USA Hockey: Prep Holiday Tournaments Part II

While the rest of their classmates were enjoying the Holiday break, most prep players were battling all over New England in the Holiday Tournaments. In part two of a three-part series, McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has notes from the Nichols-Belmont Hill 22nd Annual Holiday Tournament.

Mike Condon (2008), Belmont Hill School, G (JR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. good size (6-2, 187) .. was not tested much against a weaker Millbrook team .. was strong down low and showed a quick glove .. handles the puck well but needs to be more careful where he sends the puck when playing it .. played only two periods after his team took a commanding lead and ended up winning 9-0.

Jack McNamara (2008), Belmont Hill School, D (JR)

A 1990 DOB (Jan) .. a natural forward who is being tested on defense and looks to be a good fit so far .. lacks size (5-9, 165), but has offensive instincts from the backend .. when McNamara played forward, he was prone to over handling the puck, but as a defenseman, he moves the puck quickly and uses his speed to join the rush .. a smooth skater with quick strides .. possesses a strong shot from the point and gets pucks to the net, especially on the PP .. scored on the PP on a high-rising shot that went top corner .. also had an assist in the 9-0 win .. the experiment move to defense looks like it could be permanent if he continues to play well.

Jason Silvia (2008), Belmont Hill School, F (SR)

A 1989 DOB (Feb) .. has a lot of natural talent with the puck like vision and hands .. when he extends his strides, he is a very good skater, but has a tendency to glide around a bit and waiting for linemates to get him the puck and also takes him a few strides to get going .. quick with the puck in the offensive zone .. has a quick release .. had a goal in the game against Millbrook when he displayed nice hands to move around a diving defender in front and faked the shot and kept his feet moving across the net and tucked it in the far post .. good hands in tight .. still uncommitted to a college, but should be a Division I school .. passed over at last year's draft, and will need to be more consistent to keep NHL scouts interested.

Dawson Luke (2008), Belmont Hill School, D (JR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. very good size (6-4, 210) .. an average skater who lacks speed .. likes to skate the puck but would be better suited moving it up to the forwards and possibly following up the rush .. had three assists in the 9-0 win .. one assist came when he faked a shot and made a quick pass to the far post for a backdoor goal.

Kirk Baldo (2008), Millbrook School, F (SR)

1988 DOB (Oct) .. plays a physical game despite decent size (5-11, 185) ..has good speed with the puck and if given some ice, he will take it himself .. created all the limited offensive chances his team had in the game against Belmont Hill.

Bryant Doerrsam (2008), Millbrook School, D (SR)

1989 DOB (Nov) .. good size (6-2, 190) .. strong and battles hard in the corners and in front of his own net .. possesses a good shot from the point and a heavy one-timer on the PP .. Millbrook's only defenseman who helps create offense.

Brandon Broad (2008), Nichols School, D (SR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. captain .. a decent skater with very short strides .. strong and had a few big hits against Kimball Union in a 4-3 win .. led the way in the win with a goal and two assists .. showed good poise with puck and likes to skate the puck himself .. average with the long pass out of the defensive zone .. has good anticipation in the neutral zone .. needs to work on getting his shot off quicker .. scored when he moved in from the point and went right to the front of the net and banged home a rebound .. when his team was up 4-3, he made a tremendous play to breakup a good scoring chance for Kimball Union .. could be a low-end Division I or a high-end Division III player.

Ryan Carney (2008), Nichols School, F (SR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. his best asset is his skating and ability to skate the puck up the wing .. moves the puck well in the neutral and offensive zone .. showed good vision on the PP and has the right idea, but lacked some execution.

John Vazzano (2008), The Gunnery, G (SR)

Committed to Vermont for 2008 .. 1989 DOB (Jan) .. good size (6-3, 210) .. had a rough game against South Kent that saw him be pulled in the third period for backup goalie and younger brother Alex Vazzano .. average playing the puck and looked strong down low .. uses his size well in net and when he goes down he still looks big in the net .. too many soft goals caused him to be pulled.

Thane Heller (2010), The Gunnery, F (SO)

A 1992 DOB (Jan) .. very good size and strength for his age (6-1, 200) .. has a thick build .. strong and tough to knock off the puck .. not fast, but has a powerful stride .. received some time on the PP .. showed decent hands, but needs more poise with the puck . had an average game overall, but showed very good potential.

Mike Garlasco (2008), The Gunnery, F (JR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. had a goal and an assist in the 5-3 loss against South Kent .. decent size (6-0, 180) .. showed quick hands and ability to skate with the puck .. has a quick inside/outside move and protects the puck well .. received time on the PP and PK .. has a decent shot .. needs to make strong passes on the PP.

Mike Dolman (2008), The Gunnery, F (JR)

A 1990 DOB (April) .. good size (6-2, 180) .. strong on his skates and tough along the boards .. an average skater who lacks that extra gear .. can skate the puck when given some ice to get going and possesses a good outside move .. has a quick release and a heavy shot, but needs to hit the net.

Jeff Buvinow (2008), The Gunnery, D (SR)

Committed to Brown for 2009 .. a 1990 DOB (May) .. captain .. lacks size for a defenseman (5-9, 165) but fits that small, offensive-minded defenseman mold .. can really move up the ice with the puck .. a definite staple on the PP for any team .. moves the puck well in the offensive zone and likes to jump into the rush .. vocal on the ice .. uses his speed to contain opposing forwards in the defensive zone, but does not have the strength or size to be effective.

Adam DeSanctis (2011), The Gunnery, D (FR)

A 1992 DOB (Sept) .. had a goal in the loss against South Kent when his shot from the point found its way through a screen in front .. has a lot of potential and received a fair share of icetime .. needs to get stronger defensively but does have some offensive ability that should improve with time.

Tyler Scott (2008), South Kent School, G (SR)

1989 DOB (April) .. similar to Vazzano, good size (6-3, 185) .. made about 30 saves in the win against Gunnery .. decent speed post-to-post and challenges shooters well .. goes down a little early .. kept his team in the game after stopping the Gunnery pressure late in the second and third periods.

Wade Megan (2008), South Kent School, F (JR)

A 1990 DOB (July) .. size (6-1, 170) .. smart with the puck in the offensive zone and moves the puck well .. goes hard to the net .. created a few scoring chances for his linemates but only ended with an assist in the 5-3 win .. rang a one-timer off the post .. received some PP time .. has too big of a wind-up .. decent speed, but not strong on his skates .. needs to protect the puck better.

David BenMocha (2008), South Kent School, F (JR)

A 1990 DOB (Jan) .. had a big game against Gunnery with two goals and an assist .. his first goal came while streaking down the wing, as he fired a slapshot from the top of the circle and put it far side .. his second goal came on a 3-on-1 and a pass from Bill Strakosch right to his tape and he was able to deflect it in the net .. strong offensive ability and will need to watch his progress.

Dillon O'Hara (2008), South Kent School, D (SR)

1988 DOB (May) .. strong defenseman who was paired with sophomore Garrett Clement .. had a goal in the win against Gunnery when the puck came out to the point from a scramble in front, and he took a big shot that found its way through the group of bodies in front .. needs to get his shot off quicker, but does possess a heavy shot.

Jaime Vona (2009), St. Francis High School, F (JR)

A late 1990 DOB (Dec) .. size (6-1, 185) .. has strong upper body strength and battles hard along the boards .. drives hard to the net .. decent skater but needs a few too many strides to get going .. had some big hits in the neutral zone.

Tyler Matecki (2010), St. Francis High School, D (JR)

A 1992 DOB (June) .. lacks size (5-9, 160) .. possesses a strong shot from the point and received a good amount if icetime .. a tough defenseman to beat 1-on-1 and although he will not overpower the opposing player with his strength, he is a strong backwards skater that makes him difficult to beat.

Justin Breton (2008), Upper Canada College, F (SR)

Captain .. size (6-0, 190) .. has short. quick strides and is a bit of a choppy skater .. tough along the boards and strong on his skates .. in the defensive zone, he helps his defenseman by making himself open for outlet passes and getting in good position .. showed poise with the puck .. finds the open areas in the offensive zone and gets in shooting position.

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament Teams

Belmont Hill School, The Gunnery, Kimball Union Academy, Millbrook School, Nichols School, South Kent School, St. Francis High School, Upper Canada College.