Since I don't think I'll be able to post anything without someone saying "That's nice and all, but where's the Select 15 report?"(not that I'm complaining about people actually wanting to read the stuff I write), I may as well post it.
Before I get to the players, there's a couple things I'd like to point out. First off, it should be obvious to most, but sometimes I feel it gets lost: these kids are still 14/15 years old. Everyone that makes it to the national level has tremendous talent, but also has a long ways to go in terms of development before they are ready for college hockey. It's not like the Select 17 Festival, where most players are just 11 months away from being drafted by the NHL, and many have at least a year Junior A hockey under their belt. The Select 15s is more about trying to judge potential. So that's what I'll try to do.
The same standard disclaimers still apply to this event. I watched about 2/3s of every game(since they overlap) on Sunday and Tuesday. I didn't see everything, but I'd like to think I saw a lot. I don't pay as much attention to goaltending, so comments on them are sparse. I'll also be listing the 06-07 team(and the state that team plays out of) for each player, as it was listed in the program, because odds are, most people haven't heard of most of these kids.
Black Team Record: 3-2
Alex Koopmeiners(St. Cloud Cathedral): Strong kid that works hard and can do just about everything fairly well.
TJ Tynan(Chicago Mission): A very small, playmaker-type player.
Quinn Smith(Mid-Fairfield Blues(CT)): An eastern kid that really stood out to me. A very active player that created some nice offense.
Jake Goldberg(Honeybaked(MI)): Extremely quick release on his shot makes him a very dangerous player.
Gold Team Record: 4-1-0
Chase Balisy(Jr. Canadiens(Ont.)): One of the most hyped kids coming into the camp. He's a very talented player. He was especially dangerous when working from behind the net. 99% chance that he won't play college hockey, as he's expected to be a top draft pick in the OHL draft next spring.
Bryan Rust(Honeybaked): Plays a similar style to his older brother Matt. He's a fast skater that works hard, and can contribute some offense. He ended up having a great week offensively.
Emerson Etem(Shattuck-St. Mary's(MN)): Likes to drive hard to the net. He's not huge, but I thought he used his size very well. Very good offensive talent.
Green Team Record: 3-2-0
Derek Forbort(Duluth East Bantam(MN)): Tall defenseman. If he can improve his foot speed, he should be a nice college prospect.
Michael Mersch(Team Illinois): Finished the week as the leading scorer. Very active player that always seems to be involved in the play. Showed the ability to hit, as well as score points.
Andrew Sinelli(Honeybaked): The leading scorer at the Select 14s didn't put up as many points this week. He's great exceptional hands, but he's really skinny. Once he gains a little weight, he should be a very dangerous player. He kind of reminded me of St. Cloud recruit Jared Festler.
Grey Team Record: 4-1-0
Jack Campbell(Honeybaked): Pretty good stats in net all week, and made a beautiful save on Sunday that created a buzz in the crowd.
Brandon Russo(Mid-Fairfield Blues): Not a big defenseman, but a very solid, dependable type. I thought he played very well both days.
Alex Aleardi(Compuware(MI)): Very good skater. I thought he played great. There were a lot of forwards from the metro-Detroit AAA programs, and I think he may have stood out as the best.
Kevin Tiefenwerth(Mid-Fairfield Blues): Needs to add a lot of weight, but looks like he has potential as a talented goal-scorer.
Quin Buckellew(Moorhead Bantams(MN): A very nice hitter.
Maroon Team Record: 3-2-0
D.J. Jones(Wayzata Bantams(MN)): A younger kid, and really small for a defenseman, but he does a nice job of moving the puck.
Carter Foguth(Compuware): One of Compuware's many huge defenseman that is still a little raw, but has a lot of talent.
Colten St. Clair(Phoenix Firebirds): One of the leading scorers at the tournament. Will only be a freshman next year.
Kyle Cook(Cleveland): A very big forward that has some nice offensive talent.
Navy Team
Jordan Nickerson(Shattuck-St. Mary’s): Scrappy, hard-working defenseman.
Jon Merrill(Little Caesar’s(MI)): Easily the best player at the camp. He’s 6’3, but skates like he’s 5’9”. Very smooth with the puck. Excellent in the defensive zone. Does a great job of picking up his man in the defensive zone.
Tyler Vanscourt(California Wave): A smaller, very fast defenseman.
Tyler Cratsenberg(SnoKing(WA?)): A bigger forward that can skate well and has a very hard shot.
Ryan Belonger(Green Bay Jr. Gamblers(WI)): Scored a hat trick on Tuesday, including one beautiful finish where he took the puck off his skate and was able to put it top shelf.
Cody Campbell(Pikes Peak Miners(CO)): Great week statistically, and made some really great saves on Tuesday.
Orange Team
Stephen Johns(Pittsburgh Hornets): A very big defenseman that skates really well. He has a lot of potential.
Austin Levi(Compuware): Another big defenseman with a lot of potential. Skates pretty well in open ice.
Matt Krug(Buffalo Regals): He’s in the Class of 2011. Made a couple mistakes each day, but has a lot of potential.
Evan Hoffman(Mt. St. Charles Academy(RI)): Had some nice moments on Sunday.
Brent Darnell(Catholic Central(MI)): Didn’t end up with great point totals, but I thought he was one of the best forwards there. A great two-way center. Skates well, very tough, and can win face-offs.
Alex Lippincott(Cleveland Barons): One of the bigger forwards at 6’0” tall. Great at controlling the puck and can fire a very nice snap shot. He can move pretty well, though his acceleration is just ok. He looked like a very mature player, with a style that would translate well to higher levels.
Tyler Parker(LA Hockey Club(CA)): Really stood out to me on Tuesday. Really nice combination of size and skill.
Purple Team
Kevin Gravel(Marquette American Legion(MI)): A really big defensive defenseman that can move fairly well. Very responsible in his own end.
Jason Zucker(Las Vegas Outlaws): A nice playmaker.
Jayce Douskey(Colorado Thunderbirds): Pretty talented all-around forward.
Adam Knochenmus(Roseau HS): Seeing him play with people his own age highlighted how good he is. Probably the best Minnesotan in the group. Not very big, but a very hard worker that really understands how to play the game.
Red Team
Jason Binkley(Cleveland Barons): One of the better defenseman at the camp. Skates well, can anticipate plays, and has a very good shot from the point.
Trevor Mingoia(Syracuse Stars): Put up a lot of points the first couple days. Talented, but still needs to fill out physically.
Nick Shore(Colorado Thunderbirds):Had a very good week statistically. Looks like a very nice prospect.
Casey Purpur(Grand Forks Jr. Sioux(ND)): One of the younger kids at the camp, but still showed a lot of talent.
Royal Team
Brandon Archibald: Big defenseman that is a great skater and passer. His team struggled all week, and he didn't play a great game on Tuesday, but he has a ton of potential. Looked like one of the top prospects for the future.
Jimmy Murray(Chicago Mission): A really little guy, but one of the fastest skaters that I saw.
Scott Wamsganz(Alaska All-Stars): Big power forward that can snap off a nice shot. Should be a force once he adds some more weight.
Max Gardiner(Minnetonka Bantams(MN)): Tall forward that can move pretty well. Maybe he’ll switch to defense like his older brother did?
Brandon Saad(Pittsburgh Hornets): A big, solid forward that skates really hard. An early front-runner for best forward in 2011.
Jared Knight(Compuware): Never really got things going offensively. One of the faster skaters at the camp, and can get to top speed very quickly. Extremely quick release on his slap shot, and still gets good pace on it.
Teal Team
Michael Gunn(Compuware): Big defenseman with nice athleticism, but still a little raw.
Austin Watson(Compuware): A very tall, skinny kid that occasionally looks like he hasn’t adjusted to how tall he is, but always looks extremely comfortable in the offensive zone. His snap short is an absolute laser. One of the forwards with the most potential at the camp.
Shane Sooth(LA Hockey Club): Talented power forward. Uses his size pretty well.
White Team
Matt Youso(International Falls HS(MN)): Skates almost as well as his older brother. I’m surprised that he only made the camp as an alternate, because I thought he was towards the higher-end of the defenseman.
Matt Nieto(LA Hockey Club): One of the best forwards at the camp. Very speedy, and has great hands.
Jean-Paul Lafontaine(Bozeman Ice Dogs(MT)): Should be a good player once he gets a little bigger.
Austin Czarnik(Compuware): One of the camp’s youngest players. Not a superstar like his brother Robbie was at that age, but should be a nice player once he grows a little more.
Luke Moffatt(Phoenix Firebirds): A lot of people were disappointed with his low point totals. He struggled to get things going offensively early in the week, but is still exceptionally talented. Aside from being so skilled, what stood out to me was how tenacious and competitive he was.
Tyler Bouchard(Mid-Fairfield Blues): Eastern player that I thought played very well.
