Several really good young prospects were on display at each and every game of the 2019-20 Northeast Pack 15 Pure division’s season.
The first-year league consisted of Buffalo Jr. Sabres, Mount Saint Charles, North Jersey Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and South Kent Selects Academy.
Three players from the league were invited to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp while one is expected to make the U-17 team for the 2020-21 season. The other two represented the red, white and blue at the Youth Olympic Games.
Below are my selections for first and second team All-Northeast Pack 15 Pure. There were some really difficult decisions at this age group. Some very good hockey players were omitted. On the second team, you’ll notice that there were two forwards, three defenseman and one goaltender. The first team is more traditional with three forwards, two defenseman and a goaltender.
First Team All-Northeast Pack 15 Pure
Brady Berard
Mount Saint Charles, 2/26/04, C, left shot, 5-11/181
NCAA commit: Providence
Berard made the USA Hockey NTDP, it was announced Wednesday. He’ll follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Brett Berard, who also played two seasons for the NTDP and will be off to Providence in the fall. The East Greenwich, R.I., native was a mainstay on Mount’s top line all season. In 56 games, he had 28 goals and 35 assists.
Jordan Dumais
South Kent Selects Academy, 4/15/04, RW, right shot, 5-8/144
The Montreal, Quebec, native is a fast, skilled and smart all-around hockey player. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s an elite player. In 52 games, he had 47 goals and 78 assists.
David Goyette
South Kent Selects Academy, 3/27/04, C, left shot, 5-9/147
Goyette is a highly skilled and competitive center. He hunts pucks and goes to the greasy areas to produce while using his elite hands. The Hawkesbury, Ontario, native had 49 goals and 104 assists in 65 games.
Vinny Borgesi
South Kent Selects Academy, 3/2/04, D, right shot, 5-7/131
NCAA commit: Northeastern
Borgesi was the most surprising omission by the NTDP after he excelled at the Youth Olympic Games. The Philadelphia, Pa., native is a smaller defender, but his skating, vision and overall hockey sense are all elite. Further, he does a good job defending by playing hard and his leadership is also lauded. In 61 games, Borgesi registered 12 goals and 88 assists.
Jake Furlong
Mount Saint Charles, 3/4/04, D, left shot, 5-8/130
Furlong exudes poise with the puck on his stick, whether it be breaking pucks out of his own zone or manning the point on the power play or 5-on-5 in zone sequences. His hockey sense and skating are both very good as well. The Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, native had seven goals and 37 assists in 56 games.
Arthur Smith
South Kent Selects Academy, 4/30/04, G, catches left, 6-3/188
Smith is a big, prototypical modern-era goaltender with upside. The Farmington, Conn., native played for the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games before narrowly missing out on a spot with the NTDP.
Second Team All-Northeast Pack 15 Pure
Evan Konyen
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, 2/22/04, C, right shot, 5-9/158
Konyen is an incredibly smart hockey player who knows where to find pucks and where to look to find open teammates when he gets it on his stick. A dual citizen, he’s a goal scorer who just simply finds the back of the net.
Owen Mehlenbacher
Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 1/26/04, C, left shot, 6-1/165
Mehlenbacher is a big power forward who will tender with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. The Fort Erie, Ontario, native has high upside with his size, strength, ability to protect pucks and finish. He had 36 goals and 32 assists in 69 games.
Pavel Bocharov
Mount Saint Charles, 2/21/04, D, right shot, 5-11/167
Bocharov is a good-sized defensive defenseman who can occasionally jump into the rush. His offensive game seemed to pick up as the year went along. From Escondido, Calif., his game is trending upward. Bocharov had 13 goals and nine assists in 56 games.
Jason Gallucci
North Jersey Avalanche, 4/22/04, D, right shot, 5-9/135
Gallucci is a mobile, offensive-minded defenseman who logged a ton of minutes and played in all situations for the Avs. He averaged just under a point per game this season.
Shaun McEwen
South Kent Selects Academy, 1/21/04, D, left shot, 6-0/160
McEwen, hailing from Hadley, Mass., is a solid, two-way defender. He’s big, strong, and can bring it physically. However, he also has offensive ability with a hard shot and can make clean, crisp passes to jumpstart the attack. He had 21 goals and 49 assists in 66 games. McEwen is the grandson of former Princeton and UMass coach Don "Toot" Cahoon. Don’t surprise if he ends up committing to the Minutemen when the time comes.
Jack Spicer
Mount Saint Charles, 4/28/04, G, catches left, 5-10/161
Spicer is a good-sized goaltender who skates well and has upside. He played really good in a couple of games for Mount. This was a tough choice as he just narrowly edged the two goaltenders from Pittsburgh, at least in my mind.
