WOONSOCKET, R.I. — If you're a fan of watching high-end, young talent, Mount St. Charles was a good place to be this past weekend.
Mount St. Charles' 15O team hosted Honeybaked — a full-season team from Michigan — for a three-game series. The Mounties won all three games, taking down Honeybaked 8-3, 5-1 and 4-3 (OT).
I watched Friday and Saturday's games. I've watched a good amount of this Mount St. Charles '09 group, but I hadn't yet seen Honeybaked, which is a borderline top-10 team in the country at the 15O level. For reference, Mount St. Charles is No. 2.
There were a good number of names that hockey fans will get to know in the coming years on display.
Let's dive in.
Brody Berard
Mount St. Charles, 9/2/2009, D, right shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Cumberland, R.I.Â
Even at 15 years old, Berard plays such a mean, shutdown game — and it's not because he's not super offensive. He skated pucks and joined the rush. He had no issue getting his hard, heavy shot through from the point. But he was responsible in his own zone. He regularly stepped up on Honeybaked forwards in the neutral zone to negate clean offensive zone entries. Berard also finished hits, finishing through opposing players clean. He tied up opposing forwards well in front of his own net.
Ty Bergeron
Honeybaked, 5/26/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/181
Hometown: Flat Rock, Mich.Â
Bergeron's skating isn't his strength, but he showed a high hockey IQ and compete that helped make up for it. Mount St. Charles dominated Friday and Saturday's games, yet I always seemed to notice Bergeron. He took smart routes all over the ice to either get open, skate the puck or force a turnover. He was also a problem for Mount St. Charles on the forecheck. In Saturday's game, he forced a turnover behind the net and set up a teammate in front for a one-timer. Later, he read the play perfectly and jumped all over the Mount defenseman who had the puck behind the net. He got the puck and passed it to the point to continue the offensive zone sequence.
Rocco Pelosi
Mount St. Charles, 1/28/2009, F, left shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Sewell, N.J.Â
Pelosi was the best player in the two games I saw. It started with a five-point game on Friday. His compete and intelligence stood out immediately as he lifted a defender's stick behind the Honeybaked net and hit Brayden Willis with a pass in front for a goal in the second period. Moments later, Pelosi forced a turnover shorthanded, went in for a breakaway and was slashed, getting a penalty shot. And, of course, he scored on it. He set up Grady Rowley for a goal and scored one of his own via a tip off a Colton Somer shot before the second period finished.
On Saturday, he used deception on a power play in the second period to find Willis across the zone for a one-timer goal. His work as the F3 was impressive, as he was able to correctly read Honeybaked breakouts and react accordingly. If the play switched to the other side of the ice, he used his great skating to get in hard on the puck-carrier.
More on Pelosi in takeaways.
Luke Pietila
Honeybaked, 6/2/2009, F, left shot, 5-11/174
Hometown: Northville, Mich.Â
Pietila showed himself to be a powerful skater who could drive play. Late in the second period of Saturday's game, he got the puck behind the Mount net and got the front with ease to get a chance off. In the third period, he facilitated play well in the offensive zone and was able to put pressure on Mount St. Charles' defensemen.
Braiden Scuderi
Mount St. Charles, 3/31/2009, F, right shot, 5-7/155
Hometown: Medford, N.J.Â
Scuderi is so darn skilled. That was evident when he had the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, as he regularly danced through defenders with his tremendous edgework, drawing more attention to create open teammates, which he utilized. In Friday's game, he avoided a defender, shimmied to his right, cut middle and scored on a hard, low shot. He was also a force killing penalties, pressuring defensemen at the top of the zone and even earning a shorthanded breakaway.
He scored Saturday's first goal when he banked one in off Honeybaked goalie Lilly MacLeish from behind the net. In the second period, he correctly read a Honeybaked breakout, intercepted the puck and used his speed to eventually draw a penalty, which Mount St. Charles scored on.
Anthony Valenti
Honeybaked, 3/23/2009, D, left shot, 5-9/154
Hometown: Evanston, Ill.Â
Valenti showed himself to be a good, elusive skater. He was able to avoid forecheckers by keeping his head up and realizing where open space was to get to. He was able to get his eyes up ice to find open forwards to advance the puck. Valenti registered two assists in Friday's 8-3 loss. Despite being small for a defenseman, I liked his compete and physicality. He was able to lay some legitimate hits in his own zone. There was a sequence in Saturday's game in which a slew of players were battling for the puck behind the net and it was Valenti who came out with it.
Brayden Willis
Mount St. Charles, 9/16/2009, F, right shot, 5-8/160
Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz.Â
Willis was a problem for Honeybaked. He scored off the nice play by Pelosi early in the second period. He scored later in the third period on an outstanding effort, intercepting a pass high in the zone while killing a penalty and jumpstarting a 2-on-1 the other way with Pelosi. Pelosi dished it back to Willis in front of the net and, somehow, with the defender all over him, Willis one-timed the shot from his strong side and scored. The Gilbert, Ariz., native scored on another one-timer (this time on his weak side on the power play) in Saturday's game. He followed that up with another one-timer goal in the second and an assist on Max Yakub's goal before the second period was over.
What stood out the most with Willis actually wasn't his shot — it was his hands. He was able to stick handle in and around defenders with ease. In the neutral zone, he was the perfect sidekick for Pelosi as he could drive play and handle pucks smoothly.
Dasean Wilmarth
Honeybaked, 5/10/2009, D, left shot, 6-1/190
Hometown: Fraser, Mich.Â
Wilmarth has an intriguing blend of size and skill for a defenseman. He showed great vision in the offensive zone. In Friday's game, he used his great hands to get around defenders and hit forward Enzo DiDomenicantonio at the far post for a chance. Later in the third period of Friday's game, Wilmarth cut to his right in the offensive zone and slid a deceptive, backhand saucer pass to a teammate on his left. On Saturday, Wilmarth had a nice rush where he navigated through the neutral zone, dished it off at the blue line and went deep in the zone. He got the puck back and hit forward Griffin Price in front of the net for a one-timer.
Max Yakub
Mount St. Charles, 7/16/2009, D, left shot, 5-10/180
Hometown: Manalapan, N.J.Â
It was a standout series for Yakub. I liked his skating and ability to elude forecheckers. He wasn't afraid to hold onto pucks longer as he was able to skate (and reverse) out of danger. When the time was right, he skated pucks up ice with confidence. But most often, he made smart, simple passes to kick-start the breakout or rushes the other way. In Saturday's game, he was rewarded with a goal when he threw a knucklepuck on net from the point that Honeybaked goalie William Martyn never saw.
Leftover thoughts...
- Mount St. Charles was the better team and it was never close. They dominated both of the games I watched, which is telling, given they are the No. 2 15O team in the country, while Honeybaked entered at No. 11.
- The U.S. National Team Development Program is going to have some extremely tough decisions when it comes to next year's team. One of the biggest will be how many players from or playing in New England do they want to take? I haven't seen Honeybaked nearly as much as I've seen this Mount St. Charles team, but Mount has numerous players who have legitimate cases to make it. I'm not so sure with Honeybaked, although they have a slew of intriguing prospects.
- One player there should be no doubt on for the NTDP is Pelosi. He was dominant in both games and hasn't missed a beat since lighting it up as a 14U player for Mount. He's a powerful skater, smart, physical, skilled and carries a heavy shot. He can take over games and makes those around him better. There should be no debate.
- I got a kick out of Enzo DiDomenicantonio going with "Enzo" on the back of his sweater instead of his very long last name. It reminded me of Ichiro Suzuki going with "Ichiro" on the back of his. It wasn't Enzo's best showing this weekend, but he leads Honeybaked in points and has a legit shot at the NTDP. It would be awesome to see "Enzo" on the back of a red, white and blue jersey next season.
