Scouting missions - Junior Hockey News

Published: Thursday, 24 Oct 2013

The inquiries come from here and there, just as the scouting visits are being planned to here and there.

Personnel from multiple Division 1 and Division 3 National Collegiate Athletic Association schools have shown, via written and verbal communication, more than a moderate measure of interest in a slew of players from Soo Eagles and Michigan Warriors of the North American Hockey League and Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.

At this point, most of the D1 interest is focused on 1994 birth year goalie Paige Skoog and four 1995 birth year skaters, namely defencemen Kristofers Bindulis and Michael Caruso and forwards Mike Sabatini and Alec Pellegrino.

NAHLers Skoog, Bindulis, Caruso and Sabatini all play for the Eagles while Pellegrino is with the Warriors.

While it is the goal of most NAHL players to eventually get a D1 commitment, there are a number of D3 schools that operate programs of exceptional caliber.

D3 programs of distinction include New York schools Elmira College, Hobart College, Plattsburgh State University and Oswego State University as well as St. Norbert College of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Adrian College of Michigan.

Combined, the Eagles and Warriors possess a handful of 1993 and 1994 birth year players who are considered borderline D1 or top D3 prospects.

Mentioned prominently in that fine-line D1-D3 category are forwards Ryan Urso (who can also play defence) and Chase Matson of the Eagles and Warriors defenceman Jake Faiella.

There are also a multitude of 19-and-20-year olds from the NAHL Eagles and Warriors and NOJHL Thunderbirds who may not be quite D1-caliber but who the better D3 schools figure to be actively pursuing at some point.

On that list are forwards AJ Jarosz, Jacob McDowell, Brad Pung, Kyle Loridon and defenceman Bradley Mueller of the Eagles; forwards Connor Lyons, Zack Szajner, Jake Hopfner, TJ Stuntz, Scott Cuthrell, John Nugent and goalie Trevor Gorsuch of the Warriors; forwards Gavin Burbach, Anthony Miller, Grant Syrette, Nick Tassone and defenceman David Radke of the Thunderbirds.

It should be noted that three 1997 youngsters from the Soo Indians major midgets are on the D1 future watch list and are sure bets to be playing junior hockey somewhere next season: forwards Frankie Pucci and Cole Lussier and defenceman Andrew Barbeau. The fact that as 16-year olds they already have the attention of D1 schools speaks volumes of their potential.

Of further note, Pucci was selected by the Erie Otters at the 2013 Ontario Hockey League draft.

Then there is the Indians high-scoring, hard-working forward Casey Gilling, who has a 1998 birth date and is considered one of the top 15-year old skaters in the north-to-mid Michigan area.

To be sure, the apple of the eyes of the NCAA scouts looking this way is 1997 birth year defenceman Owen Headrick of the NOJHL Thunderbirds.

As was first reported within Sault This Week, Headrick already has a full-ride, D1 offer on the table from the Lake Superior State Lakers.

A hot commodity, Headrick is also the OHL property of the Erie Otters.

But one would expect that Headrick and his parents are intrigued by the prospect of the kid staying home and playing for Lake Superior State, starting the 2015-2016 season.

The Headricks live just outside Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. on Garden River First Nation. And Lake Superior State is located just across the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

You can follow me on Twitter @RandyRusson.

DEFINITION OF SKILL — Formerly of the Soo Thunder minor midgets and a 2013 Ontario Hockey League draft

pick of the Erie Otters, 16-year-old centre Frankie Pucci has brought his skill set to the Soo Indians major

midgets for this 2013-2014 season.

Corbiere is cognitive as

Soo Indians chief scout

RANDY RUSSON

Mika Media

He has been around the Sault Ste. Marie midget and junior hockey scene for parts of four decades as an assistant coach, head coach and scout. An erstwhile coach in both the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and the North American Hockey League, it is as chief scout and director of player personnel for the Soo Indians major midget team that is the current gig for Rick Corbiere.

It is in the dual role of chief scout/director of player personnel that Corbiere has assisted general managerMike Kaunisto and head coach Pat Carricato in putting together the roster for the Indians, an independent team that has already played 19 games this 2013- 2014 season against top competition that includes Thunder Bay Kings, Windsor Jr. Spitfires, Detroit Compuware, Detroit

Honeybaked et al. After numerous years of operation and an alumni that includes goalie Ryan Miller of the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres and forward Dan Radke of the Division1, National Collegiate Athletic Association Lake Superior State Lakers, the Indians went dormant for the 2012-2013 season with a revival plan for the 2013-2014 campaign. The plan is in place. Not only are the Indians a .500 team against high-level competition, they earned the bronze medal earlier this month at the prestigious Compuware-Honeybaked Tournament that was held in Detroit. Corbiere, who worked extremely hard during the dormant period to help put the roster pieces together for this Indians team, likes what he has seen. “To be able to get a quality coach like Pat was a key addition for us,” Corbiere said of Carricato, who coached for six seasons in the NOJHL with the Soo Thunderbirds before stepping away from the game at the end of the 20092010 term. Corbiere and Carricato connected to get several players from the Ontario side of the International Bridge to sign with the Michigan-based Indians, including defencemen Cade Nolan and Andrew Barbeau and forward Frankie Pucci. Nolan, a 1996 birth year, played

for the now-dormant Soo North Stars major midgets in 2012-2013 while Barbeau and Pucci, who were both born in 1997, skated for the Soo Thunder minor midgets. Corbiere can’t say enough about the trio. “Cade is a good skater who is just starting to come into his own,” said Corbiere.

“Given the chance to play and develop as a third-year midget, he’s done a really good job for us.”

Corbiere noted the leadership and character attributes of the hard-nosed Barbeau, pointing out that “there’s a reason why Andrew is the captain of our team.” Then there’s Pucci, a small-sized forward who was selected by the Erie Otters in the 12th round of the 2013 Ontario Hockey League draft. “If you look up the word ‘skill’ in the dictionary it will have Frankie’s name

beside it,” Corbiere said of Pucci, who has been a point-per-game pivot for theIndians.

As for Corbiere, hockey is a game that consumes him and knows no boundaries.

“Our team might be based in Michigan but we play a lot of our games in Ontario and we give opportunities to players from both sides of the border,” he said proudly.

At home with the Soo Indians

Call this a cross-border connection.

Soo Indians may be based in Michigan but the major midget hockey team has a strong link to Ontario.

In addition to head coach Pat Carricato, the Indians — an independent team that has already played 16 games against top major midget squads from both sides of the Canada-United States border thus far this 2013-2014 season — feature three plum players from the Ontario side of the International Bridge.

They are defencemen Cade Nolan and Andrew Barbeau and forward Frankie Pucci.

Nolan, a 1996 birth year, played for the now-dormant Soo North Stars major midgets in 2012-2013 while Barbeau and Pucci, who were both born in 1997, skated for the Soo Thunder minor midgets.

Nolan, a Garden River First Nation resident, has been a regular with the Indians since the start of the 2013-2014 season after a steady showing at the North American Hockey League main camp of the Tier 2 junior Soo Eagles.

Barbeau and Pucci, however, needed Hockey Canada intervention before being able to skate for the Indians.

As was first reported within Sault This Week, Barbeau and Pucci were finally allowed to play for the Indians four games into this season after a Hockey Canada ruling allowed the two youngsters to suit up with the Michigan-based team after they had been previously denied their releases by both the Sault Major Hockey Association and Northern Ontario Hockey Association.

To be sure, Barbeau and Pucci are just happy to be playing hockey — and for the Carricato-coached Indians.

“It’s a really good atmosphere and I am really excited to be a part of it,” said Barbeau, a strong, sturdy defender who is also the captain of the Indians. “It’s all good, the coaching staff and the competition.”

Pucci, a small but skilled speedster who was selected by the Erie Otters in the 12th round of the 2013 Ontario Hockey League draft, has been averaging a point-per-game since joining the Indians. A serious individual, Pucci’s face lit up when asked about playing for Carricato, who has a reputation as a firm, fair coach.

“Coach Pat is really smart,” Pucci offered. “He stresses the little things. He expects 100 per cent and you always want to give 100 per cent playing for him.”

As for Nolan, this is his third season at the major midget level. A year older than Barbeau and Pucci, it’s a crossroads campaign for the smooth-skating defender who is known as a team-oriented player.

“It’s a great opportunity for our team to excel and Pat is a great coach to help me get to the next level,” said Nolan.

Nolan, Barbeau and Pucci all figure to have good opportunities to play junior hockey in 2014-2015.

All three are being watched closely by both the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and the Michigan-based Eagles of the NAHL. And as noted, Pucci has status an an OHL draft pick.

As Nolan, Barbeau and Pucci have earned individual words of praise from Carricato, the Indians as a team have also enjoyed success this 2013-2014 season.

In September, the Indians garnered three of four points in two home games against the powerful Windsor Jr. Spitfires. And earlier this month, the Indians came away from the prestigious Compuware-Honeybaked Tournament in Detroit with the bronze medal.

The fact that the Indians are playing again is a credit to their owner-general manager Mike Kaunisto.

After being dormant for the 2012-2013 season, Kaunisto revived the program for the 2013-2014 campaign and brought in Carricato as bench boss to work with a staff that includes mainstays Jerry Harwood and Rick Corbiere.

Carricato coached in the NOJHL with the Thunderbirds for six seasons before stepping away from the game at the end of the 2009-2010 term.

Soo Indians in fine early-season form

It’s been a good start to the 2013-2014 season for the all-new Soo Indians major midget hockey team.

After being dormant for the 2012-2013 season, Indians owner-general manager Mike Kaunisto revived the program for the 2013-2014 campaign and brought in Pat Carricato as head coach.

Carricato coached the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League for six seasons before stepping away from the game at the end of the 2009-2010 term.

Under Carricato, the Indians, who are an independent team, have a record of 4-1-1 thus far this season, including a triumph over a Windsor Jr. Spitfires squad that has four Ontario Hockey League draft picks in its lineup.

The Indians feature three plum players from the Ontario side of the International Bridge: Defencemen Cade Nolan and Andrew Barbeau and forward Frankie Pucci.

Nolan played for the now-dormant Soo North Stars major midgets in 2012-2013 while Barbeau and Pucci both skated for the Soo Thunder minor midgets.

Pucci, a 2013 OHL draft pick of the Erie Otters, has three assists in just two games for the Indians this season.

Nolan has played in all six of the Indians games thus far and has a pair of assists.

Barbeau, a stay-at-home defender, wears the ‘C’ on his jersey as the Indians team captain.

As was first reported within Sault This Week, Pucci and Barbeau joined the Indians four games into this season following a Hockey Canada ruling that allowed the two youngsters to play for the Michigan-based team after they had been denied their releases by both the Sault Major Hockey Association and Northern Ontario Hockey Association