Development Camp Update

By and large, Harvard players performed well at their respective development camps. Below is a hodgepodge of fan and coaching analysis:

Louis Leblanc - 1st Round (#18) by Montreal Canadiens

• He made a GREAT rush at the start of the 1st, skated pass a d-man from the outside and drove the net but didn't score but that was great to see. But 2 things are absolutely certain. He needs to bulk up BIG TIME. And he needs to make quicker decisions with the puck. The overall rhythm of this camp is impressive and Leblanc is not there yet. But you see that he has skills, you see that he's not afraid of anybody, you see that he has a great work ethic, so based on that you can't be disappointed. But if you expect a 1st rounder to blow you away and came away as the best player today, you might be disappointed and especially when you start comparing him to other players like Avtsin and others I will talk about today. But a great prospect he is that will need to indeed become much stronger and much faster in his decision making.

Alexander Fallstrom - 4th Round (#116) by Minnesota Wild

• I really liked what I saw from him. He is a big player with some good speed and good hands. He was a noticeable player all day and appeared to have a good hockey IQ. I am happy he is intelligent (Harvard) but wish he was going to a better hockey program. But, again, I liked what I saw from him today
• The player that stood out the most to me was Fallstrom. I really like his game and think he will definitely help the Wild someday down the road.

Alex Killorn

• A couple of NCAA guys looked sharp in Alex Killorn (Harvard) and Matt Marshall (Vermont). Both guys looked pretty quick and fast on the ice. Killorn showed pretty good hands in close on one play where he cut into the crease and roofed a shot over Jaroslav Janus

Alex Biega

• He was the biggest surprise for me. Quick, strong, and battling very well. When he had the puck he was very hard to take him off it. Strong on his skates and battled hard. When he was the one without the puck he played physical, quick and fierce, knocking the guy down. Also showed nice hands on a few of his shots.

See Ya Zach!

Mitchell signs with the Guelph Storm out of Major Junior's OHL.

More to come....

Zach Mitchell joins Harvard's Recruiting Class of 2011

Zach Mitchell - 5'11' - 155lbs - RW - (1993 birth year) plays for the Toronto Marlies. He is described as follows as part of the OHL Draft preview:

Mitchell is an outstanding offensive producer that is still responsible in his own zone. He scored four goals and five assists for nine points in the OHL Cup to help the Marlies to the championship. He played in all situations this season and excelled at killing penalties.“He distributes the puck quite well, and once he does move it to an open teammate he immediately works to get himself into a support position,” Kitamura said. “This makes him very tough player to defend. He works to get into a shooting position, anticipates the play and wins races to loose pucks regularly. When he does get a scoring chance, he usually puts the puck into the back of the net.”

Welcome Zach!!

Harvard Recruits & Final Central Scouting Rankings

Name - Final Ranking (Mid-term Ranking):

Louis Leblanc - 13 (18)
Alexander Fallstrom - 69 (84)
David Valek - 72 (76)
Brendan Rempel - 98 (85)
Marshall Everson - 181 (123)

Danny Biega is not eligible to be drafted until next year because of his age. Mark Luzar & Zach Mitchell (more coming on this new recruit) will not be eligible until the 2011 draft.

Daniel Ford, Andrew Calof, Conor Morrison (too old), and Luke Greiner were not mentioned.

Leblanc, Fallstrom, and Valek were all invited to the NHL combine from May 25-30 in Toronto

Another Blue Chippah for Harvard!

Even with all my bias, I think that with this latest signing, Harvard most certainly has the #1 recruiting class in the nation - particularly with the hit Notre Dame took when Cam Fowler bolted for Major Junior.

David Valek - 6'2'' 215 power forward from the USNDT has signed with Harvard and will join the Crimson in 2009. Valek has a 6-13-19 line in 40 games this year with the national team. In international tournament play, he is the 2nd leading scorer for the team with a 4-4-8 in 8 games.

In the CSS Mid-Season rankings, Valek was ranked #76.

With Everson, Leblanc, Valek, Fallstrom, Rempel, and Ford - Harvard will likely have 6 NHL draft picks in the Class of 2009.

Andrew Calof Chooses Harvard

Andrew Calof is a 5'10 - 165lb center and is a '91 birth year. His line is 47-53-100 in 59 games.

He was awarded the top prospect award by the CJHL, fastest skater title in the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects all star competition and made the CJHL prospects all-star roster. He also had the 3rd most points in the entire CJHL.

Andrew will join Harvard in 2010, though with some pretty serious interest from Major Junior teams, let's not count our chickens before they've hatched (He was drafted by the Mississauga Ice Dogs - now Niagara Ice Dogs - who selected him in the 2007 OHL draft.

Andrew's grandfather graduated from Harvard.

New England Prep School All Stars Announced

These awards were voted on by the coaches:

East Forwards:
Chris Kreider, Andover (Jr.) (Chose BC over Harvard)
Dan Weiniger, Exeter (Bowdoin)
Wayne Simpson, Lawrence (Union)
Defensemen:
Tom Larkin, Exeter (Colgate)
Thomas Kader, Tabor (?)
Goaltender:
Mike Condon, Belmont Hill (Princeton)

West Forwards:
Wade Megan, South Kent ( BU)
Mark Goggin, Choate (Chose Dartmouth over Harvard)
Robbie Bourdon, Taft (Colgate)
Jake Goldberg, Berkshire (Jr.) (Undecided)
Kevin Goumas, Canterbury (Jr.) (Undecided)
Defensemen:
Danny Biega, Salisbury (Harvard)
Mac Bennett, Hotchkiss (Jr.) (Michigan)
Goaltender:
Alex Vazzano, Gunnery (Jr.) (Union)

Noticeable omissions include Andy Isles (Cornell) and Steven Whitney (BC)