It’s not hard to spot Callie McCullough on the ice. Standing at 5-foot-8, the right-shot defender is a force in all three zones for the Bishop Kearney Selects, thanks to her elite skating and offensive instincts. One of the top 2010-born prospects in New England, McCullough (Westport, Conn.) earned an invite to USA Hockey's Under-18...
It’s not hard to spot Callie McCullough on the ice.
Standing at 5-foot-8, the right-shot defender is a force in all three zones for the Bishop Kearney Selects, thanks to her elite skating and offensive instincts. One of the top 2010-born prospects in New England, McCullough (Westport, Conn.) earned an invite to USA Hockey's Under-18 Women’s National Festival and recently committed to Minnesota.
BK Selects 16U head coach Jake Anderson broke down McCullough’s skill set.
Skating
“The first thing you notice is her skating. She has an extra jump. It’s very noticeable when she’s on the ice. She’s very comparable to a similar stride in Caroline Harvey. It’s very powerful and explosive.”
Puck-moving
“She delivers a really good first pass. She’ll jump around the net, make that breakout pass and then her ability to go and catch the play … she’s the third or fourth person in that attack. It’s natural for her. If anything, we’ve had to harness her, if that makes sense. That’s a great thing to have in a player. I’d much rather pull them back a little bit than push them to be aggressive.”
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Defensive play
“She’s worked really hard the last two years on stick-on-puck and disruptiveness. She’s got good size and strength, too, so she’s physical. Her skating puts her in a lot of great spots to kill plays early, but what she’s worked so hard on is that stick position. She kills a lot of plays and, with her skating, can then also get away from it. She knocks you off the puck, then she has two or three explosive strides and she’s leading a breakout.”
Offensive mindset
“Her ability in the offensive zone — her shots get through, she’s aggressive. She has good vision. She’s all-around very offensive, special. She sees the game very differently than your typical defender. … There are times it feels like we have four forwards out there in the offensive zone, knowing she’s going to take some of those chances. If it doesn’t work out, she’s still capable of coming back and covering up her mistakes.”
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Continuing to ascend
“I don’t like to put a ceiling on her because her work ethic is really high. She’s very driven. She wants people to be calling about these articles. She’s capable of being a top-end player at Minnesota, being an Olympian. At the same time, it’s not about being the best at 16 (years old). It’s about still being the best at 22 or 26. I have a ton of belief in her. Her ceiling is very high.”
