U18 – McKeen's Hockey

Jeremy Bracco paving his own path to NHL

Scott Wheeler — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:32:55 +0000

Hockey has always been a family affair for the Bracco’s.

At Christmas this year, brothers Mike and Jon Bracco pulled out some old photos of themselves playing against each other. Each had played NCAA hockey as goaltenders, each had won one game a piece against one another.

For Mike, it would have been easy to coach his son Jeremy through minor hockey as a goalie. Instead he insisted otherwise, despite the goalie equipment and memories that line the family’s home and stories.

Now 17 years old, Jeremy is paving his own path to college hockey and beyond, slotted to attend Boston College (BC) next fall and an expected top draft pick in this year’s NHL Draft.

“You know what, my dad said he wouldn’t let me [play goalie] so I don’t think I asked,” Jeremy said in an interview Tuesday evening.

Photo By Tom Sorensen, Courtesy of the USNTDP

Ever since, he hasn’t looked back, joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (USNTDP) last year, where he has since played on both the national under-17 (U17) and under-18 (U18) teams, scoring at well over a point per game in various competitions and leagues.

For a young man on the fast track to the NHL, schooling remains a top priority though.

“The NHL is the end goal for me, every player wants to have a 20-year career and be in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “But you have to complete school and you need a backup plan after hockey so that’s definitely a big thing for me too.”

Boston College emerged as his choice after giving consideration to Harvard University and Boston University (BU).

His choice, he said, has created a friendly rivalry of sorts between fellow American-born prospects.

Jeremy currently plays on a line with Colin White, a future teammate with Boston College and Jordan Greenway, a future adversary committed to BU. In this year’s All-American Prospects Game, he also played on a line with current BU forward and top-ranked 2015 draft prospect Jack Eichel.

“It was pretty funny how two BC guys on one line now and I was playing on the BU line in the prospects game,” Jeremy said.

It was the All-American Prospects Game where the diminutive 5’9” forward exploded for two goals, including a breakaway tally, with the hockey world watching.

Still though, it wasn’t the highlight of his career to date.

“Everyone wants to play well in high stakes like that with everyone watching but a career highlight for me is definitely winning the U17s last year,” he said of his 11 points in six games performance on route to a gold medal.

On the day NHL Central Scouting released their midterm rankings, with Bracco ranked at 36 among North American skaters, he said they don’t change anything.

“I mean, 36, 2, 7 or 10, you always want to be better and get higher and beat the next guy in front of you or the next five guys in front of you,” he said, adding that every player should have a chip on their shoulder to push them to be better.

“The end goal is to play in the NHL and rankings really don’t matter for that,” he said.

Still, Jeremy said he recognizes that as a smaller player it’s up to him to prove he can play against bigger competition. He said he believes he’s done that this year.

His size isn’t the only challenge he’s had to overcome either. After being one of the last cuts from the U.S. World Junior Team this year, Jeremy has tried to turn a negative into a positive.

Jeremy points to positive feedback from coaches Don Granato, Mark Osiecki and Kevin Patrick as well as general manager Jim Johannson as helping him become a better player.

“They were telling me ‘you made it a real tough decision’ and I don’t think people thought I would get an opportunity.”

Jeremy also credits Buffalo Sabres prospect J.T. Compher, who was his roommate during the camp, for his advice.

“He just tried to help me to never be satisfied and always keep my head up no matter what happens,” he said. “I mean, getting invited as a younger player is a tremendous honour, it was a great experience.”

Moving forward, Jeremy has his eyes set on a U18 gold medal.

“The main thing that we’ve been preaching for two years now here, for myself personally and for the team is winning that U18 gold medal,” he said. “We were fortunate enough to be undefeated last year internationally and we’re going to hope to keep that going.”

Mirco Mueller steady, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Slovakia U18 reports

David Burstyn — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:18:08 +0000

Mirco Mueller's skates barely left the ice in Sochi.

The Swiss defender still had plenty left to give after playing 69 games through the regular season and playoffs with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. Mueller was almost always on the ice for Team Switzerland and made his presence felt with his quality play.

The Swedes were unable to score a goal against the Americans in a 4-0 quarter-final loss. However, some of their players left good impressions while others left something to be desired. William Nylander looked every bit the player projected as a top-three pick in the 2014 draft while Robert Hagg did little to quash some of the concerns in his game.

Leon Draisaitl and Dominik Kahun provided the Germans with a dynamic one-two punch while Slovakian captain Peter Cehlarik can no longer hide his vast talents from the hockey world.

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Team Sweden

William Nylander (C/RW, 2014)

Arguably one of the most offensively-gifted and dangerous players in the tournament .. followed up stellar U17 World Challenge gold medal performance .. skated on the top unit with Burakovsky and de la Rose .. able to make plays, generate offence out of nothing and constantly stay involved due to a darting skating style that allows him to poke in and out of traffic .. won gold at the U17 World Challenge four months prior to U18 World Championships and is poised to be a top-three selection next year.

Robert Hagg (D, 2013)

Had an up and down tournament as he could make plays but also played with aloofness; a tag that he has been unable to shake all season .. often appears moody and disinterested on the ice despite possessing a highly-tuned skill set .. skating needs to be ramped up but he processes the game so well that he could QB a PP at the pro level.

Lucas Wallmark (C, 2013)

Ended the season just as he started by leading Team Sweden in points for the U18 World Championships (5-2-3-5) just as he had done for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial .. smart and creative centre struggled at times with Olympic-sized ice as his skating is simply not there .. can make plays and is a creative passer, however his speed limitations are difficult to ignore.

Andre Burakovsky (RW, 2013)

Had a good tournament as he led Team Sweden with four goals, however was unable to pick up his game when it mattered most against Team Canada in relegation and in the quarter-finals against Team USA .. was not dominant by any stretch, but made good all-around decisions backed by his impressive speed .. helped to erase some question marks and improve his draft stock despite a very ordinary year with Malmo in the Allsvenskan.

Jacob de la Rose (W, 2013)

Versatile forward played both wings and was a spark plug for Team Sweden, injecting some brash physical play while also showing a penchant for being able to create .. prototypical power forward can play in any situation and with any set of line-mates as his skill set translates well to adapt to any game situation .. played consistent if not overwhelming.

Team Switzerland

Mirco Muller (D, 2013)

Assistant captain appeared at times to be playing the entire game as he would rarely leave the ice .. played in all situations and was often lined up against opposition’s best players .. diligent defensive game only managed to finish a -1 throughout the tournament despite Switzerland being out-scored by a two-to-one margin of 24-12 .. showed ability to log minutes and still play a focused game .. improved his draft stock with his consistent play.

Team Germany

Dominik Kahun (C, 2013)

Once again rode shotgun with Draisaitl as the two had done previously at the U17 World Challenge and played a gutsy, intelligent two-way game co-leading the scoring for Team Germany with 5-3-4-7 totals .. undersized but smart in terms of his approach and did not put himself into problematic situations .. year of playing in the OHL has developed his all around game .. Kahun and Draisaitl looked leaps and bounds better than their countrymen.

Leon Draisaitl (LW, 2014)

Once again shined on the international stage as he scored at a point-per-game clip .. most experienced player on team as he also played for Germany at the WJC .. highly-skilled .. the game-plan was to get him the puck at all times .. had an insane amount of touches per game and was always on the puck .. flourished with the pressure of being the go-to-guy .. speed looks like it has improved and his game-reading skills are in the upper-echelon of his age group.

Team Slovakia

Peter Cehlarik (LW, 2013)

Team captain was the driving force for Team Slovakia, who avoided being relegated after posting a 3-2 win over Latvia .. had a great tournament (6-2-5-7) as his skill set was evident with each shift, however he had no one to play with as he had to do it all by himself .. skating is plausible but offensive skills and puck-handling ability is incredibly developed .. played in Lulea J20, the Northern-most team in the Sweden J20 so NHL teams may not have seen him, however he’s no longer a secret after his U18 World Championship coming out party.

Fatigue sets in for Valeri Nichushkin, Russia and Finland U18 reports

David Burstyn — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:45:28 +0000

A long season wound down with a less-than-stellar final performance from top prospect Valeri Nichushkin.

The Russian sniper who scored the game-winning goal over Canada in the bronze-medal game at the world juniors had a hard time making the same impact when it mattered most in this tournament.

Thanks in part to the exceptional play from Finnish goaltender Juuse Saros, the Finns placed third with a 2-1 win over Russia for the bronze. Saros shone throughout the tournament to help cement his status as the top European goalie prospect for this year’s draft.

Meanwhile, Kasperi Kapanen, Julius Honka and Vladimir Tkachev all made statements for their draft status in the 2014 class.

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Team Finland

Juuse Saros (G, 2013)

Named top goaltender of the tournament after gaving his team a chance to win each and every game .. kicked aside 50-plus shots against Team USA in round robin play and was exceptional in the bronze-medal game, turning aside 25 shots against Russia .. fierce competitor whose game-reading skills were at a premium; he was never out of position .. number 1 ranked European goalie heading into the tournament did nothing to knock him off his pedestal.

Kasperi Kapanen (C, 2014)

Son of former NHLer Sami .. an absolute speed demon .. as if he was shot out of a cannon, he would always be leading a charge up ice .. finished 6^th in tournament scoring (7-5-3-8) as an under-ager .. always buzzing and creating around the opposition’s goal .. has heightened offensive skills and a quick wrist-shot that caught many goalies by surprise.

Artturi Lehkonen (C, 2013)

Finished where he left off last year by finishing in the top-five in tournament scoring .. point-producing machine .. highly instinctive, he was always generating offence with his stealth-like approach to the game .. always in the right place at the right time, he once again showcased his natural ability to manufacture offence at the world’s biggest stage.

Juuso Ikonen (W, 2013)

What he lacks in size, he more than makes up in heart as he would battle courageously along the wall and in the slot .. played on the top line and produced at a point-a-game clip .. showed no hesitation to go after top players and was extremely pesky in Team Finland’s bronze-medal win against Russia.

Julius Honka (D, 2014)

Under-age defenseman is also under-sized but he plays with exceptional poise.. was able to keep McDavid and company in check in semi-final match, logging ample minutes while playing in a shut-down capacity .. shows the ability to make plays offensively as he has a good stick .. very clever and is better than the sum of his parts .. needs to physically-mature but showed up when the chips were down.

Team Russia

Valeri Nichushkin (LW, 2013)

Appeared fatigued after joining the tournament immediately upon the completion of the KHL finals .. showed flashes of absolute brilliance and shined in a quarter-final game against Team Germany with a two-goal effort .. played first line minutes but very little if any PK .. needs to assert himself physically and play with more intensity .. his tournament was average by the standards he set in February at the U18 5 Nations, however considering the amount of hockey he has played in the last two months, scouts should give him a pass.

Pavel Buchnevich (C, 2013)

Finished second in tournament scoring, tied with fellow line-mate Tkachev .. absolutely took over games offensively when he wanted to, but also had bouts of laziness as he would not always move his feet .. dynamic with the puck and has a good sized frame to protect the puck and make plays .. Russian factor plays into his draft stock but has established himself in last few tournaments as a comparable point-producing forward.

Vladimir Tkachev (RW, 2014)

Dazzled at the tournament with his solo end-to-end plays as he scored multiple highlight reel goals .. performance was a quantum leap ahead of his play at the U18 5 Nations tournament in February .. .. showcased has elite game-breaking skills and a silky smooth skating style with multiple gears of acceleration .. sensationally small, weighing only 135 pounds and standing 5’9.