USA Hockey: An Avalanche of Prospects

Regarded as one of the top teams in the midget minor circuit this season, the North Jersey Avalanche boast a roster of several promising prospects that could have both OHL and NHL implications. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese files the following report on many of their notable players.

Alexx Privitera (2011), D, North Jersey Avalanche

A tremendous offensive skill package from the backend .. strong all-access skater with compact strides and crisp footwork .. has skilled hands and slick escape moves along with the ability to manufacture offense by jumping into the rush .. displays uncanny on-ice vision with the ability to creatively quarterback the powerplay and spearhead the rush through the passing game, as his skill level to feather a tape-to-tape pass while not losing a stride is rare to find in a defenseman .. guilty of coughing over the puck up the middle because he can try to do too much on his own at times .. often chooses offensive opportunities at the expense of his defensive assignments and must improve on his play away from the puck.

Richard Prunesti (2011), C, North Jersey Avalanche

A pure goal-scorer with a dynamic touch around the net, trouble is you won't notice him anywhere else on the ice .. simply an inadequate skater that gets surpassed by opponents in the open ice because of his wobbly balance and sluggish acceleratory strides that make him look like he's skating in mud .. blessed with supple and shifty hands that stimulate his great in-close puck control, which allows him to dangle his way through congested traffic .. a natural at generating offense from deep within the opponents zone and has no trouble finishing .. inconsistent defensively, as at times, he cheats on his assignments and leaves his zone too early, while at other times, he competes hard for the puck and supports coverage around his own net .. could be a player if his skating catches up to his hands.

Nick Malysa (2012), D, North Jersey Avalanche

A polished two-way defenseman that moves elegantly for a player of his size .. fluid and a strong skater that effortlessly swallows up the ice with his engulfing strides .. methodical puckmoving defenseman with an understated skill-set that can generate offense without sacrificing his defense .. has decent size and is a suffocating one-on-one defender, as it doesn't matter if his opponent is fast or powerful because he has the talent to hold his own with anyone .. a skilled and intelligent two-way defenseman with promising upside.

Jeff Garinger (2012), RW, North Jersey Avalanche

Speedy torpedo with endearing grit and a merciless work rate .. has fast acceleration that he utilizes to apply superb puck pursuit on the puckcarrier .. strong on his edges with the ability to execute deep turns on a dime .. not purely skilled, as his hands are not as good as his feet and he isn't a creative player with the puck .. more of a grinder type that is a firecracker making plays happen through his hard work at both ends of the rink .. hyper-competitive with exceptional puck retrieval skills and naturally aggravates opponents with his courageous battle instincts.

Justin Kleinwacks (2011), LW, North Jersey Avalanche

Two-way, checking-line winger .. has decent feet and speed, but his hands are a step behind and he doesn't provide much in the way of offense at this time .. undersized, but is an energetic penalty killer that plays a high-pressure style of defense.

Nick Ebert (2012), D, North Jersey Avalanche

Has good two-way upside .. a smooth skater with good backwards and lateral mobility .. serviceable at carrying the puck, although his offensive upside is limited and he doesn't see the ice naturally well .. positionally solid defender that has above-average size and physicality.

Carlo Dipiazza (2010), LW, North Jersey Avalanche

Possibly the top 1992-born player on the team .. an upright skater with deceptive agility .. shifty one-on-one with the ability to toe drag around defenders .. protects the puck well and has a strong stick in traffic .. displays good offensive timing with the ability to find the puck, keep his head on a swivel, and move the puck up the ice efficiently .. a force every shift that agitates opponents, although he must begin to use stops and starts away from the puck and upgrade his defensive play.