The 2019 Clark Cup final between the Sioux Falls Stampede and Chicago Steel, which the Stampede won, 3-0, featured four players who hail from New England.
New England Hockey Journal spoke with Stampede head coach and general manager Scott Owens and Steel head coach Greg Moore about these players and their development.
Here are their thoughts:
SIOUX FALLS STAMPEDE
Brian Chambers | C, 20, Weymouth, Mass.
Regular-season stats: 60 GP, 17-24-41; Playoff stats: 12 GP, 3-2-5
Head coach Scott Owens: “Brian’s a veteran, older guy who spent half of last season in the United States Hockey League (with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) and half in the North American Hockey League (with the Northeast Generals), and we signed him as a free agent before this past season.
“He hadn’t played a lot of center. We put him at center, and I’m impressed with how quickly he adapted to that position and how conscientious he is playing that position on both sides, offensively and defensively. He had a strong and consistent year, all season long. His line was basically the same all year.
“He produced, and his plus/minus (plus-19 in the regular season, plus-1 in the playoffs) was outstanding. He was on one of our top power-play units. His line generated five on five. He generated five on five.
“And he was dramatic with his game-winning goals in the postseason run. He had the game-winner in overtime in the final game of the Western Conference semifinals against the Waterloo Black Hawks to knock them out. He scored with 51 seconds left in Game 3 of the Western Conference final to knock the Tri-City Storm out. He had some real timely scoring in the postseason. He was consistent, conscientious and produced.”
Sam Stevens | C, 19, Boston, Mass.
Regular-season Stats: 62 GP, 10-15-25; Playoff stats: 12 GP, 3-3-6
Head coach Scott Owens: “Sam played on a couple different USHL teams — Chicago and the Des Moines Buccaneers — last year, and we acquired him in the summer via trade to give us veteran depth at center.
“He came in and was on almost the identical line all season long. I bet you that among forwards he was top three in minutes. He was one of our top two penalty-killing forwards, one of our top faceoff guys, and was oftentimes matched up against one of the other team’s top two lines. He did a lot of heavy lifting for us.
“The second half of the year he consistently, gradually scored, but he didn’t have to score to be an effective player for us. He’s a really good junior player and really settled into his role.”
CHICAGO STEEL
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | F, 18, East Greenwich, R.I.
Regular-season stats: 60 GP, 20-23-43; Playoff stats: 9 GP, 6-6-12
Head coach Greg Moore: “ ‘The Wolfe’ had a slow start. There was a process for him, coming from the background he had, to learn the team side of things and the defensive side of the game. It took him a little bit longer than some others to create those habits for himself, but once he did all the offense came for him. Once that first goal went in, the rest of the season was almost a highlight reel for him. He had a huge impact offensively.
“The kid can score in any given moment of the game. He has the confidence and the ‘it’ factor of being the guy you can lean on in overtime. He has that intangible thing that you can’t put your finger on where he has an impact on putting the puck in the back of the net.
“I’m most proud of him for working really hard on his defensive details. In the last game of the Eastern Conference final (against the Muskegon Lumberjacks) before overtime and then in overtime, he was one of my top six forwards I was trusting on the ice to be in the ‘D’ zone and play the right way, and that wasn’t the case for the first part of the season.
“I’m really proud of him and happy with his care for the team and the group and for doing the little items that we asked of him to make him a better hockey player.”
Neil Shea | F, 19, Marshfield, Mass.
Regular-season stats: 52 GP, 15-28-43; Playoff stats: 11 GP, 3-4-7
Head coach Greg Moore: “Neil is an absolute horse. His attributes on the ice and in games — he’s heavy, strong, fast, and he can drag a puck toward the net. We had a lot of little skilled forwards, and he has a lot of skill and a big body and brings a physical element.
“Offensively, he plays good give-and-go hockey. He can really think the game and read off of his teammates. Neil, Nick Abruzzese and Robert Mastrosimone, as a line, toward the end of the season and in the postseason, were a lot of fun to watch. He created a lot of time and space for those two guys. He brought a lot of attention and a little bit of a harder element, in terms of heavy hockey, that we didn’t have a lot of on our roster.
“He’s another kid who, just like Gunnarwolfe, really focused on his defensive game and getting better in the ‘D’ zone. It’s those elements that as a staff we are really proud of because, for the kid to be successful at the next level, those are the types of things that he is going to have to be responsible for, outside of how offensive he is.”
