Select 17 Festival Recap

So the USA Select-17 Festival got under way on Sunday, and since it was held in St. Cloud , I got to go. Not a huge deal for most people, but for a wannabe hockey recruitnik like me, this was like a trip to DisneyWorld. Not only was it great to see some hockey in the middle of the summer, but I got a great look at some of the future stars of college hockey.

It was a great setting. 5 straight hours of non-stop hockey between two rinks, with nobody besides coaches, scouts, players, and parents in the crowd.

Armed with a list of potential college players to check out, I tried to get a good look at as many as I could. Here were my thoughts and opinions.

Game 1 Black vs. Gold

This game had the most guys that I was interested in looking at, so I spent a lot of time watching it. I was surprised Gold didn’t win this one. They probably would have won it going away if both teams hadn’t switched goalies.

From the Gold team:

Joe Palmer(Commited to Ohio State ‘06)- I thought he was the best goalie in his class before today and nothing changed that today. He’s pretty big, but amazingly quick getting down into the butterfly. He’d be pretty much impossible to beat low. He stills tends to make the occasional mistake handling the puck, but is really going to be a great goalie.

Tysen Dowzak(No commitment yet ’06 recruit)- Very big guy, and he loves to use his size. He had a couple very nice hits where he laid people out. Not exactly going to blow anyone away with his skills, but that’s expected for someone his size. He’ll be a very good defensive defenseman.

Ben Ryan(Committed to Notre Dame for ’07)-Didn’t really do anything to stand out for the good or the bad

Michael Ratchuk(Committed to Michigan State for ’06)- He looks like an amazing offensive defenseman. He has great hands, great skating skills and a good passer. He loves to pinch up and join the rush, sometimes to the detriment of his defense, but he’ll probably learn to pick his spots a little better with time. His defensive skills could probably use a little work. He got beat clean one on one to give up a goal for his team, but made up for it the next shift by making a nice pinch to turn a play into a 2 on 1 and scoring a goal. Overall, I was pretty impressed with his skills.

From the Black team:

Blake Geoffrion(Committed to Wisconsin for ’06)- He started out looking a little too lanky and awkward, but he played great in the second half of the game. He plays a lot stronger than he looks, and should become a very good power forward. I’m more disappointed that he’s not coming to Michigan than I was prior to seeing to him.

Carter Camper(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Not the most skilled player on the ice but he did impress me with his effort. He was a very hard-working player. I’d hate to see him playing against one of my favorite teams in a couple of years.

Aaron Marvin(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Not on my list before the tournament, but caught my eye with his combination of size and skating ability.

Game 2 Green vs. Navy Blue

I didn’t really watch this game as much because I wasn’t that interested in the players playing. Colorado College coach Scott Owens and Nebraska-Omaha assistant Doc DelCastillo were glued to this game though. I have no idea who they were watching.

From the Green team:

Andy Miele(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Short, stocky guy. Not a great skater, but works hard and is very scrappy, especially down low. Definitely a Brandon Kaleniecki-type player

From the Navy team:

I didn’t really get a good look at anybody. Ryan Flynn had a nice goal, and looks like he’ll be a very good power forward in the future. Kyle Okposo(Minnesota ’06) also had a goal, but I didn’t get a good look at it. He should be a great player.

Game 3 Maroon vs. Grey

This was probably the game I wanted to see the most for two reasons. 1)Billy Sauer 2) Pat Kane. Neither of them let me down either.

For Maroon:

Billy Sauer(Committed to Michigan either ’05 or ’06)- I made sure to watch the half of hockey that he played, because he was the only player there that could potentially play college hockey next summer if Al Montoya decides to leave early. Michigan fans have been a little worried at the prospect of him taking over, but after seeing him today, I feel much better about it. He had the save of the day, cutting across the crease and making a diving save to stop a one-timer on a two-on-one. He had a couple other solid saves, including a nice stop where he held his ground on the post while a player tried to stuff the puck in. Other than that, he wasn’t tested too much. Sauer and Palmer were the only two goalies there that looked ready for college hockey.

More good news for Michigan fans who were worried about Sauer de-committing if Montoya stays for his senior year. After his game, my girlfriend overheard a player ask Sauer where he was going to school, and he said Michigan in a pretty confident manner. Not that I expected otherwise, but there was no “Al Montoya qualifier” in there. Sauer was also wearing a Michigan hat after the game, so he seems excited about playing there.

Pat Kane(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Very, very impressive. The Brendan Morrison comparison really isn’t that far off. His finishing ability isn’t quite there yet, but he’s a great playmaker. He ended up with two assists, but easily could have had 4 or 5. If he ends up committing to BU, like was rumored, I may end up curling in a ball in my room and crying, Tom Izzo-style.

From the Grey team:

Steve Kampfer(Committed to Michigan for ’06)- Oy vey. I must have muttered “it’s only one game” about 20 times while watching Kampfer. He just didn’t look that interested in playing. He gave up goals on his first two shifts on the ice, one caused by a Kampfer turnover. He missed passes and just had a sloppy game in general. He kind of redeemed himself with a late goal, but overall, it was not a performance to remember.

Kevin Montgomery(Committed to Ohio State for ’06)- He wasn’t as impressive as I expected he would be. He looked like he was kind of an awkward phase. His from could easily hold another 15-20 lbs, and once he gets used to his body, I think his skills will improve. Once he fully develops though, he should be a pretty good defenseman that can do just about everything.

Game 4 Royal Blue vs. Orange

This game was close for the first half, and then Orange absolutely blew it open in the second half. It was pretty much open season on the Royal goalie.

From the Royal team:

Corey Toy(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- For as bad as the Royal defense was in the second half of the game, Orange wasn’t generating chances and scoring goals when he was out on the ice. He was a solid defensive defenseman that really impressed me.

Jamie McBain(committed to Wisconsin ’06)- Somebody had to be out for all those goals. He looked a little lanky and awkward.

From the Orange team:

Dustin Gazley(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Not very big, but very quick and feisty. Score a very pretty goal. He’ll be a very good college player.

Michael Fillinger(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- I was very impressed with his play. I really hope that a team that I cheer for ends up getting him. Every time he got involved in a scrum, he came away with the puck. He was a good skater with good size, and some very nice skills. He looked like a very good all-around player.

Justin Johnson(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- He was having a very good game until he ran into someone much bigger than him at full-speed and ended up getting what looked like a concussion.

Game 5 Purple vs. White

I wasn’t too interested in this game. Plus, towards the end of the long day, it was nice to sit back and watch some hockey.

From the White team:

Nigel Williams(Committed to Wisconsin for ’07)- Wow. He’s the real deal. I stood next to him and he was a good inch or two taller than me(and I’m 6’3”), so he’s probably bigger than I have listed on the Top Prospects board, but what was most impressive is how fast of a skater he is for a guy that size. He reminded me a lot of Mike Komisarek. Wisconsin fans will love him, though I can’t see him staying there more than a year or two.

Also for what it’s worth, Chris Atkinson(Vermont ’06), really grabbed my attention even though I wasn’t specifically watching for him.

From the Purple team:

Rhett Rahkshani(Committed to Denver for ’06)- He played pretty similar to everything that I’ve heard about him. A little too skinny, but an excellent passer. He should be a good college player that racks up a lot of assists.

Game 6 Red vs. Teal

I was starting to get a little worn out from the marathon of hockey by this point, but I was still interested in watching this game to check out a few top players that have already committed to schools

From the Teal team:

Chris Summers(Committed to Michigan for ’06)- He looked pretty good out there. I stood next to him before the game and he’s a very solidly built kid for someone his age. He never really got a good chance to jump up into the play, but he was much more physical than I expected. He stepped out and put a nice on a couple of guys. I liked his game and think he’ll fit in well at Michigan.

From the Red team:

Michael Carman(Committed to Minnesota for ’06)- This guy is gonna drive me, and everyone else that doesn’t the Gophers nuts, but Gopher fans should love him. He’ll probably spend four years of college walking that thin line between very physical player and goon. He just loves to hit people. During the play or after the play, legally or illegally, it doesn’t really matter. You’ve gotta respect anyone that draws an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in one of these things though.

Ben Youds(Committed to MSU-Mankato for ’07)- Both my girlfriend and I admitted that we were both worried that the one guy that had committed to the Mavs was going to look horribly out of place out there. Luckily, we were both way off. Youds played a pretty great game. He was solid on the blueline, and didn’t do anything too flashy. He scored a poewrplay goal with a nice low, hard wrister from the point, then had another nice shot that almost got through on the next shift. He also jumped into the rush and almost scored on a pretty shot that just missed the net. He wasn’t Nigel Williams or Mike Ratchuk, but he was a very solid all-around defenseman. I think he’ll need a year or two in the USHL to get used to defending against faster players, as his foot speed could probably use a little work, but I think he’ll be a very solid player for the Mavs.

Garrett Roe(No commitment yet ’06 recruit)- I had heard of him described as a young Mike Comrie, which to me at least, is pretty high praise. He certainly wasn’t the next Mike Comrie by any stretch, but he did look like a very solid playmaker that should do well at the college level.

Ryan Santana(No commitment yet ’07 recruit)- Pretty big forward that can skate fast and is pretty strong on his skates. He also did pretty well on face-offs yesterday. He could probably improve some as a finisher, but he should be a pretty solid college player.