (Div. III), Brad Peltz (2008), F (SO), Brad Cooper (2008), D (JR)

Choate Rosemary Hall (Choate)

Mark Goggin (2008), F (SO)

A '90 DOB and an offensive talent with upside to be the next prep star .. showed all the areas that makes him a threat in the offensive zone: vision, hands, shot, and ability to battle through checks .. not afraid to go in front and battle for loose pucks .. vocal on the ice .. will need to add strength, but that will come with age.

Players to Watch: Connor Goggin (2007), D (JR), Ryan Corcoran (2007), D (SR)

Deerfield Academy

Nicholas Lovejoy (2009), D (FR)

A '91 DOB and tremendous potential and talent .. already possesses strong defensive positioning and good offensive instincts .. needs to work on his patience with the puck in the defensive zone, but will be a top-rate defenseman in a few years.

Malcolm Lyles (2008), D (JR)

A '90 DOB who plays a solid overall game .. despite size (listed as 5'10" and 175) seems to be strong along the boards and in the corners .. has ability to rush the puck with smooth skating and can make solid outlet pass out of the zone.

Milton Lyles (2007), F (SR)

A smooth, effortless skater who seems to have that extra gear that allows him to beat defenders 1-on-1 .. can be explosive with the puck and has a strong shot, in which the puck explodes off his stick, but does not seem to have the sniper mentality .. needs to get stronger with the puck.

Alexander Killorn (2007), F (JR)

One of the top players in the Jamboree .. seems to do a lot of things right, but does not have anything stand-out .. plays a strong offensive game along with being reliable defensively .. strong along the boards and a strong skater .. a definite potential pick at this summers draft.

Players to Watch: Brendan Cawley (2007), D (JR), Merrick Friedman (2007), D (JR)

Hotchkiss

John Yanchek (2007), G (JR)

Small (listed as 5'8" and 165) .. seems to have good rebound control and quick reflexes .. got beat against Deerfield with a top corner shot .. his size creates a lot of room up-top when he goes down .. has helped Hotchkiss become one of the top teams in prep school and will need to continue his play to keep them there .. will need to see him in more action during the season.

Zach Martin (2008), F (SO)

A '90 DOB .. non-stop skating and checking forward to go along with some offensive skill .. loves to get in on the forecheck and bang some bodies, but does possess vision and hands to make plays when he gets the puck .. a definite player to watch and look forward to seeing him more in action later this season.

Players to Watch: Matt Coleman (2009), F (FR), Adam Kaiser (2007), F (SR), Mac Bennett (2009), D (FR)

Kent

Mike Milana (2008), G (JR)

A '90 DOB .. a butterfly style goalie .. covers down low .. has good rebound control .. against Westminster, the goal they scored was pretty much unstoppable .. a solid prospect that could make a name for himself if the team wins some big games and find a way into the playoffs.

Danny Colvin (2007), F (JR)

Smooth skater with good speed and strong along the boards .. needs to be more physical on the forecheck .. needs to protect the puck better .. will need to step-up and be a more offensive player.

John Passantino (2008), F (JR)

Small player (listed as 5'8" and 165), but is willing to play the body whenever he cans .. played a decent game against Avon Old Farms, but has tendency to give away the puck too much in the neutral zone.

Players to Watch: Chris Buquicchio (2008), F (SO), Kyle Lysaght (2008), F (SO)

Salisbury

Nick Jaskowiak (2007), D (SR)

Committed to Harvard for 2007 .. an offensive defenseman who can really skate with the puck .. has a smooth skating stride .. a definite presence on the powerplay and has good vision .. patient with the puck .. needs to work on his defensive positioning and add strength for the corners and in front of his net. Against Choate, scored on a shot from the point that the goalie did not see and went off the post and in.

Kevin Quick (Drafted by Tampa Bay, 2006), D (SR)

Committed to Michigan for 2007 .. a true leader on the ice and vocal .. has definite hockey smarts and knows when to jump in the offense and when to stay back .. does not seem to have an abundance of offensive talent, but just solid in every aspect of the game .. can skate the puck up the ice and can beat you with the long outlet pass .. solid in the corners and does not get beat 1-on-1.

Paul Carey (2007), F (JR)

Committed to Boston College for 2008 .. not his best performance throughout the jamboree .. did not look like the player he was last season that put him on the radar for this season draft .. did show good strength and ability to battle through checks .. had only a few shots and could not seem to get the offense going with linemates Michael Biega and Brian Gibbons .. look forward to seeing him and the team again and hope that his game is back on track.

Brian Gibbons (2007), F (SR)

Committed to Boston College for 2007 .. his game just seemed to be off, but did show-off his speed and stickhandling skills .. has short, quick strides and a quick release on his shot .. against Choate, got caught with his head down and got hit hard .. similar to Biega and Carey, look forward to seeing him again.

Michael Biega (2007), F (SR)

Committed to Harvard for 2007 .. has the hands and offensive skill, but seems to lack that dominate edge that makes him stand-out .. seems like his offensive skills only comes in flashes .. the coach put him out there when his team was down two men, so can be relied upon defensively .. overall, waiting for a solid game from start to finish.

Anthony Borelli (2007), G (JR)

Small (listed as 5'9" and 155) .. has quick reflexes down low .. played a strong game against Avon and a quiet game against Choate .. plays his angles well, but his size does leave a lot of room up top when he drops down.

Jack Clayman (2007), F (JR)

Good size (listed as 6'2" and 190), but had a very quiet jamboree .. aggressive on the forecheck and decent hands, but lacked the offensive presence he displayed last year at Governor Dummer .. by repeating his junior year, Clayman can get more development, but will need to improve a lot of his game.

Players to Watch: Adam Pawlick (2008), F (SO), Kyle Quick (2009), D (SO), Victor Heselton (2008), D (SO), Kyle Hughes (2009), F (FR)

Taft

Drew MacKenzie (2007), D (JR)

Solid defenseman with good size (listed as 6'1" and 195) .. smart puck-mover with a good skating stride .. moves the puck well with solid outlet passes or skating it up the ice himself .. plays a simple game .. on the powerplay, displayed good vision and patience with the puck .. solid defensively and in front of his own net .. pretty good overall package .. has a lot of potential and a definite prospect for the upcoming draft.

Andrew Balysky (2008), F (JR)

Despite size (listed as 5'9" and 190), plays a tough game in the corners and battles for loose pucks .. had a quiet game against Deerfield, but against Westminster, really came to play .. battles hard to the net .. scored when he got in on the forecheck and delivered a hit, got the puck to his linemate and went to the net and tapped in a rebound .. a solid player who deserves more press than he is probably getting.

Kevin Nugent (2007), F (JR)

Good size forward (listed as 6'2" and 185), but is a weak skater with his long legs and a wide skating stride .. had a few scoring chances around the net, but lacks the scoring touch .. strong along the boards and displayed good vision on the powerplay.

Brendan Reich (2007), D (SR)

Solid defenseman, but lacks size (listed as 5'9" and 185) .. has a strong, quick release from the point and keeps his shots low for tips .. on the powerplay, moves the puck around well and showed good vision with the puck in the offensive zone .. can skate the puck up the ice and has good hands.

Andrew Margolin (2007), G (SR)

Small goalie (listed as 5'9" and 155) .. does not leave many rebounds and plays the puck well .. moves post-to-post well .. similar to Borelli, when he goes down, there is a lot of room up top .. aggressive with the poke check.

Players to Watch: Kevin Reich (2008), D (SO), Robert Bourdon (2008), F (SO), George Hughes (2007), D (JR), Kevin Spotts (2009), F (FR), Will Einstein (2009), F (FR)

Westminster

Tommy Cross (2007), D (JR)

His skill set is good .. he is big (listed as 6'3" and 205), strong and an effortless skater .. he has a very good shot .. seems to lack speed, but rarely puts himself in the situation where he needs to use it .. vocal on the ice and strong in front of his net .. can slow a game down with his patience .. did have a few bad shifts and one he got caught not paying attention and let the forward get behind him for a breakaway .. his #10 ranking in Central Scouting seems to be very high .. a late second to mid-third would be more likely .. plan to see again in a full game situation.

Oliver Koo (2008), F (JR)

An offensive threat every shift with speed and skill .. had good hands and always moving to get open .. not the biggest player (listed as 5'10" and 180) and not afraid to go in the corners and battle for the puck .. showed ability to take passes from his skates and continue to move up the ice in full stride .. against Kent, the bad ice prevented him from getting a shot off on the breakaway.

Nick Pitsikoulis (2007), F (SR)

A solid forward with a wide stride and good speed .. has decent hands and vision .. hustles a lot and has a nice shot .. against Kent, rang a shot off the crossbar .. a solid player that will be a good college player.

Michael Sorrenti (2007), F (JR)

A physical player with good speed .. goes hard to the net .. seems to lack the offensive instinct, but also did not receive much ice time .. look forward to viewing again during the season.

Players to Watch: Harry Radovich (2008), D (SO)