Running with the 'Pack

Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack ready to maximize player exposure to colleges
By Joshua Boyd

“It’s going to be like the ‘Junior’ Winter Classic, and that’s exactly how we’re treating it.”

It’s 80 degrees outside, and all Steve Carlette can think of is a frozen rink in the middle of a football field … in February. Hey, you’ve got to keep cool in the summer, somehow. Carlette is excited for the “Whalers Hockey Fest,” which takes place in mid-February of 2011. The Fest will feature Carlette and his Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack teammates facing the Springfield Jr. Pics at the center of the University of Connecticut football team’s home Rentschler Field in Hartford on Feb. 13.

The Jr. B Wolfpack will also play at Rentschler, facing the Suffolk PAL Ice Hockey program’s top team outdoors.

“It’ll be a crazy experience,” said Carlette, who will captain the Jr. A Wolfpack in 2010-11. “My Dad went to UConn, and I’ve been to UConn football games there. Not many people get to play on an outdoor rink.”

The Wolfpack weren’t simply handed the opportunity to play at Rentschler, according to Jr. A head coach Chris Cerrella, who will be named to Quinnipiac University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in October.

“That’s not free,” said Cerrella. “When we saw that [former Hartford Whalers owner] Howard Baldwin was bringing outdoor games to Rentschler Field, we decided both our Jr. A and B teams need to play in this. With the newspaper and TV coverage it’ll get, it is a huge recruiting tool for us.

“We want people to go to that game and look at the Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack and say ‘These guys do it right – they want to expose their players to colleges as best they can,’” said Cerrella. “We’re putting our money back into the team.”

Of course, it’s a long, six-month junior season and the Whalers Hockey Fest games won’t even count towards the Wolfpack’s standings in either the Jr. A Atlantic League or the Jr. B Metropolitan League. The work is never done for the team’s coaches and management, based out of its home rink, Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, Conn.

“We have a brand new locker room being constructed right now, we have our own personal gym and our own strength and conditioning coach,” said Cerrella. “The kids have access to a swimming pool, private goalie coaching. [Wolfpack co-owners] Bob Crawford and Dan McCarthy have really made this a great place to play.”

The Jr. Wolfpack organization actually represents the union of formerly separate programs. Four years ago, Crawford brought his Jr. A Wolfpack and Jr. B Connecticut Clippers teams to the table, and McCarthy brought his Jr. B Connecticut Wolves. A series of meetings later, and those were defunct entities.

One brand stood tall, one to mirror and work in conjunction with the state’s only professional hockey team, the Hartford Wolfpack, the top farm team for the New York Rangers. The Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack, stretching from youth ranks all the way up to Jr. A, was born.

Crawford, a former Hartford Whaler under Baldwin, is certainly happy with their creation.

“It is nice to see the direction in which we have been going,” he said. “We are developing student-athletes and we are turning our gears towards youth and skill. We want everyone to know that we have the best place to play junior hockey on the East Coast and the only way to do that is to keep being successful and keep making strides.

“We have come a long way, we have become a powerhouse in our area,” added McCarthy, who also played in the NHL. “We are not about winning and losing here, we are about development and college placement. Our track record just keeps getting better and we are drawing better and younger players. The result of that recipe is going to be more college placement, that is what we hang our hat on.”

After helping to launch the Walpole Jr. Express, now a rival team of the Wolfpack in the Atlantic Junior League, Cerrella met with McCarthy and Crawford to discuss the direction of the fledgling Wolfpack.

“I sat down with Bob and Dan and we came up with a plan for stronger teams,” said Cerrella, entering his third year as head coach of the Jr. A ’Pack.

Skills development is high up on the list for priorities for the Jr. Wolfpack as an organization. You’re more likely to see their Jr. A players doing stickhandling drills in a small area than working on the “trap.”

“We do a lot of small area game stuff. On the Monday nights, all we have is a skill practice for our Jr. A and B and Midget 16 teams,” said Cerrella. “We won’t work on systems – those nights are all about skating, stickhandling and puck movement. We don’t want our players to be machines, just playing the trap and being systematic. We want to make them as dynamic as we can.

“The overall game has become one that is made up of small games all over the ice,” Cerrella added, “and that’s how we run practice.”

It is a philosophy that has worked wonders, in terms of player advancement. Recent Jr. Wolfpack players making headlines include Jordan Samuels-Thomas, a draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers now playing at Division 1 Bowling Green State University, and Luke Curadi, who will start his college career at D-1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall of 2011 after some USHL seasoning. Mike Novella will jump to the University of Connecticut in 2011.

The team even brings in a player with a Division 1 college commitment already under his belt. Nick DiNicola will play for the Jr. Wolfpack this year after advancing from the Midget 16 Wolfpack, and will land at Yale University in 2013 or 2014.

“We try to mode our practices after college practices, which helps the players reach their goals,” said Cerrella. “They come here because we’ve had great placement, in the USHL or college. Whatever the higher level is for each player, we want to develop them for that.”

The Wolfpack coaches are not easy on the players. If you aren’t ready to skate for them, they will inform you, and that was the situation that Carlette faced when he started with the team.

“Chris told me [before the 2008-09 season], ‘You have the potential to be a good player, but you probably won’t play this year,’” said Carlette. “I thought at first ‘that stinks,’ but then I thought ‘I’m going to show him.’ I worked as hard as I could to get into the lineup. They’ve brought me to a completely new level.”

He got into 37 games that year and scored 14 points. Last season, Carlette’s year was derailed by injuries, a trend he hopes is past after shoulder surgery. He was limited to 19 games.

“I had a few schools talking to me last year – UConn, Sacred Heart – but others faded away as I kept getting injured,” said Carlette. “This year, I want to show everything I can do.”

One night, six months from now, under the stars (or snowflakes?), Carlette hopes to be out playing his best in the cold February air, knowing that he is being watched.

Knowing that the whole hockey world could be watching.

‘My USHL off-season’: Stampede players weigh in on training, nutrition, relaxing

Although it is the middle of summer and the first things that come to mind for most people are the outdoors, the beach, cookouts, and swimming pools, the sport of hockey is the first thing on the mind for USHL players as they keep busy during the summer months in anticipation of the 2010-11 season.

USHL.com had a chance to catch up with a pair of Sioux Falls Stampede players who are enjoying the summer, but are making off-season training the top priority.

Sam Coatta and Anthony Day both spent their first season in the USHL during the 2009-10 campaign and are set to return to the league this fall.

Coatta, a Minnetonka, Minn., native, tallied nine goals and 21 points in 57 games for the Stampede while Day, hailing from Buffalo, N.Y., recorded 11 goals and 31 points in 54 games.

USHL teams provide a level of on-ice and off-ice training that rivals programs in both the NHL and college hockey. Coatta and Day have realized the value of this and have benefited from the programs put together by Kevin Ziegler, the strength and conditioning coach for the Sioux Falls Stampede. The two forwards provide some insight into their training.

What has your training regimen consisted of up to this point in the offseason?

Coatta: We had tryout camp in early June and immediately after that, I took two weeks off to heal at the advice of Kevin Ziegler. He wanted our bodies and muscles to heal. Following that, I started going hard again and lifting weights five days a week.

Where did you learn these workouts?

Day: Ziegler sends them to us over email and it tells us what to do and what
weights to lift. If we are not sure how to do a certain exercise, we click on a link that has a YouTube video to show us how.

Are these workouts customized to each player?

Coatta: The workouts are mostly the same, but they are customized to each player based on their weights. With each new set of workouts, I figure out my max weight for lifting and forward to Ziegler. He has a computer program that does all the calculations based on those numbers and it automatically sets up the workouts specifically designed for me.

How much time have you spent actually playing hockey this off-season?

Day: I usually skate a couple times a week and have been playing some roller hockey with my brothers.

Coatta: I have been attending a goalie camp at my old high school a couple days a week to shoot pucks on the goalies. Then I play some pick-up games with my buddies and once a week in a local men’s league.

How come you don’t spend more time on the ice?

Coatta: I know a lot of guys like to skate more, but I want to work on things more off the ice than on. It is important to skate, but we are doing so much of that during the season. If I can gain more strength and explosiveness, I think that goes a lot further and is a lot more important than just skating.

What are some other activities/exercises you are doing in your training?

Day: In meetings at the end of last season, the advice was to try some different things in my workouts, so I actually started boxing. I never thought I would try it, but it has been cool. It’s not like I am trying to become a big fighter in the league, but it is something different and a really tough workout.

Coatta: Our workouts have a little bit of everything. The boxing has helped my explosiveness and the jump rope has helped my quickness. We have been doing some plyometrics, bike workouts, running workouts, and sprints. It keeps me busy and it is paying off for sure.

In addition to workouts, what role has nutrition played in your off-season routine?

Day: I have always been a good eater, but I have learned some things during the year. It is really important to hydrate and get a nice meal in after workouts. Nutrition is just as important as the actual workout. Some people go to the gym and don’t realize the importance of what you do after the workout.

Coatta: I am kind of a smaller guy, so in addition to gaining strength and speed, I am trying to gain some weight. I have been trying to eat five or six meals a day and have three protein shakes per day. It is tough to do at times, but it helps me to gain weight and stay healthy. Ziegler told me the other day to even have a protein shake ready before I go to bed and if I wake up in the middle of the night, I drink that shake and it will help me gain weight.

How much more important has off-ice training become since you began playing in the USHL?

Day: The summer before my senior year of high school was really the first time I worked out and did off-ice training, so this is only my third summer. I am kind of devastated that I didn’t start earlier like a lot of guys. It is definitely a shock for someone who didn’t really do a lot to then come to the USHL and realize you are playing against guys that are all NCAA Division 1 players – they are all big, fast, and strong. It is definitely good to have this summer because I know what I need to do and what to prepare myself for.

Coatta: My Dad and Grandpa are both football coaches so it has always been in my family to train for everything, but it has definitely picked up after a year in the USHL. I have realized how much more important it is, all the details, and how to go about it.

After experiencing a full USHL season, what is your mindset this off-season and what adjustments are you making in training?

Day: The season is long and a grind. Now being one year into it, I realize the need to have my body in good shape because it is going to be a haul. It is not a normal midget season. It is travel and all about preparing yourself. Veterans coming back into the next season will be in better shape because they know that it takes a lot of work and dedication to make an impact. I have definitely adjusted everything and know what is at stake.

Coatta: Last year – coming from high school to the USHL – it is a whole different animal. I know what is going on this coming year and how to prepare myself. That is what I am trying to do right now. I probably lost 10 pounds during the year just from skating so much and being so active with a 60-game season. This year, I think, I will be a lot better in terms of eating and keeping up on off-ice training because I know I will get worn down during the season. It is just the way it is and you have to deal with it.

So besides hockey and training, what else have you been doing this summer?

Coatta: I have been playing a lot of golf and have a match play tournament coming up in a couple weeks. We have a family vacation each summer at a lake in Michigan. I have been on the lake here in Minnesota a few times and playing some tennis here and there.

Day: After our tryout camp in June, I spent some time in Minneapolis with my buddy Sam Coatta. I have been playing some golf, hanging out with my brothers, and trying to relax. I am trying to take advantage of the time off before next season.

Neither of you are currently committed to a NCAA Division 1 program, so what are your thoughts on that heading into next season?

Coatta: I have talked to plenty of schools, but I am kind of open. I am not too worried about it and will see how the year goes. I know that if I play well and our team does well, things will work out for themselves.

Day: I have been talking to a lot of schools and visited three. Hopefully, I can play out east because I am from New York. It would be great to let my parents come watch me play college hockey.

’Dog days

Boston Jr. Bulldogs bring in top talent on strength of college advancement record

By Joshua Boyd

Looking for a good summer read?Maybe you’re looking for a classic adventure tale? A rags to riches story? An epic treasure hunt?

Log on to the Web site http://www.bostonjuniorbulldogs.com/ and click on the “Alumni” button. Reading all the names on that ought to take you a few hours, if not a long weekend.

The exhaustive list of 184 Bulldogs alumni includes NHL talent, along with dozens upon dozens of current and former Division 1 college hockey players. This, according to Bulldogs general manager and head coach Mike Addesa, is the moral of the Bulldogs’ decade-plus blockbuster in the making.

“If we’re not the top college placement team out there, then we’re pretty close,” said Addesa. “Our No. 1 purpose is college placement. We care more about college placement than just about anything else.”

That is the philosophy that has drawn some top Division 1 prospects to Salem, N.H.’s ICEnter, home of the Bulldogs. Chris Lewis travels from Fort Covington, N.Y., to suit up for Addesa, and has been a high-scoring forward for the last two years. He finished second to teammate Steve Buco in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League scoring race in 2009-10 with 82 points in 42 games.

“It’s been really unrealistic. I was never really the goal-scorer, never the point-getter for my teams,” said Lewis, a 1990-born player expected to choose a college during this next season playing for the Bulldogs, his third campaign under Addesa. “Playing with Steve Buco, we connected so well. With everything Coach Addesa taught me, my dream of playing college hockey is coming true.”

He’s already been on an unofficial visit to Mercyhurst, and has planned unofficial visits to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Clarkson University.

“Nothing really too serious yet,” said Lewis. “College advancements are what Coach Addesa strives for. At the end of the day, it’s great to win, but as long as everyone is playing their heart out, that will sell the colleges on the players more, and that’s Coach Addesa’s No. 1 priority.”

David Gove, who holds a Stanley Cup ring after winning hockey’s greatest prize
with Carolina in 2006, joins Joe Callahan as former Bulldogs to progress into college and then to the NHL. Callahan plays in the San Jose organization and has skated in 19 NHL games to date.

College-wise, Jon Foster went from the Bulldogs to the United States League and then on to Denver University, where he won two National Championships (2004, 2005). Reid Goolsby was a captain with Colorado College. Seth Pelletier dressed four years with Air Force Academy. That trio symbolizes, to Addesa, the fact that the Bulldogs’ reputation for developing talent spreads far beyond the heart of New England.

“There aren’t any colleges farther away from us than those three,” he added.

Matt Torti was a steady defenseman for four years with Colgate and is now playing in the New Jersey Devils organization. Steve Rolecek was a fouryear Crimson with Harvard University. Dave Caruso came up from Georgia and parlayed his career into a four-year stint in the Ohio State goal. The names go on and on … it’s like the “War and Peace” of advancement lists.

The next wave

Addesa said that he has a reputation in hockey circles for being negative when asked about a player’s skills. He doesn’t deny this – he is a very demanding coach.

“There are people in pro hockey who say ‘That guy doesn’t like anyone, he’s tough,’” said Addesa.

He recruits, but he won’t talk someone’s ear off about his program. His approach is simple.

“I tell it like it is. There are so many junior teams that kids have a lot of choices, but I’ve never looked at myself as a salesman,” he said. “I say ‘Here’s what our program is and what we represent. Look at our alumni page.’”

He expects several of his 2010-11 team members to be on that alumni page next season. No less than 14 players return to the Bulldogs, a year after Addesa had to sign almost an entirely new team.

“We go from being one of the most inexperienced teams in the league to being a team heavy in experience,” said Addesa. “We’ve got a lot of Division 1 interest. Sam Calahan is a returning All- Star goalie, who represented the Atlantic Junior Hockey League at USA Hockey’s Best of the Rest Tournament.”

Calahan, an Edina, Minn., resident, was playing in Florida when he was told by former NHL goalie Robb Stauber about a tryout opportunity with the Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack. Though the Wolfpack had their goalie situation set, they recommended Calahan to Addesa. Calahan played 20 games in 2009-10 in a tandem with Latvian National Junior team player Raimonds Ermics. Calahan emerged with a 2.65 goals-against average.

“I did my best last year,” said Calahan. “With lots of experience, we know what we’re up against from the other teams in the Atlantic Junior League.”

Addesa is excited about what Calahan will bring back this year.

“Calahan had many more ups than downs, and is looking to be more consistently up this year,” Addesa said.

“I feel like last year was probably one of the biggest years in my development,” Calahan added. “The AJHL is the highest level I’ve played at and I felt I adjusted quickly to the new pace, so this year I should get even better.”

Calahan, who has visited West Point, Wentworth and Trinity, got to know Addesa and co-coach Frank Golden on the job last year.

“Addesa has a ton of history in the game, having been the coach at Rensselaer and having won a championship there. He’s great for developing mental strength in individual players,” Calahan added. “[Coach Golden] came in as a new guy last year, and he’s great. He’s the fun coach and Coach Addesa constantly has us striving for more detail in our game.”

“Both Sam and Brian Fleming have experience in the league, and we expect both of them to work hard and be the foundation of our team from the goal this year,” said Addesa.

Last year, Addesa’s team consisting mainly of rookie junior players gave AJHL North Division powers the Walpole Express and Northern Cyclones a run for their money. Addesa has his eyes on the North Division title.

“We have a real core of guys coming back. Steve Braun has been on visits to St. Anselm and Norwich, and he defends well and doesn’t turn the puck over,” said Addesa. “Defenseman Richard Meyer has been on a visit to West Point and he is about to visit Princeton. He’s an outstanding student looking for engineering and math and science.”

Buco, the AJHL’s scoring champion with 86 points, has interest from Hockey East schools.

“I get phone calls about all the players, including Matt Tuceri, Cam Madore, Sean Jenkins, Nicholas Kolb and Chris Glover. There’s not a player who is returning who I have not heard about from colleges,” said Addesa.

Colleges will get a good look at the 2010-11 Bulldogs when the team takes to the ice in the annual Chowder Cup tournament held July 21-25 at Iorio Arena in Walpole, Mass.

With so much college interest, it’s not surprising when players hang around.

“I had never heard of the Boston Bulldogs or even the AJHL,” Lewis said.“I was in the national midget tournament and Coach Addesa saw me there and gave me his card. Now, I’ve been playing for him two years and I’m going into my third.”

Lewis had offers from a large number of top Division 3 schools, but has been encouraged to continue his development for one year with interest from several Division 1 programs.

Players like Lewis come back to see what the next chapter holds.

Pool Shark

South Shore Kings’ Coyle selected 28th overallby San Jose
By Joshua Boyd

Charlie Coyle just returned from one trip, but hewas already packing his bags again.Just one day back from Los Angeles, wherehe was drafted 28th overall by the San Jose Sharks inthe 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Coyle was getting ready tomove to Boston.

The Weymouth, Mass., resident will take the ice this fall as a member of the Boston University Terriers, and he was set to take summer classes at the university beginning in July.

“I’m moving into BU and I’ll be working out with [Terriers strength and conditioning coach] Mike Boyle as soon as I get there,” said Coyle, who scored 75 points in 51 total games this season, including regular season, playoffs and Jr. A Nationals with the Kings.

Before school began, the whole Coyle family jetted to the City of Angels to get in some much-needed R&R in the days before the Draft, which took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“We were just kind of going around the city as a family. We went to Malibu, Hollywood, we went around and saw the sights,” said Coyle.

The 18-year-old did have to report to the Staples Center a few times in the days before the draft.

“I had a couple of interviews. I interviewed with Florida the day before the draft, and a couple hours
after that interview, I met with Toronto’s strength and conditioning coach,” said Coyle.

Neither of those teams ended up selecting Coyle. Instead, it was the same team that selected former Capital District Select Nick Petrecki in 2007, the last time an Eastern Junior Hockey League player was selected in the first round.

Ironically, Petrecki was also drafted 28th overall that season. Petrecki, a defenseman, skated in 65 games for the Worcester Sharks, San Jose’s top AHL affiliate, in 2009-10.

With all the interviews Coyle had with different teams, he did not expect San Jose to select him with their first pick.

“I met with them just once, and they were my worst interview,” said Coyle. “They were kind of ripping on me, but they were just testing me and I guess I passed. I was really surprised.”

The fact Coyle was among the first 30 players selected in the draft absolutely came as no surprise to his coach, Scott Harlow. Harlow himself was selected 61st overall in 1982, and he skated in one NHL game for the St. Louis Blues in the 1987-88 season, along with several productive years in the AHL.

“It’s a great feat for him, and his family,” said Harlow, whose team won the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s South Division title in 2009-10. “It’s obviously welldeserved. I think it’s great for the EJHL to be recognized as a league that is good enough to have a first round draft pick. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid and a nicer family.”

Harlow sees Coyle as a hockey player who can simply “do it all” as a forward.

“He is certainly going to step right in and play [at Boston University],” said Harlow. “He’s going to bring the same all-around game he gave me all year. He can do just about anything on the ice – you can put him on the first line with skill guys or he can be a checker on the third and fourth line. He can kill penalties or play on the power play. He’s going to become a very important piece of the puzzle for the Terriers.”

Coyle said that he hears from legendary Terriers coach Jack Parker “once in a while, just to catch up.”

What was old will be new again. Coyle will be wearing No. 3 at Boston University, which he wore while with the Kings and with the Jr. Terriers youth hockey team.

KINGS’ WAGNER ALSO SELECTED

The Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Player of the Year, Christopher Wagner, was selected by Anaheim in the fifth round, 122nd overall.

Scott Harlow, the head coach of the South Shore Kings, gave a big thumbs-up to the Ducks for their selection.

“I think that pick’s an absolute steal by Anaheim,” said Harlow. “He had the best year of anyone in the EJHL.”

Wagner scored 83 points to lead all players in the EJHL this season. He moves on to Colgate University in the fall.

“Chris Wagner is going to be a very, very good college hockey player and I think he is going to play pro hockey,” Harlow said. “[Wagner and Charlie Coyle] were arguably the two most dynamic kids in our league, and they both got what they deserved.”

NHL Draft first round review - five USA Hockey junior players drafted

National Hockey League teams drafted five players who skated in USA Hockey junior programs at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles in the first round on Friday, June 25.

Three of those players skated with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's Under-18 squad. One other skated in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm, and yet another skated in the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

The first player, USA U-18 goalie Jack Campbell was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars. Campbell helped USA win the World Junior Championship in January. He had originally committed to the University of Michigan, but will instead play for the defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires (Canadian major junior) this fall.

The Tri-City Storm's Jaden Schwartz (right) was selected 14th overall by the St. Louis Blues.

Schwartz led the Tier-1 Jr. A United States Hockey League in scoring as a 17-year-old in 2009-10 with the Tri-City Storm. Schwartz is bound for Colorado College in the fall.

"Jaden is a tremendous player with the ability not only to elevate his game when needed, but he also made the players around him better," said Tri-City Storm Head Coach and General Manager Drew Schoneck, to the USHL.com Web site. "To accomplish what he did this season, and to do it as a 17-year-old, speaks volumes to what type of player and young man he is. He is a big reason that we had the success that we did as a team."

Schwartz finished with 33 goals and 50 assists and was selected in the NHL draft on his 18th birthday. Their celebration was muted, however, as the Schwartz family are still hoping for a bone marrow donor for Jaden's sister Mandi Schwartz, suffering from cancer.

Immediately after Schwartz, Derek Forbort (right) was selected 15th overall by the Los Angeles Kings, the host team for the 2010 Entry Draft.

Forbort, a member of the USA U-18 team, was the highest-ranked USHL player by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, situated at ninth among North American Skaters in the Final Rankings.

Forbort recorded 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 24 USHL games in 2009-10. Forbort will skate at the University of North Dakota this fall.

Jarred Tinordi was drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

Tinordi has suited up for Team USA for more than 120 games over the last two seasons, and this past season, he was the captain of the U-18 team. Tinordi is bound for the University of Notre Dame.

Finally, at the 28th pick, it was the South Shore Kings' Charlie Coyle who was taken by the San Jose Sharks.

Coyle, a Boston University recruit, helped lead the South Shore Kings to the USA Hockey Tier-3 Jr. A championship game, where the Kings lost to the St. Louis Jr. Blues. Coyle, standing 6-feet-2-inches and weighing 207 pounds, finished with 21 goals and 63 points in 42 EJHL games, and added nine points in five games in the Junior Nationals.

Ironically enough, the last first round pick out of the Eastern Junior Hockey League was Nick Petrecki (Capital District), who was selected 28th overall by San Jose in 2007.





Photo credits
Schwartz and Forbort: Courtesy USHLimages.com;
Coyle: Nicole Goodhue Boyd

Six Shooters

Eastern Junior League offers scoring forwards,
defensive dynamos for 2010 NHL Draft

The Eastern Junior League has produced 64 NHL Draft Picks since its 1993 inception, and this year, six more EJHL players are on the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau’s Final Rankings list (see page 7 for full listing of U.S. Jr. A players ranked for the
draft). The Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Mike Klein provides the following profiles on these six hopeful future pro hockey players.

CHARLIE COYLE

As the NHL Entry Draft approaches, South Shore Kings superstar forward Charlie Coyle can hardly contain his excitement.

Coming into the season, Coyle had already been tabbed as one of the top forwards in all of New England and received considerable attention from NHL scouts. From the moment he stepped on the ice for the Kings, that attention seemed to intensify. Now, with only the NHL Entry Draft separating him from his freshman season at Boston University, talk of where he will be going has been coming at him at full speed.

“Everything’s happening pretty fast, but I’m just trying to enjoy the process,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of different teams, probably around 10 or so since the end of the season, and I’ll obviously be talking to more at the Combine.”

During the season, Coyle admitted that the Draft was always in the back of his mind, but his game and his team’s season kept him focused. Forty-seven games later, one can say his efforts have paid off.

Coyle kept his focus and led the Kings to the EJHL Finals, where he scored two goals, and collected the Rookie of the Year Award along with 21 goals and 43 assists. Not surprisingly, nearly every NHL team sent scouts to watch him in the playoffs. His Central Scouting Ranking still had him placed in the first round and his performance garnered him an invitation to the NHL Draft Combine.

As one of the top 100 prospects in this year’s draft class, Coyle knows very well the significance of the event.

“I work out at the Foxboro Sports Center about five or six days a week with Brian McDonough,” said Coyle about his preparation. “We have practiced all of the different tests that will be at the Combine and I feel I’m ready for the challenge.”

Coyle’s off-ice training and on-ice ability leave little doubt that he will be called to the stage early in the NHL Entry Draft and his potential to add to the storied history of the Eastern Junior Hockey League and South Shore Kings will surely be realized.

THANE HELLER

From midget hockey to prep school to the Eastern Junior Hockey League, Thane Heller has excelled.

Two years ago, he was invited to the National Development Program tryout camp after starring for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers midget team. Though he did not make the trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to join the national team, he enrolled at Gunnery Prep and landed a spot on the New England Prep All-Rookie Team.

His stay at Gunnery was a short one, as he moved to Massachusetts to join the Junior Bruins. While under the eye of Peter Masters and surrounded by superstars, the Elizabethtown, Pa., native proved that he more than belonged on one of the nation’s top junior programs, scoring 12 goals and recording 16 assists in 45 games.

Described as a strong skater who possesses considerable size and excellent hockey sense, Heller found himself on the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings in January. Heller continued his strong play and impressed the crowd of NHL scouts who attended the EJHL Dineen Cup Playoffs. At the end of the season, Heller found himself in the 152nd slot of the Final Rankings.

Though Heller is currently projected to go in the fifth round, it would hardly be a surprise to see him on the board sooner. Regardless, he will continue to stand out at the next stops along the way, and there is no telling how far he will go.

RAMAN HRABARENKA

The acquisition of Raman Hrabarenka by the Philadelphia Revolution represented a turning point in the team’s inaugural season.

As with many new entries in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, the Revolution found a bumpy road at the beginning of the campaign and looked to reverse their fortunes with some new faces.

Most significant of the new faces was Mogilev, Belarus, native Raman Hrabarenka.

Joining a team that did not exist a year before can prove a daunting task for any player, particularly a player that has to move halfway across the world. Hrabarenka, however, is not just any player, and he thrived in Philadelphia.

His skill was evident from the first day he stepped on the ice, and head coach Vince Malts began to use him in nearly every situation. Despite not playing for a frontrunner, Hrabarenka hardly remained a secret as he appeared on the Central Scouting Midterm Rankings in the 81st spot.

With Hrabarenka as the anchor, the Revolution made vast improvements over the course of the season and the defenseman again found himself in the top 100 on the Final Rankings.

Should Hrabarenka receive a call on Draft Weekend, he will go down as the first NHL Draftee from the Philadelphia Revolution. Regardless of whether that call comes, Hrabarenka clearly has a bight future ahead of him and will undoubtedly carry the Philadelphia Revolution flag far up the ladder of the sport’s professional ranks.

JACOB RUTT

At the end of last season, New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs defenseman Jacob Rutt knew he would spend the summer training for the upcoming season and thinking about a phone call on the day of the NHL Entry Draft. His mindset at the beginning of the season, however, shows just how far he has come since arriving in New Hampshire.

“Coming into the season, I really had no idea of what to expect,” Rutt said. “I didn’t pay attention to any of [the Draft buzz] at the beginning of the year and just worked my tail off, and I was surprised at the whole thing.”

Rutt had all the talent to succeed, but came into the season as a relative unknown. Unlike many of his teammates, he registered barely a blip on the radar for scouts and his standout career at Scarborough (Maine) High School went largely unnoticed.

Fast forward to January 2010, when Rutt saw himself ranked 209th on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s Midterm Rankings.

“I saw the Midterm rankings and used them as fuel,” he said. “People don’t end up on them by chance. I knew my hard work got me there, and if I kept at it and kept listening to my coaches, I’d improve.”

Rutt established himself as one of the EJHL’s top defensemen and scouts took notice as he stepped things up for the playoffs. He excelled and jumped up to 148th on the Final Rankings.

Even more telling than his abrupt rise to stardom, however, is his perspective on the Draft.

“I’m really not that nervous,” Rutt said. “I talked to two scouts at the Beantown Classic [in March,] so I know it’s a possibility, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t get drafted.

“It would be great to get a call on Draft Weekend, but either way, I’ll continue to work hard at Maine.”

Jacob Rutt spent the entire 2009-10 season leaving his mark on the Eastern Junior Hockey League and forcing everyone to take notice of his play. Given all he has accomplished in such a short time, there is little reason for anyone to pass him over on Draft Weekend.

MIKE ZALEWSKI

At the beginning of the season, Syracuse Stars forward Mike Zalewski showed flashes of brilliance.

Despite a couple of injuries and the resulting cold spells, Zalewski demonstrated that on any given day, he was more than capable of putting the puck in the net or setting up a teammate.

However, his inconsistency seemed to be as much a part of his game as his scoring touch and as a result, scouts never paid him the attention he deserved.

Zalewski did not stay under the radar for long. Late in December, he registered an eight-point weekend against the Jersey Hitmen and never slowed down. In the last 19 games, Zalewski was held scoreless in only five of them, registering 29 points in that time.

Unlike the first half of the season, Zalewski commanded scouts’ attention and the New Hartford, N.Y., native made a splash at 150th on the Central Scouting Final Rankings.

Should he remain healthy, the sky is the limit for Zalewski. His strong second half illustrated his potential and, given his rapid ascent up the rankings, it would hardly be a surprise for an NHL team to scoop him up on Draft Weekend.

Dream Season

Former Junior Bruin Butler moves on to NHL after winningHockey East Player of the Year award

By Mike Klein


March 29, 2010, will be a day that Bobby Butler will never forget.

Just two days after his career at the University of New Hampshire ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Bobby Butler announced that he had signed a two-year contract with the Ottawa Senators and would be playing in the team’s final two games of the regular season.

Considering his collegiate career had just ended in disappointing fashion, the Junior Bruins alum could not contain his joy.

“It was awesome,” said Butler about his first NHL experience. “I was so glad to be getting that opportunity. I had dreamed of playing in the NHL since I was young, and now it was coming true.”

His senior season, one that earned him a place in the Hobey Baker Hat Trick and First Team All American honors, is often referred to as a breakout. However, Butler displayed superstar potential well before entering the big stage.

In the 2003-04 season, his junior year at Marlborough (Mass.) High School, he set the school’s single-season goal scoring record with 58. By the time he graduated, he had obliterated the school’s career scoring record and led the team to the state title as a senior.

During his junior and senior years, he also played for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Junior Bruins and made an impression almost immediately, scoring 33 points in 59 games on a team loaded with Division 1 talent.

His senior year again saw him pull double duty with Marlborough and the Bruins. His 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) placed him eighth on the team despite playing in only 56 of the team’s 66 contests.

According to Butler, however, the highlights came at the end of the season: two days after winning the state championship with Marlborough, with his father John as head coach, he and his Bruins teammates won the EJHL Gary Dineen Cup.

That summer, Butler participated in the heavily scouted Beantown Classic and finished as the tournament’s third-leading scorer with five goals and six assists in five games. Though his name was thrown around by nearly everybody in attendance, he still had yet to commit to a college.

“[The uncertainty of the recruiting process] wasn’t something that really got to me,” he recalled. “I played high school, I played for the Bruins and in Beantown, so I knew people were watching me. If I kept playing well, I figured someone would notice.”

Sure enough, two weeks before the 2005-06 season, Butler gave his commitment to the University of New Hampshire. Not content to rest on his laurels, he finished third on the team with 28 goals and 30 assists in 61 games during his final season with the Bruins.

Once again, the Bruins faced their archrival, the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, in the Dineen Cup final and, though they fell short, Butler turned in another outstanding performance. Down three goals entering the third period, he ignited a rally for the ages with a goal less than two minutes into the period. He then assisted on Billy Kasper’s goal at 5:39. The Monarchs looked to seal the game late in the period, but Butler fed the puck to Kory Falite, who sent it to overtime with just 1:52 on the clock.

Big man on campus

Butler’s reputation as an offensive catalyst and big-game player only strengthened at UNH. He started off with a bang, scoring in his first collegiate game and led all freshmen in goals (nine) and total points (12). As an appropriate exclamation point to the year, he scored in double overtime in the Hockey East semifinals against UMass-Amherst.

Butler more than doubled his point total as a sophomore, recording 14 goals and 12 assists, including four goals in the Hockey East Tournament. He continued his strong play as a junior, tallying 30 points in all of UNH’s 38 games.

More telling, two of his assists came in the team’s wild 6-5 overtime win in the NCAA tournament against North Dakota and he netted the team’s only goal in the regional final.

He entered his senior year as the leading returning scorer and was elected captain. As the unquestioned leader of the team, he hardly disappointed.

“Every year, I always worked hard in the summer so I could hit the ground running,” he said. “I came into the year knowing my teammates expected me to lead and I wanted to make sure we left everything out on the ice.”

“I was definitely helped by the rest of the seniors – Brian Foster, Nick Krates and Peter LeBlanc. We all started with the same goals and that helped us get started.”

As captain, Butler put up a season for the ages, starting off with Player of the Week honors on Nov. 16 and continuing his strong play to win Player of the Month. By January, whispers around the rinks created considerable buzz that he would be a strong candidate for the Hobey Baker Award. UNH even went so far as to create ButlerforHobey.com to promote their captain.

“The Web site started it,” he recalled. “Every time I scored or got an assist, all of the fans would chant ‘Hobey Baker’ after my name. It was pretty crazy, but I got excellent support from the school and the fans.”

The support and the hype grew as the season wore on and the awards continued to roll in. Butler finished atop Hockey East with 30 points and 14 goals and came in fourth with 16 assists in conference play. His 29 goals were more than any other college hockey player and his 53 points placed him second overall.

Hockey East awarded him Player of the Year honors and immediately announced that he was one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Likewise, his leadership and character off the ice resulted in a nomination for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented to college hockey’s finest citizen.

Butler continued to shine during UNH’s first round game against Cornell, netting two goals and adding an assist. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the team ran into the buzz saw that was RIT and bowed in the regional final.

Senator Butler

Still, Butler found himself named to the Hobey Hat Trick, honoring the top three players in college hockey. Two days before the announcement, however, he had even better news to deliver: He would be an Ottawa Senator at the end of the month.

“The Sunday after we lost, there were some things going on to raise my spirits a bit,” he said. “It came down to a few teams, but Ottawa won out.”

The signing gave him little time to worry about the end of his college career as he was to take the ice on April 1. In his NHL debut, he played nine minutes on the fourth line and recorded two shots on goal.

He nearly put home his first goal as a Senator late in the third period, but a Carolina player tripped him as he attempted to pick up a pass.

Butler played again when the team visited the New York Islanders, but was allowed to travel to Detroit to hopefully come home with the Hobey. Though Wisconsin’s Blake Geoffrion took home Hobey, Butler became the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s sixth player to receive First Team All-American honors.

His journey from the Eastern Junior Hockey League to the NHL was filled with highlights, but even for Butler, picking one out would be impossible.

“It was great to win the high school state championship with my father and then two days later win the EJHL,” he stated. “But scoring that goal at the Garden was great, so was the game against North Dakota, the Hobey Baker experience … it was pretty awesome.”

Butler’s combination of talent, work ethic, and big-game ability gives him all the tools to embark on a long and fruitful NHL career, and little doubt exists that his personal highlight reel will certainly have a few more entries when he completes his journey.