ECC Tournaments Futures Showcase: Top Prospects

The 2017 ECC Tournaments Futures Showcase took place this past weekend, June 16-18, at the Salem Icenter and Haverhill Valley Forum. The 16U Division featured more high end players, but there were a couple of intriguing prospects at the 19U Division.

One notable player in the 19U Division was Marko Jackoljevic, an '01 LD from Ontario who skated here for the Screaming Eagles.. He had good size, could move the puck north and get shots on net from the point. His feet were good, he gapped well and made a couple of nice plays with his stick in the defensive end.

The following is a top 10 ranking of prospects at the 16U Division followed by a few other prospects (in alphabetical order) who stood out over the course of the weekend. As is the case often times in non-marquee events during the summer, players listed on the roster weren't at some (or all) of the games. Keep in mind this observer kept a much closer eye on the 16U Division.

1. Jakub Teply, #9 EHG, 6/19/02, Forward, Shoots Left, 6-0/170 - He plays a heavy game and projects as a power forward. He controls pucks along the wall and can drive into the slot with authority. He protects the puck and can create offense for himself and his linemates. He has serious Hockey East interest.

2. Thomas Messineo, #7 Boston Generals, 5/2/02, Defense, Shoots Left, 5-9/172 - He has good body position in the defensive zone and competes. He's rugged and steps into the offense to keep pucks on his team's stick. He skates well and isn't afraid to engage. He has good feet and gets shots on net from the point. He's easily one of the top two Massachusetts defenders in his age group.

3. Spence Evans, #19 EHG, 4/19/02, Defense, Shoots Left, 6-3/190 - A big, rangy defender, he has the reach and closing ability that allow him to shutdown opposing forwards. He wins a lot of one-on-one battles. While he's not the flashiest of players with the puck on his stick, he does a nice job with simple plays to keep pucks going north.

4. Matt Connor, #44 Storm HC, 5/31/01, Defense, Shoots Right, 6-1/210 - The Cardigan Mountain product is moving on to play for Lawrence Academy. He has good agility and makes simple and effective outlet passes. His size and athleticism are intriguing, giving him a lot of upside.

5. Reese Farrell, #46 Boston Generals, 2/21/01, Forward, Shoots Right, 5-10/163 - He really impressed this observer here with his ability to make plays. The NYA sophomore-to-be is a good skater and had the puck a lot. He knew where to go to get open. He drove the net hard for rebounds. He has good compete level and should get even better as he learns how to play away from the puck.

6. Colin Graf, #49 Boston Generals, 9/21/02, Forward, Shoots Right, 5-4/120 - He's still really small, but his vision and play-making abilities are very high for this level. He makes some truly great passes and can maneuver his way in and out of traffic. He's shifty, quick and plays with grit.

7. Nate Hanley, #16 EHG, 5/30/02, Forward, Shoots Right, 5-9/150 - He has a good shot and has a good offensive skill set. He's impressed this observer in the past and did nothing to damper expectations here.

8. David Ma, #6 Boston Generals, 6/22/02, Defense, Shoots Left, 5-7/140 - Yonkers, N.Y. native played for Shattuck's bantam team last year. He's a good skater with good feet. He moves the puck, breaks the puck out well and could keep the puck going from the point in the attacking zone.

9. Dean Bauchiero, #47 Boston Generals, 3/4/02, Forward, Shoots Left, 6-2/185 - A big forward, he had a heavy and hard one-timer. He scored on a blast from right inside the blue line. He got to scoring areas with good edge work especially for a player his age and size. He worked well down low.

10. Matt MacDonald, #28 Boston Generals, 1/1/02, Forward, Shoots Right, 6-0/180 - His stride is still a bit funky, but he gets the job done. He has a hard shot, wins puck battles and is noticeable more shifts than not.

11. Connor Bradford, #30 Boston Generals, 8/23/02, Goaltender, Catches Left, 6-1/170 - He's a good sized goalie who cuts down on shooters' angles. He flies under the radar with all the good '02 goalies in Massachusetts, but he's legit.

12. Aidan Curran, #4 Storm HC, 1/22/01, Forward, Shoots Right, 5-10/168 - His speed and shiftiness were both on display here. He can accelerate quickly. He made plays, including a nice scoring play where he pulled up after gaining zone entry and hit the trailer for a goal.

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Brandon Avesov, #11 EHG, 12/1/01, Forward, Shoots Right, 5-10/160 - He drove the net hard and had a couple of nice finishes. He protected the puck well. He's a late '01 to keep an eye on going forward.

Jacob Banks, #3 Storm HC, 3/27/01, Forward, Shoots Left, 5-10/185 - He got in on the forecheck quickly and was good on puck pursuit.

Tristan Fasig, #8 EHG, 10/9/01, Forward, Shoots Left, 6-0/160 - He's another late '01 who impressed this observer a few times last year with Westchester Express. His skating has improved and he can explode out of the gate. His ability to beat defenders to the outside showed here.

Jacob Matthews, #10 Storm HC, 3/1/01, Defense, Shoots Right, 5-10/180 - He'll be heading to Phillips Exeter in the fall. He has a good stick in his own zone and kept pucks to the perimeter.

Ryan O'Halloran, #19 Storm HC, 1/2/02, Forward, Shoots Left, 5-11/160 - He possessed the puck a lot and had good stick skills here.

Kevin Urquhart, #9 Storm HC, 4/9/01, Forward, Shoots Right, 6-2/178 - He had good size, good hands and had a couple of nice finishes. Overall, his offensive skill set isn't elite, but he had a nice showing here.

Jacob Zacharewicz, #30 EHG, 2/11/01, Goaltender, Catches Left, 6-2/185 - A goalie with good size, he covers a lot of net and has quick reflexes. He made a couple of good kick saves.