Let's take a look at some of the new names on the list.
Jan Mandat, Kevin Rooney were signed to AHL contracts with Albany, so let's take a look at the invitees.
Forwards
Austin Cangelosi - A BC guy who, while is diminutive in stature, put up almost a PPG pace at the NCAA level
(From Anthony Noreen, head coach and GM of Youngstown Phantoms)
His hockey sense is phenomenal, which is always something NHL teams use to separate players… His compete level is elite – his motor never stops and he’s full-go every time he’s on the ice – and because of that, he makes players around him better… Every level he’s been at he’s been able to score, which is always at a premium in this game and at the next level. There were questions about him when he jumped into [the USHL] at such a young age and he proved it again… He’s an elite skater, which also helps his pro stock… It’s a definite plus that he’s going to be moving on to Boston College. They’ve got great track record of developing your under-sized but highly-skilled forwards.
(from Ryan Kennedy of THN)
[Cangelosi] exploded out of the gate with eight goals and 11 points in six games. The 5-foot-8 Florida native may be undersized, but there’s no questioning his results and he’s not a one-game wonder… He’s also deadly on the penalty kill
(from Darren Winkler, "The Video Scout")
Austin Cangelosi is the type of player that grows on you. The more you see him, the more you appreciate his skill set. Despite his small stature, he is a powerful skater who can make plays at his high-end speed. The stereotype of small and shifty works with Cangelosi. His biggest strength is his vision and hockey sense. He has the ability to put the puck in places where teammates can walk into shots and line mates into one-timers. Cangelosi is a creative thinker who isn’t afraid to try different moves off the rush to confuse defenders as evidenced with his chip and flip goal in overtime in the playoffs. The centre can play in any situation and in my viewings logged heavy minutes without tiring. His biggest area to improve is in the corners. Cangelosi can at times get swallowed up and pinned into the boards by bigger opposition. As his strength develops and he becomes more elusive down low, this issue will be less of a problem in the future. Cangelosi has some similar qualities to fellow BC recruit John Gaudreau, who Calgary grabbed in the 4th round in 2011. His upside may not be quite as high but still worth investing in for an NHL team in the late rounds.
(from Corey Pronman)
Cangelosi had a tremendous first season in the USHL being one of the top-scoring draft-eligible players in the league. He has a tremendous skill set although it is compounded within an extremely small frame. Cangelosi is a burner who shows legit high-end skating ability and can simply fly up the ice. The other aspects of his skating aren't as high-end although still good, but his speed is a very dangerous weapon. Cangelosi combined that with above-average puck skills and above-average to plus vision. It should suffice to say from a raw talent perspective he's a great offensive player who can create chances in a variety of ways. He has the puck abilities to dangle from a standstill and to maneuver well at full speed. His vision flashes high-end on a couple of occasions, as he is certainly a creative player who has the hockey sense to make the difficult plays… Small guys can make it, but he would be a risk though to take, however, he has top-six potential if he pans out
(No relation to our play-by-play announcer, Steve Cangialosi)
Chris Shero - Bring in all the BC guys! Shero really didn't get an opportunity to play for BC, only playing in 1 game on the very deep squad. Was a freshman this year, despite already being 20, so next season we'll get a better look at him. (Yes, son of Ray Shero)
Defensemen
Zach Berzolla - Howell, NJ native
(this is from a website from two years ago)
Berzolla was a physical force all week with one big open-ice hit after another. He is big, rugged, and tough to get around, especially below the hash marks where he picks his spots and throws his weight around. While Berzolla is not known for anything he does with the puck, he is a competent passer and doesn’t force plays that aren’t there. A reliable, physical presence on the blue line, he can log big minutes and wear opposing teams down. He will play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) in the upcoming season. College: Colorado College
Gavin Bayreuther - Cousin of Ben Lovejoy
(from Dobber Prospects)
a 21 year old, 6’1” 194 pound defenceman who has played three seasons with St. Lawrence University. Bayreuther scored 11 goals and had 28 points in 36 games as a junior this past season. His freshman year was very impressive where he scored 36 points before having a dip in his sophomore year producing only 17 points. Scouting reports favour his booming shot from the point as his strongest asset as it is both powerful and accurate. His skating is also an asset showing both speed and agility.
A smooth puck-moving defenseman who has a knack for finding passing lanes...good quarterbacking the Powerplay
Luke McInnis -
(from the same website as Berzolla)
An undersized offensive defenseman who approaches the game with a swagger and confidence, McInnis has excellent stick skills -- and the puck can be found on his stick, often. He likes to jump into the rush, and he excels in man-up situations. He has a powerful slap shot that he can get off instantly from the blue line and is an underrated passer in all three zones. McInnis is growing into a more fully-rounded defender: he took the body, played tough in the corners, and made smart decisions on the breakout. He will forgo his senior season at Dexter to play for Youngstown (USHL). He had a 0-2-2 line on the week. College: Boston College ’17
From SBN's Jeff Cox:
This was by far the most impressed I've been with him. I had seen him during the high school season and thought he was a good player, but not this good. He is a terrific skater, always has his head up looking for an outlet pass. He makes smart plays and doesn't try to do too much. He's a good power play QB who needs to be a little more consistently strong in his own end.
Very surprised McInnis didn't get drafted. He'll be a guy to keep an eye on. (BC guy too)
Garret Cockerill - Hard to find some information on him. He's been playing at NorthEastern University and is the older brother to a draft-eligible RWer (for the 2017 draft). I'll have to watch some film on him.
I'll edit this after I watch some film
Marc Biega - Merrimack teammate of 2015 draftee Brett Seney.
(from OvertheBoards)
An extremely calm defender who doesn’t catch your attention with his size or his skating, but plays an excellent positional game, using his stick to break up passes, Biega anticipates the play well and can read the ice in both ends of the ice, definitely also willing to throw the body around if need be, a very strong upper body who can finish checks hard, extremely hard to get past in the offensive end, great hustle and work ethic who can make a crisp pass out of the zone.
With his head up, his transition game from offense to defense is nothing short of impressive and is the main reason why he plays top minutes, a potential minute-eater at the college level, and if he keeps getting better and perfects his game, a professional career could be in the horizon.
Scott Savage - Seems to me to be a solid shutdown defenseman who doesn't play flashy or physical.
(from this website)
The 6-foot-1 defenseman parlayed a solid rookie campaign with BC to a spot on NHL Central Scouting’s radar, being positioned at 194th among North American skaters in its final rankings. Savage, who weighed only 168 pounds last year at this time, added muscle and now tips the scales at 185 pounds, which is still a little too lean for an NHL defenseman but a marked improvement. Last season, Savage proved himself on a young BC blueline, finishing second among defensemen on the team with 18 points (4g-14a) in 35 games. He displayed willingness to jump into the play and help run the offense from the point. But his defensive play still needs work, although he did improve over the course of the season. At times, Savage made poor decisions with the puck – most notably a costly turnover that sealed Notre Dame’s win over BC in game three of the Hockey East quarterfinals – or was outmuscled by stronger opponents. That being said, he has shown both promise and improvement, meaning that a team may take a late-round flier on him.
