USHSE: Quick, Biega Salisbury Draft Stakes

Wrapup coverage of the Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament, highlighting the top performers from the victorious Salisbury School, including Kevin Quick and the Biega brothers, plus a trio from Phillips Andover Academy - Chris Cahill, Joe Smith and J-P Martignetti - also among those garnering collegiate and pro attention.

Players To Watch

Alex Biega (2006), D, Salisbury

Knights' co-captain was named to the all-tournament team thanks to a superb all-around performance .. talented defenseman with good offensive upside, though quite generously listed in the guides at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds .. blessed with excellent skating skills - moves up ice and in traffic well .. consistently makes intelligent decisions with the puck and displays exceptional offensive instincts .. by no means one-dimensional, he also possesses solid defensive-zone abilities and is a good open-ice hitter .. anticipates and sees the ice superbly, and is especially effective on the powerplay where his low, hard shot is a weapon .. Alex communicates all the time on the ice and is a vocal leader for Salisbury, who moved to a perfect 9-0-0 on the season .. scored a nice PP goal in the championship game as he snuck to the faceoff circle and positioned himself perfectly in the path of a blind centering pass before firing a quick snapshot over the goalie's glove .. definitely shows decent pro potential .. still undecided on where he will play next year.

Michael Biega (2007), RW, Salisbury

Like older brother Alex, Michael is also listed rather generously at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds .. more in the 5-9 or 5-10 range from ice level .. he is small and anything but strong on the puck .. frequently was separated from the puck .. more of a skilled type who relies heavily on his offensive abilities, namely his soft hands and impressive patience in scoring areas .. showed a nice quick release on his goal in the championship game off a fortuitous bounce .. overall, however, his performance at the tournament would have to be rated as inconsistent .. would be much more effective if he were stronger and not so easily pushed off the puck .. will be interesting to monitor his progress this season.

Kevin Quick (2006), D, Salisbury

A member of the USA U-18 team, Quick is not only very responsible in his own zone, but also possesses solid offensive capabilities .. shows an ability to carry the puck up the ice and is an integral part of Salisbury's power play .. moves the puck extremely well and makes hard, sharp passes .. also boasts a good point shot which he consistently keeps low and on target .. very quick on his feet .. displays impressive two-way instincts and is a legitimate pro prospect.

Nick Jaskowiak (2007), D, Salisbury

Plays a strong but simple game on defense .. a very good passer who seems to like to stay back and stick to the safest plays .. didn't show much offensively during the two games, but was named to the All-Tournament Team nevertheless, even if the selections are not always an accurate reflection of the best performers.

Chris Cahill (2006), LW, Phillips Andover

An aggressive, two-way forward .. propelled by a very fast but choppy stride .. listed as 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, which he likes to get physically involved .. excels as a penalty killer and while playing the point on the power play .. an impressive player both with and without the puck .. goes hard to the net and possesses a very quick shot .. on the downside, he was undisciplined at times during the tournament - took a four-minute penalty that hurt his team in the matchup against Salisbury .. did not play in the fifth-place game against Deerfield .. still uncommitted for college next year .. whichever school he chooses could have a bearing on his NHL draft position.

J.P. Martignetti (2006), RW, Phillips Andover

John Paul possesses great size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds and, like Brian Boyle before him, is a relative monster playing against smaller competition on the prep school level .. he also resembles Boyle in that he boasts some impressive skills to accompany the big frame .. boasts a strong, heavy shot and good skating ability for his size .. received lots of powerplay time .. plays a solid all-around game .. would benefit from being more assertive with his size, especially on the power play as he can be an immovable screen when battling to gain position in front of the net .. should be considered more of a longterm project as he appears to possess some untapped talent .. there's the makings of a solid power forward here.

Joe Smith (2006), C, Phillips Andover

Rated as an 'A' prospect on Central Scouting's draft-watch list, however this was a very quiet performance .. a very good skater with excellent speed, though he didn't show much in these contests .. also possesses above-average shooting abilities .. tried to do a bit too much at times and displayed a tendency for coughing up bad turnovers in the neutral zone .. will be expecting a much better effort on the next viewing, which is essential if he entertains hopes of going in the opening three rounds of the NHL Draft.

Hunter Thunell (2006), D, Phillips Andover ('06-7 Brown)

A strong defender who plays a solid two-way game .. excels on the power play and isn't shy about joining in the rush .. scored a nice goal against Salisbury by jumping into the attack .. one specific area that stood out as a weakness was his decision making under pressure .. prone to puckmoving errors whenever he is heavily pressured by forecheckers .. also needs to work on being more physical and better exploiting his big, spacious frame.