NORTHFORD, Conn. – One of the most riveting storylines of each season in midget minor hockey is the march towards making USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.
That was center stage at the Northeast Pack Playoffs as a few of the top 2007-born players in the country were at the Northford Ice Pavilion over the course of three days from Friday to Sunday. USA Hockey NTDP’s top two evaluators were in the rinks watching as this year’s hopefuls vied for attention.
About a dozen or so '07s at the Northeast Pack Playoffs were in various stages of contention at one point or another throughout the process.
NE PACK PLAYOFFS STANDOUTS: 14U division | 18U divisionÂ
There were three players who demonstrated based on their play over the weekend that they deserve to be held in the highest regard, in terms of making the 2023-24 USA Hockey NTDP U17 team.
LJ Mooney
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U, 3/8/07, C, right shot, 5-5/135
Mooney was the only '07 to play up at the 16U level in the Northeast Pack Playoffs. The West Mifflin, Pa., native didn’t necessarily dominate the way he would have had he been playing 15 Only, but he still was dynamic with the puck on his stick. He’s shifty, elusive, and has you on the edge of your seat when he gets the puck. His edges are incredible. It looks like his skates are barely touching the ice at times. He had a couple of goals and also made some scoring plays. One goal was a thing of beauty where he cut in from the left side and tucked a snapshot just under the bar. His cousin, Logan Cooley, is a freshman at the University of Minnesota after being picked third overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Most assume he could follow in his cousin’s footsteps, but at least two or three big local schools have contacted him and shown interest.
Conrad Fondrk
Mount Saint Charles 15O, 6/1/07, C, left shot, 5-11/170
Fondrk, from St. Paul, Minn., is a dynamic power forward with an elite goal-scoring ability. He’s strong on his skates, tough to knock off pucks, and can shoot a puck with zip. He’s able to lower his shoulder, drive the net, and finish. Fondrk isn’t just good with the puck on his stick. He does a good job of moving without the puck to get in position to make an impact. Fondrk plays in all situations for Mount Saint Charles. While most Minnesota kids might be expected to head to the Gophers, Minnesota-Duluth or North Dakota, Fondrk is reportedly leaning toward Boston University.
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Jack Murtagh
Bishop Kearney Selects, 8/22/07, LW, left shot, 6-0/180
This was my best viewing to date of Murtagh. The East Greenbush, N.Y., native scored four goals while I was watching Bishop Kearney Selects. He’s a goal scorer who showed he could score in different ways. One of his goals was a terrific release on the power play. He caught a pass from below the goal line and quickly ripped it into the back of the net. Another tally came while skating shorthanded. Moving right to left into the zone, he sniped a wrist shot into the top corner. Murtagh has the size and shot. His skating is somewhat of a question mark, but his habits, including stopping on the puck, were much better this weekend. Murtagh will be recruited heavily by all the big eastern schools.
