Many of the top 2002-born goaltenders from across the United States converged on the Northtown Center in Amherst, N.Y., last week for the 2018 USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp.
There were five games throughout the week, plus the All-Star Game on the final day. From there, USA Hockey selected two goaltenders to compete on the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team that will compete at the Five Nations Tournament next month in Slovakia.
Norwood, Mass., native Gavin Fitzpatrick, a rising junior at Thayer Academy, was one of the two goaltenders chosen. The other was Colin Purcell of Cleveland Barons U15.
In addition to Fitzpatrick, two other goaltenders from the region participated in the camp: Connor Bradford (Kingston, Mass.) of Boston Advantage 15U and Matthew Gover (Atkinson, N.H.) of the New Hampshire Avalanche.
There were no committed goaltenders in this age group, and three listed below have direct ties to New England.
Here's how the top 2002-born goaltenders from the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp stacked up:
1. Colin Purcell
#30 Black, Cleveland Barons 15U, 6/23/02, Catches Left, 6-5.5/172
Purcell had probably the best pro upside of any goaltender in camp. He’s big and moved fairly well in the crease. He was solid fundamentally, stayed quiet, and took away shooters’ angles by challenging them at the top of the crease.
2. Aidan Campbell
#1 Red, Pittsburgh Penguins 15U, 8/22/02, Catches Left, 6-3.75/176
Campbell is another goaltender with pro upside who saved his best play for the last two games of the week. He’s big and has been a favorite of this observer for a few years now, particularly since his days playing bantam for the Penguins.
3. Grant Riley
#1 Kelly, Rochester Coalition 15U, 8/28/02, Catches Left, 6-2.75/181
Riley is a goaltender whose upward trajectory has to impress college coaches and scouts alike. He has good size and athleticism, all while maintaining a butterfly technique. His fundamentals are very good, which allows him to stay quiet and not have to move around much in order to take up shooting space.
4. Gavin Fitzpatrick
#1 Orange, Thayer Academy, 1/9/02, Catches Left, 5-10.75/155
Fitzpatrick had the best week statistically of any goaltender at camp. The Norwood, Mass., native is on the smaller side, but he just made the saves here. He’s quick, but his rebound control was an issue at times.
5. Peyton Grainer
#30 Red, Victory Honda 16U, 3/12/02, Catches Left, 5-11.25/156
Like Fitzpatrick, Grainer doesn’t have ideal size for a modern-era goaltender, but he’s athletic and made some nice saves and earned a bid to the All-Star Game because of it.
6. Levi Gho
#1 Forest, Culver Academy 16U, 2/5/02, Catches Left, 6-2.75/182
Gho, from Alaska, was invited to the NTDP Evaluation Camp, but fell short of making the team. He’s another big goaltender who struggled earlier in the week, but turned it on late.
Honorable Mention
- Nicholas Addante
#30 Kelly, Chicago Mission 16U, 3/23/02, Catches Left, 5-9/164
Addante is a smaller goaltender who moves around a lot in net and sometimes over-commits. He’s athletic and can make some acrobatic-looking saves.
- Connor Bradford
#1 Gold, Boston Advantage 15U, 8/23/02, Catches Left, 6-0.5/218
It was a tough week for the Kingston, Mass., native, but it can be difficult for goaltenders to play in such an environment when there is constantly up-and-down action. He showed he was willing to compete until the end.
- Rio Kauffman
#1 Grey, Colorado Thunderbirds 16U, 1/21/02, Catches Left, 6-0.25/162
Kauffman is a goaltender out of Colorado who's reportedly making the move to Cushing Academy, where he’ll like backup Union commit Joe Sharib of Natick, Mass., an ’01 who excelled in Select 17s.
- Xavier Medina
#1 Columbia, Honeybaked 16U, 1/20/02, Catches Left, 5-10.75/171
Medina is another goaltender who was at NTDP Evaluation Camp. There are plenty of rumors he’ll eventually head to the OHL, but he’s a goaltender who relies on his athleticism and quick reflexes to make the save.
- Liam O’Gwen
#30 Royal, Jersey Hitmen 16U, 10/19/02, Catches Left, 5-11/193
O’Gwen always seems to play a little bigger than the size that’s listed on the roster. A Jersey Hitmen product, he was much better in the final three games of camp after a rough outing on day one.
- Luke Pavichich
#1 Black, Buffalo Sabres 15U, 3/21/02, Catches Left, 5-11.5/152
Pavichich, who played 15U this past winter, made the All-Star Game. He’s a goaltender who can be hot and cold. He’ll make some really good saves, then let in a soft goal.
- Nick Pineo
#30 Columbia, Grand Forks Central, 2/7/02, Catches Left, 6-1.25/144
Pineo had two good performances and two mediocre ones, but there’s potential here with his size and skating ability.
- T.J. Semptimphelter
#1 Royal, Mercer Chiefs 16U, 5/9/02, Catches Left, 5-8.5/160
Semptimphelter was the smallest goaltender here, but he makes a lot of saves just about everywhere he goes. He tends to give up some rebounds, forcing himself to make the second save as well.
