Junior League Roundup

Starting in the USHL, one interesting name near the top of the scoring leaders is Michigan recruit Max Pacioretty. Most people didn't know a lot about him when he committed to Michigan last year, and it looked like a bit of a gamble on Michigan's part, but now it looks to be paying off. Pacioretty has 10 points in his first 5 games, and at 6'2" 205 lbs., he's developing into a prototypical power forward. He's eligible for the NHL Draft this fall and could go much higher in the draft than people expect.

St. Cloud recruit Garrett Roe is another player that is having a big year in the USHL. He was considered an extremely high end prospect when he was playing at Shattuck-St. Mary's, but interest in him declined a bit. He looks like he's living up to his potential this year though. Truth be told, St. Cloud probably could have used his playmaking abilities this season.

In the NAHL, 1990 birthdate Eric Ringel has 5 points in 11 games for Mahoning Valley. Springfield's Ryan Kretzer is having a nice season with 19 points through 13 games.

The biggest story in the BCHL is still Michigan Tech recruit Casey Pierro-Zabotel. The BCHL wrote an article talking about the scouting interest he has drawn.

There's some new names among the top scorers in the league, though they're older players for the most part. After missing the first couple games due to injury, Wisconsin recruit Kyle Turris is climbing his way up the scoring charts. He's currently averaging 2 points per game. One interesting prospect who has been scoring a lot lately is Cowichan Valley's Winston DayChief, who is 10th in league scoring with 27 points in 18 games.

A five point game last weekend helped move Duluth recruit Justin Fontaine into the top 5 in AJHL scoring. Michigan Tech recruits Jordan Baker and Bennett Royer are both in the top 10 in league scoring. The only 1989-born player in the top ten in scoring is Drayton Valley's Andrew Cherniwchan.