There were some elite players at the inaugural Eastern Exposure Cup that took place over the weekend at Tilton, New Hampton, Proctor and Plymouth State.
The event, run by Matt Miles of Eastern Exposure Group, brought teams down to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and British Columbia. There were also a few top teams from the New England region. A few less teams and one less rink would have made viewing ideal, but as it was, the event was well-run and provided a great opportunity to get prospects on prep campuses. Kudos to Miles and his crew who put on a terrific show. Credit also to Tilton's Brooks McQuade, New Hampton's Casey Kesselring and Proctor's Mike Walsh for helping facilitate the event with their arenas.
The tournament was split into three divisions. The top 14U (‘04s) division was deemed the Gold Division, while the second tier was deemed the Black Division. There was just one division of ‘05s.
The showcase was a good opportunity for prep school coaches to get a look at some of the top talent that could eventually end up playing prep school hockey in New England. There were quite a few prep coaches on hand, a few NHLPA agents – including Brian Bartlett and Darren Orr – and junior scouts.
The top local teams were the South Shore Kings in the 14U Gold Division and the Boston Jr. Eagles in the 13U Division. ’05 William Smith of the Boston Jr. Eagles 13U team drew quite a bit of buzz. He has all the makings of being one of the top players in the United States at this age group. The top player among ‘04s was Toronto Titans center Kocha Delic. For local ‘04s, Michael Callow of the South Shore Kings was the standout.
The Toronto Titans ended up winning at both divisions. Both teams had skill, but they just played the game the right way. There was a ton of depth, especially on the ’04 team. The collective hockey IQ displayed by both teams was impressive.
Below, in alphabetical order, is a list with notes on some players who stood out over the course of the weekend. Please note a majority of the focus was paid to the 14U Gold Division and 13U Division.
14U prospect notes
Grayson Badger
#66 South Shore Kings, F, R
Badger plays with an edge. He forced turnovers, was hard on the forecheck and scored a couple of goals.
C.J. Beals
#37 River Rats, D, R
Beals is a smaller, offensive-minded defender who can rush the puck up ice. He has skill and a good stick.
Brady Berard
#8 South Shore Kings, F, L
Berard is the younger brother of U.S. NTDP U17 forward Brett Berard and the son of former Providence star and current Holy Cross coach Dave Berard. Brady can score and is a little bigger than Brett was at the same age.
Aidan Burke
#15 Top Gun, F, R
Burke has size and has the potential to be a power forward. He hunts pucks and goes to the net.
Michael Callow
#4 South Shore Kings, F, R
This was the best viewings to date for Callow, who has always shown a lot of potential. He’s a tall wing who can skate. He made a couple of big time power moves, including one where he held off a defender and dished it to a wide open linemate for an easy goal. He was the best American player here at this age group.
Maverick Chedel
#76 Top Gun, F, R
Chedel led his team in scoring here, played a mature game, reading plays and being in the right position to impact the offense.
Mason Chen
#11 Toronto Titans, D, L
Chen is very mobile and reads plays extremely well. He makes great passes on the rush and scored a nice goal where he lifted a snap shot over the goalie’s glove.
Marcus Chrisafedis
#54 River Rats, F, L
Chrisafedis is a small, skilled winger. He’s nifty with the puck on his stick and can thread the needle.
Ryan Dann
#17 Top Gun, D, R
Dann showed a lot of poise, especially in his own zone. He’s mobile, has a good stick, and seemed to always be in good position defensively.
Nathaniel Davis
#8 Toronto Titans, D, R
Davis has good feet and gapped well. He made some nice plays in transit and exhibited good vision.
Christian Day
#71 VT Flames, F, R
Day thinks the game well offensively, which is his best attribute. He’s a good athlete, sees the ice well and he can control the play.
Kocha Delic
#12 Toronto Titans, F, L
Delic has all the makings of an elite player at this age group. He was by far the best skater here. He had good vision and could control possession. His hockey sense was elite. He had agility and was able to split the defense and create time and space with his second gear. It would be a shock if he wasn’t a top five pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.
Jack DesRuisseaux
#24 Top Gun, F, R
DesRuisseaux has good size, is physically mature, and has a hard shot. He’s someone to keep an eye on, especially with his finishing ability.
Luke Devlin
#88 Toronto Titans, F, L
Devlin had really good edges and was strong on puck pursuit. He’s a playmaker.
Keanan Dewberry
#12 Kuper Academy, F, L
Dewberry was an ’05 playing up. He is a prospect to watch as he was one of the more skilled players in the tournament.
Cuan Doig
#16 Toronto Titans, F, L
Doig had a hard shot and was physically mature which allowed him to win a lot of puck battles, protect the puck, and distribute it to open teammates.
Liam Evarts
#21 VT Flames, F, L
Evarts has good size and could really blossom into an elite player if his skating continues to come along. There’s a lot of potential as a big, power forward who can get pucks to his teammates after winning battles.
Isaac Fecteau
#18 Denis Francour Séminaire, D, L
Fecteau, an ’05 playing up here, was mobile and defended really well. He projects to be a really solid shutdown defender who can skate and close on opposing forwards.
Brady Ferreira
#7 Top Gun, F, R
Ferreira made quick passes to keep the puck moving and he kept his feet moving.
C.J. Foley
#86 South Shore Kings, D, R
Foley showed that he has vision and above average skating ability here.
Nick Fontaine
#19 Top Gun, F, R
Fontaine was able to generate speed and create offense on the rush. He had good vision and was a pass-first, 200-foot center.
Genaro Fronduto
#62 Northern Cyclones, F, R
Fronduto is a big, physically mature player who is able to bull his way into the scoring areas. Fronduto is good protecting pucks, especially down low.
Andrew Garzone
#13 South Shore Kings, F, R
Garzone is an athletic player whose best hockey is still ahead of him. His dad played college hockey at Colgate.
Perry Gaudreau
#77 South Shore Kings, F, R
Gaudreau is a big power forward with a hard shot. He projects as a solid third line winger who can go to the net and bring it physically.
Kurt Gurkan
#13 River Rats, F, L
Gurkan is a skilled winger with really good hockey sense. He’s not overly big, but he can create offense and finish. He’s expected to earn some playing time this winter at Phillips Exeter.
Andy Heinze
#32 Top Gun, G
Heinze had good size and played well in a few games at this tournament.
Zandis Hoover
#19 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, D, R
Hoover had size and skated well and made some plays with the puck on his stick.
Antoine Julien
#16 Denis Francour Séminaire, F, L
Julien scored a rebound goal on a slap shot. He was around the puck and had some finishing ability by going to the net front.
Sean Keohane
#15 South Shore Kings, D, L
Keohane has mobility and a good stick to defend.
Mason Kesselring
#34 Northern Cyclones, F, L
Kesselring has some potential with his physical tools. He’s the younger brother of Northeastern commit and Edmonton Oilers draft pick Michael Kesselring and the son of New Hampton coach and former pro and Merrimack player Casey Kesselring.
Rowan Kimens
#22 Toronto Titans, G
Kimens didn’t face a ton of rubber, but he had good fundamentals and made saves look easy.
Noah Kinloch Varga
#78 Toronto Titans, D, R
Kinloch Varga was very strong, physically mature, and defended well. He was hard to knock off pucks and tough to beat one-on-one.
Jackson Kyrkostas
#22 Islanders HC, F, R
Kyrkostas stood out as one of the better players in the Black Division. He’s a solid athlete who can skate well and make plays.
Theo Lanagan
#22 South Shore Kings, D, L
Lanagan makes a smart first touch and plays fairly well physically for a smaller defender.
Cole Lonsdale
#9 Toronto Titans, F, L
Lonsdalde chipped a puck in for a garbage goal out front. His compete level is what will drive his success offensively.
Cole Lopilato
#8 Northern Cyclones, F, L
Lopilato can skate, has a good offensive skill set and sees the ice well.
Cameron Lund
#87 South Shore Kings, F, R
Lund is a really smart, play-making winger. He knows where to go and has vision. He can make defensemen miss with his stickhandling.Â
David Mallio
#72 East Coast Militia, G
Mallio has good size and is already physically mature. He’s a good goaltender at this age group.
Danny McNeill
#8 Top Gun, F, R
McNeill scored a nice goal, roofing a shot right under the bar in Friday’s win over Highland Park.
Ben Mercurio
#88 Providence HC, F, R
Mercurio is on the smaller side, but he’s crafty and able to slip behind opposing defenders to get good looks.
Nicholas Moldenhauer
#77 Toronto Titans, F, R
Moldenhauer was the guy on the top line who would muck it up and win battles in the corners for the two more skilled linemates. He played heavy on pucks, has size, and could be a power forward in a few years.
Matthew Morden
#4 Toronto Titans, D, L
Morden made good reads and skated with his head up. He’s not the flashiest of players, but he made a lot of good hockey plays on both sides of the puck.
Gavin Moynihan
#5 East Coast Militia, F, L
Moynihan has upside as a forward who competes and has hockey sense to score while not being quite as flashy as some of his peers.
Jacob Nadeau
#23 Amiral College Jean de la Mennais, D, L
Nadeau had good size and showed the ability to be a power play quarterback. He walked the blue line well, got shots through, and could facilitate the offense from the backend.
Maximillian Plante
#21 Denis Francour Séminaire, D, L
Plante showed good mobility and defended with his feet.Â
Connor Prestwick
#33 Toronto Titans, F, L
Prestwick had size, skated well, and got time and space.
Alex Raimundo
#85 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, D, L
Raimundo has good size and makes a solid first pass out of his own zone. He has skill with the puck and the length and stick to defend.
Chris Romaine
#17 South Shore Kings, D, R
Romaine has really good feet and he pivots well. He has good vision and he can make a good first touch. He projects to be one of the better puck-moving defensemen in this age group.
Mason Rosado
#30 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, G
Rasado is a big goaltender who moves well. He was sharp in a few viewings over the weekend.
Billy Sancibrian
#96 VT Flames, F, L
Sancibrian has elite speed and can make plays. He can also finish. He’s a really good hockey player.
Carson Schrock
#5 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, F, L
Schrock was an above average skater, had some skill, forechecked hard and was always on going for loose pucks.
Jake Sederoff
#27 Toronto Titans, F, L
Sederoff had good vision and was able to find the back of the net a few times.
Hayden Simpson
#19 Toronto Titans, F, L
Simpson had a lot of skill with the puck on his stick. He was elusive and stickhandled well. His hands and separation speed were what made him so successful this weekend.
Michael Stenberg
#43 South Shore Kings, F, R
Stenberg is very mature physically and can dominate with his size and strength. He’s good down low and hits hard.
Justin St. Louis
#7 Denis Francour Séminaire, F, R
St. Louis was slippery and hard to contain in tight areas. He also had the speed and quickness to create on the rush.
Shane Taddia
#9 River Rats, F, R
Taddia plays with a lot of pace and can contribute offensively. He’s always moving his feet and competing to get to loose pucks.
Andrew Throndson
#28 River Rats, D, L
Throndson can skate and push the pace from the backend. He has good size and makes a good first touch.
Lucas Tremont
#22 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, F, R
Tremont had size, played hard physically and went to the net.
Emile Trottier
#8 Denis Francour Séminaire, F, L
Trottier was a little on the smaller side, but he’s crafty and skilled. He scored a nice breakaway goal Friday.
Gabriel Vallée
#37 Amiral College Jean de la Mennais, D, R
Vallée was his team’s best prospect. He jumped into the rush and had a good shot. He’s a smooth skater with good athleticism.
Brooks Willoughby-Ray
#27 Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, F, L
Willoughby-Ray was the team’s best skater, it appeared this weekend. He had a good shot, kept his feet moving, could be elusive, and had puck skills.
Patrick Wrzesinski
#53 Toronto Titans, D, L
Wrzesinski had a good first touch and was strong and tough in his own zone. His hockey sense is above average.
13U prospect notes
Jonathan Balzarini
#18 Minutemen Flames, F, L
Balzarini had speed and created offense on the rush.
Christopher Barlas
#94 Ottawa Jr. 67’s, F, L
Barlas, already quite physically mature, is heavy on pucks and hits hard.
Justin Cloutier
#24 Ottawa Jr. 67’s, F, R
Cloutier had some speed and found seams to penetrate opposing defenses. He scored a nice breakaway goal against the CT Huskies.
Ben Cook
#12 Minutemen Flames, D, R
Cook is a good sized defenseman who is hard to beat one-on-one. He should get even better once he fills into his frame and his feet come along.
Dylan Coyle
#88 Toronto Titans, F, R
Coyle sees the ice well and was able to create a lot of offense for his linemates. He wasn’t flashy at all, but he just outthought the opposition to make plays.
Cullen Emery
#12 Jr. Eagles, F, R
Emery has good speed and competes hard.
Xavier Guillemette
#12 Ottawa Jr. 67’s, F, L
Guillemette played hard, drew penalties and scored a rebound goal. He fought for loose pucks and had the skill to finish and keep it away from opposing defenders.
Coleson Hanrahan
#97 CT Jr. Huskies, D, R
Hanrahan made a great breakout pass that led to a goal. He jumped into the weak side for a power play goal.
Jack Harney
#7 Jr. Eagles, D, R
Harney is a big defender who plays mean. He gaps well and has a good stick to defend. He made a nice chip up the wall to start a transition play. He has a lot of upside as a complete, two-way defender. Harney comes from a hockey family. His dad, Joe, played at BC and his uncle, Justin, played at St. Lawrence.
Brendan Hirsch
#19 Jr. Eagles, F, L
Hirsch scored a rebound goal, hit hard, and competed with tenacity. His dad played at Merrimack.
Emerson Marshall
#8 Middlesex Islanders, F, R
Marshall is a solid athlete who looked to have some potential in minimal viewing of the Islanders.
Jake McManus
#2 Middlesex Islanders, D, L
McManus has a ton of upside with his size, stick, and hockey sense.
Luke McNamara
#9 Toronto Titans, F, L
McNamara had a lot of skill and agility which allowed him to make plays even in tight areas.
Isaac Mitchell
#28 Minutemen Flames, F, L
Mitchell displayed some nice offensive upside in this event.
Brian Nicholas
#55 Westchester Express, F, L
Only caught the tail-end of one Westchester game over New Hampton Friday, but Nicholas was the team’s best offensive threat this weekend.
Owen Outwater
#88 Ottawa Jr. 67’s, F, L
Outwater was his team’s best prospect. He has a lot of skill and length to be a power forward who can score. He scored a nice breakaway goal while going down to the ice after being hauled down.
Alex Pelletier
#91 CT Jr. Huskies, F, L
Pelletier is a big power forward who was able to get some good looks with his strength and size.
James Petrovski
#71 Toronto Titans, D, L
Petrovski was a man among boys out here in terms of size. He had a hard shot from the point and was able to overwhelm the opposition with his strength.
James Reen
#24 Jr. Eagles, F, L
Reen had a hard shot and was strong down low.
Cam Russo
#4 Jr. Eagles, F, R
Russo had some size and quickness and made a couple of plays.
Sam Scopa
#29 Junior Eagles, G
Scopa didn’t face a lot of rubber in the two games this observer viewed, but he did a good job eating pucks and not allowing rebounds.
William Smith
#2 Jr. Eagles, F, R
As mentioned above, Smith was the top player in this age group here. He’s the top ’05 in New England at this time. He has the size and explosiveness. He had a hand in three goals in a matter of a few minutes in a comeback win against Minutemen Flames. He makes some great looks and has the hands and skating to protect pucks. He throws his hip out to fend off opposing defenders.
Cristiano Spadafora
#11 Montreal Nationals, F, R
Spadafora was the team’s best offensive threat with his speed and drive on the rush. His quickness and vision made him an effective playmaker.
Brett Stone
#11 Jr. Eagles, F, L
Stone skated well and pursued the puck.
William Vote
#22 Jr. Eagles, F/D, R
Vote played forward one game and defense another. He liked to get involved and he had the skating ability and skill to make it work.
Alex Weiermair
#97 Toronto Titans, F, R
Weiermair had a second gear and was explosive which allowed him to get time and space to get off his shot. He’s a finisher.
