NORTHFORD, Conn. — The War at the Well AAA Invite took place July 31-Aug. 2 at the Northford Pavilion and the nearby Louis Astorino Rink in Hamden, Conn.
All-American Prospects won the 2004 division with wins over Roc City Elite Red and Northstar Green in Sunday’s playoffs. The ’04 division had some good players, but wasn’t as stacked with talent as the ’05 division.
Below are the top ’04 division prospects, broken down by position, who I saw play at the War at the Well over the course of three days in Northford and Hamden.
NEHJ will review the 2005 talent in an upcoming post on hockeyjournal.com.
War of the Well Invite, 2004 Division
Forwards
1. Nick VanTassell
#74 All-American Prospects, New Jersey Rockets 16-U, 4/18/04, right shot, 6-3/160
VanTassell looks a couple of inches bigger than when I last saw him this winter. His game has taken a huge step as he was able to drive the net, protect pucks, score on power moves and be a consistent force. A power forward from Basking Ridge, N.J., VanTassell reportedly has offers from three or four Hockey East programs.
2. Zion Green
#97 All-American Prospects, Maine Nordiques 16-U, 4/12/04, right shot, 5-10/175
Green is a good-sized winger with high-end agility and hands. He scored a couple of highlight-reel goals with toe-dragging and stickhandling past opposing defenders. He’s making the move from Michigan to Maine, where he’ll play at the new hockey program at St. Dom’s in Lewiston.
3. Joey Muldowney
#88 Roc City Red, Buffalo Regals, 6/5/04, right shot, 5-8/135
Muldowney was good here, using his quickness and craftiness to his advantage. He’s able to get a quick shot off with precision and he can stickhandle in small areas. He did a good job away from the puck and was engaged in his own zone.
4. Chris Delaney
#15 Boston Junior Blues, Junior Bruins, 9/25/04, left shot, 5-5/130
Delaney was again the straw that stirred the drink offensively for his team. He had the puck on his stick a lot and made plays. He’s small and did a good job cycling pucks and moving pucks to teammates when in small areas.
5. Patrick Raftery
#11 Coaches Choice West, Colorado Thunderbirds 16-U, 2/26/04, right shot, 5-9/155
Raftery scores goals, hunts pucks and keeps his feet moving. His skating is his best asset, and he can be best described as just being a complete hockey player.
6. Ben MacDonald
#18 Boston Junior Blues, Nobles, 2/24/04, left shot, 5-10/150
MacDonald keeps getting better with each viewing. He’s gotten a little bigger, which has allowed him to be more explosive. He scored a rebound goal in one game and did a good job defensively. Projecting out, MacDonald is going to be a very good 200-foot center.
7. Beau Courtney
#7 Coaches Choice West, Everett Silvertips, 1/12/04, right shot, 5-9/155
Courtney is a power forward who drives the net and scores goals. He plays a solid north-game that will translate well to the WHL if he still ends up choosing that route.
8. Ian Duffy
#7 Northstar Green, Mount Saint Charles 16-U, 4/2/04, left shot, 6-0/165
Duffy was noticeably better than when I previously had seen him during the 2019-20 season. He’s a power forward with slightly above-average size. He skated well, was around the puck a lot and produced.
9. Ryan Novo
#48 Roc City Red, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 2/5/04, left shot, 5-6/155
Novo always has been a quick, skilled winger, but he looked to have picked up a step or two in his speed since I last saw him in February.
10. Nicholas Peluso
#28 Roc City Red, Bishop Kearney, 2/14/04, right shot, 5-7/155
Peluso has skill, as evidenced by a snipe he scored on a breakaway, and his vision is above average. He plays with a little snarl and has some upside as a middle-six player.
11. Makai Tarjamo
#24 All-American Prospects, Loomis Chaffee, 10/22/04, left shot, 5-9/145
Tarjamo was one of the hardest-working players at the tournament. He keeps his feet moving, hunts pucks and chipped in offensively because of his persistence and energy.
12. Kurt Gurkan
#13 Boston Hockey Club, Exeter, 2/13/04, left shot, 5-9/165
Gurkan looked to have gotten bigger and a step faster since I last saw him in the winter season. His quickness and puck skills allowed him to get a lot of chances in transition. As he continues to get bigger and faster, he should be able to make more of an impact between the dots.
13. Jake Manfre
#7 All-American Prospects, North Jersey Avalanche 16-U, 4/22/04, left shot, 5-11/205
Manfre is a power forward who is a goal scorer. He shoots it hard and he scores garbage goals by using his big frame for positioning around the goal mouth. He scored a couple of rebound goals by being opportunistic. His skating is better but is an area can work on to become an even better player.
14. Justin Solovey
#11 Roc City Red, New Jersey Titans 16-U, 11/29/04, left shot, 6-0/160
I like how Solovey plays. He’s not flashy, but he protects pucks, plays a hard north-south game, and scores goals. He delivered a couple of big hits, won puck battles and looked stronger.
15. Nathan Stachowiak
#9 Roc City Red, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 2/24/04, right shot, 5-8/150
This type of environment isn’t where Stachowiak truly excels. He projects as a bottom-six forward who can kill penalties and play hard. He did a good job of that last weekend when the time came.
Defensemen
1. Ben Robertson
#32 All-American Prospects, Mount Saint Charles 16-U, 9/18/04, left shot, 5-10/175
Robertson plays a smooth, mature game. He was a positive with and without the puck. He’s poised and makes good puck touches. He didn’t make a mistake all weekend in games that I saw. On the other side of the puck, he plays hard, uses his stick to defend and has good gaps.
2. Shaun McEwen
#7 Boston Junior Blues, Bishop Kearney 16-U, 1/21/04, left shot, 6-0/160
NCAA commit: UMass
McEwen is a tremendous athlete who makes a positive impact at both ends of the ice. In his own zone, he plays hard and can disrupt the opposition’s flow. He hits hard and can play with a mean streak. He makes good breakout passes and can skate it out of trouble. In the attacking zone, he can quarterback a power play and shoot it hard.
3. Patrick Geary
#8 Roc City Red, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 2/18/04, left shot, 5-11/160
Geary missed Sunday’s action, but he was terrific Friday and Saturday. He skates well and has all the physical tools to be a two-way defenseman. He plays hard and can jump into the offense. He has a hard shot and was involved in the play.
4. Alex Zakrzewski
#25 Boston Hockey Club, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 3/12/04, left shot, 5-8/145
I really like Zakrzewski. He’s a little undersized and he certainly projects as a puck-moving, offensive defenseman. However, he plays with jam and defends with his feet and stick. With the puck on his stick, he does a good job of pushing the pace, and he can get shots through from the point.
5. Christian Wood
#5 All-American Prospects, Bishop Kearney 16-U, 2/10/04, right shot, 6-2/190
I’ve always thought of Wood as a big, physical defenseman. This weekend he showed more of a willingness to jump into the offense. He scored at least two goals and his skating has definitely taken a step.
6. Aiden Celebrini
#31 All-American Prospects, Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16-U, 10/26/04, right shot, 5-10/150
Celebrini played for San Jose Sharks’ 15 Pure team last year so I didn’t see him much, but he looks to be trending upward. While he has the ability to join the rush and jump into the offensive attack, I came away impressed with his physical play. I noted a couple of hip checks that broke up plays and got the puck going the other way for his team. He consistently did a good job defending against other teams’ top offensive players.
7. Ryan Buckley
#91 Boston Hockey Club, St. George’s, 1/6/04, right shot, 6-1/160
Buckley has gotten bigger and stronger over the past couple of months. This was his best viewing to date. He played a physical brand of hockey and was tough to play against. He projects as a solid, physical defenseman.
8. Ivan Roudakov
#3 Coaches Choice West, Colorado Thunderbirds 16-U, 7/1/04, left shot, 5-9/175
Roudakov did a good job at both ends of the ice. In his own zone he was tough and played with a mean streak. He also made some good looks to spring his wingers on rushes. He’s a little on the smaller side, but he plays a strong game.
9. Tommy Rose
#6 Boston Junior Blues, Junior Bruins, 8/31/05, right shot, 5-9/130
Rose is a little bit of a high-risk, high-reward player in terms of being able to make some plays to create offense but also forcing some plays that end up in turnovers. His skating and puck moving skills are intriguing. His feet and mobility will carry him a long way. I’d just like to see him reel it in a little and sometimes settle for the simpler play. It is important to note that he was playing up with the ’04s here, but he’s one of the better ’05 defensemen in New England, so my expectations for him are high.
10. Jacob Vassa
#18 Northstar Green, Florida Alliance, 1/20/04, right shot, 5-11/190
Vassa was the best defenseman for his team that made it to the finals. He skates well and made good tape-to-tape passes on breakouts. He had the puck a lot and was active.
Goaltenders
1. Jack Spicer
#70 Northstar Green, Mount Saint Charles 16-U, 4/28/04, catches left, 6-1/185
Spicer was really good and was a major reason his team made it to the finals. He was a goalie I liked throughout the year with Mount Saint Charles, but he looked bigger and better this past weekend.
2. Jackson Irving
#30 All-American Prospects, Cushing, 2/3/04, catches left, 5-10/155
Irving was perfect, by my count, in two shootout rounds in Sunday’s playoff action. He’s not the big prototypical modern-era goaltender, but he’s fundamentally sound and makes the saves. There was one or two he might like to have back, but overall, he had a good weekend. I like his athleticism, quick reflexes and his willingness to come out and challenge shooters.
3. Jackson O’Brien
#30 MCN, Hebron, 5/6/04, catches left, 6-2/165
O’Brien had a really good weekend here. He has good size, athleticism and compete. He skated well and made some key saves. Even in the semifinal against a much better team, he did a good job holding down the fort in the second half.
4. Austin McNicholas
#30 Boston Hockey Club, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 5/24/04, catches left, 5-11/155
McNicholas needs to be more consistent, but he was solid and made some key saves to keep his team in games or to preserve leads. He made a couple of really big saves in a shootout win in one game.
5. Arthur Smith
#30 Boston Junior Blues, Selects Academy 16-U, 4/30/04, catches left, 6-3/190
I like Smith a lot as a goalie and think he’s certainly in the conversation for top three goaltenders in the ’04 age group nationally. In the action I saw here, he wasn’t on top of his game. I like his size, athleticism and technique. One weekend doesn’t make or break a player’s potential.
6. Dylan Grover
#32 Roc City Red, Kitchener Junior Rangers, 6/27/04, catches left, 6-4/155
Grover has really good size and plenty of upside. He let up a couple of big rebounds but also made some nice saves and took away angles from shooters.
7. Joey Lovullo
#39 Roc City Red, Buffalo Junior Sabres 16-U, 1/23/04, catches left, 6-1/145
Lovullo doesn’t have the size that Grover does, but he was solid and might have left Northford with the better numbers. I didn’t see every minute of every team during the weekend, but he made the saves he should have when I was watching.
