USA Select 17: Volpeis Life of Brian

In our final look at Team Orange's forwards we highlight Brian Volpei of California who was arguable the team's top player during the entire Festival. We also have notes on Paul Carey of Massachusetts, Cody Carlson of New Hampshire and Jack Combs of Missouri.

Paul Carey (2007), F

Produced 20 points (15-5-20) in 28 games with Thayer Academy last season .. fairly strong and uses his 6'0"-170lbs. frame to get some power behind his hits .. hard to knock off of his feet .. takes the pass well .. has decent overall speed and when combined with his strength can make him reasonably difficult to play against in traffic .. has average feet and he'll likely never be overly quick off the mark .. wore #17 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 1-0-1-0).

Cody Carlson (2007), F

Scored 12 times and added 11 helpers in 58 games with the Boston Junior Bruins .. takes the body and closes the gap on the forecheck .. with a glorious chance in front of the net and oodles of time, he displayed little touch or imagination .. has decent hand-eye coordination, in fact his lone goal came off of a deflection during a powerplay .. accepts the pass well .. needs to show more commitment to holding up his check off the draw .. wore #18 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 3-1-4-0).

Jack Combs (2006), F

Had 7 points (1-6-7) in 61 games with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League .. big bodied forward gets in on the forecheck quickly and at 6'0"-195lbs. makes an imposing presence in doing so .. shows some commitment in coming back, but would be more effective if he threw his body around a bit more in his own zone .. his offensive numbers were very good, but he still has some upside as he could show a bit more finesse stickhandling .. must work on baring down more around the puck .. wore #19 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 3-5-8-4).

Brian Volpei (2006), F

Had an impressive 202 points (110-92-202) in 71 games for Shattuck-St. Mary's last season .. uses his quickness and tenacity to get in deep on the forecheck as well as giving the keeper fits when trying to move it .. has good vision and uses his teammates well .. drives hard to the net .. not hesitant to lay the lumber on an opponent .. is extremely dangerous if given time and space near the net .. has wonderful imagination and playmaking skills as witnessed by one particular play in which he sucked the defensive coverage over to him and then slid a no-look backhand pass to an open teammate for a quality scoring chance .. wore #20 .. USA Select 17 totals (6, 4-3-7-2).