USA Hockey: Eastern Hockey Junior Showcase

The EJHL Showcase brought in teams from the EJHL, Empire, Atlantic League, Metro, and teams from as far as San Diego. The tournament occupied all five rinks at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts for a busy weekend of hockey. McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has notes on several players who participated.

Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL)

Derek Arnold (2008), F

Committed to UMaine for 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (Feb) .. lacks size (5-8, 155) .. has solid speed and works hard at both ends of the ice .. has short, quick strides .. smart with the puck .. lacked the offensive chances against the Northern Cyclones.

Matt Zarbo (2008), F

Committed to Clarkson for 2008 or 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (May) .. size (6-1, 190) .. relied upon defensively and used when team was down 5-on-3 .. played a little on the PP, but had more time on the PK .. skating is still questionable .. showed good strength in the corners and along the boards .. handles the puck well in traffic .. smart with the puck and moves it well in the offensive zone .. seems to be getting better with every viewing.

Connor Knapp (2008), G

Committed to Miami-Ohio for 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (May) .. very good size (6-5, 230) .. was very busy against a Northern Cyclones team that should have been easily beat by a strong Jr. Bruins team .. strong post-to-post and good down low .. one goal was glove side and another was snuck in the short side .. had over thirty shots .. needs to play the puck better, as he wrapped the puck around the boards a few times right onto the opposing teams stick .. despite being left off the Mid-Term rankings for Central Scouting, he still could be a late draft pick in the upcoming draft.

Green Mountain Glades (EJHL)

Mike Mosher (2008), G

A 1989 DOB (April) .. size (6-1, 190) .. showed quickness from post-to-post .. strong down low and kicks rebounds into the corners .. decent at playing the puck.

Jersey Hitmen (EJHL)

Kevin Clare (2010), D

A 1992 DOB (March) .. size (6-1, 189) .. a very intriguing prospect that plays against older and stronger players but does not look out of place .. has a combination of size and mobility .. makes tape-to-tape outlet passes and sometimes looks to join the rush .. a smooth skater with a long stride .. plays tough in his own end and with more experience, he should be able to develop his offensive game some more.

Andrew Himelson (2008), D

A 1990 DOB (Feb) .. small defenseman (5-10, 172) .. like other smaller defenseman, his best asset is his puck moving ability and poise with the puck defensively .. can skate the puck up ice and start the offense himself .. has a decent shot from the point.

NH Jr. Monarchs (EJHL)

Greg Burke (2008), F

Committed to UNH for 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (May) .. has good size (6-2, 190) .. a solid skater with good speed .. strong along the boards and plays physical at times, but needs to protect the puck better .. could be a late round pick, but would like to see him be more consistent and more of a threat in the offensive zone.

South Shore Kings (EJHL)

Sean Logue (2009), F

A 1990 DOB (Nov) .. has size (6-1, 190) and has very good speed with strong strides .. has quick moves and a quick release .. aggressive in corners and battles hard down low but got injured in the first half when he went feet first into the boards.

Eric Robinson (2008), F

A 1990 DOB (May) with size (6-1, 185) .. moves the puck quick and has a strong shot .. looks to play a physical game and never misses a chance to play the body .. has good potential, but would like to see him do more offensively.

Syracuse Stars (EJHL)

Dan Ford (2009), D

Committed to Harvard for 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (Nov) with size (6-0, 180) .. paired with Mike Baran .. captain of the Stars .. solid in every zone and helps his team offensively and defensively .. does a good job getting his stick in the shooting lanes and deflecting shoots .. tough to beat 1-on-1 .. plays on both the PP & PK and logs many minutes .. moves the puck well on the PP and moves it well under pressure .. makes tape-to-tape passes coming out of the defensive zone and helps create good transition for his team .. one issue is that at times, he can be caught running around in his own zone.

Doug Marshall (2008), D

A 1990 DOB (Feb) with good size (6-2, 200) .. likes to skate with the puck and has the speed to do it .. has a low shot from the point that is good for tip-ins .. played strong defensively against the Jr. Monarchs and made a nice defensive play to block a point-blank shot .. dives around a bit too much in the defensive zone .. should not leave his feet so much.

Boston Jr. Bruins (Empire)

Frankie Vatrano (2012), F

A 1994 DOB (Mar) .. despite his size (5-3, 135), he is willing to go after pucks and take a hit .. has good speed .. scored against the Walpole Express when a rebound came out and with a scramble in front, he quickly jumped on the rebound and buried it .. makes some mistakes with the puck but the potential is there.

Tommy Monteiro (2008), D

A 1989 DOB (Feb) .. size (6-1, 200) .. has a top-notch shot and one-timer on the PP .. has a heavy shot that comes off his stick with some velocity .. likes to shoot a lot but needs to keep his shot down more times than not and sometimes has no control at all .. a dangerous threat every PP .. average in the defensive zone and his defensive positioning needs work.

Zach Sandonato (2010), F

A 1991 DOB (Sept) .. decent size (5-11, 160) .. what makes him standout is his physical presence every time he is on the ice .. has strong, clean hits .. moves the puck quickly and has decent offensive ability, but really creates space and time for his linemates .. drives hard to the net and is aggressive on the forecheck.

New York Applecore (Empire)

Rudy Sulmonte (2010), F

A 1992 DOB (Feb) .. lacks size (5-7, 170) .. scored two goals against the Jr. Flyers .. a smooth skater .. solid on the PP and PK .. his first goal came when he got behind one defender and made a quick move around the other and beat the goalie five-hole .. has good quickness with the puck .. his second goal came off a backdoor play and his shot went under the goalie, and he quickly reached in to tap-it in.

Binghamton Jr. Senators (AJHL – Atlantic Junior Hockey League)

Kyle Mieczkowski (2008), F

A 1990 DOB (Feb) with size (6-0, 175) .. has a quick burst of speed, but skates a bit hunched over .. protects the puck well .. has good offensive instincts along with being reliable defensively.

Kevin Cole (2009), F

Committed to Cornell for 2009 .. a 1991 DOB with decent size (5-11, 180) .. has a good speed after a few strides to get going, but overall his strides are very weak .. decent skills with the puck, but needs to make smarter decisions with the puck .. very surprised he was such an earlier commitment to Cornell .. expected more.

Taylor Mansfield (2008), F

A 1989 DOB (July) .. small (5-8, 150) but has good offensive skills and moves the puck well in the offensive zone .. created numerous scoring chances against the Bay State Breakers .. needs to get stronger in the defensive zone.

New Jersey Rockets (AJHL – Atlantic Junior Hockey League)

Erick Cinotti (2008), G

A 1990 DOB (June) .. small (5-8, 180) .. has a strong glove and a solid skater .. handles the puck well and quickly moves it to his teammates when the opportunity presents itself .. main issue is that he flops a bit in the net .. played a strong game against the South Shore Kings (EJHL).

John Parker (2010), F

A 1992 DOB (Jan) .. decent size (5-10, 170) .. by far one of the youngest players at the Junior A level .. played center .. a solid skater who skates low to the ice and has decent speed .. showed very good poise with the puck, but is prone to holding the puck too long .. can be feisty as shown by his fight behind the net in the defensive zone .. does a good job attacking the net and using his offensive instincts to create chances for himself and his linemates.

Jack Callahan (2008), D

A 1990 DOB (April) .. decent size (5-10, 180) .. logged a lot of ice-time and received PP time .. moves the puck well on the PP, but needs to make that first pass earlier coming out of his own zone .. showed good mobility and is strong in the defensive zone.

Washington Junior Nationals (AJHL – Atlantic Junior Hockey League)

Matt Tinordi (2008), F

A 1989 DOB (Nov) .. good size (6-1, 185) .. it is questionable about how he was listed on the Central Scouting's Preliminary List, but they managed to correct it for the Mid-term rankings .. has the size and the physical game, but everything else is only average .. his skating is a concern and needs to get stronger on his skates.

Jimmy Day (2009), F

A 1990 DOB (Sept) .. decent size (5-10, 155) .. his game is all about speed .. a good skater with quick strides .. showed good quickness with the puck and has decent hands in tight .. has decent offensive instincts .. should try to make the jump to a higher junior level to continue his development.

Jarred Tinordi (2010), D

A 1992 DOB (Feb) .. good size (6-2, 160) .. plays a strong and tough game .. solid in his own zone, all Jarred needs to do is work on his offensive ability .. makes a good outlet pass and seems to have a good shot from the point .. has a lot of potential and a definite player to continue watch developing.

New Jersey Rockets (Metro)

TJ Sarcona (2010), F

A 1992 DOB (June) .. decent size (5-10, 170) .. scored against the Jr. Penguins when he received a nice pass from Daniel Kolomatis and took a backhand shot that found its way through a screen and went top corner .. lacks speed, but does has good offensive ability.

Daniel Kolomatis (2009), D

A 1991 DOB (May) .. decent size (5-11, 165) .. showed good poise with the puck at the point .. plays both the PP and PK .. moves the puck well in the neutral and defensive zone .. skates well with the puck, but lacks the offensive instincts to generate scoring chances, as he seems to skate into the offensive zone and take the low percentage shot from the boards or right over the blueline .. skates well forward and backwards with a strong stride.

Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (Metro)

Wes Bonnell (2008), F

A 1990 DOB (May) .. has good hands and ability to skate with the puck .. has a good stride and speed .. plays the point on the PP and has a decent shot that he keeps low and on net .. makes good decisions with the puck .. one play, he faked the shot on the 2-on-1 and slid it over to a teammate and almost connected backdoor.

Portland Jr. Pirates (Metro)

Connor Anthoine (2011), F

A 1993 DOB (Jan) .. decent size (5-10, 160) .. despite being the youngest on the ice mostly every game, Connor has tremendous skill and speed with the puck .. a smooth skater, similar to his brother Mark, but looks at this point to have more upside .. good hands in tight and can play in traffic.

Space Coast Hurricanes (CHA)

Andreas Johansson (2009), F

Late 1990 DOB (Nov) .. good size (6-1, 165) .. from Kungsbachu, Sweden .. good skater with long strides .. needs to get stronger legs and be able to protect the puck better .. quick on the forecheck .. showed good skill with the puck.