MARLBORO, Mass. — The New England Sports Center was bustling with people from all over the United States as the Eastern Alliance Kickoff was held from Friday through Monday.
I spent the weekend watching 15O teams. It's a crucial stage for those prospects.
For the select few, it's a chance to be looked at by the U.S. National Team Development Program. For others, it's all about making a good first impression for the Division 1 coaches in attendance.
Still, the majority are looking to take a big step this fall so that they're ready to own a bigger spot in their prep or high school lineup.
Here is the full list of teams I saw:
- Boston Jr. Eagles
- New Jersey Rockets
- Mid Fairfield Rangers
- Florida Alliance North
- Long Island Gulls
- Cape Cod Whalers
- Yale Jr. Bulldogs
- St. Louis AAA Blues
- Neponset Valley River Rats
- Buffalo Jr. Sabres
The Jr. Eagles finished as the champs of the event, taking down Mid Fairfield in Monday's championship. Ryder Bisson (Winchester, Mass.) won the game in overtime on a nice shot from the high slot.
Let's dive into nine standout defensemen and goalies that I saw. I already took a look at the standout forwards.
Jake Boguniecki
Mid Fairfield, 4/22/09, D, right shot, 6-2/161
Hometown: Orange, Conn.Â
Flashy? No. Highly effective and impactful? 100 percent. Boguniecki has the size to be an intriguing defensive prospect. He scored on a hard, accurate one-timer on Friday night. Later in the matchup with Florida Alliance North, his shot from the point created a rebound that Will Soffer knocked in to extend his team's lead. Boguniecki was good at simply getting the job done and was a patient puck mover.
Christian Capone
Yale Jr. Bulldogs/East Haven, 9/18/09, G, catches left, 5-11/185
Hometown: East Haven, Conn.Â
Capone was nearly perfect against the St. Louis AAA Blues on Friday night. He was under siege for much of the contest, but he consistently rose to the challenge. Whether it was through traffic or from point-blank, his glove was perfect. He was successfully able to make saves on shots low and from in tight. That Blues team was great at getting to high-danger areas and he never wavered in the face of pressure. His athleticism allowed him to readjust to shots on rebounds.
Christopher Chun
Long Island Gulls, 1/14/09, D, right shot, 5-9/140
Hometown: New York, N.Y.Â
Chun is listed as a defenseman, but he played a lot like a forward in my viewing of the Gulls. He consistently drove play, skating the puck end to end. He was able to generate a lot of speed in transition with his great skating.
Jack Franke
Long Island Gulls, 6/4/09, D, left shot, 5-8/140
Hometown: Commack, N.Y.Â
Franke showed his abilities as a strong, puck-moving defenseman. He had great skating technique, evading pressure well while breaking the puck out. He also was able to skate the puck out of his own zone with ease.
Cam Minella
Mid Fairfield, 8/29/09, D, left shot, 5-10/154
Hometown: Darien, Conn. Â
When I caught Mid Fairfield's matchup with Florida Alliance North on Friday night, Minella set up two goals. He had a great give and go with Braydon Sisco who was driving the net with the puck, found Minella who dished it right back to him, which led to a goal. Later in the game, Minella had the puck in the offensive zone, took an entire trip around Florida Alliance North's end and found Boguniecki for a one-timer goal. Minella showed himself to be an elite puck-mover who was always calm in any situation.
Jake Prunty
New Jersey Rockets, 3/4/2009, D, right shot, 5-8/150
Hometown: Jefferson Township, N.J.Â
Prunty was constantly looking to push the pace for the Rockets and showed a willingness to jump into the offense. When he had the puck at the opposing blue line, he was mobile and was looking for shooting and passing lanes. He was shifty and that mobility showed itself all over the ice, too.
Mason Raycroft
Cape Cod Whalers, 7/30/09, G, catches left, 5-6/110
Hometown: Milton, Mass.Â
I only got a chance to see the Whalers once and it was Friday night against the Gulls. The Whalers were outmatched against the Gulls, getting lots and lots of scoring chances throughout the game. Despite being bombarded with shots, Raycroft held up well, making save after save, keeping the Gulls off the scoreboard until the very end of the first half. Just like all 15O goalies, he still has a ways to go in his development. But Raycroft's athleticism allowed him to be an avid netminder against a high-end team like the Gulls.
Cole Ryan
Neponset Valley River Rats/Scituate High, 2/20/09, D, left shot, 5-11/165
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.Â
Ryan came up huge late in Saturday's matchup with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres when he rushed the puck and finished the play with a shot that beat the Jr. Sabres netminder, tying the game, 2-2, which was how the matchup ended. Ryan showed a strong ability to skate the puck throughout the game and made smart outlet passes out of his own zone on breakouts.
Elliott Watson
Neponset Valley River Rats/Cardigan Mountain, 4/5/09, D, right shot, 5-8/160
Hometown: Mascouche, QuebecÂ
Watson showed a lot of poise in his game. He was calm on puck retrievals, never panicking no matter how much pressure was on him. He made smart outlet passes coming out of his own zone and knew when to join the rush. He had multiple good rushes that resulted in him pushing the pace and gaining the offensive blue line for his team.
