YOUTH HOCKEY
Elite League helps Regals stay on the recruiting radar
There was a 10-for-1 deal at Holiday Twin Rinks during the extended Columbus Day weekend, and that proved to be a dream for a bunch of hockey scouts and the Buffalo Regals.
That's because recruiters from several American and Canadian major junior teams, 12 Division I college coaches and scouts from four National Hockey League teams were able to watch an estimated 200 of the top 18-and-under midget-level players perform under one roof during the three-day, 10-team Tier I Elite League East-West Showcase at the Cheektowaga ice facility.
While such showcase events are convenient and recruiting-budget friendly for coaches and scouts in these rough economic times, the presence of so many talent evaluators at these Elite League tournaments is the reason the Regals — the state's most dominant midget major team — pursued membership in the 25-team league. Each team in the league participates in eight showcase events at different sites during the season.
Last weekend's event at Holiday was one of them for Buffalo. While the Regals went 0-4-1 (all losses by a goal), the tournament was still a success for them because they showed off players who might have slipped under the recruiting radar in past years because scouts wouldn't have seen them play until the season-ending USA Hockey National Tournament.
The Regals, who will play a 48-game league schedule, ended the split-season scheduling approach that gave players the option of participating in the scholastic season during the winter. That means scouts will be able to monitor the progress of players throughout the season and better determine if a recruit has the goods to advance beyond the major-midget level.
"This is the best Triple-A League [in North America]," said Jason Koehler, the assistant general manager for the Youngstown Phantoms, who play in the United States Hockey League — the top Junior-A league in the country. "There's more of a respect factor [among scouts] if a player can produce at this level."
The Regals' showcase included league members from Los Angeles, Colorado and Phoenix as well as their four other East Division rivals.
"[These showcases] are a good way to get a grasp on some of the kids that are going to be the best for college hockey," Mercyhurst Recruiting Coordinator Bobby Ferraris said. "It's a great way to figure things out early and then when you see a good player in the USHL or NAHL [North American Hockey League — which is a step below the USHL] it's not the first time you've seen them."
The Regals plan to use their extra in-season practice time together on skill development so that they can be more than just competitive in a league that includes defending national champion Detroit Little Caesarscq as well as traditional programs with a long history of churnning out NHL prospects.
"This is the best thing to happen to Western New York hockey, ever," Regals General Manager Bob Maxick said.
Around the boards
• Amherst Knights Justin Bailey and Andrew Lee were among the standouts last summer at the seven-day USA Hockey national development camp for select 14-year-olds, according to the online publication U.S. Hockey Report.
The publication ranks its own top players by position (USA Hockey camp rankings aren't made public) and produced a list of the top 14-year-olds in the country from its own observations at the camp.
Bailey, a 6-foot-3, 160-pound freshman at Canisius, was rated as the top forward by USHR after leading the in-camp tournament portion of the extravaganza in scoring with eight goals and 10 points in five games.
Out of the 20 goalies in the camp, Lee was among just six to earn recognition in the story.
Bailey's teammate, forward Nick Smith of the Wheatfield, also participated in the camp, in which players had to survive grueling local and state tryouts in order to earn an invitation.
• Hasek's Heroes is still accepting registrations for the upcoming season. Players ages 4-17 from economically challenged families are eligible. Visit haseksheroes.org.
• The Wheatfield Blades are accepting novice and junior novice program applications. Visit wheatfieldblades.com.
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