This group was pretty closely watched by the people at USA Hockey since these kids will all be eligible to play for the NTDP next season. I saw the most USA Hockey people watching the New Jersey Avalanche, Minnesota Blades, and Chicago Mission.
Standard disclaimer: It's a big tournament and I'm sure I missed a few very good players.Nothing personal if you think I've missed a certain player. I'm just pointing out a few players I noticed.
You can view the list of '94 born prospects after the jump.
Ray Pigozzi-F-Chicago Mission(U16)-Really impressive. Great offensive instincts, and isn't the biggest guy, but isn't afraid to throw his weight around.
Ian Spencer-D-New Jersey Avalanche(U16)(Vermont commit)-One of the first ‘94s to commit to a college. A very solid, mature player. Reminds me of Robbie Russo last year.
Brady Skjei-D-Minnesota Blades(U16)-Excellent defenseman. I've been really impressed every time I've seen him play.
Brock Kautz-G-Minnesota Blades(U16)-Very fundamentally sound for a goalie his age.
Sam Piazza-D-Chicago Mission (U16)-Big, poised defenseman that moves pretty well. Kind of reminds me of Denver defenseman Paul Phillips at the same age.
Eric Meyers-D-Florida Panthers Alliance(U18)-One of the youngest kids playing U18 and he looked pretty solid. He kept things simple and made very few mistakes.
Connor Carrick-D-Chicago Fury(U16)-Very fast offensive minded defenseman.
Alex Galchenyuk-Chicago Young Americans(U16)-A strong forward with pretty good hands from Moscow.
Grant Besse-One of the smoothest, most skilled kids out there. It seems like a lot of players have passed him in terms of strength over the past year, so he doesn't dominate like he once did, but still has the ability to put up points.
Matt Joyaux-D-Chicago Mission(U16)-Not that big, but skates well and plays very good defense.
Jordan Jancze-F-Minnesota Blades(U16)-One of the fastest skaters in this age group.
Tim Lappin-F-Chicago Mission(U16)-Played on the top line and was pretty good.
Thomas DiPauli-F-Chicago Mission(U16)-Small player that can really move the puck.
Chase Matson-F-Detroit Falcons(U16)-Good skater and crafty offensive player.
Vince Hinostroza-F-Chicago Mission(U16)-Impressive talent, but still very small. I heard a couple people say that with some more size, he could be very good.
Dan Fitzgerald-D-St. Louis Selects(U16)-Solid defenseman with pretty good size.