The USPHL NCDC 2019 Futures Draft was held on Thursday with the 13 league organizations selecting several players. The USPHL NCDC is not sanctioned by USA Hockey, so most of the high-end players will stay in prep or go to the USHL.
Some league teams do a better job at getting to rinks than others.
In the New England area, Islanders Hockey Club head coach Sean Tremblay is in the rinks a lot and at least tries to recruit players for his program.
The USPHL NCDC hasn’t had a player selected in the NHL Draft since John Marino was taken in 2015 by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round with the 154th overall pick. That streak doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
USPHL NCDC 2019 Futures DraftÂ
Boston Bandits
Mike Callow, ’04, C, South Shore Kings 14U/South Boston, Mass.
Jesse Horecek, ’03, F, Palmyra Black Knights/Lebanon, Pa.
C.J. Monturio, ’03, RW, Thayer Academy/Weymouth, Mass.
Patrick Neal, ’03, C, Avon Old Farms/Greenwich, Conn.
Kevin Scott, ’03, D, Selects Academy 15U/Ashburn, Va.
Matt Tully, ’04, D, Foxboro High School/Foxboro, Mass.
The best player selected was Callow, a tall forward out of South Shore Kings 14U. He played in this past summer’s STX 68 Combine, meaning he’s certainly one of the top 100 players nationally in the ‘04 age group. Monturio and Neal are both hard-working forwards who play with jam.
Connecticut Jr. Rangers
Jackson Cuotu, ’03, C, St. Mark’s School/Upton, Mass.
Matt McGroarty, ’03, C, Brunswick/Westport, Conn.
Cody Melanson, ’03, D, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 16U/Wake Forest, N.C.
Nicholas LeClaire, ’03, F, Yale 15U/Colchester, Conn.
Lemuel Vardy, ’03, D, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 16U/Wendell, N.C.
Alex Bonrouhi, ’03, G, LA Jr. Kings/Marina Del Ray, Calif.
The Jr. Rangers went off the board in some of these picks, but the best player chosen was ’03 center Matt McGroarty of Brunswick School. He plays the game the right way and competes with an edge while having some skill.
Islanders HC
Nick Roukounakis, ’03, LW, Thayer Academy/Pembroke, Mass.
Aiden Lyons, ’03, LD, Nobles/Brookline, Mass.
Anthony Cafarelli, ’03, RW, Cushing Academy/Middleton, Mass.
Cameron Sullivan, ’03, C, Westborough Hiigh School/Westborough, Mass.
Aiden Elkins, ’03, LD, Austin Prep/Winchester, Mass.
Shaun McEwen, ’04, LD, Seacoast 14U/South Hadley, Mass.
Colin Ronan, ’03, G, Saugus High School/Saugus, Mass.
The Islanders HC collected the most talent of any team in the draft process. Lyons is a high-end, skilled, puck-moving defenseman. Roukounakis is a strong left wing who plays heavy and can take over below the dots. McEwen, the grandson of former UMass head coach Don ‘Toot’ Cahoon, is a highly regarded ’04 defenseman. Sullivan is one of the better public school players in the MIAA.
Junior Bruins
Ethan Cordeiro, ’03, F, LaSalle High School/Cranston, R.I.
Brian Grant, ’04, D, Mansfield High School/Mansfield, Mass.
Will Hughes, ’04, F, Phillips Andover/Andover, Mass.
Matt Kursonis, ’04, St. George’s School/Middletown, R.I.
John Logan, ’03, D, BC High/Hanover, Mass.
Declan Loughnane, ’03, D, BC High/Milton, Mass.
Connor Sullivan, ’03, G, Rivers/Weston, Mass.
’04 freshman Will Hughes was the best player selected by the Junior Bruins. Loughnane is running the power play and logging a ton of minutes as a freshman at BC High.
New Jersey Hitmen
Logan Heroux, ’03, D, NJ Devils 16U/Middletown, N.J.
Seth Kaplan, ’03, F, NJ Devils 16U/Summit, N.J.
Cameron O’Neill, ’04, F, Team Maryland/Odenton, Md.
Will Donato, ’03, F, Hill School/Collegeville, Pa.
David Chen, ’03, F, NJ Colonials 16U/Livingston, N.J.
Patrick Zincone, ’04, F, NJ Devils 14U, Fairfield, N.J.
Zachary Wagnon, ’04, F, NJ Devils 14U, Red Bank, N.J.
New Jersey Rockets
Jack Musa, ’03, F, Trinity-Pawling/Orange Park, Fla.
Sam Lipkin, ’03, F, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 16U/Lafayette Hill, Pa.
Danny Minnehan, ’03, F, LA Jr. Kings 16U/Cypress, Calif.
Rhett Kodsi, ’04, D, Florida Alliance/Boca Raton, Fla.
Luke Ellis, ’03, F, Anaheim Ducks 15U/Anaheim, Calif.
Musa is playing top line minutes as an ’03 in prep school with Trinity-Pawling, the alma mater of head scout Jason Franzone.
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs
Cooper Boulanger, ’03, F, Holderness School/Derby, Vt.
Liam Chapman, ’04, D, Seacoast Spartans 16U/Weare, N.H.
Brendan Kimball, ’03, D, Seacoast Spartans 16U/Jupiter, Fla.
Nick McSorley, ’03, F, Biddeford High School/Biddeford, Maine
Nolan Sauer, ’03, D, John Stark High School/Henniker, N.H.
Jonathan Surrette, ’03, F, Woburn High School/Woburn, Mass.
Chapman is one of the more well-regarded ’04 defensemen in New England. He’s the top pick in this group.
Northern Cyclones
Cade Corbin, ’03, G, Waconia High School/Waconia, Minn.
Owen Drummey, ’03, F, Falmouth High School/Falmouth, Maine
Sonny Ouellette, ’04, Top Gun 14U/Biddeford, Maine
Niko Anestis, ’03, F, Winchendon School/Acton, Mass.
Aiden Winslow, ’03, G, Florida Alliance/Jacksonville, Fla.
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders
Paul Desaro, ’03, F, Selects Academy 15U/Manorville, N.Y.
Michael Emerson, ’03, F, North Jersey Avalanche 15U/Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Phil Feinberg, ’03, F, NJ Devils 16U/Stirling, N.J.
Luca Leighton, ’03, F, Long Island Gulls 15U/Old Brookville, N.Y.
Dante Palombo, ’03, F, North Jersey Avalanche 15U/White Plains, N.Y.
Ryan Ufko, ’03, D, North Jersey Avalanche 16U/Smithtown, N.Y.
Ufko will never play a game in the NCDC, but the UMass commit is a terrific defenseman. Kudos to the P.A.L. Islanders for giving it the old college try here.
Rochester Jr. Monarchs
Tyler Procious, ’03, D, Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U/Pittsford, N.Y.
Austin Ennis, ’03, F, Buffalo Jr. Sabres 15U/Brockport, N.Y.
Anthony Agostinelli, ’03, F, Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U/Rochester, N.Y.
Jack Henry, ’04, D, Syracuse Nationals 14U/Skaneateles, N.Y.
Procious and Agostinelli are two of the more skilled players at their respective positions in the ’03 age group. Neither will ever play a game in the NCDC.
South Shore Kings
Alexander Mickanin, ’03, G, Selects Academy 15U/Hopkinton, Mass.
Brandon Plaga, ’03, D, LA Jr. Kings 16U/Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Josh Tisdell, ’03, D, Springfield Pics 16U/Chicopee, Mass.
JT Halliday, ’03, F, St. Paul’s School/Saugus, Calif.
Zachary Eben, ’03, F, Palmyra Black Knights 16U/Shavertown, Pa.
Quinn Kennedy, ’03, Team Maryland 16U/Silver Spring, Md.
Tyler Holske does a lot of the scouting for the South Shore Kings. The goalie guru did a nice job in selecting Mickanin, one of the top 10 2003-born goaltenders in the country.
Syracuse Stars
Riley Rosenthal, ’03, D, South Florida Hockey Academy/Boca Raton, Fla.
Jed Brazo, ’03, F, Cortland, N.Y.
Cameron Lowe, ’03, D, Rochester Coalition 15U/Skaneateles, N.Y.
Max Montes, ’03, F, Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 16U/Hartland, Wis.
Gavin Bloder, ’03, F, South Florida Hockey Academy/Parkland, Fla.
Nicholas Tirch, ’03, F, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U/Mars, Pa.
Johnny Fratto, ’03, F, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U/Butler, Pa.
The Stars went with a pair of Florida players in Rosenthal, a big defender, and Bloder, a tough-nosed winger.
Twin City Thunder
Kalle Ervasti, ’03, D, South Florida Hockey Academy 16U/Oulu, Finland
Owen Paskowski, ’04, D, Buffalo Jr. Sabres 14U/Beverly, Mass.
Oscar Plandowski, ’03, D, Selects Academy 15U/Halifax, N.S.
Guillaume Richard, ’03, D, Séminaire St. Francoise Blizzard/Trois Rivieres, Que.
Riley Ruh, ’03, F, LA Jr. Kings 15U/Los Angeles, Calif.
Culin Wilson, ’03, F, Dexter Prep/Hingham, Mass.
There were some solid players selected here, but there’s little chance any of them will ever play in the NCDC. Plandowski, a Quinnipiac commit, is the most elite of the group. Richard (Maine), Paskowski (Colorado College) and Wilson are also good players.
