This past weekend, many top prospects born in 2002 and 2003 converged on the Greater Boston area to play in the Junior Chowder Cup and the Junior Battle of Boston.
College coaches and junior scouts were on hand to watch, as the two tournaments took place across Massachusetts in Foxboro, Walpole, Canton and Attleboro. There were far too many teams and a wide variety of talent, making it impossible to view every team.
Boston University recruit Jeremy Wilmer, playing on Hockey Essentials White, was by far the best player viewed over the weekend. A standout at USA Hockey Select 15s, he was equally good in Walpole. He’s on the smaller side, but he has great hands, protects pucks and produces offensively on a consistent basis.
Below is a list of 24 players who stood out at the two events. It is not meant as a rankings list, as it would be unfair to do so.
Five players included are committed to college programs in New England.
Junior Battle of Boston
Jeremy Wilmer
#16 Hockey Essentials White, North Jersey Avalanche, 8/16/03, Forward, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Boston University
Despite being undersized, Wilmer uses his skating and stickhandling to protect pucks. He throws his hips out to leverage opposing defenders, moves pucks quickly and is slick in the attacking zone and on the rush. He’s going to be a joy to watch over the next few years.
Tyler Boucher
#10 Hockey Essentials White, Avon Old Farms, 1/15/03, Forward, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Boston University
Boucher struggled, especially given the lofty expectations this observer has for him based on his USA Hockey Select 15s performance, but he was good here. He’s fast, gets in on the forecheck and makes plays below the dots. He’s physical and goes to the net. Boucher is one of those players who plays the game the right way and does better in a more structured environment, which summer hockey certainly is not.
Liam Gilmartin
#9 Hockey Essentials White, Shattuck St. Mary’s, 1/7/03, Forward, Left Shot
Gilmartin, from Falls Church, Va., is a power forward with size and good hands. His skating and hockey sense both need some work, but his physical tools allow him to absolutely dominate, especially in the attacking zone below the dots. He drives the net and should blossom into a bonafide power forward.
Vincent Salice
#8 Hockey Essentials White, Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, 2/28/03, Forward, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Vermont
Salice has incredible hands and quickness. He scored a goal on Sunday by flying in from the wall and roofing a shot off the pipe and in.
Dylan Gratton
#28 Hockey Essentials White, North Jersey Avalanche, 2/25/03, Defense, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Penn State
Gratton played up a year ago, and the maturity in his game shows. He makes plays by moving the puck up ice and can get shots through from the point. He can sometimes be a little reckless and try to do too much with the puck, but he’s undoubtedly one of the top 10 defensive candidates to make the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Ryan Ufko
#2 Hockey Essentials White, North Jersey Avalanche, 5/7/03, Defense, Right Shot
Ufko is on the smaller side, but he uses his feet and stick to defend well. He’s smart on breakout passes and makes the simple looks to transition from defense to offense.
Chase Ramsay
#4 Hockey Essentials White, Avon Old Farms, 6/10/03, Defense, Right Shot
Ramsay didn’t make national camp, but he showed why he’s still going to be a heck of a player. He has poise, moves pucks north and is a smooth skater.
Niko Rexine
#15 Evolve Hockey, Rochester Coalition, 6/20/02, Forward, Right Shot
Rexine is a solid forward who plays to his strengths. He plays hard, wins battles to loose pucks and can rip a shot. He goes to the dirty areas and he should keep getting better. He was the best forward on last year’s Rochester Coalition team, but was always overshadowed by how good defenseman Eamon Powell was each game.
Shawn O’Donnell
#17 Hockey Essentials White, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Forward, Left Shot
O’Donnell isn’t the best skater, but he knows what to do in order to be effective. He plays with a purpose and goes hard on the forecheck and wins a lot of battles along the wall and down low. He drives the net for rebound goals and just uses his size and strength to his advantage.
Andon Cerbone
#25 Hockey Essentials White, Mid-Fairfield, 4/13/04, Forward, Left Shot
Playing up a year, Cerbone is a small, crafty forward. He has the potential to be one of the more dynamic players in his age group as he develops and fills out over the coming years.
Connor Callaghan
#30 Hockey Essentials White, Avon Old Farms, 3/2/03, Goaltender, Catches Left
The Ramsay, N.J., native is a little undersized for modern-era goaltenders, but he's solid at squaring up to shooters and taking away shooting angles. He’s quiet and doesn’t flop around in the crease.
Casey Raffone
#16 Top Shelf, Mid-Fairfield, 5/21/03, Forward, Left Shot
Raffone was sometimes lost in the shuffle among the other terrific players on Mid-Fairfield last season, but he has a pretty good offensive skill set and works hard.
Max Itagaki
#7 Boston Jr. Whalers Black, Chicago Mission, 6/18/02, Forward, Right Shot
The Glenview, Ill., native is undersized, but he has good hands and is quick. He’s crafty and can generate offensive chances, especially when maneuvering around defenders with as much structure.
Junior Chowder Cup
Stanley Cooley
#19 Selects Hockey Development, ND Hounds, 5/27/02, Forward, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Cooley uses his hockey sense and vision to create chances for his teammates. He’s not the biggest player, but he protects pucks and wins battles below the dots. His skating isn’t the best, but he makes up for it with other parts of his game. He should be a big-time player for Jim Madigan’s Huskies.
Brody Crane
#8 Evolve, Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 5/29/04, Forward, Left Shot
Crane is an Ontario-born forward who's small, but played up this past weekend. He’s crafty and has a great shot, all while being fast enough to get into the scoring areas.
Seamus Powell
#6 Evolve, Syracuse Nationals, 4/26/04, Defense, Left Shot
Powell also played up here. He’s the younger brother of NTDP ’02 D and BC recruit Eamon Powell. He’s also a talented offensive, puck-moving defenseman. He’ll be a player to watch over the coming years.
Dane Dowiak
#19 All-American Prospects, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, 3/27/02, Forward, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Penn State
The Wexford, Pa., native is a very smart offensive player who knows where to go to impact the offense. He was also a standout at the recently-completed USA Hockey Select Player Development Camp. Dowiak is one of many terrific ‘02s and ‘03s that the Nittany Lions have in their pipeline.
Blake Humphrey
#81 Roc City Elite Black, Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 1/1/02, Forward, Right Shot
Humphrey is really coming on strong over the past six months. He's heavy on pucks, win battles down low, can facilitate offense, and he can also rip shots from the slot. He does a good job going to the dirty areas.
Nick DeSantis
#4 All-American Prospects, Selects Academy, 5/2/02, Forward, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Miami
DeSantis, from Collegeville, Pa., continually gets dismissed for his lack of size, but he makes plays and keeps his feet moving upon every viewing. While he might not have pro upside, his potential to be a rock-solid college player is undeniable.
Victor Czerneckianair
#9 Selects Hockey Development, Selects Academy, 2/7/02, Forward, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Quinnipiac
Czerneckianair appears to be a perfect fit for Rand Pecknold’s system with the Bobcats. He gets on pucks quickly and has good hands to create offense. He’s heavy on pucks and plays a simple game by being tenacious on the forecheck.
Frank Djurasevic
#7 Selects Hockey Development, Selects Academy, 3/9/02, Defense, Right Shot
The New Rochelle, N.Y., native has good size and moves well. He’s not a player who has a flare for the dramatic, but he keeps things simple and effective. He moves pucks north and makes smart decisions. He has length and can defend well. He’d be a very good pickup for an ECAC Hockey school.
Nicholas Paoluci
#13 Power Hockey Academy, Mississauga Rebels, 4/22/02, Forward, Right Shot
Paoluci was an effective offensive producer by using his skating to win races to loose pucks, play heavy down low and get pucks into the scoring areas.
Donovan Powell
#6 West Michigan Elite, Victory Honda, Defense, 8/1/03, Defense, Right Shot
Powell didn’t make USA Hockey Select 15s out of the Michigan District, but he was very good here. He’s an offensive defenseman who gets shots through from the point and does a good job facilitating the offense from the backend. He’s growing and there should be significant upside.
Matthew Wong
#28 Power Hockey Academy, Toronto Marlies, 1/23/02, Defense, Right Shot
Wong, an OHL Draft pick of the Kingston Frontenacs, steps into the offense and has good hands when joining the rush.
