The East Coast Classic Tournaments Labor Day Cup took place over Labor Day weekend at the ICenter in Salem, N.H., and several other area arenas.
The Red Division was the top division in all four age groups: 18U, 16U, 15U and 14U. Yale won the championship at the 18U and 16U levels, while North Jersey Avalanche and Neponset Valley River Rats took home top honors at 15U and 14U, respectively.
The 18U, 16U and 15U divisions were heavily scouted by area colleges and NHL and junior scouts. Many of the college coaches were keeping keen eyes on players without commitments in hand.
One player, Yale 16U’s Lucas Mercuri, committed to Vermont shortly after completion of the tournament. The LaSalle, Quebec, native is a big, right-shot forward who excels below the dots. He uses his size and reach to recover pucks below the goal line and along the wall. From there, Mercuri does a good job distributing the puck to open teammates. Catamounts associate head coach Kevin Patrick was in Salem, N.H., and was responsible for recruiting Mercuri.
In addition to Mercuri, Yale 16U has seven other players committed to Division 1 programs. Anthony Cipollone (UVM), Matthew Coronato (Harvard), Dane Dowiak (Penn State), Bayard Hall (Brown), Aidan Hotchkiss (Sacred Heart), Christian Jimenez (Harvard) and Cole Vallese (Providence) are the others. It’s a deep team with a lot of ‘02s, which bodes well for a potential deep run at USA Hockey Nationals next spring.
Below is a look at the top 15 uncommitted players who stood out in the 16U and 15U divisions at the ECC Labor Day Cup.
1. Grant Riley
#1 Rochester Coalition 16U, 8/28/02, Goaltender, Catches left
Riley was very good again at the ECC Labor Day Cup. His size, fundamentals and confidence all show up when he’s trying to keep the puck out of his team’s net. Fellow goaltender Samuel LiVecchi and Riley were key in Rochester Coalition advancing to the final. Following the River Rats Jamboree, interest in Riley spiked. Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and Big Ten schools are all keeping a close eye on his development.
2. Ryan Ufko
#3 North Jersey Avalanche, 5/7/03, Defense, Right shot
Ufko has an elite stick and hockey sense, which allows him to make simple, effective passes to start transition. He defends with his stick, forces pucks outside and gets in shooting and passing lanes. He’s still slight physically and his foot speed isn’t where it will be once he develops more lower-body strength. He’s being pursued by a few schools, including several top-tier Hockey East programs.
3. Patrick Morrissey
#5 River Rats 16U, Dexter, 1/7/03, Defense, Right shot
Morrissey continues to show that his skating and vision make him a big threat to move pucks north and push the pace. He makes very good breakout passes and can walk the blue line to get shots through from the point. His strength and stick are two areas where he needs improvement. However, he’s already to the point where he’ll likely land at a Beanpot program in the near future.
4. Niko Rexine
#21 Rochester Coalition 16U, 6/20/02, Forward, Left shot
Rexine is starting to come into his own. Last year, he showed the physical tools that were intriguing. At the ECC Labor Day Cup, he used his size, strength and skating to disrupt the opposition’s forecheck. He hit hard, drove the net and made some plays after recovering pucks.
5. Daniel Sambuco
#19 ISS Kings, 6/10/03, Forward, Left shot
Sambuco’s team was overmatched for much of the weekend, but he's the best prospect on the team. He plays hard and heavy. He does a good job skating a north-south game, being physical, winning puck battles, and getting off hard shots. He’s not the flashiest player, but he’s strong and hard to knock off pucks.
6. Timur Alishlalov
#32 River Rats 16U, Avon Old Farms, 10/8/02, Forward, Right shot
Alishlalov is a very good stickhandler who does a good job protecting pucks, despite being on the smaller side. He throws his hip out and changes puck position to fend off opposing defenders. He slips behind opposing defensemen and find seams. He scored a really nice goal when he slipped behind the defense and finished with a backhander.
7. Tucker Hartmann
#18 River Rats 16U, St. Mark’s, 4/4/02, Defense, Right shot
Hartmann has started to garner some serious interest from ECAC Hockey schools, but he remains one of the most underrated players in New England. He activates into the offense and makes smart plays with the puck. He’s athletic, tough and competes hard.
8. Hunter McDonald
#11 Rochester Coalition 16U, 5/11/02, Defense, Left shot
McDonald is a tough defenseman with size and strength. He’s still raw, but is one of the main reasons Rochester played solid, team defense in front of their excellent goaltending tandem.
9. Ben Ritter
#8 Yale 16U, Loomis Chaffee, 1/31/02, Defense, Left shot
Ritter is a small, puck-moving defenseman with mobility. His hockey sense and composure with the puck on his stick are both exemplary.
10. Gabe Dombrowski
#17 ISS Kings, 1/22/02, Forward, Right shot
Dombrowski is a goalscorer. He’ll go to the dirty areas and look to get free to unleash his hard shot. He’s another north-south forward who won’t wow observers with his stick handling or any dekes.
11. Brendan Clark
#24 North Jersey Avalanche, 1/16/02, Forward, Left shot
Clark isn’t a flashy player, but he simply scores goals. He’ll shoot from anywhere and fires it with accuracy. He scored the first two goals of the game in North Jersey’s win over ISS Kings on Friday afternoon.
12. Dhillon Wilde
#7 River Rats 16U, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 7/10/02, Forward, Right shot
Wilde uses his speed to win races and get to loose pucks. He’s still developing a playmaking touch, but he has the potential to be a Division 1 player down the road.
13. Aidan Lyons
#11 River Rats 15U, Nobles, 2/26/03, Defense, Left shot
Lyons will make the jump to prep hockey this winter after spending his bantam major season with the Boston Jr. Terriers. He has a lot of skill and his skating is above average. His hockey sense is what needs improvement to get serious Division 1 looks.
14. Luke Antonacci
#3 ISS Kings, 11/26/02, Defense, Right shot
Antonacci is a mobile, two-way defender whose best assets are his stick and feet. He likes to join the rush and can skate the puck up ice in transition.
15. Zander Lizotte
#6 Yale 16U, Gunnery, 2/20/02, Defense, Left shot
Lizotte is making the jump to Gunnery after playing the past two seasons at Berwick. He has some skill and vision. He got some shots through from the point and has the strength necessary to play the position well.
Honorable Mention
Eamon Connaughton
#44 River Rats 15U, St. Mark’s, 4/16/03, Forward, Left shot
Connaughton lacks elite skill, but he’s got some size, can skate and plays heavy. He’ll win puck battles along the wall and below the net. He’s moving to prep with St. Mark’s after playing bantam hockey in his native California.
Anthony DiVita
#93 North Jersey Avalanche 15U, 6/24/03, Forward, Right shot
DiVita had some good skill and made some solid plays.
Mike Emerson
#26 North Jersey Avalanche 15U, 12/26/03, Forward, Right shot
Emerson, a late ’03, has good speed and was consistently noticeable in Friday night’s game and in Sunday’s semifinal.
Carter McWilliams
#14 Rochester Coalition 16U, 2/11/02, Forward, Left shot
McWilliams scored a goal in Sunday’s semifinal win over North Jersey. He’s a power forward who drives the net and uses his frame to position for rebounds.
David Posma
#77 North Jersey Avalanche 15U, 8/27/03, Defense, Left shot
Posma is an athletic two-way defender with offensive upside. He has skill, can shoot the puck from the point and make plays in transition.
