www.hselitehockey.comCENTRAL SCOUTING WATCHING 35 ELITE LEAGUE PLAYERS
List includes 31 skaters, four goalies, most of any league on list
New Hope, Minn. – The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service (CSS) has released a list of more than 130 North American “Players to Watch” in anticipation of next June’s NHL Entry Draft, and more than a quarter of the players – 31 skaters and four goaltenders – are currently playing in the Upper Midwest School Elite League, the most players from any one league on the list.
The CSS list names six “A” players – defined by CSS as “potential first or second round draft selection” – from the Elite League, including Mark Alt of Cretin-Derham Hall, Nick Bjugstad of Blaine, Max Gardiner of Minnetonka, Brock Nelson of Warroad and Joe Basaraba and Jason Clark of Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Zane Gothberg of Thief River Falls is listed as an “A” goaltender.
Another 11 Elite League players are listed as “B” players – defined as potential 3rd to 5th round selections, and 18 players are listed as “C” players, potential late-round selections in next June’s Entry Draft.
The 35 players are far and away the most of any of the North American leagues on the list. By comparison, the North American Hockey League has 13 players, the Ontario Junior A Hockey League has six, the British Columbia Hockey League has five and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Alberta Junior Hockey League have just four each.
“This list shows that we are meeting our goal of providing young hockey players of the Upper Midwest with high-level competition and exposure to coaches and scouts,” said John Russo, founder and Commissioner of the Elite League. “That’s why many of our league’s games have more than six or seven dozen scouts and coaches in attendance, and why so many of our players move on to colleges or the NHL draft.”
In last June’s NHL Entry Draft, 17 Elite League players were selected, including first-round choices Nick Leddy (#16 by the Minnesota Wild) and Jordan Schroeder (#22 by Vancouver).
The Elite League is nearing completion of its 2009 season, with the final week of regular-season competition taking place Oct. 24-25 in Fargo, North Dakota and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Elite League playoffs will be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at New Hope Arena in New Hope, Minnesota, and the Bauer National Invitational Tournament – which will showcase more than 80 Elite League players against an international field – takes place November 6-7-8 at New Hope.
A complete list of Elite League players on the CSS list is attached.
The Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League is a non-profit hockey league designed to provide high-level competition supplementing the regular high school hockey season. For more information, and draft-day updates, visit the league’s website at www.hselitehockey.com.
Upper Midwest High School Elite League Players on NHL Central Scouting Service
“Players to Watch” List
October 22, 2009
“Players to Watch” List
October 22, 2009
“A” player designation
| Player | School | College Commitment (if any) | ||
| Mark Alt | Cretin-Derham Hall | University of Minnesota | ||
| Joe Basaraba | Shattuck-St. Mary's | University of Minnesota-Duluth | ||
| Nick Bjugstad | Blaine | University of Minnesota | ||
| Jason Clark | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| Max Gardiner | Minnetonka | University of Minnesota | ||
| Brock Nelson | Warroad | University of North Dakota |
“B” player designation
| Player | School | College Commitment (if any) | ||
| Joe Faust | Bloomington Jefferson | |||
| Tyson Fulton | Breck School | |||
| Garrett Hendrickson | Virginia/MIB | |||
| Caleb Herbert | Bloomington Jefferson | University of Minnesota-Duluth | ||
| Justin Holl | Minnetonka | University of Minnesota | ||
| Christian Isackson | St. Thomas Academy | University of Minnesota | ||
| Jean-Paul (J. P.) LaFontaine | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| Ben Marshall | Mahtomedi | University of Minnesota | ||
| James Polk | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| Andrew Prochno | Minnetonka | St. Cloud State University | ||
| Brett Stern | Centennial |
"C" player designation
| Player | School | College Commitment (if any) | ||
| Zane Gothberg | Thief River Falls | |||
| Will Corrin | International Falls | |||
| Justin Crandall | St. Thomas Academy | |||
| Tyler Dietzler | Bloomington Jefferson | |||
| Max Gaede | Woodbury | Minnesota State University - Mankato | ||
| Brett Hebel | Warroad | |||
| Adam Krause | Hermantown | University of Minnesota-Duluth | ||
| Tyler Larson | Moorhead | |||
| Justin Lutsch | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| James Mullin | Shattuck-St. Mary's | Miami (OH) | ||
| Dominic Racobaldo | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| Bryan Sinz | Shattuck-St. Mary's | |||
| John Skrbec | Grand Rapids | |||
| Charlie Taft | Edina |
“A” goalie designation
| Player | School | College Commitment (if any) | ||
| Zane Gothberg | Thief River Falls | University of North Dakota |
“C” goalie designation
| Player | School | College Commitment (if any) | ||
| Alex Fons | Hopkins | |||
| Jim Kruger | Minnetonka | |||
| Jacob Meyers | Benilde-St. Margaret's |
