50. Trent Stoner
Kalamazoo Eagles
2002 Senior Forward

He gets off the wall and gets momentum going towards the net well. Stoner led the Eagles in scoring last season and he’ll do it again as a senior, so long as he doesn’t force the issue and lets the game come to him. Plenty of puck skills and offensive zone awareness to be a threat against anyone.

 

49. Joshua Reece
Traverse City West
2002 Senior Defenseman

A wiry defender who’s really good with his angles. Reece is tough to beat in transition, derailing a lot of puck carriers between the red line and defensive hash marks. He makes a lot of plays in rhythm too, catching pucks in stride and moving them north without many hiccups.

 

48. Matthew Witt
Midland
2004 Junior Forward

Not an explosive skater but he makes up for it with his smarts and is truly a student of the game, looking to improve all the time. Witt has some moments that’ll get you fired up as a coach but the challenge for him will be to do it every single shift, every game and produce those moments consistently. 

 

47. Brendan Stroble
Livonia Stevenson
2002 Senior Goalie

One evaluator referred to him as “a really good, adaptive skater.” I’m sure the goalies in the room will appreciate that one. Stroble is a good mix of athletic and technical, and put up some stellar numbers last season as the top goalie in Division-II. His biggest competition in ‘20-21 may very easily be himself.

 

46. Ben Wild
Saline
2002 Senior Forward

Fantastic work ethic and makes a lot of good things happen. Wild isn’t flashy, but his straight-line approach makes him very effective. The 5-foot-11 center makes the simple plays that lead to awesome results, and he made a ton of improvements to his game this fall.

 

45. Blake Nowak
U-D Jesuit
2003 Senior Goalie

He’s got a very calm presence in net that puts his teammates at ease and allows them to play with confidence. Nowak never seems rattled, even in the midst of battling for position on loose pucks. Even against a daunting MIHL schedule, Nowak will give the Cubs a chance to win every time he’s in net.

 

44. Jacob Seiter
Brighton
2003 Senior Defenseman

Really good feet; I love the way he crawls along the offensive blue line while keeping his shoulders and eyes towards the net. Seiter can make some really awesome things happen, but as a defenseman sometimes, it’s about making the simple play and not necessarily the awesome play. If he can find that balance and limit mistakes, he’ll be huge for the Bulldogs.

 

43. Ryan Almassian
Forest Hills Northern-Eastern
Junior Defenseman

Much more physically developed from last season. Almassian had the frame you look for in defensemen last year as a sophomore and has since filled out, looking bigger and stronger on the ice. Keep things simple in the D-zone and make routine plays with the puck on his stick, and Almassian will be well on his way.

 

42. Doug Wood
University Liggett
2003 Junior Forward

Really talented with the puck on his stick. I would still like to see improvements in his game away from the puck but there’s no denying Wood’s ability to razzle-dazzle one-on-one and find creative ways to score some high-level goals.

 

41. Karson Krutina
Escanaba
2003 Junior Forward

Nothing flashy here, just pure hard work and effort with a little bit of skill sprinkled in. I mean that with the utmost respect, simply meaning that Krutina works for everything he gets on the ice. As a point-per-game guy last season as a sophomore, all things should trend upward for the third-year junior.

 

40. Brennen Hakkola
Marquette
2003 Senior Goalie

He’s posted back-to-back seasons with sub-2.00 goals-against averages against some pretty top-notch competition. A combination of decent size and good feet, and now as the primary netminder for Marquette, the stage is set for Hakkola to really flex on the U.P. this season.

 

39. Alec Hamady
Brother Rice
2003 Senior Forward

Sound defensively, provides solid back pressure, maintains good position and all that leads to lots of takeaways for Hamady. He’ll be a great shut-down guy that gets matched up with the opponent’s top scoring line, and playing in the MIHL, he’ll face plenty of offensive threats.

 

38. Seth Ferguson
Hartland
2003 Senior Forward

He has a really solid skill set and understanding of the game. Ferguson is a good skater and was one of the top producing forwards for MHA this fall, which is no easy task. I’d just like to see him engage more defensively, because when he does, he’s really successful. 

 

37. Billy VanSumeren
Midland Dow
2003 Junior Forward

When it comes to power forwards, they don’t get much bigger than VanSumeren. He has one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest shot in the game and can be really good offensively. If he can find that second gear, add an explosive first step to his repertoire, BVS could be very dominant.

 

36. Dayton Perroud
Rockford
2002 Senior Defenseman

Perroud is a really strong skater, maybe one of the best among defensemen for MDHL Green this fall. He’s not a stat stuffer but he doesn’t need to be. Perroud’s game is more about keeping everything in front of him and minimizes risks, having an active stick and snapping strong passes on the tape to teammates. 

 

35. Collin Preston
Trenton
2003 Senior Forward

Very crafty in the offensive zone and constantly flying around to make himself an option to the puck carrier. He could create chances in a phone booth and converts turnovers into scoring opportunities before defenders know what hit ‘em. Trenton will lean on that playmaking ability this season.

 

34. Alex Ceritano
Cranbrook
2003 Senior Forward

He’s a real scrappy player with some good grit in his game. Ceritano is quick to jump on loose pucks, fights through traffic and buzzes constantly. Killing penalties with this kid would be fun; he’s a guy I’m sure coaches would love to have in the lineup.

 

33. Aidan Talsma
Hudsonville
2002 Senior Defenseman

A very fluid player who’s constantly in rhythm. Pucks come to and from him so effortlessly, and Talsma just does a lot of good things without skipping a beat. Credit much of that to his footwork which puts him in position to move pucks effectively. He makes some errors, but damn, he battles his butt off to make up for them too.

 

32. Lenny Kubitski
Canton
2003 Senior Forward

He’s a big, thick, strong kid that was one of the biggest surprises to come out of the MDHL fall season. Kubitski can play with really good pace and transitions well in both directions. Could be a rising star in the KLAA this season.

 

31. Aaron Ackerson
Bay Reps
2004 Junior Defenseman

Still a little bit raw and unpolished, but Ackerson has the measurables that scouts salivate over for next-level defensemen. He’s 6-foot-3 and occupies a lot of space, I just want to see him utilize that a bit more with tight gaps in transition and being a little bit stingier in the corners.

 

30. Andrew Uturo
Grandville
2003 Senior Forward

He’s a future hockey coach in the making. Uturo is a really smart player; I mean so smart that even his line changes are methodical and planned out. Maybe that seems silly to point out but this kid is like an extension of the coach, knows where to go, when to go, how to go and why he needs to go, making lots of good things happen in the process.  

 

29. Jacob Spitz
Grosse Pointe South
2003 Junior Defenseman

The 5-foot-9 defender logged a crazy amount of minutes for the Blue Devils as a sophomore and I’ve gotta assume his role will only increase as he progresses. He makes really smart decisions with the puck on his stick and I really like his ability to distribute the puck in all three zones. 

 

28. Kaden Hemme
Detroit Catholic Central
2003 Junior Defenseman

The Shamrocks graduated A LOT from the back end last season, so having Hemme come back will certainly serve as a foundational building block for coach Brandon Kaleniecki. Hemme has tremendous reach and gets to a lot of loose pucks and has a heavy shot when he steps into one.

 

27. Matt Kuphal
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
2002 Senior Forward

The more I watch, the more I like him. Kuphal can have quite the impact as a two-way forward and engages well in board battles. He had a real strong outing as a junior and it may be tough to duplicate those numbers from a season ago, but the type of game he plays will be very effective for the Eaglets.  

 

26. Ryan Piros
Hartland
2003 Senior Goalie

The Eagles netminder was good as the starter last season and has been great this fall. Piros has made some significant improvements and it shows in his play. He tracks well through traffic and rarely looks rattled in net; with a strong campaign he could go down as the top goaltender of the season.

 

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