evegoe
12-08-2004, 12:11 PM
I had posted this on the WJC thread, but might be easier to find here... as that discussion is degrading into tanget discussions.
Brian Lee plays for Moorhead, which is in the NW corner of Minnesota, so he is a tough player to scout. Still, the Moorhead Spuds are one of the top northern teams and find their way down to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area a couple times each year.
I saw Lee during the Minnesota State High School Tournament last season, and paid special attention to him during his match-up against Centennial and Flyers fourth round pick RJ Anderson. Anderson has been regarded as the top defensemen in the state and two rosters contained some of the state’s top talent. Moorhead will likely end up with at least six Division I hockey players from that team and Centennial probably had at least five Division I players.
Lee is an imposing physical player at the high school level. He has good size at 6’3” 200 lbs, and is not afraid to take the body in the defensive zone. I was surprised at how easily he was able to move the puck out of the zone against a very good Centennial team. He made the right decisions almost the entire night, and jumped into the rush when the situation presented itself. Centennial won the game 1-0, but Lee definitely impressed despite not getting in the scorebook. He didn’t have spectacular offensive skills, but the game didn’t lend itself towards racehorse hockey.
The Spuds probably play one of the toughest schedules in the state, challenging the top northern teams, playing host to many of the top metro teams, and traveling south for the premier holiday tournament. Lee has also taken advantage of the Elite Hockey League, which pits most of the state’s top 100 players against each other for 10 weekends during the fall before the 24 game high school season.
The Lincoln Stars (USHL) have kept Lee on their active roster for the 2004-05 season. He skated with Lincoln at the start of the season and played in three games. Whenever Lee finishes up with the Spuds, he can then join the Stars for nine regular season USHL games and playoffs. It’s not major junior, and it’s not the NTDP, but it’s the best experience a high school player can get.
Seeing him selected to the team may be a surprise, but he’s actually a bigger than Jack Johnson and they’re about the same age. Perhaps Lee is more physical presence than Johnson, but then again I haven’t seen Johnson play in person yet.
Brian Lee plays for Moorhead, which is in the NW corner of Minnesota, so he is a tough player to scout. Still, the Moorhead Spuds are one of the top northern teams and find their way down to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area a couple times each year.
I saw Lee during the Minnesota State High School Tournament last season, and paid special attention to him during his match-up against Centennial and Flyers fourth round pick RJ Anderson. Anderson has been regarded as the top defensemen in the state and two rosters contained some of the state’s top talent. Moorhead will likely end up with at least six Division I hockey players from that team and Centennial probably had at least five Division I players.
Lee is an imposing physical player at the high school level. He has good size at 6’3” 200 lbs, and is not afraid to take the body in the defensive zone. I was surprised at how easily he was able to move the puck out of the zone against a very good Centennial team. He made the right decisions almost the entire night, and jumped into the rush when the situation presented itself. Centennial won the game 1-0, but Lee definitely impressed despite not getting in the scorebook. He didn’t have spectacular offensive skills, but the game didn’t lend itself towards racehorse hockey.
The Spuds probably play one of the toughest schedules in the state, challenging the top northern teams, playing host to many of the top metro teams, and traveling south for the premier holiday tournament. Lee has also taken advantage of the Elite Hockey League, which pits most of the state’s top 100 players against each other for 10 weekends during the fall before the 24 game high school season.
The Lincoln Stars (USHL) have kept Lee on their active roster for the 2004-05 season. He skated with Lincoln at the start of the season and played in three games. Whenever Lee finishes up with the Spuds, he can then join the Stars for nine regular season USHL games and playoffs. It’s not major junior, and it’s not the NTDP, but it’s the best experience a high school player can get.
Seeing him selected to the team may be a surprise, but he’s actually a bigger than Jack Johnson and they’re about the same age. Perhaps Lee is more physical presence than Johnson, but then again I haven’t seen Johnson play in person yet.