NORTHFORD, Conn. — There was plenty of buzz surrounding the action on the ice in the Yale Junior Bulldogs Jamboree’s 16-U division.
Not only were there a ton of good prospects, but also the weekend featured an early season upset. Seacoast Performance Academy downed North Jersey Avalanche, 4-2, on Saturday. The Avs certainly have way more Division 1 and NHL prospects on their roster, but that’s why they play the games.
The 16-U division featured numerous uncommitted ’04s who are worthy of college attention, ’05s on the NTDP radar, and an ’06 who could be very special down the road. Below is a look at what I saw at the 16-U division of the Yale Junior Bulldogs Jamboree.
Uncommitted ’04s
Forwards
Nicholas Moldenhauer
North Jersey Avalanche, 5/25/04, C/RW, right shot, 5-10/155
Moldenhauer is a big-time power forward who plays a north-south game. You rarely see Moldenhauer trying to do too much. He goes hard to the net and is strong on pucks. He has a good shot and is able to be a force every shift. Moldenhauer had a monster game against the River Rats on Saturday night.
CJ Foley
Cape Cod Whalers, 2/11/04, RW/D, right shot, 5-11/160
Foley continues to be one of my favorite ’04s in New England. He’s always been versatile, as he played forward at Thayer as an eighth-grader in 2018-19. Last season, he stepped back to defense and was a top-pairing guy for Tony Amonte’s team. He’s a steady, two-way defenseman who skates well. He plays with jam in his own zone and while defending the rush. He’s not flashy, but he makes smart, efficient outlet passes. Here, I saw him step back up to play forward. He scored a bunch of goals. He’s not lacking skill, but the No. 1 reason he scored was his tenacity. He was hard on the forecheck and drove the net.
Nicholas Vantassell
New Jersey Rockets, 4/18/04, C, right shot, 6-3/160
I saw Vantassell’s game against the Junior Eagles on Sunday morning. He scored a nice goal, beating the goaltender high glove on a breakaway in the first half. Vantassell is a power forward who has gotten a lot bigger over the past six months. The physical tools are very intriguing.
Zion Green
Maine Nordiques, 4/12/04, RW, right shot, 5-11/175
I saw Green’s game against Valley Forge Minutemen. He was a little snakebit, but he’s a dangerous player with the puck on his stick. His skill shined through on several occasions, as he’s a focal point to the team’s offense. The puck goes through him on the power play and he can create offense on the rush. The keys to Green taking his game to the next level is becoming more consistent and playing better away from the puck.
Shane Baker
Junior Bruins, 4/21/04, C/RW, right shot, 6-0/180
Baker’s Junior Bruins lost to Long Island Gulls on Saturday morning, but he stood out for me. He can play center or wing and his skating looks to have taken a step. It looks as if he has a little extra in his motor all of a sudden. Baker is still a little raw, but the skating and skill are there to make him a Division 1 prospect down the road.
Michael Callow
Cape Cod Whalers, 1/15/04, RW, right shot, 6-3/175
Callow is a big power forward who sometimes has observers wanting more. There’s still room for him to continue improving his consistency. However, he’s starting to produce and become more of an impact player. He skates well and has length.
Oliver Genest
Seacoast Academy, 3/19/04, RW, right shot, 6-0/172
Genest had a couple of goals in his team’s upset win over North Jersey Avalanche on Saturday. His size, strength and compete level are all above average. His skating and skill aren’t bad, but both areas of his game could use more of a dynamic element, if he’s going to take that next step in his game. His team is a good group of ’04s who get the most of their abilities. Teammates Kyle Smyth, Kim Hilmersson and Laurent Trepanier were other forwards who stood out in the game.
Defensemen
Jack Henry
Bishop Kearney, 2/25/04, D, right shot, 6-0/185
Henry is an intriguing player, as he was one of the best Bantams a few years ago. He wasn’t quite as noticeable a year ago, but he looks to have regained his forward trajectory during my first few viewings of 2020-21. He has good size, makes strong breakout passes, jumps up into the rush, and closes quickly on opposing forwards. There was quite a bit of buzz surrounding him following Saturday’s games.
Liam Chapman
Seacoast Academy, 3/11/04, D, left shot, 6-2/200
I was bouncing back and forth between games, but I saw most of his team’s upset win over North Jersey. He had at least two assists while being a force at both ends. He’s physically mature, rugged and strong. Chapman is tough to play against, as he uses his strength to win puck battles on retrievals. He can jumpstart the offense, as he did on a stretch pass for a goal in the second half.
NTDP watch
Boston Junior Eagles, Mid Fairfield and North Jersey Avalanche had players who are on USA Hockey’s NTDP radar ahead of the evaluation camp to be held next March.
Defensemen Aram Minnetian, Drew Fortescue and Lucas St. Louis were all sharp for Mid Fairfield St. Louis. Minnetian is a physically dominant, two-way defenseman who was impressive all weekend. Fortescue, coming off an injury that caused him to miss extended time last season, continues to get better. St. Louis is a mobile, offensive defenseman who moves pucks north.
For the Junior Eagles, forwards Will Smith and Will Vote kept up their stock. I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but Vote again showed why he’s one of my favorite ’05 forwards in the country. He plays hard, hunts pucks and is a cerebral 200-foot player.
North Jersey Avalanche was without forward Quentin Musty, one of the top-rated ’05 forwards in the country. He’s expected to miss some time with an injury. Right wing Chase Pirtle found his way onto the scoresheet quite a bit in Saturday’s big win over the River Rats. Defenseman Nick Fascia again stood out for his skating ability.
Looking ahead
Cam Cooke is an ’06 playing up with the Junior Bruins 16-U. He’s a big power forward who looks like he’ll continue growing. His skating, skill and puck protection ability are all dynamite. It’s awfully far down the road, but Cooke projects as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft.
