BOSTON — From Sunday to Tuesday, players from the '05, '06, '07, '08 and '09 birth years took part in Harvard's College Hockey Experience. The three days included seminars, tours, practices and games.
Several college coaches were involved in it. At the Division 1 level, there were Harvard's James Marcou and Matt Gilroy, Northeastern's Mike Levine, Dartmouth's Jason Tapp, Providence's Nate Leaman, Boston College's Brent Darnell, UNH's Glenn Stewart, Merrimack's Dan Jewell and Brown's Jason Smith.
For Division 3 coaches, it was Babson's Jamie Rice, Colby's Blaise MacDonald, Williams' Bill Kangas and Bowdoin's Ben Guite.
The lone prep coach was new Phillips Exeter bench boss Sean O'Brien.
It's hard to take too much stock in summer hockey, but the beauty of this event for onlookers (me) is seeing which players may emerge to be impactful in fall hockey and prep this coming season.
I viewed Tuesday's second slate of games, so I saw every team once. Let's dive in.
Cameron Burle
St. John Vianney, 5/12/2009, G, catches left, 6-1/185
Hometown: St. LouisÂ
Burle made the best save I've seen this summer. Lou Zaari got a shot on net off the rush, and the rebound bounced to the other side. Zaari got to the rebound with Burle on his back and almost the entire net open. But Burle reached out and caught the puck as it was going into the open cage. Burle tracked pucks well in his half, too.
Jackson Burns
Belmont Hill, 9/4/2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.Â
Burns notched a hat trick in Tuesday's second game. The first goal was a great dangle from in tight around the netminder. Later in the first half, Burns ripped a hard shot on net and hustled to the rebound to bat it in for his second goal. The hat trick came on a great breakaway finish, as Burns faked the shot and let the puck slide through the goalie's legs. Burns looked like a promising young forward for Belmont Hill.
Connor Driscoll
Fairfield Prep, 8/17/2008, F, left shot, 6-1/185
Hometown: Westport, Conn.Â
Driscoll's best play came on setting up Colton Cleaves for a goal. Driscoll picked off a breakout pass, entered the zone, slipped through a defender and fired a pass across to Cleaves for a goal. Driscoll showcased great speed and was consistently driving play.
Ethan Gingeleskie
Avon Old Farms, 6/2/2009, F, right shot, 5-11/161
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.Â
Gingeleskie displayed a high level of skill. His second game of Tuesday started with a heads-up tip for a goal off a shot from Justin Marino. He forechecked hard, and with the puck, he was able to drive play. After scoring five goals and posting 12 points in 26 games for Avon Old Farms as a freshman, he should be due for a step this winter.
Dylan Gonsalves
Culver, 4/16/2007, D, left shot, 6-0/181
Hometown: LondonÂ
Defense was hard to come by at this event (as is the case in most summer hockey), but Gonsalves was stout defending his own zone. Gonsalves stepped up to cut off Dan O'Connell (Duxbury, Mass.) from taking a puck to the net. Later in the game, Gonsalves showed a good stick to knock down a pass while defending a 2-on-1. He was physical on opposing forwards as well.
Cameron Kovary
Brunswick, 8/2/2008, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.Â
Kovary was everywhere in his second game on Tuesday. He scored early on a great, quick release off the rush. That shot was what stood out the most with him, as he was able to get it off in tight and from anywhere. He was also good defensively. On one play, he broke up a play in front of his own net, turned it the other way and got a scoring chance. He has been with Little Caesars for the last two seasons, but will be at Brunswick this coming season. That's a nice pick-up for head coach Mike Kennedy.
SELECT 17 CAMP: 17 uncommitted standout forwards | 12 uncommitted standout defenders
Cam MacPherson
St. Mark's, 6/19/2008, F, left shot, 5-7/145
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.Â
It wasn't a surprise that MacPherson was a standout, given he was playing for Massachusetts at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp earlier this month. MacPherson's vision was great, as he was setting up linemates for scoring chances. He grabbed a puck behind the net in the second half and found Houston Johnson in front for a goal. I also liked MacPherson's compete, especially on forechecks.
Sebastian Mogull
Cushing, 12/12/2008, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Naples, Fla.Â
Mogull was dominant on Tuesday. He was outstanding at getting to high-danger areas for scoring chances, keeping the puck in tight and using his edges to slip into the slot. He drove play with speed and good hands, gaining ground quickly on opposing forwards in the neutral zone to blow past them and gain offensive zone entries. Mogull had seven points in 27 games as a sophomore last year. If I were a Division 1 coach, I would circle his name to track this coming season.
Jack O'Dell
Phillips Andover, 7/30/2009, D, right shot, 6-0/181
Hometown: ChicagoÂ
O'Dell showed himself to be a steady, reliable defenseman. He defended the rush with a good stick and took smart routes to cut plays off. In the first half, he joined the rush and dinged the crossbar with a shot. O'Dell joins Phillips Andover this coming season after posting 26 points in 49 games for Windy City Storm last year.
Josh Phillips
Kimball Union, 4/24/2007, F, right shot, 6-2/195
Hometown: Los Altos, Calif.Â
Phillips looked a step above the competition. He consistently drove play and displayed great puck protection, using his frame to shield pucks from opposing players. He made nice passes to teammates in high-danger areas, too. In his own zone, he pressured defensemen who had possession and was able to force turnovers. He had a strong junior year at KUA last winter with 13 goals and 33 points in 36 games.
Noah Poinsett-Yoshida
Phillips Exeter, 11/29/2007, F, left shot, 5-11/179
Hometown: Glendale, Calif.Â
Poinsett-Yoshida was dominant at times. He scored early, coralling the puck in the slot and slipping it past the goalie. His hands were outstanding as he navigated through coverage and made smart puck plays, like his saucer pass up the ice to Dylan Kolcun for a chance. Poinsett-Yoshida also showcased great edgework when defended closely, which helped him elude pressure. He scored a beauty when he sped past a defender and cut past the goalie for a nice finish. He had 10 goals and 22 points as a sophomore at Phillips Exeter last winter.
Colton Simas
Deerfield, 3/22/2009, F, right shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: Warwick, R.I.Â
Simas showed well as a good skater, making smart, small-area passes in the offensive zone to create scoring chances. He also displayed a high IQ, finding spots in the offensive zone to get open and supporting plays well. Simas had four points in 26 games on a very old Deerfield team last winter.
COACHES SURVEY: Looking back at this year | Predicting next season | The CHL's impact on prep
Ethan Xu
Shattuck St. Mary's, 10/14/2009, F, left shot, 5-10/
Hometown: Irvine, Calif.Â
Xu had the highest upside of any player I saw on Tuesday. His skating was high-end, and his hands were slick. He scored early by grabbing a puck by the side of the net and quickly sliding it into the net. He was deceptive on his passes and rushes, taking smart routes and getting defenders to bite. Xu had 22 goals and 58 points in 54 games for Shattuck's 15O team last season.
