Black Team

1.  00020.  NTDP (#3 Black) Ryan Lindgren (5’11″/190lbs/L/Shattuck Bantam)-Lindgren is a defenseman that likes to rush the puck.  He played well in Minnesota Hockey’s Reebok HP-15 program and should do well at the NTDP camp.  Shattuck teammate, Jordan Greenway (from New York), has committed to play for the 2013-2014 USA U17 team.  It is rumored that Lindgren has verbally committed to play for the University of Minnesota.

2.  00247.  NTDP (#15 Black) Mitchell Mattson (6’2″/165/L/Grand Rapids Bantam AA)

3. 00017. NTDP (#5 Red) Matthew Kiersted (5’10″/150lbs/L/Elk River Bantam AA).  Kiersted was selected as an alternate at the end of the St. Cloud camp and is now making the trip to New York.

4.  00007.  NTDP (#6 Red) Eric Gotz (5’8”/148lbs/R/Hibbing Varsity)

5. 00224.  NTDP (#16 Red) Garrett Wait (5’11″/160lbs/L/Edina Bantam AA)-Wait had a great camp teamed with Long and Hanson for the Red team.  He plays a smart tough wing and a strong defense and has really improved since peewees.

6.  00009.  NTDP (#2 Gold) Matthew Hellickson (5’10″/160lbs/L/Rogers Varsity)

7.  00030. NTDP (#3 Gold) Harmon Sorenson (6’0″/170lbs/R/Wayzata Bantam AA)-He had a great St. Cloud camp and was chosen at an alternative.  A strong defensive player, it is a nice surprise to see him headed to New York

8. 00240.  NTDP (#18 Gold) Riley Tufte (6’2″/183/L/Blaine Varsity)-Tufte plays a mean power forward that can tear up an opponent’s defense.  He plays a hard physical game and can score.  He is one of those players whose development seems to be accelerating.

9.  00201.  NTDP (#16 Kelly) Joey Anderson (5’10″/175lbs/R/Hill-Murray Varsity)-Anderson showed just enough talent to advance at St. Cloud.  He can play better.  It is rumored that he has verbally committed to be a UMD Bulldog.

10.  00229.  NTDP (#18 Kelly) Max Johnson (5″10″/165/R/Lakeville North Bantam AA)-Johnson is becoming a pleasant surprise for the Lakeville North program that are the reigning Section 1AA champions.

11.  00032.  NTDP (#4 Blue) Casey Staum (5’10″/145lbs/L/Hill-Murray JV)-Staum and Joey Anderson have been long time teammates, first at Roseville and now at  Hill Murray.  Staum is a strong steady defense player and should be an asset for the Hill varsity next season.

12.  00243.  NTDP (#9 Blue) Lukas Dow (5’7″/140lbs/L/Duluth East Bantam AA)-Dow retreated more to being a playmaker at the St. Cloud camp, often drawing the defense to him and finding the open man.  His play will be tested at the NTDP camp in New York this week.

13.  00014.  NTDP (#2 White) Jack Kelly (5’11″/175lbs/L/OMGHA Bantam AA)-Kelly is a smooth skater that keeps his head up, makes a nice break out pass and really challenges opponents in front of his team’s net.  He is a two sport athlete.

14. 00234.  NTDP (#11 Royal) Montana Streit (5’9″/150/L/Rochester Lourdes Varsity)-Streit played in the Class A state tourney as part of the reigning Section 1A champions Lourdes team.  With the departure of top scorers (including Alex Funk going to the NAHL Minnesota Magicians), Streit figures strongly in the Lourdes’ varsity offense next year.

15.  00103. NTDP (#1 Forest) Thomas Hanson/5’9″/155/L/Minnetonka JV-Hanson had a dedicated, hardworking, camp at St. Cloud and it paid off.  Minnesota goal tenders seem to always struggle at NTDP camps.  Perhaps Hanson can change that this year.

16.  00209.  NTDP (#9 Forest) Luke Paterson (6’0″/155lbs/R/Wayzata Bantam AA)-A lanky wing with just a good working hockey ethic; he plays the kind of game that most want to see.

16. 00222.  NTDP (#12 Purple) Kieffer Bellows (5’11″/195lbs/L/Edina Bantam AA)-Bellows is finally playing hockey as opposed to trying to overpower or trick opponents.  When he focused on hockey at St. Cloud and showed he could carry a team.  In New York, he should get noticed with his size and strength and his ability to hold his edges.  He shows the same qualities as Brock Boeser, now a member of the USA U17 team.

17. 00108.  NTDP (#1 Royal) Spencer Olson (5’7”/140lbs/R/Anoka Bantam AA)

18.  00028.  NTDP (#5 Royal) Sam Rossini (6’0″/165/L/Burnsville Varsity)-Surprised everybody with his play especially at St. Cloud.  Now he has a chance to follow other Burnsville players such as Brock Boeser to the USA hockey teams.

19. 00206.  NTDP (#12 Grey) Samuel Huff (5’10″/150lbs/R/OMGHA Bantam AA)-Huff fought hard and caused a lot of mayhem up front at St. Cloud, but just couldn’t finish a play off.  Still he came up with a number of good goals at the camp.  Huff is another kid now player that has been on the our peewee watch list for a long time.

20. 00102. NTDP (#30 Grey) Ryan Edquist (5’11″/155lbs/R/Shattuck Bantam AAA)-Edquist has the physic of a classical goalie, longer in the body and shorter in the legs.  He was the most senior of the goalies at the St. Cloud camp in terms of minutes in the net and it showed.

21.  00019.  NTDP (#5 Orange) Nickolas Leitner (5’8″/148lbs/R/Bemidji Bantam AA)

22.  00211.  NTDP (#16 Orange) Mark Senden (5’10″/165lbs/L/Wayzata Bantam AA)-After an outstanding festival, Senden teamed up with Montana Streit for the Royals and the two had a great St. Cloud camp.  Senden is always a strong scoring forward and emerged as a top goal scorer at the camp.

23.  00236.  NTDP (#15 Navy) Austen Long (5’10″/165lbs/R/Spring Lake Park Varsity)-Long’s good play at the Festival preceded him on the ice at St. Cloud.  At St. Cloud, Long was in a red jersey, but his opponents must have thought it had white circles on it the back or that he worked for Target.  Despite constantly pressured, Long used his wings well.  Long is one of the players to watch at New York.

Since March and April, the players have been under the tutelage of high school level coaching.  They have been playing with kids from within their districts.  In New York, they will be under the tutelage of a mix of college and USA coaches.  It is a far different environment.  Last week’s mini-camp was held emphasizing USA coaching and what to the players could expect at the New York camp.  It is serious hockey.

There comes a time in each kid’s life where they move from being “that kid” to being “that young man”.  For some kids, it can happen earlier in their teens or late in their teens.  Sometimes it seems to happen over months and sometimes overnight.  All parents recognize the change after it happens.  Suddenly, that boyish thing their child has had is gone.  Its then parent realizes that their relationship with their kid has become a relationship with a young adult.

It is part of life.  That happens in hockey as well.  When a talented kid moves to the higher levels, the hockey becomes serious; skating well on the ice has to be balanced with coping with a strange environment off the ice.

Minnesota hockey kids start out in an association environment where each year things are familiar, the tryout process the same, the coaching is tempered, and the environment supportive.  All that goes out the window with serious hockey.  Things are not familiar, the tryout process can be strange, the coaching gruff and the individual support nonexistent.

If a Minnesota kid is going to be “wearing the flag”, he has to be prepared to succeed in that different and strange environment.  Minnesota Hockey recognized that a long time ago.  And those Minnesota kids that participate in the Reebok High Performance Program get a taste of serious hockey.  They become known as a serious hockey player.