13 standouts from 14Us at Northeast Pack

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — The Northeast Pack is always a great place to get a glimpse of some of the best 14U talent in both the region and the country.

The event this past weekend, held by Mount St. Charles, was no different.

I went to Adelard Arena on Friday for both 14U games, seeing Mount St. Charles, Mid Fairfield, BK Selects and the Long Island Gulls.

Here are 13 prospects who stood out through the two games.

Ivan Belikov

Mount St. Charles, 3/31/2010, D, right shot, 6-2/170
Hometown: Andover, Mass. 

Belikov is a defenseman but did take some shifts at center. He's fortunate to have good size, which will certainly attract the eyes of scouts over the next two years. In his own zone, his reach and stick prohibited the Gulls from getting much going offensively. His best play on Friday was an end-to-end rush. He dangled the Gulls and went over the goalie with a backhand for a goal.

Zaac Charbonneau

Mount St. Charles, 1/18/2010, F, left shot, 6-1/185
Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec 

Charbonneau was impossible not to notice. He played with power, finishing hits and imposing himself physically on any Long Island Gulls puck carrier. He was always a threat to lay a big, open-ice hit. He has great speed for someone of his size at his age. He came up the biggest in the third period, scoring two goals on net-front plays. When the Gulls tied the game late, Charbonneau's net drive led to Luke Hartman's goal, which was ultimately the game winner.

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Bo Christini

BK Selects, 6/2/2010, F, right shot, 5-2/110
Hometown: Collegeville, Penn. 

Size be damned. Christini may be small, but he was super mobile and had great patience with the puck. He was vital in the cycle. He also showcased an effective shot that he was able to get off quickly. He was robbed of a goal by Mid Fairfield goalie Chris Faitsch (East Lyme, Conn.) midway through the second period.

Jackson Conroy

BK Selects, 8/13/2010, F, left shot, 5-11/140
Hometown: Dorval, Quebec 

Conroy has intriguing speed, as was evident when he stole the puck and created a bunch of separation on a first-period breakaway. His work in the cycle came was impactful, as he was able to lead his line in having sustained offensive zone time. At one point in Friday's second period, Conroy and Matthew Lynn were the two forwards tasked with killing a penalty and they created havoc for Mid Fairfield on breakouts.

Nicholas Di Marco

Long Island Gulls, 4/21/2010, D, right shot

Di Marco was consistently the power play quarterback for the Gulls and did a nice job facilitating. A shot of his from the point directly led to Andrew Randazzo's goal in the second period. Di Marco potted one of his own in the third period when his shot bounced off Mount St. Charles goalie George Panagakos' blocker and in.

Luke Hartman

Mount St. Charles, 4/3/2010, F, right shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Mullica Hills, N.J. 

The big impression I got from Hartman was high hockey IQ. His patience with the puck off the rush was impressive. He had multiple plays that showcased his vision, especially when passing across the offensive zone from the half wall. He scored the game-winning goal late when he went hard to the net and picked up a pass from Charbonneau.

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Brayden Hekle

Mid Fairfield, 2010, F, right shot, 5-9/155
Hometown: Wilton, Conn. 

Hekle had two goals early in the first period. The first was off a dump-in that was a misplay by BK Selects goalie Kingston Delisle, while the other was a turnaround wrister from the slot. Throughout the game, Hekle showcased great poise with the puck, an ability to get to high-danger areas and solid penalty kill work. He's at the King School this year.

Milan Kutsevich

Mount St. Charles, 2/2/2010, F, left shot, 5-10/175
Hometown: Naperville, Ill. 

Kutsevich consistently showed off his skill on Friday. That was clear in the first period when he went through his legs to get past a defender and almost scored shorthanded. Early in the second period, his shot led to a goal by Marc Ruggere. He also scored early in the third period on a scramble in front of the net, giving Mount St. Charles the lead.

Matthew Lynn

BK Selects, 6/4/2010, F, right shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: Collegeville, Penn. 

Lynn had a number of chances in Friday's game against Mid Fairfield. He scored on a brilliant passing play by his teammates late in the second period. Lynn showed an ability to play in all situations, being an effective penalty-killer along with also driving play at even strength and on the power play. He has slick hands and protected pucks well.

Kai Scranton

Mid Fairfield, 2010, F, left shot, 5-8/135
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn. 

Scranton possessed impressive poise with the puck and nice hands, especially being able to come off the half wall and find space in the slot. He used his speed to drive play, take smart routes on the forecheck and hustle for backchecks. He's at Kingswood Oxford this school year as a freshman.

Bobby Spang

BK Selects, 9/27/2010, F, right shot, 5-6/120
Hometown: Blackwood, N.J. 

Off the opening draw on Friday, Spang got the puck, protected it by avoiding two major hits and it led to sustained offensive zone time. That was the norm for Spang, who had great patience with the puck, utilizing his elusiveness and head fakes to buy more time. He was outstanding on the cycle. His passing helped set up Lynn's goal late in the second period.

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Maveric Thisdelle

Long Island Gulls, 3/8/2010, F, right shot, 5-8/141
Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec 

Thisdelle was the Gulls' best player. He opened Friday's game with two goals before the halfway mark of the first period. The first was a crafty play around the net, chipping it over the goalie, while the second was a turnaround wrister. Thisdelle has a great shot with a nice release. He was able to let it go from anywhere with purpose. He consistently drove play and was elusive. I liked his skating, too. Also, let's face it — Maveric is an awesome name.

Jayden Tillman

BK Selects, 11/26/2010, D, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Fall River, Nova Scotia 

Tillman was a two-way force on Friday. His passing led to a goal by Ty Sullivan in the first period and Lynn in the second. In his own zone, he was very physical and was able to defend the front of his own net well. He had a good stick, taking away passing lanes and making life difficult on Mid Fairfield forwards.