NORTHFORD, Conn. – The Yale Junior Bulldogs captured the New England District 16-U Tournament last weekend at the Northford Ice Pavilion.
The team, coached by Steve Novodor, Jon Bellonio, and Paul Falanga, defeated South Kent Selects Academy in the final after taking down Mount Saint Charles in the semifinals. The other semifinalist was the Mid Fairfield Rangers.
In the final, the Junior Bulldogs blanked South Kent Selects Academy 3-0. It was an impressive game from start to finish for the squad, made up mostly of players from Avon Old Farms, Kent, Taft, Loomis Chaffee, Hotchkiss and Deerfield.
Below is a look at 14 uncommitted prospects who stood out at the New England District 16-U Tournament:
Chris Battaini
Selects Academy, 6/27/05, LW, left shot, 5-10/159
Battaini has skill and is probably the flashiest of the three players on Selects Academy’s top line. The Pittsfield, Mass., native is back skating in New England after two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
Anthony Cardilli
Mount Saint Charles, 10/13/05, C, left shot, 6-3/175
Cardilli had a pair of goals here, including a highlight reel snipe on Saturday. The big winger from Illinois has the potential, but needs to be more consistently engaged. The tools are there for him to become a Division 1 player, if he can put it all together and bring that power forward ability each shift.
Joe Connor
Junior Bulldogs, 3/11/05, C, left shot, 5-8/159
Connor was the most productive and impactful player in this division, in terms of what he brought to the table this weekend. The Amherst, N.H., native is strong on his skates, protects pucks, and can shoot it with zip.
Denver Damphousse
Junior Bulldogs, 3/6/05, D, left shot, 6-3/180
A dual citizen, I didn’t know as much about him prior to the prep season at Kent. He’s big and rangy with some raw potential. His dad, Vincent Damphousse, was a longtime NHL player with Montreal and San Jose.
Matthew Frost
Selects Academy, 9/11/06, C, left shot, 5-10/150
Frost was the best prospect in this division. From Canada originally, he’s been living in Arlington, Va. for a few years now. He’s smart, skates well, and can shoot the puck. A solid, 200-foot player, he has a well rounded game and is a big time college hockey prospect in his birth year. Keep in mind he’s four days away from being classified as a late `06 when it comes to the NHL draft and he was playing against mostly `05s this weekend.
Sean Gibbons
Mid Fairfield, 8/1/05, RW, right shot, 5-8/155
Gibbons was up to his usual tricks this weekend. I didn’t watch as much of Mid Fairfield as some of the other teams in the division, but he was around the puck, showing his skill, and offensive abilities.
Rudy Guimond
Junior Bulldogs, 5/19/05, G, catches left, 6-2/170
Guimond blanked Selects Academy in the championship game. A good sized goaltender from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Guimond is square to shooters, makes the stops he’s supposed to, and does a good job eating pucks. He played behind Dartmouth commit Mikey Roberts at Taft this past winter, but expect his role to increase in 2022-23.
Jake Gutwirth
Mount Saint Charles, 5/29/05, LW, left shot, 5-8/160
Gutwirth is just one of those glue guys that winning teams have. While Mount didn’t win, his presence in the lineup was felt. When he was injured at the Northeast Pack event here, his team wasn’t the same after. He’s on the smaller side, but he just competes and exceeds his physical ability night in and night out.Â
Aidan Hopewell
Junior Bulldogs, 1/10/05, G, catches left, 6-3/176
Hopewell continues to get better. Always regarded as a solid prospect, expectations are high after attending NTDP Evaluation Camp in 2021. The tools are there, but what impressed me most is his demeanor and attitude. When he hit a rough patch in the fall, things could have gone south. Instead, he kept chugging along and had a good prep season where he earned more and more minutes for Kent.
Hudson Miller
Junior Bulldogs, 7/14/05, D, right shot, 6-1/169
Miller is a project, but the New York City native has the size and intrigues me. He was better this past weekend than in many past viewings. An Avon Old Farms blue liner, keep an eye on him over the next 12 months.
Blake Montgomery
Seacoast, 5/4/05, LW, left shot, 6-3/180
The big left winger from Bowie, Md., was the one player on his team that stood out to me. He has the size and ability to be a power forward on the wing. He’s still a work in progress, but his game is coming together. He showed an ability to be a goal scorer this year. His older brother, Bryce, played for Cushing and was committed to Providence before signing in the OHL with the London Knights.
Jack Pechar
Selects Academy, 3/20/05, RW, right shot, 6-1/170
Pechar, from Niskayuna, N.Y., is an intriguing prospect. He has good size, hockey sense and seems to have a knack for scoring goals. He goes to the dirty areas and is heavy on pucks. His skating isn’t poor, but it’s an area of his game for him to work on in order to become an even more well regarded college hockey prospect.
Alex Pelletier
Junior Bulldogs, 6/1/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/179
Pelletier was solid on the wing on the first line that was centered by Connor. Pelletier has a low center of gravity, is heavy on pucks, and produced this weekend. From Manchester, Conn., he’ll likely have an increased role at Avon Old Farms next winter.
Matej Teply
Selects Academy, 3/2/05, D, left shot, 6-0/174
Teply was the best defenseman in this age division here. He skates well enough and his vision and puck-moving skills are both noticeable. The Stamford, Conn., native has above average size and will be one of the better blue liners going into the New England District Select 17 tryout festival. His older brother, Jake, is an `02 who previously played for Brunswick and the North Jersey Avalanche.
