MARLBOROUGH, Mass — This is a big fall for many kids across the 18U level. Along with getting ready for the prep and high school hockey season, it's also a great time to get looks from college programs.
This past Labor Day weekend offered that chance.
From Friday through Monday, various rinks around Massachusetts hosted the Eastern Alliance Kickoff, which was attended by tons of college coaches across the Division 1 and 3 levels, as well as NHL scouts.
The Long Island Gulls won the event at the 18U level.
I spent Friday viewing 18U teams at New England Sports Center, where the crowd size was in midseason form. Even with a parking lot as big as the one the Sports Center has, it looked as small as ever this past weekend. It took me 30 minutes to find a spot Friday afternoon (Yes, I know — I could've parked across the street. But I was too stubborn.)
Here are the six teams I watched:
- Friday: New Jersey Rockets vs. Little Bruins
- Friday: Boston Jr. Eagles vs. Buffalo Jr. Sabres
- Friday: Connecticut Regals vs. Mid Fairfield
Let's dive into the uncommitted standouts from those games.
Calvin Beard
Little Bruins, 10/4/2005, D, right shot, 6-2/179
Hometown: Southborough, Mass.Â
Beard was an offensive force. He had the game's first goal in a 2-2 tie with the New Jersey Rockets. He wired a shot over the goalie's blocker through a sea of players on a 5-on-3. Beard quarterbacked power plays throughout the game for the Little Bruins and was great at it, facilitating play and finding creative, open seams for passes. That extended to 5-on-5 time. This is a big fall and winter for Beard. While his defensive play is behind his offensive game, his ability to produce should draw interest from Ivy League and ECAC schools.
RIVER RATS JAMBOREE: 12 standouts from the 15O levelÂ
Anthony Biakabutuka
Connecticut Regals, 6/20/2006, D, left shot, 6-2/181
Hometown: Longueuil, QuebecÂ
In my first viewing of Biakabutuka this fall, I was impressed with how he's gotten even better as a two-way defenseman. When he had the puck in his own zone, he made smart, poised plays that resulted in a good first step on the breakout. In the second half, he made a really strong pass up the middle of the ice to Tom Molson for a breakaway. He has a great stick and he's a good skater — both of which helped him defend the rush well. What may have stood out the most, however, was his play on a 5-on-3 penalty late in the game. With the score already 5-0 Mid Fairfield, Biakabutuka got down and blocked two shots. It would've been easy to let those slip past him, but the Salisbury product is just too much of a competitor to let that happen.
Blake Burke
Mid Fairfield, 5/18/2006, F, left shot, 6-0/175
Hometown: Trumbull, Conn.Â
Burke was a big part of Mid Fairfield's offense, but his best play came in the second half. The Westminster product showcased strong straight-ahead speed and zipped past the Regals through the neutral zone and got behind the defense in the offensive zone. He got the puck to the front of the net where Preston Hidy (Darien, Conn.) scored, giving Mid Fairfield a 1-0 lead. Burke also had some really nice passing in transition throughout the contest.
Lazarus Ebanoidze
New Jersey Rockets, 1/13/2006, D, left shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Barrington, Ill.Â
Ebanoidze usually wears No. 75 but sported the No. 19 sweater on Friday night. The defenseman scored the second goal of the game for the Rockets on Friday. He had a really impressive end-to-end rush as he evaded forechecking pressure, calmly sifted through the neutral zone and entered the offensive zone where he rifled a wrist shot over the goalie's blocker. It was far from his only rush throughout the game.
Sean Gibbons
Mid Fairfield, 8/21/2005, F, right shot, 5-8/175
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.Â
In the second half of Friday's game, Mid Fairfield's floodgates opened, scoring five unanswered goals on the Regals. A lot of that had to do with Gibbons' strong play. Centering Antonio Donohue and Burke, Gibbons' line logged a ton of offensive zone time as they pinned the Regals in their own end. Gibbons was active in the corners and great at winning puck battles and finding smart outlet passes. While on the power play, he patrolled the top right part of the offensive zone and was a threat every time he got the puck. Gibbons posted 42 points in 32 games for Brunswick as a junior last year. He projects to be even more of a force this winter.
16Us: 14 standout forwards from 16U level at River Rats Jamboree | 5 standout defenders and goalies
Owen Leahy
Little Bruins, 2/11/2005, F, left shot, 5-9/152
Hometown: Providence, R.I.Â
I'm continuously impressed with Leahy's compete level. His work in the corners, especially in the offensive zone, was strong. He battled for loose pucks and typically won the 50/50 battles. He protected the puck well in corners and made smart passes either to the front of the net for scoring chances or up to the points to clear up congestion low in the zone. I also liked his work on the penalty kill. He pressured opposing defenders well at the blue line and at one point, grabbed a loose puck, sped past a defender and cut into the slot for a scoring chance.
Riley Lephart
Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 10/20/2006, F, right shot, 5-9/165
Hometown: Niskayuna, N.Y.Â
Friday's game didn't seem fun for the Jr. Sabres, as they fell to the Jr. Eagles, 5-0. The lone bright spot was Lephart who played with a high compete. He's a quick, shifty skater who forechecked Jr. Eagles defenders hard and didn't shy away from contact.
Jake McManus
Boston Jr. Eagles, 1/3/2005, F, left shot, 5-8/165
Hometown: Winthrop, Mass.Â
McManus was one of many Eagles forwards who hemmed the Jr. Sabres in their own zone for extended periods. He had a plethora of scoring chances, finishing one of those chances for a goal in the second half when he sniped a shot over into the top corner off the rush. In the limited defensive zone time, he was responsible. His best play in his own zone came when he intelligently read a cross-zone pass, got his stick out and deflected it into the stands.
Isaac Mitchell
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2/28/2005, F, left shot, 5-9/170
Hometown: Harvard, Mass.Â
From watching Mitchell over the last 12 months, there are times he just finds a next gear and he's almost impossible to stop. That was the case Friday night. He had a really nice play midway through the first half when he dangled through the Jr. Sabres defense after entering the offensive zone and got a prime scoring chance. Earlier in the game, he made a nice defensive zone breakup and took it the other way which resulted in a high-danger scoring chance and a long offensive zone sequence. Mitchell will be a key part of St. Sebastian's this winter.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 5 takeaways from the first two games for the 14U Boston Jr. Eagles
Tom Molson
Connecticut Regals, 1/5/2005, F, left shot, 5-8/154
Hometown: Montreal, QuebecÂ
Despite the Regals losing, 5-0, to Mid Fairfield, Molson always seemed to be involved in the offense. The Deerfield product got two breakaways in the second half, realizing the perfect time to get behind the Mid Fairfield defense. In transition, he was outstanding at moving the puck and then using his speed to get open. Molson's father, Geoff, is the owner of the Montreal Canadiens.
Brady Morris
Mid Fairfield, 2/1/2006, G, catches left, 5-10/160
Hometown: Rye, N.Y.Â
While the final score was 5-0 Mid Fairfield, the Regals had a bunch of scoring chances throughout the game and could've easily made the game closer. But they weren't even able to get one into the back of the net because of the outstanding game Morris posted. In the first half, Morris made two phenomenal saves shorthanded from in tight while down and out. He robbed Mid Fairfield forward Jared Rothman with the glove in the second half and later denied Molson on two breakaway chances. The Taft product was perfect Friday night.
Landon Watson
New Jersey Rockets, 9/13/2006, D, right shot, 6-3/184
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Penn.Â
Watson had a terrific showing on Friday night, impacting the game at both ends of the ice. On a penalty kill early in the first half, he got down and blocked two Grade-A chances from the Little Bruins, preventing a sure goal on one of them. Later in the frame, he had a nice rush through the neutral zone and into the Little Bruins' end. He sifted a pass to Michael Schmelzer in the slot for a goal. Watson showed a knack for making smart plays through the rest of the game.
