Atlantic District Qualifier: Ranking the top 14-U prospects

Valley Forge Minutemen celebrate following a goal in the 14-U qualifier over the weekend. (Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association)

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Several top prospects showcased their talent over the weekend at the Atlantic District 14-U Qualifier.

Valley Forge Minutemen defeated North Jersey Avalanche, 2-1, in Saturday’s winner-take-all game. Valley Forge and North Jersey were clearly a few notches above the other two teams, New York Saints and Jersey Hitmen, at the qualifier.

By coming out of the qualifier weekend, the Valley Forge Minutemen will face the New Jersey Colonials next weekend in the finals of the district championship. The Colonials, as the top seed, received a bye and did not have to play this weekend.

The loaded Colonials will be a tough matchup for Valley Forge. The Colonials are led by forwards John McNelis, Callum Hughes, Christian Chouha, and Maxwell Pendy, defensemen Andrew Check and Daniel D’Allesandro, and goaltenders Hayden Thorsen and Vladislav Bryzgalov.

While the Colonials have many of Atlantic District’s top prospects in the 2006 birth-year, there were several notable players hitting the frozen tundra at the Ice Line this past weekend. Below is my All-Qualifier Team followed by a look at the honorable mentions. There is still plenty of time for players to catch up in development, but the three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender on the All-Qualifier Team were clearly the best prospects right now.

All-Qualifier Team 

Joey Macrina
VF Minutemen, 1/9/06, C/RW, right shot

Macrina isn’t the biggest player on the sheet, but he certainly had the most impact. From Collegeville, Pa., Macrina is a smart hockey player. He’s a great skater who plays with pace and buzzes around all over the sheet. Macrina made plays, but he’s a finisher who goes to the dirty areas and plays the game the right way.

Benjamin Wilmott
NJ Avs, 8/30/06, LW, left shot

Wilmott is an incredibly smart player who I think will continue to get better over the coming years. He made a lot of plays throughout the weekend. He’s skilled, has good edges, and is on the right side of the puck almost all of the time. The Long Valley, N.J., native is one of those players that goes to the scoring areas and anticipates where the puck is going, which helps him put the puck in the back of the net as he did here.

Jared Rothman
NY Saints, 9/21/06, C, right shot

Rothman is the engine that drives the bus on his team. The first line center is a goal scorer who finds the back of the net every time I see him play. The Chappaqua, N.Y., native has a good shot, but he scored a couple of goals here by crashing the net and picking up loose change. One of his goals showed off his patience and ability to wait out the goaltender from in tight. His size and physical maturity help him dominate at this level.

Cole Longacre
VF Minutemen, 5/26/06, D, left shot

Longacre is a good-sized, two-way defenseman who has the tools to become a legitimate prospect. He moves the puck north quickly, whether it be with his feet or his stick. The Sewell, N.J., native has a hard shot from the point. His length and good gaps allow him to defend on the rush and keep play to the perimeter when in his own zone.

Cole Hutson
NJ Avs, 6/26/06, D, left shot

Hutson is a smooth, puck-moving, offensive defenseman. He’s on the smaller side, but uses his hockey sense and elite vision to make plays in transition as well as while manning the point in attacking zone situations. His footwork and skating are both good, but he’ll add more footspeed as he gets a stronger lower body in the coming years. Hutson is a familiar name to those following the prospect and recruiting scenes. His older brothers, ’02 Quinn (Muskegon Lumberjacks) and ’04 Lane (NTDP U-17) are both committed to Boston University. Hutson is originally from Chicago but has played for North Jersey the past two seasons.

Willum Braun
VF Minutemen, 5/1/06, G, catches left

It’s tough to get a good gauge on goaltenders when watching an event like this and bouncing back and forth between rinks. However, Braun was the clear standout at this position. He has good size and was the driving force behind his team’s win over North Jersey.

Honorable Mentions

Jackson Lindmar
VF Minutemen, 3/1/06, LW, left shot

Lindmar isn’t as skillful or smart as the three forwards who I ranked ahead of him here. However, he has the makings of a very good forward. He plays the game with grit, going to the dirty areas, protecting pucks, and finding the back of the net. Lindmar, from Erdenheim, Pa., also plays for La Salle College High.

Thomas Zocco
NJ Avs, 6/15/06, C, right shot

Zocco is a big, physically mature center. He scores goals by being a net-front presence and using his strength to gain positioning against opposing defenders. He scored a rebound goal by just crashing the cage. From Staten Island, N.Y., Zocco is the most impactful offensive player at this current time for his team.

Shane Tronoski
VF Minutemen, 6/1/06, C, right shot

Tronoski has good size and plays the part of a power forward. He’s a goal scorer who shoots it hard. The Blue Bell, Pa., native can use his size and strength to drive the net and bully his way through opposing defenders.

Michael Schmelzer
NJ Avs, 7/8/06, RW, right shot

Schmelzer is a strong power forward who is heavy on pucks, bulls his way to the net front, and makes life difficult for opposing defenders. The Manalapan, N.J., native plays high school hockey for Christian Brothers Academy.

Evan Jones
NY Saints, 2/1/06, C, right shot

Jones, from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., is the second-best player on the Saints, but he’s on the second line as the center. He’s quick and creates offense on the rush while playing a solid 200-foot game.

Brent Beswick
NY Saints, 10/1/06, RW, left shot

Beswick, from Wyckoff, N.J., is on the smaller side, but he’s crafty. He makes plays and uses his quickness to hunt pucks.

Dean Toskos
Jersey Hitmen, 1/1/06, C, left shot

From Oakland, N.J., Toskos was the player on the Hitmen who was around the puck the most. He’s rugged and played between the dots and cycled well down low. He scored a beauty of a goal on Friday, snapping a shot off that went bar down. Toskos had a productive freshman season at Don Bosco this winter.

Jake Baratta
Jersey Hitmen, 10/23/06, LW, left shot

Baratta looks like a goal scorer, but he did a nice job of being a playmaker here. He found linemates out front while protecting pucks down low and along the wall. Baratta is a late ’06 from Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.

Allen Fang
NJ Avs, 1/17/06, C, right shot

Fang’s skating stride needs work, but he uses his size, strength and compete to have an offensive impact. He’s a threat to score anytime he touches the puck. He shoots it hard and is heavy on pucks. Fang is going to Groton School to play prep hockey next season.

Lukas Peterson
NJ Avs, 2/1/06, D, right shot

Peterson was paired with Hutson for most of the weekend. He did a good job of staying back and being responsible when his defensive partner would jump up into the play. His stick was good and he did a good job defending with his feet. Peterson plays high school hockey at Don Bosco.

Christopher McIntyre
NJ Avs, 1/9/06, C, left shot

McIntyre is listed as a forward/defenseman, but he played center here. He used his speed to create offense on the rush, including one where he beat the defender wide before sending a pass to a streaking linemate. From Mountainside, N.J., McIntyre plays high school for Seton Hall Prep.

Matthew Bossolina
NJ Avs, 7/1/06, RW, right shot

Bossolina, listed as a forward and defenseman, had a solid couple of games here. He had a couple of assists and used his size to his advantage. From Ridgewood, N.J., he plays at Don Bosco.

Hayden Wedenmeyer
VF Minutemen, 4/24/06, LW, right shot

Wedenmeyer is a big power forward who played his off wing most of the games. He uses his size to drive the net and fend off opposing defenders. From Limerick, Pa., Wedenmeyer plays high school hockey for Spring-Ford.

Bode Peterson
VF Minutemen, 6/1/06, D, right shot

Peterson was a player I noticed. The Boothwyn, Pa., native kept things simple and was steady out on the blue line. He has the capability to make plays and move the puck up ice.

Andrew Cowgill
VF Minutemen, 3/1/06, D, right shot

Cowgill liked to push the pace by sending stretch passes from deep in his own zone. The Collegeville, Pa., native plays high school for Perkiomen Valley.

Tyler Pomerantz
NY Saints, 8/1/06, D, left shot

Pomerantz isn’t the most offensive of defensemen on his team, but I was impressed by his poise and he looked solid in his own zone. He’s from Montebello, N.Y.

Jeff Cox can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.