Scott Gainey knows what kind of player he has on his Mount St. Charles 15O team in Braiden Scuderi.
And he knows that so many others do as well.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what kind of a game he’s got,” Gainey said. “He’s got an unbelievable battery. One of the things that I enjoy about working with him and other guys is that their compete level is through the roof. He can make something out of nothing with his creativity, but the biggest thing is he’s a winner. He wants to compete. It’s non-stop.”
Gainey admits that the competitive fire of Scuderi (Haddon Heights, N.J.) is noticeable even in small-area games during practice and has certainly carried into the regular season. Scuderi is tied with star teammate Rocco Pelosi for the team-lead in points with 84.
Oh, don’t forget that Scuderi and his teammates brought national championship pedigree to the 15U level after winning at Tier I 14U USA Hockey Nationals last April in Plymouth, Mich.
It was Scuderi who scored the title-clinching goal in overtime against Shattuck-St. Mary's, capping a 64-game season over which he totaled 59 goals and 137 points.
He’s a winner, indeed.
“Winning last year puts a target on me and my team’s back,” Scuderi said. “Everybody is always going to give us their best game. … It was one of the best experiences of my life, but it also helped me improve because everybody’s coming out trying to beat us and you have to be at your best (every day).”
Though Gainey wasn’t coaching the title-winning group a season ago, he has noticed the big-game experiences of the past paying dividends in his team’s game today.
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“I think it has a massive impact on these kids as they learn and continue to develop,” Gainey said. “Being in those pressure situations and knowing how to handle yourself, maybe through some adversity or things not going great for your team -- we’ve come back in some games and won, right? I attribute that all to their experience last year. Everyone can see it and feel it.”
Scuderi remains a go-to player, and despite his small stature at 5-foot-8, 154 pounds, he remains a top forward prospect for the U.S. National Team Development Program. A college commitment won’t be much farther down the line either.
From an on-ice standpoint, Scuderi has seen his year-over-year confidence grow as a result of taking on such a crucial role on a talented, far-advancing team.
“I like to play really fast and make plays. I’d say I’m a playmaker more than anything,” said Scuderi, who enjoys watching and modeling his game after both Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal.
“Being able to work off other guys on the team has helped in many ways, being able to find open guys and produce at a high level with my teammates,” he added. “My play in the D-zone has improved a lot as well, playing smarter and playing the right way.”
Of course, there’s also the story of Scuderi’s brush with greatness over the summer that circled the hockey world a couple of months back.
Remember the young player making headlines for dishing a perfect backhand pass, off the rush and over a defender’s stick, to Johnny Gaudreau? That was Scuderi, who was quick to receive praise from the former Boston College and NHL star who tragically passed away in August.
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“It was really awesome because I grew up watching him play and seeing him at the rink since I was five years old,” said Scuderi, who was coached by Gaudreau’s father, Guy, for about seven years with the then-Hollydell Hurricanes program. “Actually going on the ice with him and him giving me props was just insane.”
Gainey knows what kind of player he has in Scuderi, who will certainly be a key cog in Mount’s lofty quest of bringing another national title to Woonsocket, R.I.
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Now, the whole hockey world does as well.
“He’s just got to continue to stay focused as he has been, but that [type of moment and experience with Gaudreau] can’t hurt his confidence,” Gainey said. “He’s obviously got something special in there.”
