17 uncommitted standout forwards from USA Hockey’s Select 17 Camp

AMHERST, N.Y. — It's early in the summer, so it's time for USA Hockey Select Camps.

Every year, USA Hockey invites the best players from the 15, 16 and 17-year-old age groups to player development camps in Amherst, N.Y.

Select 17 Camp is a big deal. For starters, it gave NHL scouts a first look at potential talent for the 2026 NHL Draft. College coaches also got to see uncommitted talent, especially players who become eligible to commit on Aug. 1.

The biggest storyline, however, is who moves on to Hlinka Gretzky Camp and then to Team USA to compete at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. We will know more about that this week.

I was at Select 17 Camp last Tuesday and Wednesday, so I saw every team at least once (and typically twice). In picking uncommitted standouts, I based it on my own viewings and how they performed through the rest of the camp.

I've organized them by team. If I were a Division 1 college coach, these are the players I'd feel good about after this camp.

A friendly reminder: Massachusetts is a separate region from New England, according to USA Hockey.

Let's dive in.

Massachusetts

Will Manchuso

Massachusetts/St. Mark's, 1/9/2008, F, left shot, 5-11/192
Hometown: Concord, Mass. 

There is no doubt Manchuso was one of the biggest stock-risers from Select 17s this year. He finished tied for fourth among all players with nine points. In Massachusetts' first game against Rocky Mountain, Manchuso was the saving grace, forechecking a defender hard to lead to a David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) goal. Later, Manchuso scored on a great, individual effort, sticking with the puck to knock in a rebound late, which proved to be the winner.

After losing to Atlantic, 6-1, and going pointless, Manchuso followed it up with two points (including the overtime winner) in a 6-5 win over Southeastern, two more points in a 5-1 win over New York and an assist in a 5-1 victory over Central.

David Bosco

Massachusetts/Belmont Hill, 2/8/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/167
Hometown: Winchester, Mass. 

Bosco's stock was already high, but he improved it even more at camp, finishing with seven points. Bosco was his usual chance-creating self. But what I liked about him was his play on the edge. He finished all of his hits, he wasn't afraid to mix it up and he showed a side to his game that I hadn't really seen before. Sure, the skill was there. But that edge was a new, intriguing element to his game.

Noah Survilas

Massachusetts/Dexter Southfield, 12/27/2008, F, right shot, 5-10/178
Hometown: Winthrop, Mass. 

Survilas will be remembered for his playmaking, finishing with five assists, which ranked inside the top 20 in the camp. The Dexter Southfield standout regularly set up teammates for goals with his high IQ, as he often drew defenders toward him, which opened up passing lanes. Like Bosco and Manchuso, Survilas is eligible to commit starting Aug. 1. This was a phenomenal showing before colleges can offer him.

Owen McHale

Massachusetts/Dexter Southfield, 2/17/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/189
Hometown: Charlestown, Mass. 

McHale was hard to notice in the first two games, which, of course, were my two in-person games. The Dexter Southfield commit found another gear once I left the area, assisting on two goals in the win over Southeastern and adding another assist against New York. He scored one in the 5-1 win over Central, and in the third-place game, he brought his best, scoring twice and adding an assist, bringing him to seven points in six games.

New England

Robin Kuzma

New England/Chicago Mission, 1/29/2008, F, left shot, 5-10/189
Hometown: New York, N.Y. 

Kuzma was an at-large bid for New England who panned out in a big way. Kuzma helped guide New England to being 5-0 through its first five games, posting two goals and six points in those five games. He was the hero in his team's first game against Northern Plains, scoring the winner with 1:21 left in the game on a quick release that beat the netminder low to the blocker.

READ MORE: Our first 2026 NHL Draft rankings

Spencer Thornborough

New England/Governor's Academy, 6/22/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Boxford, Mass. 

Thornborough was on New England as an at-large bid, and boy, did he come in clutch. He finished with three goals and five points in six games. Against Mid-American, he scored a great goal in the second half by driving the net (which is one of his strengths). Later in the game, he forced an interception for a breakaway and drew a penalty. That came after he scored in a 3-2 win over Northern Plains in the first game.

Anthony Thomas-Maroon

New England/Long Island Gulls, 9/2/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/176
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri 

Thomas-Maroon plays like his dad, NHL forward Pat Maroon — he was fine with playing the role of pest. He played with an edge and wasn't afraid to mix it up. On top of that, he was able to produce, especially against Minnesota (a goal and an assist), Pacific (two assists) and Michigan (one goal). He was picked in the eighth round by Green Bay in last year's USHL Phase 1 Draft.

Atlantic

Jack Torr

Atlantic/Governor's Academy, 7/29/2008, F, right shot, 6-2/192
Hometown: Philadelphia, Penn. 

Torr finished near the bottom of an excellent Atlantic team in points with two in six games. But in my two viewings of him, the Governor's Academy forward was highly effective. Torr used his size and powerful skating to get to high-danger areas in the offensive zone. Against Massachusetts, his hard forechecking led to a scoring chance in front.

Jacob Jett

Atlantic/Avon Old Farms, 1/15/2008, F, left shot, 5-9/161
Hometown: Summit, N.J. 

Jett entered New England prep hockey last season as a prospect with Division 1 potential. He had a nice winter for Avon Old Farms, but he really proved it this past week at Select 17s, finishing second in the camp in points with 10. In my viewing of him against New York, he scored a sweet goal off a nice shot from the slot. He showcased a high compete when he got under Kent forward Will Schlectweg in the neutral zone to force a turnover. That led to a scoring chance at the other end.

Rowen Sang

Atlantic/Kimball Union, 3/3/2008, F, left shot, 6-2/181
Hometown: Skillman, N.J. 

I watched two of Sang's goals in person, and both were snipes. The first was against New York when he potted one over the goalie from in tight off the rush. The second was a similar tally against Massachusetts. Sang finished with an impressive seven points in six games. He certainly had Division 1 college coaches raising their eyebrows.

Central

Caden Dabrowski

Central/Chicago Mission, 5/27/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/176
Hometown: Crystal Lake, Ill.

Dabrowski gets on here because of a play he made against New York. On a penalty kill, he blocked a shot at the point, hustled for a breakaway and was stopped on the initial chance. But he stayed with it and didn't quit on the play, scoring past the outstretched netminder. He finished with two goals and three points and was drafted in the fourth round by Dubuque in the USHL Phase 2 Draft earlier this year.

Minnesota

Luca Jarvis

Minnesota/Stillwater Area High School, 11/15/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/183
Hometown: Lakeland, Minn. 

If I were a Division 1 college coach, Jarvis would be near the top of my players to pursue. Jarvis showed himself to be a cerebral center. Against Northern Plains, he consistently forced turnovers with smart positioning and compete in the neutral zone to create scoring chances going the other way. He drove offense, which created even more chances. He finished with three goals and seven points in six games.

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Max Cullen

Minnesota/Moorhead High School, 11/27/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/168
Hometown: Moorhead, Minn. 

Cullen had a strong camp. In my viewing of him against Northern Plains, he scored with a quick release from in front of the net. He tallied an assist earlier in the game, too. Later in the game, he found ways to get high-danger chances and showed no issue with taking pucks hard to the net. He finished with three goals and seven points in six games.

Northern Plains

Zac Zimmerman

Northern Plains/Moorhead High School, 5/3/2008, F, right shot, 5-10/174
Hometown: Fargo, North Dakota 

Against Minnesota, Zimmerman was impossible to miss. His most flashy play came towards the end when he stole the puck from a defender at the point, used his body to protect the puck to get himself a breakaway and scored. That was just the tip of the iceberg, as Zimmerman had been creating offense all game. His patience with the puck was elite, as he never was in a rush to get rid of it just to do so. He waited for passing lanes to open and drew defenders to him. He was also able to slow the game down.

Zimmerman finished with three goals and an assist over the six games.

Pacific

Steven Khonroo

Pacific/Winchendon, 1/16/2008, F, right shot, 5-9/157
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. 

The Winchendon product showed well in his matchup with Michigan. At center, he was able to drive play and showcased good hands. He was vital on the cycle, helping to create offense deep in the offensive zone. I liked his skating, too. On one play, he deceived a defender and curled back to avoid pressure, giving himself more time and space. He finished with two goals and three points.

Southeastern

Kalder Varga

Southeastern/West Kelowna, 6/24/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/176
Hometown: Geneva, Ill. 

In my notes from Southeastern's game against Central, I wrote, "Varga plays like his hair is on fire." It's true, he did. Varga played with an edge and a high compete. It didn't result in any points that game, but he followed that up with a goal and an assist against Rocky Mountain, a hat trick against Massachusetts and two goals against Atlantic. He had 10 goals and 24 points in 58 games for the WHL's Kelowna Rockets this past season.

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Matthew Wallace

Southeastern/Hotchkiss, 4/2/2008, F, right shot, 5-10/176
Hometown: Seminole, Fla. 

Wallace, who played for Hotchkiss this past winter, excelled at camp. He finished with three goals and three assists in six games. Against Central, he showcased good hands and protected pucks intelligently. He had no problem driving to the high-danger areas. He assisted on Penn State commit Owen DeGraff's goal in the second half, as Wallace made a heads-up pass to the slot for the tally. Wallace was hard to knock off pucks, too.