WALPOLE, Mass. — It's still very early for the 14U-level players, but the Eastern Alliance Kickoff gave New England hockey viewers a great chance to see them.
Across various rinks throughout Massachusetts, tons of players from around the country participated in the EAK from Friday to Monday.
I watched six different 14U teams play games on Saturday. Here was my full slate of games:
- Saturday: Boston Jr. Eagles vs. North Jersey Avalanche
- Saturday: Neponset Valley River Rats vs. Islanders Hockey Club
- Saturday: Mid Fairfield vs. South Shore Kings
Let's dive into the players who stood out in those games.
Carter Edmonds (20)
North Jersey Avalanche, September 2009, F, left shot, 6-1/170
The only Avalanche player to give the Eagles fits on Saturday was Edmonds. He was constantly getting the puck high in his own zone and taking it himself down the left side, giving Eagles defenders their toughest challenge of the day. Early in the game, he did that and beat the Eagles defender and found teammate Graham Leddy out front for a goal. Just a few minutes later, he cut to the slot from the half wall and rifled a shot into the back of the net.
Ryan Elrick (17)
Boston Jr. Eagles, 5/31/2009, F, right shot, 5-8/135
Hometown: Canton, Mass.Â
In the first half, Elrick broke up a pass by an Avalanche defender and turned that into a breakaway goal, which was nice. But what really stood out with Elrick was his high compete level. He was a big reason why the Eagles played much of Saturday's game in the Avalanche zone, as he was always involved with any loose puck in the corners and in front of the net. His chemistry with linemates Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) and Chase Warsofsky (Northborough, Mass.) is clear.
Joseph Grasso (11)
Islanders Hockey Club, 2009, F, left shot
Grasso has a lot of skill and that showed in the offensive zone. Another thing that showed in the offensive zone was his ability to find seams to get teammates the puck, which isn't always something players at this level have. He was great with the puck in tight and keeping possession away from defenders in the corners.
Brock Hanlon (22)
South Shore Kings, 6/25/2009, F, right shot, 5-9/140
Hanlon posted a strong day despite his team's four-goal loss. Late in the first half, his work around Mid Fairfield's net got teammate Luke Dickson the puck for an easy tap-in goal. Hanlon added a goal of his own late in the game when he found open ice in the slot, got a pass and stick-handled around the goalie for a nice finish. He impacted the game in other ways, too. He showed a high compete, such as when he bolted at a Mid Fairfield defender with the puck, took it and got a breakaway. Just a few moments later, while on the power play, he hustled back to break up a breakaway for Sisco. He's a solid skater who has no problem mixing it up physically.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 5 takeaways from the first two games of the season for the 14U Jr. Eagles
Ryan Kaczynski (87)
Mid Fairfield, 7/8/2009, F, left shot, 5-10/145
Kaczynski scored two goals before the midway point of the first half in Saturday's game. His first goal came on a breakaway after a misplay with the puck by a Kings defender. The second came when he cleaned up a rebound off an Ethan Xu one-time shot from the point. Throughout the rest of the game, Kaczynski had a bunch of chances that he earned using his nice hands, good skating and ability to get to interior ice.
Carter Meyer (34)
Boston Jr. Eagles, 4/10/2009, F, left shot, 5-9/150
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
I wrote about Meyer a lot in the piece at the end of last week on the 14U Jr. Eagles' first two games, so I don't want to rehash anything from that. What was clear from Saturday's game was just how much better Meyer got when he turned it on. Meyer was on the ice killing a penalty in the first half when he went end-to-end and dangled through four of the five players opposing on the ice, using a different recipe to get past each Avalanche player. The play ended with him getting a shot from the slot. His other notable play came after he got dropped in open ice by an Avalanche defender. Moments later, he hit an Avalanche forward clean into the Eagles bench, depositing the player feet over head.
Joshua Monteiro (97)
Islanders Hockey Club, 2009, F, left shot
What I liked most about Monteiro's game Saturday was his two-way ability. Early in the second half, he did a great job killing a penalty, putting pressure on the puck-carriers at the blue line and even holding onto the puck to kill time. He followed that up by going on an end-to-end rush that resulted in a scoring chance. Raymond DeVincent knocked in the rebound to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead. Later in the period, Monteiro scored on a one-timer.
Charlie Ness (27)
Neponset Valley River Rats, 7/1/2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Cohasset, Mass.Â
Ness has a very good shot and he forechecked Islanders defenders hard on Saturday, but I noticed his work in the defensive zone the most. He supported his defensemen well when they were in 1-on-1 puck battles and he showed a high compete when it came to trying to win the puck back.
EASTERN ALLIANCE KICKOFF: Here are 12 standouts from the 18U level at the Eastern Alliance Kickoff
Finn Sears (88)
Boston Jr. Eagles, 5/4/2009, F, left shot, 6-0/158
Hometown: Medford, Mass.Â
Sears' offensive awareness was on display Saturday. On power plays, he found open seams to make passes across the zone, like the one he made to Meyer in the first half that resulted in Meyer being wide open and dinging the crossbar. He was also great at finding soft spots around the net to be fed by linemates Meyer or Joseph Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.). Sears is also patient with the puck, as was evident when he was behind the opposing net late in the second half, waited out the defense and slipped a nice pass to Meyer for the goal.
Braydon Sisco (88)
Mid Fairfield, 1/15/2009, F, right shot, 5-7/135
What stood out most with Sisco was how good his hands were. On Kaczynski's second goal, Sisco was the one who made it happen. He had the puck along the half wall and dangled around and away from a Kings forward to feed Xu at the point. As the game progressed, his good hands and ability to sift around the opposition helped Mid Fairfield dominate off the rush and gain attacking zone time.
Leo Zhu (96)
Neponset Valley River Rats, 3/4/2009, F, left shot
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
Zhu first impressed me at Harvard's College Hockey Experience last month and that continued on Saturday. He has a high compete and always either has or wants the puck on his stick. He had numerous scoring chances, using his big frame to muscle around opposing players and get to high-danger areas. He made an impact in the offensive zone both off the rush and with sustained, cycle time.
