WOONSOCKET, R.I. – NHL scouts were out in large numbers in recent days at the Prep Hockey Conference at Mount Saint Charles’ Adelard Arena.
In addition to the host school, South Kent, Northwood, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Culver and Northwood make up the six teams in the Prep Hockey Conference. Seven players from the six schools made the NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List that was released in October.
I made the trek to Adelard Arena for Monday’s three games and came away particularly impressed with one player from NHL Central Scouting’s list while feeling less strongly about a few others. Below is a look at four prospects, including one from outside of NHL Central Scouting’s list, who I feel deserve draft consideration based on performances Monday at a frigid Adelard Arena.
1. Larry Keenan
Culver, 3/15/05, D, left shot, 6-3/185
NCAA: UMass
This was my first live viewing of Keenan this season. The Midhurst, Ontario, native is a tall, physical, two-way defenseman who had a big impact on the game in his team’s upset victory over Mount Saint Charles. He scored two goals and added an assist. He has a good shot that he can get through traffic and to the net. One of his goals was a nice seeing-eye wrister that beat the goaltender above his blocker. The assist was a purposeful shot that a forward pushed home for a rebound goal. I liked that he used his size and played with an edge. He delivered a couple of solid hits, took away time and space and killed plays. He skates well for a big guy and is rangy. The one issue I had with his game Monday was inconsistency and a couple of errant passes on zone breakouts. One such example occurred on Mount’s first goal early in the game. Based on his play Monday, I project him as a fourth or fifth-round pick, but could see him going slightly higher. Of note to older hockey fans, his grandfather by the same name played in over 200 NHL games with four teams in the 1960s and 1970s.
2. Zach Nehring
Shattuck-St. Mary’s, 3/7/05, RW, right shot, 6-3/179
NCAA: Western Michigan
Nehring scored a power play goal and was able to generate a handful of shots on goal from the bumper on the man advantage. The Minot, North Dakota, native is a goal scorer who seems to produce every time I watch him play, including Monday. His size, skating ability, shot and overall athleticism are certainly all intriguing assets when it comes to NHL upside. He projects as a second or third-line right wing if he gets to pro hockey. I’d be surprised if Nehring doesn’t get drafted in the middle to late rounds.
3. Jonathan Castagna
St. Andrew’s, 4/20/05, C, left shot, 6-1/183
NCAA: Cornell
Castagna is a two-way center who likely projects as a bottom-six pivot once he gets to college and pro hockey. From Etobicoke, Ontario, he skates well and plays hard. He plays a greasy game and goes to the dirty areas to retrieve pucks. He did just that Monday and added two assists. Castagna is smart and sees the ice well with and without the puck. His stick is just average. If an NHL team picks him, it will be because the organization’s scouts see value in him as a 200-foot center who can kill penalties. His skating, size and compete are all assets that will help him get there if he does.
4. Francesco Dell’Elce
St. Andrew’s, 6/23/05, D, left shot, 6-0/155
NCAA: UMass
Dell’Elce is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who played in all situations Monday. He showed off his range and defensive ability while killing a prolonged Northwood 5-on-3 in the third period. The Nobleton, Ontario, native has the skating and stick to draw attention from NHL scouts. He’s listed at 6 feet. That size and lack of dynamic offensive ability could lead to some questions from upper brass if area scouts bring up his name. The bottom line is he’ll be a solid defenseman for UMass, at the very least. His NHL upside is up for debate, but he deserves a look more so than a number of others who are on NHL Central Scouting’s list.
