EXETER, N.H. – Ten teams from across the world descended on The Rinks at Exeter for five days to compete in the World Selects Trophy Elite '06 Tournament.
Eight of the teams were made up of teams and players from North America while two clubs brought prospects from Sweden and Czech Republic to the tournament that took place in front of close to a dozen college coaches from the region.
TPH Selects went undefeated throughout the tournament, capturing the championship with a 6-2 win over New Hampshire Junior Wildcats in the final. The team was made up mostly of players from Michigan and Ohio with one local, '07 Michael Munroe (Hanover, Mass.), playing up a year.
Munroe had five goals and three assists in eight games. The leading scorer in the tournament among New England players was Ronnie Hill, who had eight goals and four assists in eight games. The Saco, Maine, native and Seacoast Performance Academy forward was the top offensive threat for the New Hampshire Junior Wildcats. Teammate Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.) and Joel Barlow High School forward Niko Tournas (Redding, Conn.) of RSG Selects were the other top New England scorers at the event.
We’ve focused on a lot of the top New England players in this tournament over the past few months, so I wanted to focus on some prospects who aren’t local. Here are 20 players from outside of the region who stood out at the 2022 World Selects Trophy:
Forwards
Malcolm Baar
Bloodline, 4/10/06, left shot, 5-11/175
Baar was the best forward prospect on Bloodline. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, he’s been living in the D.C. area and playing for Team Maryland for a few years now. He’s a goal scorer who skates well and is strong on his skates. He plays a north-south game and can shoot a puck with zip. He scored three goals in the round robin portion of the tournament here.
Michael Barron
TPH Selects, 7/12/06, right shot, 5-6/140
Barron led the tournament in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. The Canton, Mich., native is undersized, but he works hard, sees the ice well, and hunts pucks. He forced a lot of turnovers and was good in all situations. He’s making the jump from Victory Honda to Compuware for the 2022-23 season.
Filip Holst
Sweden Selects, 10/9/06, left shot, 5-10/143
Holst is a late birthday from Stockholm, Sweden. His skating, quick twitch, and playmaking ability stood out here. He had two goals and six assists to tie for the team lead in scoring. Holst will play for Lulea HF J18 in 2022-23.
Easton Jacobs
TPH Selects, 1/29/06, left shot, 6-3/165
Jacobs has pro upside with a large frame and the skating ability to go along with it. He showed glimpses of that in this tournament as he was good coming off the wall and below the dots. From Muskegon, Mich., he’ll get the most out of his physical tools if he continues to bulk up and play the role of a power forward on a more consistent basis. Jacobs, who played for Little Caesars this past season, had two goals and six assists in eight games.
Tristan Konobelj
Czech Selects, 10/3/06, right shot, 6-0/179
Konobelj wasn’t the most productive player on the weekend, but he showed plenty of upside with his stick, skill and brain. A late birthday from Ljublana, Slovenia, he made a lot of plays and has a very good stick. Konobelj had two goals and four assists in seven games. There is certainly significant upside for this player.
Quinn McNamara
Draftday, 1/24/06, left shot, 6-1/178
McNamara caught my eye at last summer’s Junior Chowder Cup, as he had a big offensive outing in that tournament. From London, Ontario, he had four goals in five games here. He showed good size, a heavy shot, and the willingness to play a heavy game. He works hard, hunts pucks, and is able to win battles in the greasy areas.
Luke Melnik
TPH Selects, 10/11/06, left shot, 5-7/150
Melnik is on the smaller side, but the late birthday from Red Bank, N.J., is a gifted offensive player. He spent the past two seasons with Detroit Compuware and is making the move to Little Caesars for 2022-23. Here, he had six goals and six assists. His quickness, good stick, and playmaking abilities are all strong. Once he rounds out his game and becomes a more complete player, there’s the making of a Division 1 hockey player.
Tanner Morgan
Black Bear Selects, 7/18/06, left shot, 5-9/170
Morgan, from Harrisburg, Pa., has played the past two seasons with the Nashville Junior Predators, but is making the move to Woonsocket to play for Mount Saint Charles in 2022-23. His elite attribute is his brain. He saw the ice well and made quite a few nice plays in this tournament. He finished the round robin portion of the tournament with three goals and four assists in five games.
Cam Springer
TPH Selects, 5/24/06, right shot, 5-11/160
Springer is a good-sized forward who can play the role of a power forward at this level. He’s strong on his skates and hard to knock off pucks. He created offense by driving the net and scoring on the rush. In eight games, he had seven goals and four assists. The Dexter, Mich., native plays for Compuware.
Cooper Struckel
TPH Selects, 8/7/06, left shot, 5-10/160
Struckel was the most honest player I watched this past weekend. He’s not overly offensive, but he competes hard in all three zones and could be relied upon to backcheck, kill penalties and not let his team down in any situation. From Dublin, Ohio, he had two goals and two assists in eight games. He’s a product of the Ohio Blue Jackets youth organization.
Defensemen
Vincent Glos
Czech Selects, 8/14/06, left shot, 5-10/146
Glos is raw and still filling out his frame, but I could see some potential here with his vision, ability to make plays in transition, and skating. His stride was effortless and he looked to be a player who is just scratching the surface of how good he can be. From Ostrava, Czech Republic, he played for HC Poruba U17 in 2021-22.
Ryan Lukko
RSG Selects, 8/16/06, left shot, 5-7/160
Lukko had five goals and five assists, including a hat trick in his team’s first playoff game against Black Bear. The Colonia, N.J., native is small in stature, but his hockey sense, especially on the offensive side of the puck, is elite. He reads plays extremely well and is able to move pucks up ice and generate scoring chances from the back end. He’s not a blazer, in terms of skating, but he’s shifty and has a good stick, as evidenced by a few of his goals being tucked into corners. The New Jersey Rockets star has the puck on his stick a lot and was certainly one of the most impactful defensemen in this tournament.
Charlie Michaud
TPH Selects, 8/12/06, left shot, 5-10/170
Michaud is a converted forward with an electric skill set when it comes to moving pucks north and creating offense from the back end. Once he gets going up ice, he’s like a freight train heading towards the opposition’s net. He made a number of elite plays with the puck on his stick. As you might expect from someone who’s spent a majority of his development playing forward, he’ll need to continue to improve on the defensive side of the puck. He has the potential to be a big-time Division 1 recruit who will likely get offers on August 1. The Denver, Colo., native had three goals and four assists on the weekend. He’ll be in his second season with Little Caesars in 2022-23.
Chase Nyitray
TPH Selects, 2/7/06, right shot, 5-10/155
Nyitray, from Maumee, Ohio, is making the jump from Honeybaked to Little Caesars for the 2022-23 season. His elite attributes are his skating and mobility. He’s able to use his feet and speed to evade oncoming forecheckers on the breakout, create offense in transition, and walk the blue line. He had two goals and two assists in eight games.
Luke Osburn
TPH Selects, 9/9/06, left shot, 5-9/135
Osburn was the best pro prospect I saw this past weekend on the blue line. Almost a late birthday, he’s grown quite a bit in the past few months and will only keep getting better as he fills out. His skating, especially his first two steps, deception and vision were all impressive to watch. He had three goals and two assists in eight games. He’s only going to be a sophomore next year, but it is a sure bet that Osburn will have plenty of big time Division 1 offers come August 2023.
Zach Skowronek
Bloodline, 5/4/06, left shot, 6-3/190
Skowronek is a big, sturdy defenseman from Team Maryland. He’s strong and has a heavy shot from the point. Along with Caeden Herrington (Montpelier, Vt.), he gave Bloodline a nice one-two punch on the blue line here. The Arlington, Va., native has a solid offensive acumen and will be a key part of Team Maryland’s success in 2022-23.
Evan Sofikitis
TPH Selects, 12/2/06, right shot, 5-7/165
Sofikitis had three goals and three assists in eight games on the weekend. On the smaller side, he made good reads, knew when to pinch, and did a good job sliding down to create opportunities on the backdoor. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native played with an edge and didn’t take any nonsense from opponents.
Emil Stadin
Sweden Selects, 5/5/06, left shot, 5-10/159
Stadin was the catalyst for his team here this weekend. The Njurunda, Sweden, native isn’t a speedster, but he showed off elite vision and a very good stick. Stadin, who will play for Frolunda HC J18 in his native country in 2022-23, had eight assists in five games. He was especially lethal on the power play, zipping the puck around from the top.
Goaltenders
Owen Lepak
TPH Selects, 2/20/06, catches left, 5-10/145
Lepak certainly had a strong team in front of him, but he posted an impressive .932 save percentage over the course of the weekend. The Clarkston, Mich., native is just scratching the surface of how good he can be. What impressed me was his rebound control and ability to prevent second chances. He’ll be making the switch from the Oakland Junior Grizzlies to Little Caesars for the 2022-23 season.
Ty Levy
RSG Selects, 2/3/06, catches left, 6-2/168
Levy, from Hillburn, N.Y., wasn’t one of the statistical leaders at the goaltending position over the weekend. However, the tall, athletic goaltender from the New Jersey Rockets looks like he could have some potential.
