FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Pro-Am Junior Chowder Cup is taking place this weekend, with the rosters primarily made up of 2005 and ’06 birth-year players, with some 07s sprinkled in as well.
As summer hockey is in full swing around the region, there’s never a bad time to break down some of the players who are making positive first impressions in the early going of this annual event held in Attleboro, Braintree, Canton and Foxboro, Mass.
We will have more scouting reports to come, but after taking in some action on the first day in Foxboro, these are the early returns on some standout performers from the '05, '06 and '07 prospects pool.
2005
19 Thomas Klochkov, C (Roc City Elite ’05 Red)
3/30/05, shoots left, 5-11/150
Selected by the Green Bay Gamblers in the 8th round of the USHL Futures Draft last May, it isn’t hard to see why when you watch him. He’s always buzzing around the net and had a lot of puck touches. He’s crafty and skilled, but it’s that killer instinct he has for finishing plays that stood out the most in the first game. The New Jersey Rockets 16 pivot and Fort Lee (N.J.) native crashes the net, and in one particular instance he was rewarded, as he was able to redirect a shot behind the netminder for an old-fashioned dirty goal. He played with good pace and energy in this one, getting off to a good start. If he plays with that kind of tenacity in all zones, all the time, then he’ll be a junior player in no time.
88 Marcel Lavitman, RW (EHG ’05)
1/26/05, shoots right, 5-11/161
A skilled player with size, the Westchester Express 16 forward scored a couple of goals by just going hard to the net and cleaning up loose pucks in front. He showed some pretty good speed, can let fly a hard, heavy shot off the rush, and the natural knack for finding open lanes on offense. He was noticeable and dangerous, someone to watch after being a part of the North Jersey Avalanche 16 team that captured the 16U T1 national championship last spring.
2006
14 Matthew Frost, C (Team Maryland ’05)
9/11/06, shoots left, n/a
As an ’06 playing up on the ’05, he made a lot of plays and was highly visible. The Canada-born Frost has an all-around package of skating, skills/shot, IQ and pace/effort. He’s also opportunistic- he broke a tie game by pouncing on a loose puck and rifling it into the net where the goaltender had no chance on the play. It wasn’t a highlight reel goal by any stretch, but showed off a quick small area burst and ability to find the puck and make the opposing defense pay. He’s someone to watch this season for the USHL and OHL drafts.
7 Owen Keefe, D (All-American Prospects White)
3/26/06, shoots left, 5-11/170
Keefe is at his best when he keeps things simple and uses his feet, stick and brain to make good reads and play a hard, heavy style defensive game. Keefe will play this fall for the Boston Jr. Eagles 16 team and back at Malden Catholic. It’s summer hockey, so you can allow for the dangle or occasional spin-o-rama as he tests out the competition, but the Saugus, Mass. native’s bread and butter is the ability to contain outside speed, get back on pucks quickly to move them up and out, and the physical jam he employs. He’s played a lot of hockey in the past several months, and he’s building his confidence.
4 Alex Bales, D (All-American Prospects White)
7/6/06, shoots left, 5-10/165
Impressive showing from a two-way defender who activates at the right times and plays a smart, efficient game. He scored a goal by pinching down from the blue line into space to get between the hashmarks and rip a shot through traffic and into the back of the net. He had good gaps, used his stick effectively, and played a good all-around game.
27 Ethan McEneany, F (Colorado Jr. Dawgs)
6/18/06, shoots right, 6-1/146
In a word: relentless. If this is the way he plays all the time, then scouts will be treated to a real power forward who moves his feet, hits everything he can line up and has a nice foundation of skills to build on. He hunts pucks all over the ice, never misses a chance to finish a check and has the height and length to become an even more potent physical force as he fills out. The Tacoma, Wash. native plays for the Colorado Thunderbirds AAA program and has future junior and D-1 player written all over him.
00 Willum Braun, G (All-American Prospects White)
5/18/06, catches left, 6-0/170
The big Pennsylvanian and Valley Forge Minutemen product was outstanding in the first half of the game against the Colorado Jr. Dawgs. The scoreboard did not tell the story, as he made multiple athletic saves to deny quality scoring chances and make the game look far more uneven than it was. He’s big, can track pucks, competes and did a nice job controlling his rebounds. He can move well laterally- he gave his opponents very little net to hit and when they did see some daylight, he got over in time to make all the stops.
2007
97 Matthew Grimes, D (All-American Prospects Red)
5/19/07, shoots left, 5-8/140
This was the second time watching Grimes this week after the Exposure Hockey event in Exeter, N.H., and he continues to impress with his mature, refined two-way defensive style. He skates well, surveys the total ice surface and makes smart reads and decisions. There’s room for him to grow physically, and you can’t teach his natural feel and instincts for the game. He's already attracted notice with New England Hockey Journal, and we expect that trend to continue.
