Neutral Zone headed to Wayne, NJ for the annual NJ Hitmen Classic on October 6-9, 2016. Our focus for this report was the Premier Division. All 10 teams played three games each. The games were played under regular season rules and counted in the standings.
The overall play was good. The event was well run and attended by some Division I college scouts and lots of Division III schools. Games were played on two rinks, many at the same time. We did some “bouncing” but mostly tried to watch entire games.
The players noted here stood out for mostly positive reasons. The grades are in relation to the other players noted. We were in attendance for all four days of the showcase.
A
Tomas Psenicka (6’4”/208lbs; NJ Hitmen, #66, late ’98; F)-The 1998 from the Czech Republic is a new addition to Neutral Zone. He was impressive here. He can make quick, simple plays on line rushes. He is tough and played hard. He showed a quick, hard shot. Tomas is hard to handle once he gets going. He must learn to use his body more to get to the net and his first step needs some work. He was, however, one of the best players this weekend.
Matt Thomson (6’1”/195lbs; IHC, #15, ’98; F)- Our knock on Matt last season at Reading HS was his play away from the puck and his overall consistency shift to shift. He has improved a lot in both areas. He is working hard away from the puck and in all three zones. His skating and strength look improved. Matt showed his quick stick, shot and touch around the net. He scored one goal on a rebound from a near possible angle. His game is rounding out nicely with the IHC and he is clearly one of the best players in the league. College: Northeastern
This content is only available to subscribers.
