HUDSON, N.H. — With a dozen or so NHL scouts in attendance over the course of the weekend, Mount Saint Charles captured the New England District 18-U Championship at Cyclones Arena.
After an uncharacteristically bumpy first few games of the weekend, Mount Saint Charles ramped up its play on Sunday. The team, coached by Matt Plante, defeated the Maine Nordiques, 3-1, in the final. Mount took a while to get going over the weekend, in large part due to the numerous disruptions the team has had to endure this season. In the final, Mount’s best players stepped up. While the Nordiques don’t yet have the same level of talent, the coaching staff and leadership group of Eric Soltys, a Calgary Flames scout, and Nick Skerlick have done a terrific job of putting the program on the map in its second year.
Mid Fairfield, Selects Academy, Northern Cyclones and Elite Hockey Academy were the other four teams in the New England District 18-U Tournament. Just taking the ice took a valiant effort for some of these teams. Mount Saint Charles and Maine Nordiques played five games in just under 48 hours. Kudos also goes out to the 10 skaters who played every other shift for a shorthanded Mid Fairfield squad.
The NHL scouts in attendance were there largely to check in on the tournament’s three players on NHL Central Scouting. Defenseman Nate Benoit (Bow, N.H.) and center Owen McLaughlin of Mount Saint Charles and center Matt McGroarty (Westport, Conn.) of Mid Fairfield Rangers were the attractions for the scouts.
I watched all three games Friday night before focusing the rest of the weekend on the 16-U, 15 Only and 14-U divisions. The 18-U division had the least amount of high-end talent of any of the four age groups, but there were a few players who stood out for various reasons.
I’ve written about Benoit, McLaughlin and McGroarty plenty over the years. With only watching one day of games at the 18-U division, I don’t want to compile a top prospects list, as I think it would be disingenuous. I do want to touch on a few players who I haven’t covered as much, if at all. The following evaluations are on players who stood out, especially if they’re late bloomers or less known to those college coaches who haven’t been in the rinks for more than a year.
Jacob Fowler
Selects Academy, 11/24/04, G, catches left, 6-2/185
A late 2004 birth-year player from Melbourne, Fla., Fowler is in his first year playing in New England after tending the net for the Florida Alliance in 2019-20. He has good size, cuts down on shooters’ angles, and keeps his movements to a minimum. Fowler looks like a Division 1 goaltender with potential pro upside.
Felikss Egils Gavars
Selects Academy, 5/15/02, C, left shot, 5-10/170
NCAA commit: St. Lawrence
Gavars is a player who I’ve watched for four years at Selects Academy. His game has taken a big jump this year, and he earned a commitment to St. Lawrence as a result. Gavars, from Latvia, has gotten stronger, which has helped his game immeasurably. In a battle for a loose puck on Friday, he stood his ground and knocked an opponent to the ice. That result would have been the opposite in years past. Gavars scored a nice goal early in the game. His skill and skating are both notable. He’ll likely spend a year in the NAHL or USHL before heading to play college hockey.
Charlie Russell
Selects Academy, 8/21/03, RW, right shot, 5-10/166
Russell has good edges and skates well. He showed well on the penalty kill and played hard. He battled for a lot of loose pucks. Russell hunts pucks and can find open teammates. I think if he simplified his game and improved his offensive instincts, he could be more of a finisher. Russell, who previously played for Skaneateles High School in New York, is a player to keep an eye on to see if he can make the jump to the NCDC or a similar junior level in the next year.
Tommy Heaney
Mount Saint Charles, 2/2/03, G, catches left, 6-1/170
Heaney made a couple of big saves in Friday’s win when his team wasn’t playing that well in front of him. I wasn’t there, but from re-watching on LiveBarn, Heaney was stellar in Sunday’s championship game win over Maine. From Oceanport, N.J., Heaney is a competitor in net and exudes athleticism. He’s getting some interest from NAHL teams and should be on the radar of college coaches.
Sterling Cooke
Mount Saint Charles, 2/7/03, LW, left shot, 5-10/172
Cooke had the second goal for Mount Saint Charles in Friday’s win over Elite Hockey Academy. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native is a hard-nosed winger who seems to find the scoresheet by competing and keeping his feet moving. Projecting forward, he could be a bottom-six winger who kills penalties and brings energy.
Justin Mexico
Maine Nordiques, 12/5/03, C, left shot, 5-9/163
Mexico is on the smaller side, but he’s crafty and has very good hands. He made a backhand sauce pass on Friday that was a highlight-reel play. Mexico hunted pucks and made plays. He’s elusive and tough to contain in small areas. Mexico played center on Friday but has played left wing in past seasons. The Madison Heights, Mich., native formerly played for Honeybaked and Oakland Junior Grizzlies.
Anthony Galante
Maine Nordiques, 4/18/02, LW, left shot, 5-11/161
Galante, from Morganville, N.J., had a productive game Friday and it continued throughout the weekend. He sees the ice well offensively in terms of his vision and knowing where to go to find soft spots in opposing defenses. His skill is above average and he can finish with a quick release and accurate shot.
Cameron Bauer
Maine Nordiques, 5/25/02, LW, left shot, 5-8/165
Bauer always seems to find the scoresheet when I’m watching the Nordiques. The West Seneca, N.Y., native is a gritty winger who plays the game with an edge. He has some skill and skating ability, but he’s a little water bug forward. Bauer came to Maine from Nichols School. He also appeared in three NCDC games with Utica this winter.
Chase Ramsay
Mid Fairfield, 6/10/03, D, right shot, 6-0/180
With just 10 skaters, it was tough to get too much of a gauge on Mid Fairfield players on Friday. Ramsay is an above-average skater who can bring a physical element while also possessing some offensive skill. The Granite Springs, N.Y., native has been a solid top-four defenseman for Avon Old Farms over the past two seasons.
Casey Raffone
Mid Fairfield, 5/21/03, C, left shot, 6-0/175
Raffone is listed as a left wing but played center here. He skates well and showed some intrigue. I haven’t seen as much of him over the past couple of seasons with him playing at Canterbury. He needs to improve his consistency and offensive hockey sense, but he should be watched closely by Division 3 college coaches.
Anthony Domina
Northern Cyclones, 11/24/03, C, left shot, 6-4/200
Domina is a big power forward who had the puck on his stick a lot in Friday’s game against Selects Academy. A late ’03, he is most effective when being a north-south skater and using his size and strength to his advantage. The Severna Park, Md., native played in six NCDC games this winter. He’s a player to keep an eye on as he transitions to playing junior hockey full time. His skating isn’t irredeemable, but it is an area of his game that could use improvement.
Dylan Contreras
Elite Hockey, 5/23/03, C, right shot, 5-8/140
Contreras displayed his quickness and compete on Friday. He scored his team’s first goal against Mount Saint Charles. He was involved in the play a lot and showed well throughout the game. He’s a player who could end up in the NCDC or BCHL next season.
