American Prospect Update Thread - Part 4

[JiggsNY]

John Farinacci is also really impressive. He's very similar to guys like Colin White and Luke Kunin. Looks like a first round pick to me and future heart and soul player of Team USA at the WJC.

Completely agree. Just like White and Kunin, he might not have elite game breaking talent, but he seems like the incredibly reliable and solid, leader type who does everything well. He had some huge faceoffs down the stretch. Handled the whole debacle at the end very well too.

 

[kroypuck]

The 2001s are just an incredibly deep group. In a typical NTDP year, guys like Kaliyev, Robertson, Farinacci, Mastrosimone, Miller, Koster, etc. would all have received offers. Kaliyev received an NTDP invite and turned it down, but I haven't heard of any of the other Hlinka players having received NTDP offers. To put it in perspective, Roberston, Silianoff, Miller, and Wolf didn't even receive invites to the NTDP evaluation camp.

Looking at the performance of the NTDP U17s last year, you'd be hard pressed to make arguments for many of these Hlinka guys even making the NTDP this year. That's not a slight on the top Hlinka guys as they would certainly belong and perform, but who would they replace? Typically an NTDP team has noticeable weak links, 3+ guys that are just out of their league and usually they're the ones that get demoted to the U17s in their U18 season. But right now, there's not any obvious weak links on the 2001 NTDP team.

Webber received an offer but declined. Kaliyev and Mastrosimone were supposedly going to receive offers but were not due to unknown reasons. Regardless the NTDP team is stacked. It will be interesting to see if they add any players for the U18 WC next year. I'd have to believe that players like Kaliyey, Mastrosimone, or Wolf would have to get looks.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Webber received an offer but declined. Kaliyev and Mastrosimone were supposedly going to receive offers but were not due to unknown reasons. Regardless the NTDP team is stacked. It will be interesting to see if they add any players for the U18 WC next year. I'd have to believe that players like Kaliyey, Mastrosimone, or Wolf would have to get looks.

A number of players could get bottom of the lineup spots. We see this every year. The best NTDP players usually are too good to be beat out by the Hlinka guys and others, but the bottom of the roster almost always has players that don't even get drafted.

 

[William H Bonney]

Well, the team definitely didn't show up to play today. They look physically exhausted from the short turnaround, but even more so they look mentally defeated from the highway robbery they experienced last night. Not surprised at all as it's damn tough to rebound from that type of disservice at any age, let alone for 17 year olds.

 

[William H Bonney]

Well, the team finally found some life in the 3rd period, but unfortunately each time they scored, they immediately, and I mean immediately, gave it right back.

Koster was the worst player on the ice today, which is a really terrible way for him to end the tournament. His man was directly responsible for nearly every Russian goal against. Webber was also really bad, a man that size should never be that soft with the puck on his stick. His unforced turnover on that weak clearing attempt right after Kaliyev's goal should have earned him a bench spot the remainder of the game. And Toporowski sure picked a great time to play like his dad, sitting in the box all game as Russia scored on the PP.

Podkolzin was electric for Russia today and the difference maker in a game where most players were standing out for the wrong reasons.

A tournament of what ifs for Team USA. Obviously the refs and inept tournament organization are the biggest causes, but outside of those factors, Team USA's biggest downfalls were their extremely poor penalty killing and the defense just wasn't good. Miller/Koster were inconsistent and the rest weren't reliable. Reid came in with some decent hype, but I don't see it at all. He struggled big time here.

 

[AmericanDream]

This was a deep group going into the tournament, and nothing changed my mind after it is over. I think a number of kids raised their stock for the draft, and I have been saying his name more and more, but Mastrosimone was absolutely impressive out there.

Him and Farinacci for me, were the best two forwards out there. Both raised their stock and though Mastro is on the smallish side, he should get first round recognition. Kaliyev didn't disappoint either, he looks like the real deal as well, just the other two played amazingly throughout and were my top favs for this team.

The team defense was up and down, and I agree with Bonney just seemed like the system play/coaching really wasn't harping too much on positioning and better pinching. There was some talent on that blue line as well, and I was excited to see more of Cade Webber, but came away less impressed with him and his stock will drop as he really has an uphill fight against quicker/smaller players which the game is shifting to.

Koster had some good games out there, but played a real bad one against Russia to end it...not a good showing there.

Mitchell Miller was legit- stud. He was my top defender, shame he is 2 years out for the draft.

Wolf impressed in net as well, him and Knight will be a hell of a 1-2 punch the next 2 years for the US.

The team played well, got ripped off against Canada, but overall they left a strong impression on the hockey world that this is a deep deep group, some of these names will be called in the top 31 and others right behind in the second round. Add this crop to the USNDP and wow, that would be one hell of a team to make -

Can we dare dream for the U-18 in Spring:

Kaliyev, Farinucci, Mastrosimone, and Miller added to that group???? Plus the top u-17 studs like Peterson, Kleven, and Smilanic...look out world!

 

[William H Bonney]

Interested to see if the NTDP adds a defenseman or just rolls with 7 on the roster. I hope it's the latter.

 

[kroypuck]

Interested to see if the NTDP adds a defenseman or just rolls with 7 on the roster. I hope it's the latter.

I had heard that Ryan Johnson was the next man up for the NTDP. But I agree I hope they leave it at 7.

With his limited playing time and the likely scenario that he wouldn''t be at the U18 WC this year, it's no surprise that he left.

 

[William H Bonney]

All American Prospects Game roster is out. No huge omissions. On first place the biggest names I didn't see were Brady Meyer, Michael Mancinella, and Patrick Moynihan.

 

[North Country]

All American Prospects Game roster is out. No huge omissions. On first place the biggest names I didn't see were Brady Meyer, Michael Mancinella, and Patrick Moynihan.

I'm sure CS got most of their intel from the player agency that has the Minnesota scene totally monopolized, or at least were in their ears. Meyer and Brink chose a different route with smaller agencies. No doubt they would have been there otherwise.

 

[William H Bonney]

The NTDP players reported to Plymouth last weekend. Here's a comparison of the U18s between their U17 and U18 measurements. You can find the new U17 team's measurements here.

Name​	Height - '17 (cm) ​	Height - '18 (cm) ​	Difference (in)​	Weight - '17 (lb) ​	Weight - '18 (lb) ​	Difference (lb)​
Alex Turcotte​	180​	187​	2.8​	190​	189​	-1​
Alex Vlasic​	196​	198​	0.8​	190​	194​	4​
Cam York​	180​	183​	1.2​	166​	167​	1​
Cameron Rowe​	185​	187​	0.8​	206​	203​	-3​
Case McCarthy​	183​	185​	0.8​	196​	195​	-1​
Cole Caufield​	168​	173​	2.0​	155​	153​	-2​
Danny Weight​	180​	185​	2.0​	195​	180​	-15​
Dominick Fensore​	168​	170​	0.8​	148​	156​	8​
Drew Helleson​	188​	191​	1.2​	176​	181​	5​
Henry Thrun​	185​	187​	0.8​	180​	187​	7​
Jack Hughes​	178​	180​	0.8​	166​	170​	4​
John Beecher​	188​	191​	1.2​	197​	207​	10​
Judd Caulfield​	188​	191​	1.2​	192​	203​	11​
Marshall Warren​	180​	180​	0.0​	167​	172​	5​
Matthew Boldy​	183​	187​	1.6​	178​	189​	11​
Michael Gildon​	183​	187​	1.6​	185​	191​	6​
Owen Lindmark​	183​	185​	0.8​	177​	186​	9​
Patrick Moynihan​	178​	183​	2.0​	172​	185​	13​
Ryder Rolston​	180​	185​	2.0​	153​	162​	9​
Sean Farrell​	173​	175​	0.8​	170​	173​	3​
Spencer Knight​	192​	193​	0.4​	196​	196​	0​
Trevor Zegras​	180​	183​	1.2​	160​	169​	9​

[THEAD] [/THEAD]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[William H Bonney]

USAH has to be thrilled with the physical development of most of the players on this remarkably deep NTDP team in this remarkably deep birth year for USAH.

• Hughes at 5'11 is pretty good considering the height in his immediate family. Hopefully he can put on 5 lbs or so throughout the season.
• Turcotte's growth spurt is going to really help his draft stock, which already had him as a strong candidate for the top 5.
• Caufield at 5'8! He's still small, but it's a heck of a lot better than 5'6.
• Zegras is under-valued by many on this site, but he's got decent size now to go along with his high skill. He has all the tools to be a top 15 pick.
• Rolston was pretty unheralded to start last year, but had a really good U17 season. He played his way up the lineup as he gained confidence and his skill took over. As a late '01, and with his growth spurt, he's one to watch in the 2020 draft.
• Boldy now has the size to match the way he plays, which is great for his game and draft stock.
• Beecher was already big, but with his skating ability at his size now, you just hope he finds consistency in his game. He played pretty well down the stretch when Hughes, Turcotte, etc. went up to the U18s, so hopefully he carries over that confidence to start the season.
• York was the team's best d-man last year and his added height will only help help bolster his draft stock.

 

[canuck2010]

Just wanted to thank you for all of your research, work and the information that you pass along to us Bonney. I never fail to learn something of interest from your many informative posts and opinions. Great stuff.

However I do look forward to Christmas time when we can kick your WJHC American ass!

 

[SanDogBrewin]

What the heck are they feeding Turcotte ? I want some!

 

[JiggsNY]

this group is just insanely deep, so many guys with first and second round potential, so excited for the season to finally start and see how it plays out

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

this group is just insanely deep, so many guys with first and second round potential, so excited for the season to finally start and see how it plays out

Combined team. I don't think we've ever had a better draft crop than this.

Boldy-Hughes-Caufield
Kaliyev-Turcotte-Zegras
Robertson-Beecher-Donovan
Toporowski-Farinacci-Janicke
Mastrosimone

York-Thrun
Brinkman-McCarthy
Warren-Miller
Koster

Knight
Wolf
Rowe

 

[AmericanDream]

Combined team. I don't think we've ever had a better draft crop than this.

Boldy-Hughes-Caufield
Kaliyev-Turcotte-Zegras
Robertson-Beecher-Donovan
Toporowski-Farinacci-Janicke
Mastrosimone

York-Thrun
Brinkman-McCarthy
Warren-Miller
Koster

Knight
Wolf
Rowe

wonder what is up with Brady Meyer?? He seems like the one real omission here, 6'5 195 lbs and soft hands and decent wheels...looked good last year and at the Hlinka last year..don't recall seeing an injury on him?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

wonder what is up with Brady Meyer?? He seems like the one real omission here, 6'5 195 lbs and soft hands and decent wheels...looked good last year and at the Hlinka last year..don't recall seeing an injury on him?

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[William H Bonney]

Just wanted to thank you for all of your research, work and the information that you pass along to us Bonney. I never fail to learn something of interest from your many informative posts and opinions. Great stuff.

However I do look forward to Christmas time when we can kick your WJHC American ass!

That's very nice of you to say. The USAH hockey base is small but passionate, and thankfully we have quite a few awesome posters on the board. It's my hope one day the passion for hockey in the US will rival the other top countries. We have a long way to go, but incremental progress has been made.

As for the WJC, I can't allow it. Canada won gold last year, it's our turn

 

[William H Bonney]

While I'd certainly have invited Brady Meyer to the AAPG, his absence won't affect his draft stock one way or the other as these prospect games are fun, but largely meaningless. It's a bummer for him as he misses out on a cool experience, but that's about it.

USAH had some weird invites for the AAPG. Two things stood out to me:

• 8 of the 42 invites are late '00 birthdates, so I think it's a tough argument to say Meyer isn't one of the top 8 American prospects that are late '00 birthdays and yet he's not here.
• The are 6 players at the AAPG that tried out for the Hlinka and didn't make it, while 9 players from the Hlinka team that are 2019 draft eligible aren't at the AAPG, including the team's leading scorer (Josh Nodler).

Meyer already did the best thing he could do for his draft profile by choosing to spend the entire year in the USHL with Des Moines instead of playing another year of high school hockey. He's an intriguing blend of size and skating ability, but how skilled is he against top competition? He didn't show that well at the Hlinka last year, but a year-plus of development is a lot at his age. He was previously big fish in a small pond, but if he's able to stand out in the USHL, the scouts will take notice.

 

[North Country]

Meyer showed good in his short stint in the USHL last season. He is a very rare combination of size, skill and skating. Also has a amazing stride and coasts past smaller players that are skating their fastest. Most have him mid 2nd round but could see him rising to a top 15 with that rare combination and his very high floor and ceiling by the end of the season. His summer training center had him listed at 216 pounds and he's not anywhere close to being filled out. My pick for the biggest riser before the draft.

 

[AmericanDream]

Meyer showed good in his short stint in the USHL last season. He is a very rare combination of size, skill and skating. Also has a amazing stride and coasts past smaller players that are skating their fastest. Most have him mid 2nd round but could see him rising to a top 15 with that rare combination and his very high floor and ceiling by the end of the season. His summer training center had him listed at 216 pounds and he's not anywhere close to being filled out. My pick for the biggest riser before the draft.

yep, just odd that he isn't here...I have heard him say he can be a better skating Nick Bjugstad, that is an impressive feat and something NHL teams still covet. If he bulked up even more, just add to the weirdness that he isn't here. and like Bonney said above, some odd selections here with some kids who have played less than Meyer has at the USHL level like Pinto, Swankler, Huglen...and then Bohlsen who did not look that good to me last year at Des Moines.. I agree it won't hurt his stock, but if you are him you have to be going wtf?? especially since he did represent the US previously.

 

[North Country]

yep, just odd that he isn't here...I have heard him say he can be a better skating Nick Bjugstad, that is an impressive feat and something NHL teams still covet. If he bulked up even more, just add to the weirdness that he isn't here. and like Bonney said above, some odd selections here with some kids who have played less than Meyer has at the USHL level like Pinto, Swankler, Huglen...and then Bohlsen who did not look that good to me last year at Des Moines.. I agree it won't hurt his stock, but if you are him you have to be going wtf?? especially since he did represent the US previously.

Yeah, very strange because all I've heard is how classy and what a straight laced kid he is. Maybe his ego is too big if he said he's a better skater than Bjugstad, that could rub people the wrong way. I guess we'll see how it plays out this season but very impressed with his game. He makes the o zone entry look so easy.

 

[AmericanDream]

Yeah, very strange because all I've heard is how classy and what a straight laced kid he is. Maybe his ego is too big if he said he's a better skater than Bjugstad, that could rub people the wrong way. I guess we'll see how it plays out this season but very impressed with his game. He makes the o zone entry look so easy.

to be fair, he didn't say it in a bad way and I am probably putting it in the wrong context, just know that Bjugstad is a player he looks up to, and he thinks he can be similar to him as he feels skating is an asset to him and not a hindrance (I don't even remember if I was told it or read it somewhere to be honest)..but oh well, he isn't here so we can focus on the ones that will be!

 

[BigGreenAlum]

The NTDP players reported to Plymouth last weekend. Here's a comparison of the U18s between their U17 and U18 measurements. You can find the new U17 team's measurements here.

Name​	Height - '17 (cm) ​	Height - '18 (cm) ​	Difference (in)​	Weight - '17 (lb) ​	Weight - '18 (lb) ​	Difference (lb)​
Alex Turcotte​	180​	187​	2.8​	190​	189​	-1​
Alex Vlasic​	196​	198​	0.8​	190​	194​	4​
Cam York​	180​	183​	1.2​	166​	167​	1​
Cameron Rowe​	185​	187​	0.8​	206​	203​	-3​
Case McCarthy​	183​	185​	0.8​	196​	195​	-1​
Cole Caufield​	168​	173​	2.0​	155​	153​	-2​
Danny Weight​	180​	185​	2.0​	195​	180​	-15​
Dominick Fensore​	168​	170​	0.8​	148​	156​	8​
Drew Helleson​	188​	191​	1.2​	176​	181​	5​
Henry Thrun​	185​	187​	0.8​	180​	187​	7​
Jack Hughes​	178​	180​	0.8​	166​	170​	4​
John Beecher​	188​	191​	1.2​	197​	207​	10​
Judd Caulfield​	188​	191​	1.2​	192​	203​	11​
Marshall Warren​	180​	180​	0.0​	167​	172​	5​
Matthew Boldy​	183​	187​	1.6​	178​	189​	11​
Michael Gildon​	183​	187​	1.6​	185​	191​	6​
Owen Lindmark​	183​	185​	0.8​	177​	186​	9​
Patrick Moynihan​	178​	183​	2.0​	172​	185​	13​
Ryder Rolston​	180​	185​	2.0​	153​	162​	9​
Sean Farrell​	173​	175​	0.8​	170​	173​	3​
Spencer Knight​	192​	193​	0.4​	196​	196​	0​
Trevor Zegras​	180​	183​	1.2​	160​	169​	9​

[THEAD] [/THEAD]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Meyer showed good in his short stint in the USHL last season. He is a very rare combination of size, skill and skating. Also has a amazing stride and coasts past smaller players that are skating their fastest. Most have him mid 2nd round but could see him rising to a top 15 with that rare combination and his very high floor and ceiling by the end of the season. His summer training center had him listed at 216 pounds and he's not anywhere close to being filled out. My pick for the biggest riser before the draft.

Just saw projected lines for tonight's game on NTDP Twitter and some of the heights/weights have changed from last week. Hughes now 5'10", Caufield 5'7", turcotte 5'11", etc. New measurements also on the NTDP site.