USA Select 17: Bull Market For Dowzak

Team Gold finished atop the National division at the USA Hockey Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Today we take a look at their defense, led by behemoth Tysen Dowzak who is already making some noise for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. We also have notes on Bradley Nunn of New York, Mike Cornell of Massachusetts, Cameron Cepek of California and Arne Krogh of Alaska.

Bradley Nunn (2006), D

Stony Brook, New York native is blessed with tremendous size already at 6'4"-220lbs. .. will pinch in when given the chance .. a strong skater, although isn't overly quick or mobile and has trouble recovering once he is beaten .. at times can be guilty of trying to be a bit too fancy with the puck, but when he plays within himself he can be some help on the offense, yet that has to be thought of as a bonus .. has some upside if his overall skating improves .. will be playing for Apple Core Jr. A this coming season .. wore #2 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 1-2-3-14).

Mike Cornell (2006), D

From Franklin, Massachusetts might not be a monster on the backend at 6'1"-195lbs, but he sure will make the opposition pay a heavy price in traffic or in open ice .. anticipates the play reasonably well .. plays the man effectively on the one-on-one .. on more than a few occasions he jumped up for a bone-jarring hit .. wasn't a force at either end, yet overall did a nice job for Team Gold .. wore #4 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-2-2-14).

Tysen Dowzak (2006), D

Not only is he a beast at 6'5"-225lbs, but he uses every square inch of his rather large frame .. still needs to improve his decision making and make quicker decisions, especially with the puck .. quite simply an imposing piece of work without the puck .. displays a willingness to pinch in on offense if the opportunity presents itself .. has the ability to make crisp breakout passes right on the tape .. generally played with discipline, however he did lose his cool once and received an undisciplined penalty for throwing an opponent's stick right in front of the Ref .. didn't have any success offensively at the Festival, however there are signs that he may become productive in the offensive zone as he does show a willingness to get involved .. wore #5 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-0-0-2).

Cameron Cepek (2006), D

A regular on the Portland Winter Hawks defense in the WHL last season, Cepek started off a bit shaky at Select 17 Festival .. needs to get on his man quicker as he often allowed players too much time and space .. has a bit of a nasty streak and is not hesitant to his stick to get his message across .. can be pressured in to turning over the puck .. displays good vision at this level .. tall at 6'2", but could add some muscle to his frame to become more of a force in front of his net .. wore #6 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-1-1-24).

Arne Krogh (2006), D

Poised blueliner will be playing for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL this coming season .. partnered with Mike Ratchuk at the Festival .. crisp tape-to-tape passer which allows him to be fairly effective on the breakout .. has good mobility, acceleration and is strong on his skates .. finishes his checks .. usually gets his point shots through and on net in such a way as to create a deflection or a rebound .. coaches show confidence in him to play late in close games ..

.. wore #7 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-0-0-2).