USA Select 17: God Almeida

We continue our look at Team Gold. Today we take our first look of a two part look at their forwards led by Barry Almeida who isn't even eligible for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. We also have notes on Brian Gibbons of Massachusetts, Kyle Maggard of Ohio, Charles Brockett also of Ohio and Travis Erstad of Wisconsin.

Barry Almeida (2007), F

At 5'9" and 170lbs. thankfully he still has time to grow as he's not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2007 .. played on a line with Brian Gibbons and Eric Bennett in the Festival .. good overall speed which he uses along with his tenaciousness to create turnovers on the backcheck .. has the ability to stickhandle through traffic .. can make people miss and really can dangle when he wants to .. showed a goal scorer's touch highlighted by one play where he took a breakaway pass and fended off two defenders to knock home his own rebound in close .. wore #8 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 6-3-9-4).

Brian Gibbons (2006), F

Scored 26 goals and 31 assists in 28 games for Thayer Academy last season .. lacking size at 5'7"-145lbs. .. holds up his man off the draw .. when he gets his feet moving he can be a bit of a pest on the forecheck and has been known to knock more than the odd player on to his duff .. works hard away from the puck .. has exceptional top end speed that allows him to pull away from his checks even while skating with the puck .. was caught flatfooted and was forced in to dragging a puckcarrier down .. played on a line with Barry Almeida and Eric Bennett .. wore #9 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 1-5-6-8).

Kyle Maggard (2006), F

A tad undersized, Maggard had 46 points (22-24-46) for Gilmour Academy in 55 games last season .. will need to put in some work in improving his slap shot as doesn't have much in the way of oomph behind it .. would also like to see him put more effort in to maintaining position on his check, especially off of the draw .. usually bounces back up quickly after taking a hit .. skating doesn't stand out and neither did he for the most part .. wore #10 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-1-1-0).

Charles Brockett (2006), F

If only he was born a few days later so that he would have been eligible for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft as he is small (5'8"-150lbs.) .. works hard with or without the puck and is a solid backchecker .. very quick with a compact, efficient stride .. surprisingly effective cycling the puck in the opponent's zone .. wore #11 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 0-1-1-4).

Travis Erstad (2007), F

Lanky Stevens Point Area High School center looks a bit stiff in his first few strides, however he has decent top speed .. has a condor-like wingspan .. at 6'4" and 185lbs. he likely will need to add some muscle .. will also need to work on improving his overall mobility .. takes a hit to make a play .. definitely has some upside as he continues to fill out .. didn't have big numbers during the tournament, yet does display some imagination and vision in the offensive zone .. shows a willingness to come back to support the defense .. wore #12 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 1-0-1-2).