USA Hockey: 2007 Jr. Bruins Shootout

The Jr. Bruins Shootout gets the ball rolling on what should be a competitive year in the EJHL. It looks like the years of the Jr. Bruins and Jr. Monarchs dominating are over and the league has seemed to level out. McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has notes on several players looking to make an impact, as the EJHL could boast many potential draft picks.

Bridgewater Bandits

Brian Yanovitch (2008), F

1988 DOB (Aug) with decent size (5-11, 180) .. committed to Union for 2008 .. needs to be more physical .. solid on the PK, but needs to stop-and-start more .. he does have good offensive ability, but needs to be more consistent on a shift-by-shift basis.

Boston Jr. Bruins

Connor Knapp (2008), G

1990 DOB (May) with incredible size (6-5, 230) .. committed to Miami-Ohio for 2009 .. strong down low with quick reflexes as can be expected .. when he goes down, he swallows up everything in his chest .. has average rebound control .. could become a similar goalie to Maine's Ben Bishop (St. Louis draft pick) .. never gives up on a play and made a nice diving save against the Syracuse Stars .. could be a potential draft pick in 2008.

Joe Zarbo (2009), F

1991 DOB (Aug) with size (6-0, 170) .. committed to Clarkson for either 2009 or 2010 .. a good skater with a long stride and decent speed, but needs a few strides to get going .. moves the puck quick .. needs to get stronger on his skates and in the corners but not afraid of the physical play and willing to go into the corners to battle .. definite consideration for the 2009 draft.

Matthew Zarbo (2008), F

1990 DOB (May) with size (6-1, 190) .. committed to Clarkson for either 2008 or 2009 .. unlike his brother, his skating is a bit weak and lacks strength behind each stride .. tough in the corners and has ability to battle along the boards and slip away from checks .. strong on the PK .. if his skating improves, he could develop into a solid player.

Edwin Shea (2008), D

1989 DOB (Sept) with size (6-0, 170) .. committed to Boston College for 2008 .. plays a consistent game but can easily fly under the radar like in the games against Syracuse and South Shore .. overall, nothing great, but nothing bad in his play .. solid 1-on-1 player who's defensive positioning and speed down low could use some work .. could be on a few draft rankings if he continues to have a strong season.

Steve Moses (2008), F

1989 DOB (Aug) .. committed to UNH for 2008 .. lacks size (5-8, 155) but plays an aggressive style that borders on chippy and dirty .. an explosive player who did not play his usual "lift you out of your seat" style of play as in the past .. big question is should he have gone to the USHL instead of coming back to the Jr. Bruins after a dominating season last year .. has an excellent outside move that defenseman at this level find hard to handle .. has poise with the puck and a quick release .. does have the tendency to hold the puck too long .. after being passed last year in the draft, it is hard to see him show NHL scouts more than what he did last year.

John Henrion (2009), F

1991 DOB (Jan) .. decent size (5-11, 195) .. has a quick shot but in terms of offense, he had quiet games against Syracuse and South Shore .. if he keeps continuing to develop, he will be a high pick next year.

South Shore Kings

Sean Logue (2009), F

1990 DOB (Nov) .. has size (6-1, 190) and has very good speed with strong strides .. has quick moves and good hands .. aggressive in corners and battles hard down low .. definitely, South Shore's top player and could attract a lot of attention from Division 1 schools and possibly draft potential for 2009 .. seemed to be the only spark offensively for the team.

Jordan Lalor (2008), D

1988 DOB (May) .. decent size (5-10, 180) that relies on his positioning defensively to be effective .. has poise with the puck and moves it up the ice well with crisp passes .. because of the Jr. Bruins dominate play, his offensive game was non-existent .. should be a solid Division 1 player.

Eric Robinson (2008), F

1990 DOB (May) with size (6-0, 185) .. along with Logue, a very good prospect that is still a bit raw in a few areas .. moves the puck quick and has a strong shot .. needs to shoot more and work on his positioning away from the puck .. a definite player to see again to watch his progress.

Syracuse Stars

Dan Ford (2009), D

1990 DOB (Nov) with size (6-0, 180) .. as solid as they come on defense at this level .. captain of the Stars .. strong at both bluelines .. plays on both the PP & PK and logs many minutes .. moves the puck well on the PP .. a decent skater (his minor weakness) with good speed .. low, hard shot from point that he needs to hit the net more consistently with .. does possess an offensive game and vision from the backend .. makes solid passes out of the zone .. very good backwards skater with speed that allows him to keep-up with the small, quicker players .. a definite draft prospect for 2009.

Doug Marshall (2008), D

1990 DOB (Feb) with good size (6-2, 200) .. a different player than Ford, Marshall likes to skate with the puck and does it effectively with speed .. does not have Ford's strong defensive positioning and needs to work on his speed down low .. good potential and a definite player to watch progress.

Chris Cannizarro (2008), F

1988 DOB (Sept) with decent size (5-10, 180) .. scored two goals against Bridgewater – both on good individual efforts .. one was using his speed and skill by flying down the wing against the defenseman, made a quick move to the middle of the ice and snapped a shot top corner .. with a strong season, he should be on a few Division 1 college radars.

Valley Warriors

Vin Stratte (2008), F

1988 DOB (Mar) .. small forward (5-7, 175) .. attacks the net hard and uses his speed to get after loose pucks .. scored against the Jr. Shamrocks when he went to the net and got a pass from the corner, he held the puck long enough to get the goalie down and sprawling, he quickly went upstairs .. should lead the team in scoring.

Jon Dwyer (2008), F

1989 DOB (Mar) .. good size (6-2, 205) .. moves the puck very well in the offensive zone and makes quick decisions with the puck .. a strong skater with only average speed .. on the PP, Dwyer uses his size by going right to the front of the net to create havoc.

NY Apple Core

Michael Kavanagh (2008), D

1988 DOB (Feb) with good size (6-2, 215) .. a very offensive defenseman who excels on the PP .. still looks to be adapting to the speed at the EJHL level after dominating last year playing in the Empire league with Brewster .. a good skater with decent speed .. has the ability to take the puck himself up the ice or make a strong outlet pass .. his defensive positioning and overall defensive awareness needs work.

Sean Escobedo (2009), D

1990 DOB (Oct) with size (6-0, 175) .. has a good set of offensive skills along with a decent defensive presence .. strong 1-on-1 .. could be a Division 1 candidate in a few years.

Bradley Nunn (2008), D

1988 DOB (Aug) with great size (6-4, 205) .. a tough defender who does well on the PK .. strong on the puck and in the corners but average at best handling the puck .. needs to make better decisions with the puck .. also needs to work on his speed, especially when going against smaller players.

CD Selects

Evan Story (2008), F

1988 DOB (Jul) .. small forward (5-9, 165) who combines good hands and speed to be effective every shift .. displayed good hands in tight .. quick strides .. backchecks hard .. needs to go to net, as he seems to stop skating and back away from scrambles in front.

Green Mountain Glades

Daniel Evarts (2008), D

1989 DOB (Jun) .. size (6-0, 205) .. has good offensive skills and the ability to skate the puck up the ice .. has a low, strong shot from the point .. needs more poise with puck in the defensive zone.

NE Huskies

Trevor Lawler (2008), F

1989 DOB (Aug) .. small (5-7, 177) and shifty forward .. has offensive skills with the puck and possesses a strong shot with a quick release .. scored a nice goal against CD Selects with a quick snapshot that went blocker side, top corner on a 2-on-1 .. has a quick outside move that seemed to be effective all the time.

Cam Burt (FA), F/D

1987 DOB (May) .. very good combination of speed, hands and shiftiness .. has good hands with the puck in tight .. if given space, he will use his speed and take-off and create offense right away .. when pressured, he has a tendency to try to do too much with the puck .. most effective when he has the puck and slows the play down with poise .. left the Jr. Huskies and is playing in the USHL.

NH Jr. Monarchs

Travis Busch (2008), D

1989 DOB (May) .. has size (6-0, 175) .. a strong defenseman who was not as physical in the game as when playing last year for Reading High School .. moved the puck well on the PP but had some problems with the puck in the defensive zone .. a good player who may need time to adjust to playing at a higher level every night .. not sure he is a draft prospect at this point.

Connor Moore (2008), F

1989 DOB (Oct) .. good size (6-2, 200) .. committed to Providence for 2009 .. has good speed with and without the puck .. not the most physical player but does get in on the forecheck and plays tough along the boards .. limited viewing

Kyle Mountain (2008), F

1990 DOB (Sept) with size (6-0, 180) .. heads-up player with the puck and moves it quickly and effectively .. made a nice pass to Ansel Ivens-Anderson for a breakaway .. seems to know what he is going to do with the puck before he gets it .. has decent hands and does not seem to shoot a lot .. defensively responsible .. will be a solid Division 1 prospect.

Ansel Ivens-Anderson (2008), F

1989 DOB (Sept) with size and strength (6-0, 210) .. a quick skater with fast strides .. plays a physical style and has offensive skill to make him dangerous around the net .. forechecks hard .. has a quick release and a strong shot .. if he continues to have a strong season, he could make his way on a few draft lists.

Justin Gates (2008), G

19'88 DOB (Mar) .. committed to Providence for 2008 .. moved to the Jr. Monarchs after a successful career at Lawrence Academy .. against NY Apple Core, he was strong down low and challenged shooters by playing at the top of his crease.