MARLBORO, Mass. — Several 18-U Midget teams took to the ice at New England Sports Center over the weekend to fill the void left by the lack of prep and high school hockey action.
Cape Cod Whalers, Little Bruins, Neponset Valley River Rats, Pope Francis and Springfield Rifles Showcase were the featured teams that I watched over three days. Several NHL scouts and agents popped into the facility to watch the games.
River Rats left wing Andrew King was the main attraction for the NHL scouts in the rinks. While there certainly were a couple of high-end players on the ice at the New England Sports Center over the weekend, what made the games intriguing was the unheralded players who shined.
Below is a look at three to four players who stood out for each team over the course of three days of action at New England Sports Center:
Forwards
Ryan Leonard
Pope Francis, 1/21/05, C, right shot, 5-9/170
Leonard is an elite offensive player who can change the tone of a game with just one shift. The Amherst, Mass., native is known for being a gifted goal scorer, but it was an assist that I’ll remember most from his game Sunday. He helped Pope Francis put the game out of reach late in the third period with a helper on a two-on-one rush. Leonard, skating down the right wing, fed linemate Brandon Spaulding for an easy finish.
Joey Zheng
River Rats, 9/8/05, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
Zheng had a goal and two assists in Saturday’s 7-5 win over the Little Bruins. The ’05 has elite speed, which he uses to hunt pucks and create separation. Even when going up against older players, he’ll skate right into the corner and below the goal line to win races and find open teammates, as he did on a third-period tally.
Andrew King
River Rats, 4/28/03, LW, left shot, 5-9/155
King, from Dubuque, Iowa, uses his speed and skill to his advantage. He did just that on Saturday night, scoring two goals and two assists against Little Bruins. The Lawrence Academy newcomer was buzzing all over the ice and had the puck on his stick a lot throughout the entire weekend.
Andrew Garzone
Cape Cod Whalers, 5/30/04, C, right shot, 6-0/185
I’ve been saying it for about a month right now, but Garzone seems to really be hitting his stride. He’s always been a good, complete player. Now, he’s starting to produce offensively. The Dover, Mass., native scored three goals on the weekend. He’s starting to turn into a power forward who protects pucks, drives the net and shoots it with zip.
Joe Solimine
Little Bruins, 3/3/02, LW, left shot, 5-8/155
Solimine, from Middleton, Mass., was a huge force for the Little Bruins in Saturday’s 7-5 loss to the River Rats. He had a hat trick and was around the puck a lot. He’s not overly big, but he’s strong on pucks, has a good stick, and played with an edge. Solimine is a senior at Northfield Mount Hermon who is convincing me he’s a Division 1 player.
James Tepper
Cape Cod Whalers, 2/20/02, RW, right shot, 6-0/175
Tepper had two goals and two assists on the weekend. The Shrewsbury, Mass., native doesn’t have much left to prove at this level. He plays hard and seems to have fun out on the ice while getting under the opposition’s skin. Right now, he’s a really good Division 3 candidate, but I strongly believe he’s a Division 1 player if he can continue refining his game in the BCHL or NAHL next season.
Joe Bennett
River Rats, 12/1/03, LW, left shot, 5-9/170
Bennett scored a pair of goals against the Little Bruins. He’s a winger who seems to have a knack for scoring goals. The Cohasset, Mass., native is heavy on pucks and releases the puck quickly. Bennett is now at Cushing after previously playing for Thayer.
Ian Driscoll
Springfield Rifles Showcase, 9/12/02, C, left shot, 5-11/170
Driscoll scored a couple of goals in his team’s 2-0 win over the River Rats on Sunday. The Middleton, Mass., native is a good skater with above-average skill. The former Pingree star is now at Deerfield.
Sean Walsh
Cape Cod Whalers, 4/19/02, C, right shot, 5-9/160
Walsh scored a goal Saturday after dishing out two assists in Friday’s game. He’s a skilled player who is doing a postgraduate year at Tilton after setting the all-time scoring mark at Hopkinton High School.
Jackson Powers
Little Bruins, 4/30/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/140
Powers, playing up with the Little Bruins, had an assist on one of Solimine’s goals. He didn’t look at all out of place as he’s fearless and hunts pucks. The ’05 is a sophomore at Woburn High School.
Brandon Spaulding
Pope Francis, 8/8/03, LW, left shot, 5-11/170
Spaulding scored the insurance tally in Sunday’s win, giving his team a 3-1 lead late in the third period. His skating and stick are above average. As I’ve said a couple of times lately, Spaulding is a player who should be on the radar of NCDC organizations heading into the 2021-22 season.
Jack Aloi
Springfield Rifles Showcase, 8/3/02, LW, left shot, 6-2/185
Aloi, from West Haven, Conn., had two assists on Sunday. He’s a big winger who has been at Trinity-Pawling since his freshman year.
Defensemen
Nico Pasquale
River Rats, 5/1/05, D, right shot, 5-8/145
It’s tough for an ’05, especially a defenseman, to play against older players at this level. The Chicago native was able to make a big difference offensively. He’s smooth with the puck on his stick, making good looks and moving it north. Pasquale, who is a repeat freshman at Berkshire, does a good job filling lanes as he jumps into the rush. He was rewarded with a couple of assists in the game Saturday. There’s still work to do, but Pasquale projects as a Division 1 player down the road.
Mack Oliphant
Little Bruins, 12/28/02, D, right shot, 6-4/200
Oliphant continues to intrigue me with his size and skating. The Northbrook, Ill., native and second-year student at Lawrence Academy has the physical tools to play Division 1 hockey, if he can put it all together.
Jack Turowsky
Pope Francis, 10/15/04, D, right shot, 6-2/170
Turowsky is a player I noticed a little bit last year at Pope Francis. He has good size and strength, which helps him defend with some jam. On Sunday, he stepped in and unleashed a blast from the right point for a goal to give his team a 2-1 lead.
Goaltenders
Jackson Irving
River Rats, 2/3/04, G, catches left, 6-0/155
Irving got off to a little bit of a rocky start in Saturday’s game but made some big saves later in the game. On Sunday, he allowed just one goal in his half of action against Springfield Rifles Showcase. The Newbury, Mass., native does a good job of squaring up to shooters and making some athletic saves. He already has received interest from three Hockey East schools.
Mason Kucenski
Springfield Rifles Showcase, 4/8/02, G, catches left, 6-3/175
Kucenski stood tall and blanked the River Rats on Sunday. He was sharp, taking up a lot of the net, and not giving up second chances. The Gill, Mass., native has good size and is goaltender who flies under the radar at Vermont Academy.
Ben Zaranek
Pope Francis, 5/1/03, G, catches left, 5-10/170
Zaranek made a couple of key saves to preserve a 3-1 for his team in Sunday’s game against Little Bruins. The South Deerfield, Mass., native has quick reflexes and does a good job of eating pucks.
