As a 96, I would suggest playing U18 Midgets until the player can dominate (not really based on points, but more play), then move up to either the Premier (USPHL Premier) league or USHL. Jr. B on the east coast is pretty much useless now, and with the dilution in Jr A (EHL), I can't really suggest that to anyone since there will be a few teams with players that can't really play running around looking to take heads off versus playing good hockey (Take this as more of a hunch than anything else). Also don't know how well scouted the EHL will be next year as it is pretty much the AJ+ some weak EJ teams. If you're a coach looking for the best players regardless of age, you will be looking at the Premier league. If youre looking for the best young players, U18 would be the best place to look... So where does the EHL fit in? Regardless of what everyone says, scouts DO NOT have the time to see everyone, so they go where the best bang-for-your-buck value is.
I would say a USPHL team would be best if you want him to stay on the east coast as long as you know your kid is good enough to get looks for the Premier team in 1 or 2 years . T1EHL is a very good choice too, but he would have to leave the east coast (not a bad thing if he wants to be noticed by schools out west) and you wont have the direct communication with teams above you as in the USPHL since the USHL and NAHL just plucks players out from T1EHL and other places to a more extreme extent than the USPHL because they dont have entire youth organizations behind their teams. (Pros and cons to both of these depending on the player.)
As far as the MnJHL, I don't know much about it so I can't really speak for it, but it's not a very hyped league from what I've heard, which is very important when it comes to getting scouted.
Again, very hard to give specific advice based on the lack of details. Just trying to lay out some general info.