North Jersey Avalanche on the ascent in the national 16-U picture

Forward Mick Thompson has good hockey sense and creativity in the offensive zone. (Matt Dewkett)

STAMFORD, Conn. — The North Jersey Avalanche program consistently has been one of the best in the Northeast for several years now. This year’s edition of the 16-U team looks to have the firepower to win a national championship next April.

Vinny Smith’s team proved its mettle early in the season over the weekend at the Eastern Alliance Kickoff. It did so against some of the region’s best teams in Mid Fairfield, Cape Cod Whalers, Bishop Kearney, Junior Bulldogs and Rochester Coalition.

The North Jersey Avalanche staff do a terrific job of recruiting high-end players to its organization. Newcomers to this year’s team include top players from the United States and Canada. Despite losing ’04s Devin Kaplan and Lane Hutson to the NTDP and countless ’03s who have moved on to the 18-U team, this year’s team looks to be just as good, if not better.

As I discussed in a previous post this week, ’05 forwards Quentin Musty and Chase Pirtle, and ’05 defenseman Nick Fascia all look to be in the NTDP discussion for 2021-22. Musty and Pirtle were dynamite offensively over the weekend and Fascia’s elite skating ability shined through.

While Musty, Pirtle and Fascia are the marquee additions to North Jersey, there are two other solid ’05s worth noting. Matt Mania is an offensive-minded defender with strong skating ability. He comes from Detroit Belle Tire. Ben Yurchuk, a product of New Jersey Colonials, is a 200-foot forward with above-average hockey sense.

Perhaps the biggest addition to this year’s team is an ’04 from the Toronto Nationals. One of Ontario’s top ’04s, forward Nicholas Moldenhauer, had a huge weekend. The right wing is a goal scorer who uses his size and strength to drive the net, win battles for loose pucks, and fire it home with zip. He’s heavy on pucks, smart, willing to go to the dirty areas, and able to play in all situations. Moldenhauer, a first-round pick of the Ottawa 67s in the 2020 OHL draft, is not a new name to college hockey coaches. He played in a couple of showcases on this side of the border previously. However, his move to the Avalanche likely will intensify recruiting efforts by some top programs.

Two other ’04s are joining North Jersey after playing elsewhere previously. Both Nathan Lewis (Oakland Jr. Grizzlies) and Jake Manfre (Long Island Gulls) are big in stature and play a similar role. Both are power forwards who can put the puck in the back of the net.

Jake Schunke and Matthew MacArthur are the goaltending duo. Schunke played for the New Jersey Devils youth program growing up, but suited up for the Avalanche’s 15 Pure team last year. MacArthur comes from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.

The three returners all will play a key role. Defensemen Bryceon Lago and Peter Lukas Klemm will log a lot of minutes. Lago is a mobile puck mover with some interest from Ivy League schools. Klemm is a good-sized defender ready to step into a larger role this season that will include power-play time. Forward Mick Thompson is an undersized winger who is crafty and smart with the puck on his stick.

While the Avalanche established itself as a team to beat, there will be quite a few other 16-U teams that college coaches will be keeping close tabs on this season. Bishop Kearney Selects, Cape Cod Whalers, Junior Eagles, Mid Fairfield Rangers, Mount Saint Charles, New Jersey Rockets and Neponset Valley River Rats are other teams from the Eastern Alliance Shootout with Division 1 talent on their rosters.