2015 U18 Hlinka Memorial Cup Preview: Team USA

Name: Henry “Hank” Crone
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’8, 150 lbs
Born: February 19th, 1998, Dallas, TX
2015-16 Commitment: Omaha Lancers, USHL
Summary: Another Boston University commit (2016-17) who will benefit from Terrier coach David Quinn’s up-tempo tactics, Crone was a star in the Dallas Stars’ junior program but had a rough go of it in the USHL as Omaha’s youngest player a season ago. He’s a pass-first playmaker with exceptional vision and very strong on-ice awareness; skills he was finally able to showcase late in the season for the Lancers. The Stars’ program has become a bit of a talent factory in recent years, and Crone’s age and previously international experience means he’ll likely run one of Team USA’s power play units at the Hlinka.

Name: Tim Gettinger
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’5, 205 lbs
Born: April 14, 1998, North Olmstead, OH
2015-16 Commitment: Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, OHL
Summary: OHL All-Rookie selection who was one of the circuit’s top 16 year olds in terms of production from either flank. Gettinger is a skilled winger with a big body but plays the sort of finesse game we saw a year ago in 2015 NHL draftee Paul Bittner, who like Gettinger was also selected to play for Team USA at the Hlinka (2014). The stats may not look gaudy for Gettinger (10 goals and 25 points in 54 games), but take into consideration not only the team he played for, but their ridiculous depth and experience on the wing position. He’s a bit more polished than Riley Tufte or John Leonard simply because of his experience against older competition, so being slotted as the first line left wing is a likely possibility for him.

Name: Patrick Harper
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’7, 146 lbs
Born: July 29th, 1998, New Canaan, CT
2015-16 Commitment: Omaha Lancers, USHL
Summary: Electric yet undersized pivot who led Avon Old Farms in scoring and is easily one of the New England prep circuit’s top offensive players. He’s headed to the USHL in the fall and committed to Boston University for 2016-17 (Blainville-Boisbriand picked him late in the 2015 QMJHL draft). Harper is an explosive skater who makes clean, heady decisions off the rush. His elusiveness and unpredictability makes playing against bigger opponents less of a concern, while his slick hands from in close help him get plays off before opponents can impart their physical will on him.

Name: William Knierim
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6’3, 207 lbs
Born: January 22, 1998, Skokie, IL
2015-16 Commitment: Dubuque, USHL
Summary: Power forward with a lot of room for improving but the upside is off the charts. Knierim was a role player on a very solid Dubuque team where he should return as one of  the top options for next season. He’s a very hard player to gauge for the moment because like most physical wingers, he can vanish and be rather unreliable when the play isn’t going on immediately in front of him. He moves fairly well for a teenager closing in on 215 pounds but he’s not to be confused with the kind of mobile force who are impossible to stop once in full flight. But he’s still a ruthless and nasty physical force, nonetheless, and can be a very difficult player to game plan around. If he can round out his game and play attention to the little things, he can develop into a menacing modern-day version of Tim Kerr/Dave Andreychuk in terms of positioning and touch around the next. Pair him with a pass-first playmaker and get him in the slot on the power play.

Name: John Leonard
Position: Left Wing/Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’11, 180 lbs
Born: August 7th, 1998, Amherst, MA
2015-16 Commitment: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Summary: It’s hard to base a kid’s upside in one specific play on one specific shift, especially when he leads the entire state of Massachusetts in Division I scoring with 47 goals and 75 points in just 25 games. But when the UMass-bound Leonard darted down his off wing and undressed 2015 NHL draftee Ryan Shea in Cathedral’s 4-2 win in rival BC High’s own barn last February, you saw not only how special a talent he already was, but how his big game mentality at such a young age beggars the imagination. Leonard is the kind of low-maintenance super scorer coaches dream of because he not only possesses a heavy, accurate shot, but has the uncanny ability of wiring it from either his back foot or when overstretched. He’s a 2016 eligible, and although CSB did not put him on their 2016 Watch List, we expect him to make the most out of what will be his first time in a major pre-draft international tournament.

Name: Hugh McGing
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’8, 158 lbs
Born: July 11th, 1998, Chicago, IL
2015-16 Commitment: Cedar Rapids, USHL
Summary: McGing is a scrappy and energetic bottom-six type who seemed to make the most out of his limited playing time with the Roughriders a season ago. He’s got a very good shot and is adept at wiring it off the pass. Likely a guy you’ll see on the ice in the last few minutes of a close game, McGing can play extended shifts with the same tenacity and physicality as in the short ones. While it’s hard to gauge his offensive upside do to how little he played last year, the Western Michigan-bound winger is skilled enough for spot duty on either of the top two lines.

Name: Casey Mittelstadt
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’11, 192 lbs
Born: November 22nd, 1998, Eden Prairie, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Eden Prairie High School, Minnesota
Summary: The youngest player on Team USA’s roster may very well be the best goal scorer with the best shot. Mittelstadt, a 2017 draft eligible who committed to the University of Minnesota a year ago, is a kid you have to expect to top out over six feet and reach 200 pounds by Draft Day. For now, Team USA head coach Derek Plante has a sniper at his disposal who will most likely begin the Hlinka in a bottom-six role but may end up being a key contributor. He’s very quick on his feet and knows exactly where to position himself for the best shot. Bringing it with the best of them makes every shot seem like they’re of the high percentage variety, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the kind of quality goaltending and defenders he’s never faced before.

Name: Drake Rymsha
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’11, 187 lbs
Born: August 6th, 1998, Huntington Woods, MI
2015-16 Commitment: London Knights, OHL
Summary: A fleet-footed center who bulked up quite a bit since being drafted by the Knights in the fifth round of the 2014 Priority Selection, Rymsha made the most of his opportunities as an OHL rookie despite not seeing much action above the Knights’ bottom two lines. His game and development path are similar to current NHL’er Brandon Dubinsky, who like Rymsha also had to earn his stripes as a CHL depth player before earning more minutes. Quickness is a big part of his game, but he can also make good-decision plays while attacking with the puck at a high rate of speed. Look for him at the Hlinka to showcase more of what he can do as he prepares for an expanded role in London in 2015-16.

Name: Riley Tufte
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’5, 205 lbs
Born: April 10th, 1998, Ham Lake, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Fargo, USHL
Summary: Graceful power forward with a soft set of hands and a devastating shot, Tufte (2016 eligible) was selected first overall by Fargo in the 2014 USHL Futures Draft and is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for 2016-17. He’s been a bit of a role player for Team USA last season, but a dominant season for Blaine (Minnesota) and a promising cup of coffee with the Force should give him consideration for top-six minutes at the Hlinka. Tufte is extremely versatile in that he played the point of Blaine’s power play not only because of his shot, but his patience and ability to read plays. He’s been compared to Nick Bjugstad, who like Tufte was a standout at Blaine. While the size and skill level are comparable, Tufte is not necessarily a physical winger like Bjugstad, although he does like to get involved in puck battles and fight for positioning around the net.

Name: Garrett Wait
Position: Left Wing/Center
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’0, 163 lbs
Born: June 13th, 1998, Edina, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Uncommitted
Summary: Skilled two-way forward who led the U17 Select squad with eight points (four goals, four assists) as they earned a silver medal at the 2014 Five Nations. Wait is committed to the University of Minnesota, but at press time he has not publicly decided if he will forgo his senior year at Edina, or play for either waterloo (USHL) or Portland (WHL) before lacing them up for the Gophers in 2016-17. He’s a fantastic playmaker and decision maker with the puck, but he also knows his responsibilities away from the puck. Wait is a 2016 eligible with lower first-round potential

Name: Kailer Yamamoto
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’8, 160 lbs
Born: September 29th, 1998, Spokane, WA
2015-16 Commitment: Spokane Chiefs, WHL
Summary: Yamamoto missed 2016 draft eligibility by two weeks, which may end up working in his favor since he’ll likely go higher in 2017 than in next June’s draft. He led all WHL rookie forwards in scoring last season with 57 points in 68 games, but consider the guy who won the league’s Rookie of the Year award (2015 lottery pick Ivan Provorov) was almost two full years older. The Spokane native is a high-end offensive talent who forced his way onto the Chiefs’ top line early into last season thanks to a elite vision and the kind of desire and tenacity  that makes his size limitations an afterthought. He’s also got some such on an extensive international experience, combining for 12 points in 10 games combined between the 2015 U17 World Hockey Challenge and the Five Nations Tournament in Germany. An odds on favorite to be a lottery pick come June of 2017, Yamamoto will be a key cog in Team USA’s attack when they hit the ice at the Hlinka.

Name: Ben Lown
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’7, 146 lbs
Born: June 22nd, 1998, Newport Coast, CA
2015-16 Commitment: Omaha Lancers, USHL
Summary: Shifty and relentless offensive sparkplug who competes his tail off regardless of where the puck is. He’s a bit of a hybrid in that he can be used on the forecheck and in penalty killing situations, but also has high-end vision and playmaking skills to display as a top-six pivot. He showed some serious finishing abilities around the cage while at Shattuck St. Mary’s thanks to his uncanny ability to find openings and quietly avoid detection. While the Miami-bound pivot had a solid half-season for the Colorado Thunderbirds, the Hlinka should give him an opportunity to increase his value for the 2016 draft.

Name: Mitch Eliot
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’11, 182 lbs
Born: Fenruary 6th, 1998, Grosse Pointe, MI
2015-16 Commitment: Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL
Summary: The stats are not eye opening (four assists in 58 games last season), but take into consideration how young Eliot is, and how deep a blueline Muskegon iced last season with the likes of 2015 draftees Joe Cecconi and Christian Wolanin. A product of the Honeybaked program, Eliot is a mobile two-way defender who is very strong on his skates and rarely gets caught napping. He’s got an active stick, but what’s most impressive to us is how positionally sound he is while defending odd-man rushes. Eliot plays physical enough to win his 50/50 battles and quickly recover pucks to send it the other way. He’ll be a Michigan State Spartan in 2016-17.

Name: Ty Farmer
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 5’9, 173 lbs
Born: January 6th, 1998, O’Fallon, MO
2015-16 Commitment: Youngstown Phantoms, USHL
Summary: Swift-skating rearguard with an attack mentality who’ll lace them up for Michigan State after this season. Farmer is a product of the Blues’ junior program before he moved on to Youngstown, where he showed flashes of what he can do offensively without the quantifiable results. Still, he’s an expert at puck retrieval and is usually on the winning end of foot races for the disc. He can be a bit guilty of a lazy stick, so putting him on the PK against units who whip the puck around may not yield the desired result.

Name: Benjamin Gleason
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’0, 168 lbs
Born: March 25th, 1998, Ortonville, MI
2015-16 Commitment: London Knights, OHL
Summary: Steady, physical defender who’s beginning to shift towards being permanently labeled a stay-at-home type because that’s what he’s best at. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, as Gleason generally opts for the safe decision over the risky play. The younger cousin of current NHL’er Tim Gleason, he did not look out of place while anchoring the bottom pairing for the London Knights. And although he can skate fairly well and has excellent balance, his decision making with the puck can be somewhat telegraphed. In a fast-paced tournament like the Hlinka, Team USA will need a reliable defender like Gleason to play in late-game situations and help protect leads.

Name: Andrew Peeke
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6’3, 198 lbs
Born: March 17th, 1998, Parkland, FL
2015-16 Commitment: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Summary: Miami-area product who was the USPHL’s top defenseman while playing for Selects Academy. Peeke is Team USA’s best defender at sealing opponents off into No Man’s Land and forcing them into hasty and costly decisions. The steady and clean manner in which he can switch from shut down to up-ice transition is reminiscent of Noah Hanifin, except Peeke is far more physical and possesses a harder shot. That isn’t necessarily saying he’s a better defenseman or prospect than Hanifin, but Peeke, who has already caught the eye of NHL Central Scouting with a spot on their 2016 draft “Watch List”, can certainly hold down the fort along his blue line in a similar fashion.

Name: Scott Perunovich
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’8, 150 lbs
Born: August 18th, 1998, Hibbing, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Hibbing High School, Minnesota
Summary: Perunovich is a Minnesota-Duluth commit who can dazzle you with skill and moves from the back end. While he isn’t the biggest or the toughest defenseman to play against, his ability to create time and space regardless of the opponent’s strategy sets him apart from the rest of Team USA’s solid core of blueliners. One thing we noticed in the offensive zone is how he holds the blue line on the strong side of the puck, then in an instant darts to an opening in the high slot for a prime scoring chance. He’s a very intelligent puck mover and distributor who should have a field day on the bigger rink.

Name: Samuel Rossini
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’2, 193 lbs
Born: June 19th, 1998, Inver Grove Heights, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Waterloo Blackhawks, USHL
Summary: Top two-way defender with size  for Team USA who is projected as an early-round pick in the 2016 draft. Rossini is a Minnesota Gophers commit who missed some time with a broken wrist last fall but rebounded to solidify Waterloo’s top four. He is an excellent one-on-one defender who usually wins his puck battles, especially below the goal line without sacrificing positioning. If he goes behind the net, he’s either disrupting the opposing cycle or providing puck support to a teammate. He’s the best the Americans at the Hlinka will have to offer in terms of denying the enemy the puck, but he can also chip in offensively with smart pinches and crisp, accurate passes through seams.

Name: Dayton Rasmussen
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Left
Height/Weight: 6’1, 200 lbs
Born: November 4th, 1998, Eden Prairie, MN
2015-16 Commitment: Waterloo Blackhawks, USHL
Summary: A cerebral and athletic netminder who is part of the growing list of NCAA talent being produced by the Colorado Thunderbirds’ program, Rasmussen is a 2017 draft eligible still a few years away from fulfilling his commitment to the University of Denver. He’s a bit more polished than your average 16-year-old goaltender in that he plays with the sort of calmness coaches have a hard time instilling in them. While he is prone to mistakes in the name of rebounds and catching glove positioning, he doesn’t let the gaffes get to him and will remain focused while correcting himself. He may not be Team USA’s dedicated starter, but he’s got pro upside and is expected to use the entire international experience as a springboard to greater accomplishments.