LocalSportsJournal.com
One of the biggest concerns for the Muskegon Lumberjacks this season is finding a replacement for standout goalie Eric Schierhorn, who is now a freshman at the University of Minnesota.
While it’s too early to tell anything for sure, it looks like the Jacks might have found a strong candidate in goalie Joey Daccord.
He was named the USHL’s Goaltender of the Week for his performance in Muskegon’s 3-2 opening night victory in Waterloo on Saturday.
He posted a shutout for the first 50 minutes of the game, stopped 28 of 30 shots in regulation, then stopped five more in the sudden death shootout, allowing the Jacks to escape with a victory despite losing a 2-0 lead.
Daccord was a seventh-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators this spring and is committed to play college hockey at Arizona State University.
Four Jack defensemen on NHL draft watch list
Besides goaltending, defense is the area where the Lumberjacks are the most inexperienced heading into the season.
But there is obviously a lot of talent in the blue line corps.
Four young Lumberjack defensemen have been named to the Preliminary 2015 September Players to Watch List by the NHL Central Scouting Service.
Zachary Berzolla, Mitch Eliot, Alex Green and Bo Hanson all received “C” ratings by the NHL CSS. That indicates a possible 4th-to-6th round selection in next year’s NHL draft.
Berzolla, a 6-2, 185 pound defenseman from Howell, New Jersey, played in two games for Muskegon last season before joining the club on a full-time basis this year. He previously played for the New Jersey Titans in the United States Hockey League and is committed to play college hockey at Colorado College.
Eliot, a 6-0, 190 pound defenseman from Grosse Pointe played in 58 games for the Lumberjacks in 2014-2015. Eliot assisted on four goals while posting a plus-minus of 1. Eliot notched an assist in Muskegon’s opening night victory over Waterloo. He’s committed to Michigan State University.
Green is a 6-1, 175 pound defenseman from Chicago. He previously played for the Chicago Mission U16 team and joined the Lumberjacks for three games in the 2014-2015 season. Green has committed to Cornell University.
Hanson, 6-2, 190 pound defenseman from Boise, Idaho, enters his second season with the Lumberjacks. In 2014-2015, Hanson played in 51 games and had one goal and four assists.
Hanson previously played for the Colorado Rampage U16 team where he scored eight goals and had 18 assists during the 2013-2014 season. Hanson has not committed to an NCAA team yet.
Jacks at home next three Saturdays
It’s been a long summer, and a lot of local fans are probably more than ready for a heavy dose of live hockey action.
The bad news is that opportunities will be limited for the next three weeks. The Jacks will only be playing one game per week, and they’re all on Saturdays.
The good news is that all three games will be in the friendly confines of the L.C. Walker Arena.
The Lumberjacks will kick off their home schedule Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. with a game against the Team USA Under 17 squad.
They will follow that with homes games against Madison on Oct. 10 and Chicago on Oct. 17.
Muskegon’s next road game will be Saturday, Oct. 24 in Youngstown.
The Jacks will have a big week at home the following week, starting with the annual morning game on Wednesday, Oct. 28 against Chicago, then the first Friday/Saturday home stand of the season with games against Green Bay on Oct. 30 and 31.
