I can give info on a few:
Cody Wild is an up and coming D-man for the Boston Jr. Bruins. He was a well regarded Hockey East recruit and has committed to Providence college.
Jason Lawrence is a local kid playing for the USNTDP...his name is being mentioned as a 2005 NHL draft prospect, so you can assume he is skilled. Has committed to Boston University.
And Brian Foster is the one I can give the most info on. Recently committed to UNH, supposed to be a top round(s) pick in 2005, but playing in the lower level EJHL may hold him back. First came on the scene last summer when he made the US select U-17 team and became their starting goalie. Was also taken in the most recent USHL draft, and is expected to play there following his senior season of HS next season, then will join UNH in the fall of 2006. Notice in the following articles that they mention that Patrick Roy asked him to join Quebec during the season and he declined, but they drafted him anyways. (I dont know if you can just join Q teams, more than likely he expressed his interest in drafting him, and the papers made a big deal out of it).
From the Union Leader:
"Pembroke’s Brian Foster and the coaches of the University of New Hampshire hockey team are looking ahead. Way ahead.
Foster, a New Hampshire Junior Monarchs goaltender, has told the UNH staff he will accept a UNH scholarship offer starting with the 2006-2007 school year. Foster, 17, is finishing up his junior year at Bishop Brady High School in Concord and plans to play two more seasons of junior hockey before joining the Wildcats.
“Brian is an NHL prospect, without question,†said Sean Tremblay, coach and general manager of the Junior Monarchs. “Arguably, he’s one of the top ’87s(his birth year) in the country, quite possibly in all of North America. He’s already garnering a lot of National Hockey League attention.†“No one knew how good he really could be,†Tremblay said. “He’s just coming into his own. His mechanics are better than almost everyone in the country. Let me put it this way, sometimes I get lost just watching him in practice. He’s amazing, the things he can do mechanically. He still has things to work on, but the way he moves down low, when he’s on his knees, is incredible.â€
Many have taken notice.
Maine, Boston University and Providence were among those offering scholarships.
Patrick Roy, the former National Hockey League standout, offered a spot with his Major Junior team in Quebec City.
“Ever since I was real young, I wanted to play for UNH, and now I have a chance,†Foster said. “It’s a great feeling . . . Pretty much, at UNH I just feel a lot more comfortable. It seems like I fit there better. I feel very comfortable with the coaches.â€
From the Concord Monitor:
"The 6-1, 155-pound Bishop Brady junior said he has his choice of school's narrowed down to four Hockey East teams: the University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Boston University and Providence.
Sure, that sounds like a dream list of schools for a hockey player, but that dream is a reality for Foster, who played on the United States's first-place under-17 select team in an international tournament in Slovakia this summer.
"Brian is ranked as one of the top two goaltenders in country in his age and is a legitimate top-three round NHL draft pick in 2005," Tremblay said.
Foster appeared in only 13 games this year, but he had a 92.3 save percentage and a 2.28 goals against average. While the competitor in Foster admitted he would have liked to play in every game, he played more than he expected to and he took advantage of his time as an observer.
"You see how everything develops on the ice and you just learn a lot from watching," Foster said. "It wasn't a bad thing not playing."
When he did play, Foster was definitely noticed. Legendary NHL goalie Patrick Roy saw Foster play in a game at the end of February. Afterward, Roy offered Foster a spot on the Quebec major junior team Roy owns.
"Being able to go play for him, that would be amazing," Foster said. "And it was amazing just talking to him, but I'm going to stay down here with the juniors."
If Foster went to Roy's team, he would lose his college eligibility, and that was a sacrifice Foster was not willing to make.
"It's always been my dream to play in Hockey East, and getting a college education, you can't pass that up," Foster explained.
While college hockey was the main reason Foster refused Roy, don't underestimate the importance of Tremblay and the Monarchs. "
If you ask me, I would say its a slim chance that any of those 3 will go to the Q over the NCAA schools they already have committed to.
But, I would imagine that most of the other US kids Quebec picked will report and that is why they went higher in the draft.
