Welcome to the TSA Scouting Journal, your one stop shop for North American hockey coverage, providing coverage of Midget, Junior (Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3), and Collegiate hockey.
Preview - NCDC Prospects Report
Clark Kerner – ‘00 Forward - NJ Rockets (Uncommitted)
Very fast winger with a smooth stride, strong edgework, and good balance. He is a consistent shooting threat with a quick, accurate shot. He always keeps his head up when handling the puck and looks to move the puck East-West or from below the goalline to the slot to create high danger opportunities for teammate. He has a consistent motor and is hard on pucks.
Liam McLinskey – ‘01 Forward - Jersey Hitmen (Quinnipiac)
Strong puck possession player who transitions puck up ice with ease. High-end vision and creativity that allows him to generate a ton of scoring chances. Heavily involved in the powerplay to facility chances or to create his own opportunities. Fairly heavy shot with quick release. He has improved the defensive side of his game over the last few years, but could be stronger on his stick on the backcheck.
Johan Rosenquist - ‘02 Forward - Islanders Hockey Club (Uncommitted)
The 6’2” center plays a north-south game, and is much stronger than he looks. He is a hungry player below the face-off dots, and enjoys battling through checks for lose pucks. Rosenquist is adding speed and agility to his game, and will need to become more dynamic in his offensive game to make the next step.
Ryan Willet – Forward – ’00 Forward - P.A.L. Islanders (Uncommitted)
All situations, 200 foot player. Very dangerous scorer with heavy accurate shot who can finish from almost anywhere in the offensive zone and pick top corners. Extremely patient with the puck with ability to hold onto it to create a better shooting lane from himself. Also possesses some playmaking ability. Reads the play well which allows him to jump routes, intercept passes, or block shots.
Nolan Hayes – ‘02 Defenseman – South Shore Kings (Uncommitted)
Heavy shot with quick release. Significant factor on powerplay with most of the offense generating through him. Quick feet when walking the blueline. Tough defenseman to play against. Retrieves pucks effectively and does not shy away from the heavy forecheck. Strong, quick outlet passes to transition the puck out of the defensive zone.
Billy Norcross - ‘03 Forward - Islanders Hockey Club (Boston College)
Plays with speed and can handle the puck at top flight. Understands the pace of the game, positioning is sound and is very patient with the puck. The 6’1” center has shown great improvement in his game over the past few seasons, as he has grown into his body and matured as a center.
Cameron Lund – ‘04 Forward – Boston Jr. Bruins (Uncommitted)
Speedy, skilled, large centerman who dominates the middle of the ice. Frequently uses quickness to beat defenders wide and then drive the net. Always a danger to score with his quick release shot. Plays a hard, heavy game and constantly outworks opponents. Generates chances constantly when on the ice with good East-West vision and ability to hit streaking defenders with a pass.
Evan Orloff - ‘03 Defenseman - Rockets Hockey Club (Uncomitted)
Orloff is a sound, lengthy, 2-way defenseman that has yet to completely fill his frame. He is solid on either side of the puck, going unnoticed at times but does everything the right way. Smart decision maker with the puck, hard first passes and a hard one timer. Defensively, Orloff is engaging with an active stick and physical play. The most important attribute for this young defensemen is he is reliable in all zones.
Pavel Karasek – ‘01 Forward – Northern Cyclones (Uncommitted)
Skilled, strong centerman who can handle the puck. Solid through the center of the ice. Good vision with some deceptiveness to create passing lanes for himself in offensive zone. Hard worker who displays grit and toughness. Typically the first forechecker with good stick placement who can direct opponents’ breakout. One of the spokes to the umbrella powerplay who works to retrieve pucks to reset back to the point. Excellent penalty killer who eliminates passing lanes and blocks shots.
Aidan Harper – ‘01 Goaltender- NJ Rockets (UMass-Lowell)
Fundamentally sound netminder who quickly recovers to take away shooting lanes. Great lateral movement and athleticism. He uses stick really well to deflect pucks away from the net mouth and limits the amount of second hand chances. Extremely poised and fights for his sightline.
Ohio Blue Jackets visited Pens Elite over the past weekend for a 2 game series at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. In both games, the Penguins showed why they are on top of the U16 rankings. Every shift they seemed to get better, while Ohio struggled to get high quality chances.
Scouting Notes
Matthew Dimarsico - ‘04 Forward - Pens Elite
77 pts in 56 games last season at U15. Great passer and vision offensively, confident skater who loves to use small C-cuts in tight spaces. Constantly gets lost in the offense zone up high, then finds the soft areas to retrieve loose pucks. Passing ability is elite, with an ability to know where all 4 guys are at any time.
Matthew Green - ‘04 Forward - Pens Elite
Large framed forward with a fluid stride. Does not shy away from any contact and is a strong F1 on the forecheck. Has a heavy wrist shot that he can get off quickly, and has smooth, effective deking abilities. Green is an under the radar player, and passes the eye test as an elite power forward.
Maryland traveled to the Junior Flyers for three AYHL games. In a battle of the current first and second place teams, the Jr. Flyers proved to be the deeper squad as they were able to handle a skilled Maryland team. Maryland relies heavily on their top skill guys to provide scoring but they lack secondary production.
The Jr. Flyers are a team that comes at their opponents in waves and are really sound structurally. From the net out they are a difficult match up for anyone in the AYHL. Team speed is a trend on this Flyers squad as they compete to every loose puck, play in transition effectively and love getting to the net.
Scouting Notes
Dylan Krick - ‘05 Goaltender - Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
Krick was very good all weekend, he is an extremely confident goaltender who handles pressure very well. He finds pucks in traffic and when the play breaks down in the net front, he does a nice job of locating the puck. Laterally he arrives on time and efficiently, often times waiting for the shot to be taken. He gobbled most of the pucks he saw and was extremely effective covering the lower part of the net.
Daniel Tirendi - ‘05 Forward - Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
The smaller forward plays the game with a ton of energy on a regular basis. He has a knack for winning races to loose pucks in all three zones. He was able to facilitate a lot of offense this weekend as he notched 2 goals and 1 assist. His ability to create opportunities for his line mates make him a prospect to keep an eye on moving forward.
10.28.20 - NA3HL Bozeman Icedogs (5) VS Helena Bighorns (2)
Bozeman hosted Helena at Haynes Pavilion Friday night and showed why they are one of the top teams in the Frontier division. Bozeman would dominate all 3 periods, creating chances in a variety of ways. Icedogs ‘02 forward Luke McKay scored twice early in the game, and they would never look back.
Scouting Notes
Luke McKay - ‘02 Forward - Bozeman Icedogs
McKay was the most dominate forward on the ice, creating chances on the rush as well as off cycle plays. He is a medium sized, left handed center who can be effective at top flight. McKay shows a lot of confidence with the puck, especially taking on defenders on the rush. He creates his own oppurtunies and is not afraid to shoot. Not the most powerful skater, but good stride technique for the young forward. McKay finished with 2 goals and seemed to have multiple great chances a period.
Hunter Maschke - ‘01 Forward - Bozeman Icedogs
Smaller, hardworking forward with great instincts. Not the most powerful skater but finds ways to get open or skate around people with the puck. Generates chances for himself with good positioning and is always ready to shoot. Like many Icedogs in this game, he seemed to have a quality chance every shift, but lacked the final finishing touch.
Video of the Month