USA Prep Hockey: Avon Old Farms On Fire

The prep school season is in full swing and teams are already battling for position. Cushing Academy started the season strong with a tie against Northwood, while Avon continued their undefeated streak by defeating South Kent. McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has early season notes on all four teams.

Lee Moffie (2008), Avon Old Farms, D

Has made tremendous progress since his freshman year and now as a junior, still has the most potential out of all the prep players this year .. good size (6-2, 200) .. has ability to rush the puck and get up the ice quickly to create instant offense .. has a quick burst of speed coming through the neutral zone with the puck .. has a strong, low shot from the point .. showed so much poise and is smart with the puck .. received a lot of icetime .. allowed to be offensive, as his partner Brendan Rempel (Jr.) is a tough defensive defenseman .. makes strong passes on the PP and has good vision .. could play with a little more urgency in the defensive zone .. as stated above, his potential is huge and could be drafted anywhere from the fourth to sixth round.

Patrick Mullane (2008), Avon Old Farms, F

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. committed to Boston College for 2009 .. similar to Moffie, he has come a long way since his freshman year and has added some offense to his already tough, physical game .. despite his decent size (6-0,195), Mullane is as tough as they come .. plays an aggressive style, especially on the PK .. moves the puck well and played well with Senior captain Cam Atkinson (fellow BC recruit) .. dominant and powerful with the puck .. has quick hands .. strong 1-on-1 player with good inside/outside moves .. has a powerful stride and decent speed .. showed good vision in the offensive zone .. should be a third to fourth round pick in the draft.

Cam Atkinson (2008), Avon Old Farms, F

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. committed to Boston College for 2008 .. passed over in the 2007 NHL Draft, Cam is again making a case for himself to be a late round pick in 2008 .. scored two goals and both were shorthanded .. first goal came when he used his explosive speed to beat two defenders to the puck for a breakaway and made a nice move from backhand to forehand for the goal .. for his second goal, he picked-off a pass and made a similar move to his first goal .. has a quick release and a strong shot .. his vision and creativity with the puck make him standout from the rest .. willing to battle in the corners for the puck and his never give-up attitude makes him tough to play against .. goes hard to the net .. would like to see a team take a chance on him late in the draft, but mostly likely will be a prized free agent after a strong college career.

Paul Lee (2008), Avon Old Farms, C

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. committed to Dartmouth for 2008 .. very good size and strength (6-3, 210) .. strong skater with a long stride .. plays on the second PK unit and uses his strength and skating to stop the momentum of a fast South Kent PP unit .. played physical all game .. moves the puck well in the offensive zone .. smart with puck and has a quick release .. tough on his skates and hard to take the puck away from him .. scored on a 2-on-1 with a shot that he put top corner - short side and goal turned out to be the game-winner .. also had assisted on the two goals scored by Cam Atkinson while on the PK .. another player who could garner some draft attention and may be a solid late round pick.

James Chamness (2008), Avon Old Farms, F

Played in the Select 17 Festival .. plays with toughness and aggressiveness that every coach loves to see .. solid on the PK .. despite his 5-foot-9, 175-pound stature, Chamness forechecks hard and has offensive ability to fit into any third line .. should be a Division I candidate and would help any team.

Michael DiMare (2008), Avon Old Farms, F

A post-graduate from Malden Catholic who really adds some offensive scoring to the third line along with Stefan Demopoulos (Jr.) .. strong around the net despite his size (5-9, 170) .. was aggressive on the forecheck and goes right to the net as soon as Avon gains possession .. has a decent shot and likes to shoot whenever he has the opportunity .. could work his way onto a few Division I schools list.

Tyler Scott (2008), South Kent, G

A 1989 DOB (April) .. has very good size (6-3, 185) .. was the main reason South Kent was even in this game and only lost 3-1 .. faced 46 shots, while his team only mustered 16 shots .. plays big in the net and strong down low .. quick reflexes .. got beat twice by a similar move on a breakaway and the 2-on-1 goal by Paul Lee, he had no chance.

Sean Whitney (2008), Cushing Academy, D

Committed to Cornell for 2008 .. a 1989 DOB (Feb) .. very good size (6-4, 215) .. a project for the pro level .. moves the puck up the ice well, but tries to skate the puck too much and gets away with it at this level, but the lack of foot speed will be a problem at the next level .. has a long stride, but has heavy skates, as his speed is an issue .. in the offensive zone, he has good vision and moves the puck well on the PP .. had a bad turnover in the neutral zone when he made a blind pass up the middle .. received a lot of icetime .. do not know if he will be drafted, but if he continues to develop, he could be a free agent after college.

Alex Gallen (2008), Cushing Academy, D

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. 1989 DOB (Dec) .. received a lot of icetime .. decent size (6-0, 190) .. best asset is his puck moving ability, especially on the PP .. on the PK, needs to be stronger on the puck when making the clear .. a solid player, but do not see him with pro potential.

Torin Snydeman (2008), Cushing Academy, F

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. a 1990 DOB (Jan) .. despite decent size (5-11, 190), plays a tough and physical game .. slippery along the boards and difficult to hit and pin him against the boards .. showed a good one-timer, but once again has questionable offensive skill .. needs a few strides to get going .. should be a solid college player, but in terms of the draft, do not think he does enough offensively to be drafted.

Mike Conderman (2009), Cushing Academy, F

Sophomore with lots of potential .. lacks size (5-8, 165) .. has quick strides .. quick release but needs to hit the net more consistently .. plays the point on the PP and had an assist on the PPG .. quick around the net and shows poise with the puck .. shifty coming down the wing and has a quick move to inside middle with a quick release on net .. adapting quick to the prep school level and should continue his impressive offensive talent.

TJ Massie (2008), Cushing Academy, G

Listed on the Central Scouting Preliminary List .. committed to UMass Lowell for 2008 .. decent to average rebound control .. decent down low .. average post-to-post .. needs work handling the puck .. played a good game against Northwood (had 33 saves), but has many holes that do not make him a strong draft prospect.

Alex Chiasson (2009), Northwood School, C

1990 DOB (May) .. a junior .. drafted by Val d'Or (QMJHL) .. good size (6-3, 175) .. had a very quiet first half in the game, but much better during the second half .. his line seemed to be the only Northwood line that could keep some sustained pressure in the Cushing zone .. has a heavy shot, but needs to hit the net more .. scored Northwood's only goal on a wrap-around.

Julien Cayer (2008), Northwood School, F

1989 DOB (July) .. a senior and assistant captain .. committed to Clarkson for 2008 .. very good size (6-4, 190) .. showed very good hands, but does have a tendency to hold onto the puck too long, especially on the PP .. has a quick release .. has a long stride .. took a bad penalty for a hit from behind and received a game misconduct.