This is a bit long and consists *only* of discussions of *future* college
players, rather than current ones, so skip this if that's not your cup of tea.
I was at the tournament yesterday and here are my impressions. Unfortunately,
my office was being moved on Friday and I lost network connections, so I didn't
get Tony's original comments until this morning. As a result, I wasn't
watching very closely some of the players he mentions.
Tony the Ogre wrote:
>
> Since I have updated people on various prospects from EMass H.S. hockey,
> I will now continue with some observations.
>
> 1st of all, the EMass talent right now is young. There are many more prospects
> in the upcoming year's classes than this year, IMHO.
>
Agreed. Although there are some very talented players going to non-MIAA Prep/
Private schools (who held their own championships at Tully Forum over the
last week or so). This includes players like Jerry Keefe who played for
Matignon last year, but transfered to Cushing Academy. Factoring in those
players may make it a stronger talent base than it appears.
> But, for the ones who are going somewhere (or at least should be):
>
> CM: (19-1-0)
>
> Tom Noble, G, (to BU) had 11 shutouts in 20 games, great numbers, but did not
> come up really big in the big games. The book is still out on him.
>
He got such little pressure in the CM-Falmouth blowout (11-1) that any
assessment would be ridiculous. Based on his Select-16 status plus his being
drafted by the NHL, though, I'd be quite surprised if he doesn't prove to be
an excellent netminder for BU.
> Jeff Kealty, D, (to BU) (8-16-24) in 20 games. Although he has not proven
> himself in the HNIB series (summer all-star tourney), he has *always* impressed
> in the high school games (even against the top teams). Although skinny, his
> quickness and ranging ability give him the label of "potential."
>
I like this kid a LOT. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he doesn't prove to
be the best of the bunch. Granted Falmouth hardly had future NHLers coming at
him, but I like the kid's chances.
> Mike Sylvia, F, (to BU) (25-35-60) in 20 games. Finished second in the
> Catholic Conference in scoring, his occassional mistakes are outweighed by his
> creative ability. He will not challenge for 1st line next year, but he will be
> a good player for many years to come (4, hopefully).
>
He didn't stand out as much as I expected in terms of flashy skating amid the
wave after wave of CM attackers. What did stand out, though, was that when he
got the puck in a scoring opportunity, he was a great "finisher". The kid can
bury the puck.
> Doug Nolan, F, (unclaimed) (12-30-42) in 20. Nolan is not going to be an
> overwhelming force in college, but his tough, hard-nosed play complimented with
> good fundamentals will get him into somewhere. If he preps a year, look out!
>
Wasn't really looking at him.
> St. John's Prep.: (18-1-1)
>
> Kris Hanson, F, (undecided) (?-?-61) in 20. This boy is a sniper. He is not
> the greatest all-around player, and he is small (short but built), but he just
> has a nose for putting the puck in the net. He has expressed interest in UNH,
> UMass/Amherst, and UMass/Lowell (I think) and would be a good pick-up for any
> of those teams. Personally, I think he would be the best fit at Northeastern
> under Ben Smith, but that may also be too much of the same for NU.
>
He was physical, coming out hitting, and looked fast, but being physical and
fast in high school is not the same as in Div 1 college. I basically came
away with a more negative view of Hanson than I did going in. I was really
impressed with him as a sophomore, and the same held as a junior. But I'm not
sure he's improved a thing since then. In particular, he looked positively
clueless in his defensive end during stretches of the third period.
Frankly, SJP looked to be a poorly coached team. I don't know if that is
actually fact, but they sure *looked* it. They had IMO an enormous
talent advantage over Matignon (a team almost exclusively consisting of
underclassmen) but frittered away many of their scoring
chances (e.g. slapshot from the blueline on a two-on-one) and were horrendous
in their own end, leaving men unprotected in the slot on a VERY regular
basis. Since I live on the North Shore, I've been a fan of SJP for some time,
keeping an eye on them as a potential place for my son to play some day. But
last year they got bounced by an inferior team, and this year they've taken
strike one to a team they should have dominated. It really makes me wonder...
I suspect that as a freshman in Division 1, Hanson is going to be just another
face in the crowd. (Although that description fits most freshmen.)
Best future bet: Brendon Hodge, Ken Hodge's son. He's only a freshman. He's
worth keeping an eye on.
> Chris Devin, G, (unclaimed). Well, his coach likes him. I don't. (as a
> player) Maybe if he comes up big in the tourney, he could catch some eyes,
> otherwise, he might try walking on as a #3 goalie somewhere.
>
He didn't stand out at all. Based on this one game, I'm not impressed.
> Arlington HS: (20-0-0)
>
> Andy Powers, D, (undecided) (36-36-72) in 20. SEVENTY-TWO POINTS FROM A
> DEFENSEMAN!!! I can not believe no one has gotten their hands on him yet!
> Personally, I think he may be one of the most hotly pursued prospects in the
> country once the tourney is over. (legally, no one can talk to him until then)
> He is the one that I said earlier was the first defenseman in Burns's 45+ years
> of coaching HS hockey that he has allowed to create and be offensive.
>
> Joe Robillard (37-32-69), Mike Ortwein (22-28-50), and Jeff Russell (27-27-54)
> have nice numbers, but are unknowns in my mind since I have not seen them play
> against anyone good yet. (They have, but I was not there) Although I have
> heard nothing about their future, I know UNH has had good luck getting
> Arlington HS players in the past, so maybe one might turn up there. Maybe.
>
I really wish I'd read Tony's comments before the game because I wasn't paying
special attention to Powers at all. The MIAA program listed him as a forward,
so his numbers didn't seem as extraordinary. I thought he was just one of a
host of good Arlington forwards.
Actually, two Framingham forwards stole their thunder: Ken Gray, who my son
noticed because he was a non-goalie who wore number 1, and soon everyone
noticed because he was quick. He teamed with sophomore Blake Bellefeuille
to terrorize Arlington's defense almost everytime they were on the ice.
Let me set the stage, here. Arlington led Framingham 7-3 with
eleven minutes left based on making the most of their opportunites. Framingham
was IMO more impressive offensively, but made screwup after screwup in their
own end and Arlington capitalized. When it went to 7-3, the Arlington fans
started chanting, "It's all over!" which proved very premature. Gray and
Bellefeuille kept flying up and down the ice and next thing you know it's 7-6
and Arlington is holding on for dear life. Framingham then scored with ONE
second left to send it into OT.
In OT, Robillard looked like a sniper when he put one into the corner from
35 feet out on the far left wing side.
Will Gray make it at Division 1? He looked kind of small, and didn't finish
all his chances, so perhaps the odds are against him, but I think he's got a
shot.
>
> YOUTH:
>
> I'll just give y'all an idea of the youthful stars in the Super 8 this year.
>
> Ryan Southard (Jr), F, (23-27-50) Arlington Catholic
>
He rescued the fans from an Arlington Catholic-Wakefield OT. For that I will
be eternally grateful. Wakefield plays a conservative style that makes Roger
Neilson look like an offensive mastermind. This team had 13 (I believe) shots
on goal for the entire game. On the powerplay, they would line up three
players barely inside their offensive blueline, playing defensively even on
the power play. Wakefield has a forward who is the older brother of a player
on my son's team so I suppose I should have been rooting for Wakefield, but
I'd rather go on a date with Lorena Bobbit than watch Wakefield play again.
(This kid's father suggested that in a two-on-one you should play dump-and-
chase which I thought was insane, but he probably saw this at Wakefield games!)
Anyways... Wakefield's style kept Southard in check for most of the game but
the kid made a terrific one-on-one move with less than two minutes to go to
win it. He's a good one.
> Mike Souza (So), F, (27-27-54) Wakefield (when Wakefield is 19-0-1 in hockey,
> you KNOW something is not right in the world.) (and the Middlesex League
> is good too!?!)
>
Wasn't watching for this guy. See above comments about Wakefield.
> Blake Bellefeuille (So), F, (25-48-73) Great numbers, now we'll see Framingham
> play some REAL tough teams.
>
Framingham has some defensemen who haven't a clue (Dubeshter, #7 was *awful*),
but Bellefeuille is the real thing IMO.
> T.C. Harris (Fr), F, (22-26-48) A Frosh leading Matignon in scoring. Ungh!
> The last time Matignon had a young player leading them, it was a
> sophomore All-Scholastic named Shawn McEachern.
>
A guy I coach with coached against Harris for years in the Metro Boston league
and contends that you can stop Harris if you hit him. Well, the Prep tried
to do that, but he still did a job on them. SOme of that was Prep incompetence
in patrolling the slot, but I can only imagine how good he's going to be as a
senior. And under Marty Pierce, he will definitely improve.
>
> Sorry, Falmouth has no talent. 16-0-4 or not. Competition-wise, that would be
> like UMass/Amherst making the NCAA tourney because they have a "good"
> record. Please. They open up with CM. Ouch! To anyone who watches
> that game this Sunday, don't be fooled, CM is not as unbeatable as they
> are going to look.
>
Falmouth was outshot 40-14, and lost 11-1. You hit the nail on the head, Tony.
>
> I, myself, will not be able to make it this Sunday, :-( but would appreciate
> any updates on how specific players looked (Dave?). I will try very hard to
> be at any other games in the future.
>
> Tony BU'92'93
> Former Ogre
>
>
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