It was a big year of development for the local 15O prospects.
On Wednesday, the U.S. National Team Development Program announced its U17 roster for next fall. It was made up of 15O-level players. When the USHL Draft kicks off in May, many players from the 15U level will hope to hear their names called.
The 15O nationals, which were held in Fargo, N.D., were also a good chance for colleges to get eyes on future recruits.
Five teams from New England competed for the national championship, which the Chicago Mission ultimately won. Seacoast Performance Academy, the Neponset Valley River Rats, Mount St. Charles, Mid Fairfield and the Boston Jr. Eagles all had representation.
Seacoast Performance Academy and Mid Fairfield advanced to the playoffs, while the Jr. Eagles, River Rats and Mount St. Charles did not.
Here are 14 prospects who stood out throughout the tournament.
Luke Allen
Boston Jr. Eagles, 5/20/2008, F, right shotÂ
Allen was the Jr. Eagles' leading point-getter in North Dakota, totaling five across the three games. He potted a goal late in the third period of his team's 3-2 loss to Seacoast Performance Academy and then tallied a shorthanded goal against Team North Dakota. On that shorthanded goal, Allen read the play perfectly and intercepted a pass high in the zone, getting a breakaway and cashing in.
David Bosco
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2/8/2008, F, right shot, 5-10/150Â
Bosco, who was fresh off U.S. NTDP Evaluation Camp, posted a strong showing at nationals. In the Jr. Eagles' second game, which came against Chicago Mission, Bosco opened the game by reading a Mission breakout perfectly, forcing a turnover and then sniping a shot past the glove of goalie Jake Windbiel. Bosco added another midway through the second period despite being defended by three Mission players. Off the rush, he earned an offensive zone entry, dished it to Allen and then drove the net, which is where Allen hit him with the perfect pass for a tally. Late in the win over Team North Dakota, he hit Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.) on a smart pass for a one-time goal, making it 4-1.
Oskar Drabczynski
Mid Fairfield, 2008, D, left shot, 5-10/181Â
Drabczynski is a phenomenal puck mover. That was on display throughout the tournament. On Joey Salandra's opening goal against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, it was Drabczynski who, from his own zone, hit Ben Lombardi with a perfect backhand saucer pass. It landed on Lombardi's stick right at the opposing blue line and led to the 2 on 1. On a 4-on-4 midway through the second period, Drabczynski went end-to-end, sifting through the neutral zone and through the Jr. Hurricanes defense and sniped one over the blocker of goalie Brendan Queen. On Salandra's opening goal against Little Caesars, Drabczynski intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and found Salandra at the opposing blue line.
Vincenzo D'Urso
Neponset Valley River Rats, 3/7/2008, G, catches left, 5-9/174Â
D'Urso is in this story because of his performance against Shattuck St. Mary's in the River Rats' second game in Fargo. He made 45 stops in the 2-0 loss to Shattuck, including facing a whopping 23 shots in the second period alone. He faced numerous point-blank and high-danger chances, turning them aside with strong positioning and puck tracking. D'Urso was at Andover (Mass.) High School this past winter.
GOING NATIONAL: Two locals, along with one other prospect who plays in the region, make USNTDPÂ
Jamie Glance
Mount St. Charles, 9/23/2008, F, right shot, 5-9/155Â
There's a reason (or many reasons, honestly) why Glance made the NTDP U17 team next fall, and they were all on display in his set-up of a William Bent (Dover, Mass.) goal in the first period of Mount St. Charles' 12-1 drubbing of the Jr. Kings. Glance picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and dangled through two defenders. Then, right when he was at the net front and realized he might not get the best shot off, he turned and found Bent streaking in, who scored. Glance finished the tournament with two goals and four points.
Ty Hymovitz
Boston Jr. Eagles, 11/14/2008, F, right shotÂ
Hymovitz is known for his good hockey IQ, so it wasn't a surprise that it was on display at nationals. Against the Mission, he made a smart play on an Owen McHale (Charlestown, Mass.) goal midway through the second period. Hymovitz gained the offensive blue line, turned and hit McHale in the slot for a goal. Hymovitz came up big in the third period, too. With the Jr. Eagles down 6-5, Hymovitz tipped a shot in from Nolan Nassar (North Andover, Mass.) on the power play. In the 4-1 win over Team North Dakota, Hymovitz helped kill off a 5-on-3 and then a 5-on-4 midway through the third period. He pressured the North Dakota defenseman with the puck, leading him to turn it over to Allen, who got a breakaway and scored shorthanded. Hymovitz added an insurance goal late in that game, too.
Timothy Kazda
Seacoast Performance Academy, 10/4/2008, F, right shot, 6-0/172
Kazda has quite the pair of hands, and they were on display at nationals. He registered a hat trick in a 6-0 win over Team North Dakota. His first goal was a thing of beauty. Midway through the first period, he brought the puck up the half wall and with three defenders on him, put it through his own legs, escaped pressure and fired a bullet past goalie Westin Nielsen. On his second goal, he grabbed a puck in neutral ice, put it through a defender's legs and protected the puck for a breakaway goal. His third goal was a missile by the blocker of Nielsen. Kazda finished with four goals and eight points in four games.
18U: 10 uncommitted 18U prospects who boosted stock at USA Hockey Nationals
Matthew Krayer
Mount St. Charles, 10/22/2008, F, right shot, 5-9/160Â
Even with Mount up 6-1 against the Jr. Kings late in the second period, Krayer was still flexing his penalty-killing muscles. Near the top of the zone, he pushed a Jr. Kings forward off the puck, gained possession and hit Easton Walos for a breakaway that he'd eventually score on. Against Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, Krayer drove the net early in the first period as Walos flew down the left side of the ice with the puck. Krayer crashed the net and picked up the rebound for the early goal.
Ben Lombardi
Mid Fairfield, 2008, F, right shotÂ
Lombardi boasted a four-point showing against the Jr. Hurricanes. His first goal featured him battling hard along the walls, including intercepting a breakout pass and cycling the puck down low. When he did that, he went hard to the net, boxed out a defender and fired in a shot. On a power play later in the game, Lombardi scored from the net front again, this time getting a pass from Salandra and firing it into the open cage. His second assist in that game was impressive, too, as he hit Owen Burke cutting to the net for the tap in goal. Lombardi finished the tournament with three goals and six points.
Miles Mireault
Boston Jr. Eagles, 6/2/2008, F, right shotÂ
Mireault registered two assists in the Jr. Eagles' 8-7 loss to Chicago Mission. The first came on a nice pass up the middle of the ice to Nicholas Sumner (Hingham, Mass.) for a breakaway goal. The second was vital and was a high-compete play. Mireault lost an offensive zone face-off, but hustled for the loose puck and stayed with the play as it went behind the Mission net. He used his body to separate the Mission defender from the puck and then displayed terrific puck protection skills. Eventually, he found Nicholas McManus (Shrewsbury, Mass.) at the top of the circle for a goal, putting the Jr. Eagles up, 7-6, late in the third. Mireault lit the lamp on his own in the Jr. Eagles' third game when he opened the scoring on the power play. He added an assist later in that game, too, grabbing a loose puck behind the opposing net and hitting Andrew Giguere (Georgetown, Mass.) in front for the goal.
Joey Salandra
Mid Fairfield, 2/15/2008, F, right shotÂ
Salandra was terrific at driving play and making things happen for Mid Fairfield. He finished with four goals and eight points in four games. Along with having a big showing against the Jr. Hurricanes, he was dominant in a 5-3 loss to Little Caesars, too. Salandra opened the game by earning a breakaway, receiving a pass from Drabczynski, fending off a defender and making a nice forehand to backhand move around the netminder for the goal. Late in the second period, Salandra earned another breakaway. This time, however, he navigated through three Little Caesars players and potted a goal over goalie Andrew McLouth. He assisted on Lombardi's goal in the third period by battling hard behind the net.
Ethan Travis
Neponset Valley River Rats, 8/22/2008, F, left shot, 5-9/150Â
The River Rats' lone win came in their final game as they took down Okanagan Hockey, 8-2. Travis posted a hat trick in the win. His first goal tied the game midway through the first period when he picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a nice shot over goalie Jacob Korte. His second goal was the most impressive. He grabbed the puck in the corner, brought it around the net...and hit The Michigan. Travis finished the hat trick later in the third period when he knocked in a rebound.
16U: 6 uncommitted 16U standouts from USA Hockey Nationals
Filip Vavro
Seacoast Performance Academy, 4/1/2008, G, catches right, 5-11/165Â
The Spartans were fortunate to get terrific goaltending across all four games from Vavro and fellow netminder Parker Stockseth. Vavro was the biggest reason why the Spartans earned a win in their first game, as they took down the Boston Jr. Eagles, 3-2. Vavro made 36 saves, including 17 in the second period. He was the biggest reason for the Spartans' third win in the tournament, earning a 38-save shutout against Chicago Mission — the eventual champs. The Mission pressed hard in the third period by getting 18 shots. Still, Vavro stood tall and stopped them all.
Easton Walos
Mount St. Charles, 12/28/2008, F, left shot, 5-10/161
Walos was consistently setting up teammates at nationals. The Hartland, Wisc., native registered five assists, including a one-goal and three-assist performance against the Jr. Kings. Walos was especially effective high along the boards on the power play where he always seemed to find ways to create passing lanes and scoring chances.
