For the 2002 birth year, the 2019 Massachusetts Hockey CCM High Performance Festival represented the final opportunity to compete for a spot to represent the district at a USA Hockey Player Development Camp.
From this past weekend’s games at the New England Sports Center, evaluators selected approximately 40 players to skate in next weekend’s Massachusetts Hockey Final 40. At that point, 13 players will move on to USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp this June at the Northtown Center in Amherst, N.Y.
This is the beginning of an important year for a few of the region’s ‘02s as it is the birth year for the 2020 NHL Draft. A few NHL scouts were in attendance to begin tracking the class for next June’s draft.
While I have some disagreements on the actual group that made it through, the evaluators did a good job in getting all of the top performers on to next weekend. Here’s a look at the ‘02s I would have moved along to next weekend’s Mass. Final 40, if i were evaluating:
Forwards
1. Peter Kramer
#14 Red, BC High, 8/8/02, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Providence
Kramer’s game has come a long way in a few years. He was consistently really good during the game action I saw this weekend. His skating is getting better and he makes plays. He’s good on puck pursuit and produced.
2. Alexander Teleguine
#17 Grey, Thayer, 9/17/02, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Teleguine’s skating is off the charts. He can blow by opposing defenders and control possession. The Attleboro, Mass., native gets a lot of chances, but he doesn’t always bury them. If his hockey sense can improve a little, he could become an even better player than he already is.
3. Riley Duran
#13 Blue, Lawrence Academy, 1/25/02, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Providence
Duran is a big, power forward who is most effective when playing a hard, north-south game. His game will flourish once he gets to Providence under Nate Leaman’s structured system. His skating, size and compete are his best attributes. If he continues to work on his hands and shot, he should hear his name called at the 2020 NHL Draft.
4. Matt MacDonald
#14 Blue, Boston Advantage 16U, 4/16/02, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Merrimack
Say what you want about MacDonald’s skating, but there was no player in the entire festival who worked harder. He hunts pucks and plays physically. He sacrifices his body for the betterment of his team. One particularly strong sequence was finished with a goal. He buzzed into the zone on the forecheck, disrupted the breakout, then went to the left wing circle where he found some space. The puck eventually got back to him and he buried a one-timer.
5. David Sacco
#16 Green, Lawrence Academy, 1/3/02, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: New Hampshire
I really like Sacco so my expectations are admittedly high. He was a little inconsistent this weekend, but when he’s on, he can have a major impact. He did a better job later in the weekend of hitting everything that moved and he’s got a cannon of a shot when he gets it off. He will be on the radar of NHL scouts heading into the 2020 NHL Draft.
6. Joseph Kramer
#12 Green, BC High, 8/8/02, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Providence
7. Jake Hewitt
#11 Green, Cushing, 5/31/02, Right Shot
Hewitt is one of the most underrated players in the region. This weekend he proved, once again, that he’s better than many of the region’s committed players. He has good vision and can make plays. He made a great pass over to Joseph Kramer for a goal on a two-on-one. Hewitt is a good skater who plays a complete, 200-foot game. He works hard on the forecheck and forces turnovers.
7. Philip Tresca
#17 Green, Rivers, 4/10/02, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: Yale
9. Dhillon Wilde
#17 Red, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 7/10/02, Right Shot
10. James Tepper
#16 Red, Proctor, 2/20/02, Right Shot
11. Owen Fowler
#11 Red, Governor’s, 6/4/02, Left Shot
NCAA Commit: UMass Lowell
12. Coleman Nee
#13 Grey, Rivers, 2/27/02, Left Shot
13. Patrick Somerville
#15 Grey, Islanders HC 16U, 10/25/02, Right Shot
14. Douglas Grimes
#10 Green, Dexter, 4/18/02, Right Shot
15. Collin Graf
#9 Grey, Junior Bruins 18U, 9/21/02, Right Shot
16. Brendan Dumas
#10 Red, St. Sebastian’s, 8/28/02, Right Shot
17. Matt Myers
#15 Red, St. John’s Shrewsbury, 2/19/02, Left Shot
18. Ben Jenkinson
#11 Grey, St. George’s, 11/29/02, Left Shot
19. Jonny Hammel
#12 Red, Boston Advantage 16U, 7/23/02, Left Shot
20. David Bazile
#11 Blue, NH Jr. Monarchs 16U, 9/10/02, Right Shot
21. Ryan O’Halloran
#16 Blue, Burlington HS, 5/2/02, Left Shot
22. Kyle Heath
#10 Grey, Middlesex, 4/28/02, Right Shot
23. Hunter Balducci
#9 Blue, Framingham HS, 9/12/02, Left shot
24. Brett Reale
#15 Green, Junior Bruins 16U, 7/1/02, Right Shot
Defensemen
1. Ian Moore
#4 Green, St. Mark’s, 1/4/02, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Princeton
Moore is a dynamic defenseman for this region, heading into the 2020 NHL Draft. He has good size, skating ability, puck skills, and shot. All four things were on display this past weekend. He has a good stick and defends the rush well by closing the gap. I can’t imagine Moore not being the region’s first defenseman selected in 13 months.
2. Tucker Hartmann
#4 Red, St. Mark’s, 4/4/02, Right Shot
It’s baffling to me why Hartmann hasn’t landed a commit from an Ivy or another academically-inclined ECAC Hockey school. He’s a competitor who loves to jump into the rush and has a good stick.
3. Nolan Hayes
#3 Grey, Thayer, 8/14/02, Right Shot
4. Stephen Davis
#2 Blue, Boston Advantage 16U, Right Shot
NCAA Commit: Boston College
5. Kyle Furey
#2 Grey, Lawrence Academy, 2/5/02, Right Shot
6. Ryan MacDermott
#5 Red, St. Sebastian’s, 1/27/02, Right Shot
7. Thomas Messineo
#3 Blue, St. Sebastian’s, 5/2/02, Left Shot
8. Colin Oppelt
#5 Green, Boston Advantage 16U, 6/21/02, Left Shot
9. Cody Sealey
#7 Green, Cushing, 2/23/02, Right Shot
10. Matthew Livingston
#4 Grey, Billerica HS, 3/5/02, Right Shot
11. Charlie Spence
#6 Blue, Phillips Andover, 3/18/02, Right Shot
12. Paul Terry
#7 Blue, BC High, 8/20/02, Left Shot
Goaltenders
1. Gavin Fitzpatrick
Thayer, 1/9/02, Catches Left
2. Mason Kucenski
Junior Bruins 16U, 4/8/02, Catches Left
3. Connor Bradford
Boston Advantage 16U, 8/23/02, Catches Left
4. Tommy Aitken
Omaha AAA 16U, 8/30/02, Catches Right
