New England only had two representatives at the 16U USA Hockey Nationals: the Boston Jr. Eagles and the Mid Fairfield Rangers.
Mid Fairfield made the playoffs after going 2-1-0 in its first three games but fell in the first round to the Long Island Gulls — the eventual champion.
The Jr. Eagles also went 2-1-0 in their first three games, however, they didn't make the playoffs.
Naturally, the 16U level doesn't have as many college commits as the 18Us. The players are younger. Some have a long way to go to develop, making the 16U level an interesting one for college coaches to watch.
Here are six uncommitted prospects from nationals.
Tommy Bleyl
Mid Fairfield, 12/1/2007, D, right shot, 5-11/161
Bleyl has always been one of my favorite offensive defenders among the '07s and that continued at nationals as he posted one goal and three assists. In Mid Fairfield's 6-2 loss to the Long Island Gulls in the playoffs, Bleyl registered two points — a goal and an assist — on the power play. On his goal, he made a smart decision to drop down lower in the zone next to the net. He received a slap pass from Oliver Czaja (Darien, Conn.) and one-timed it past goalie Ryan Cameron. Bleyl was active on another power play in the third period, posting up in a similar spot. But this time, he caught a pass on his backhand, switched to his forehand and threaded a nice pass to George McCaffrey (Ridgefield, Conn.) in front for a goal.
Rian Chudzinski
Boston Jr. Eagles, 12/30/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Chudzinski's time at nationals started with a really nice goal off the rush that went through a screen and past Los Angeles Jr. Kings goalie Kyle Jones. Against the Long Island Gulls, Chudzinski made a great hustle play, beating the Gulls defender to a dumped-in puck. Once he gained possession, he showed patience and waited for Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) to find space in the slot to one-time a shot into the back of the net. Chudzinski's vision was on display again later in the game, too. Jr. Eagles defender Aiden MacIsaac (Andover, Mass.) hit Chudzinski for a pass near the top of the right face-off circle. With the Gulls all focusing on him, Chudzinski walked down the wall, kept his eyes on the net and fired a perfect pass into the slot to Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.), who scored. Plays like that are why I consider Chudzinski a strong, local Division 1 prospect this summer.
CHAMPS: 7 standouts from Mount St. Charles' 14U national title
Oliver Czaja
Mid Fairfield, 9/19/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/175
Czaja had a strong junior season at Brunswick this winter, but was a bit overlooked playing between two 60-point getters in Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.) and Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.). It was impossible to miss Czaja at nationals, as the Darien, Conn., native notched a team-high five points, including three goals. One of his nicer goals came against Dallas Stars Elite. Czaja found open space near the top of the offensive zone off the rush, got a pass from Ryan Hedley and fired a quick, hard shot past the glove of goalie Aiden Eskit. On his second goal of the game against Dallas Stars Elite, he took a smart route to the front of the net off the rush to knock in a rebound.
Ryan Hedley
Mid Fairfield, 8/9/2007, F, left shot, 6-0/176
I really liked Hedley's play in the 45 seconds prior to Czaja's opening goal against Chicago Mission. It featured him hustling back into his own zone to cut off a Mission forward from cutting to the net front with the puck and pinning him behind the net. Moments later, he was in the right spot for a defensive zone exit and neutral zone trip that resulted in him throwing a shot on net, producing a rebound for Czaja's goal. It's no surprise that Hedley, a Salisbury product, was playing smart hockey. Hedley had 21 points in 27 games for Salisbury this winter and will be stepping into a much bigger role as a senior next season.
Steven Luciano
Mid Fairfield, 3/1/2007, G, catches left, 6-1/179
Luciano had a good showing in Las Vegas. The Salisbury product ranked third among all goalies in save percentage, posting a .921 mark and a 2.50 goals-against average over his two games played. Luciano made 31 saves in a 3-2 loss to Chicago Mission to open the tournament and followed that up by making 27 stops in a 5-2 win over Dallas Stars Elite. In that matchup with Dallas, Luciano made several point-blank saves in the first period.
USA HOCKEY NATIONALS: 10 uncommitted 18U prospects who boosted stock in Vegas
Billy MacAusland
Boston Jr. Eagles, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/160
MacAusland had a breakout winter with Nobles, posting 13 goals and 28 points in 27 games. He built off that at nationals, notching four goals and six points in three games. He opened his time at nationals with a terrific shorthanded assist on a Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) goal. MacAusland forced a Jr. Kings defenseman to turn it over at the point and earned a 2-on-1. MacAusland's most clutch moments came against Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Down 3-2 with 7.8 seconds left in the third period, MacAusland won an offensive zone draw and then bolted for the net front, which is where he knocked in the game-tying goal. He scored the overtime goal, too, after an outstanding offensive zone shift ended with him getting a pass from Jin Lee (Natick, Mass.) in the slot and finishing past goalie Jake Shingles.
