Southern States Prospects

Southern States
Prospects

Evaluating the South’s top youth hockey prospects.

Regional scouting notes on 16U and 18U players across ten southern states, ranked for present impact and future upside.

View the Top 25 ranking
16U / 18U · AA / AAATen-state coverage
Regional ranking

The board weighs production in context, role, level of competition and traits that can carry forward. Rankings may change as more games and player evaluations are completed.

FLORIDA / TOP 25

Top 25 Southern Hockey Prospects

5 players from Florida are ranked in the current Top 25.

5 players

Positions: F = forward · D = defense · G = goaltender. Skater ranks include forwards and defensemen. Skater age ranks include forwards and defensemen in the selected age group. Age and position ranks follow the overall Top 25 order within each group.

#05#04#04#04#04#04FL18U AAA · F

Luke Strom

Skater rank: #4Forward rank: #4

Overall rank: #5Skater rank: #4

Overall rank: #5Skater rank: #4Forward rank: #4

Overall rank: #5Skater rank: #4Forward rank: #4

Overall rank: #5Forward rank: #4

Overall rank: #5Skater rank: #4Forward rank: #4

Nest Hockey Academy

Sixty-five points in 32 16U AAA games and 11 points in five school nationals games last season. He has five points through four reported games on Nest’s current 18U AAA team.

View scouting report →
#08#07#07#07#07#07FL18U AAA · F

Reid Cole

Skater rank: #7Forward rank: #7

Overall rank: #8Skater rank: #7

Overall rank: #8Skater rank: #7Forward rank: #7

Overall rank: #8Skater rank: #7Forward rank: #7

Overall rank: #8Forward rank: #7

Overall rank: #8Skater rank: #7Forward rank: #7

Nest Hockey Academy

Forty-four points in 32 16U AAA games last season, followed by ten points in four reported 18U AAA games with Nest.

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#09#08#08#08#08#08FL18U AA · F

Derek Ruoff

Skater rank: #8Forward rank: #8

Overall rank: #9Skater rank: #8

Overall rank: #9Skater rank: #8Forward rank: #8

Overall rank: #9Skater rank: #8Forward rank: #8

Overall rank: #9Forward rank: #8

Overall rank: #9Skater rank: #8Forward rank: #8

Pines Golden Wolves

Forty-nine points in 45 16U AA games last season, followed by nine points in seven early 18U AA games.

View scouting report →
#11#01#02#01#10#01FL16U AAA · D

Leonidas Gill

Skater rank: #10Defenseman rank: #1

Overall rank: #11Skater rank: #10

Overall rank: #11Skater rank: #10Defenseman rank: #1

Overall rank: #11Skater rank: #10Defenseman rank: #1

Overall rank: #11Defenseman rank: #1

Overall rank: #11Skater rank: #10Defenseman rank: #1

Florida Alliance

Forty-four points in 52 16U AA games last season and four points in seven early Florida Alliance 16U AAA games.

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#19#15#17#15#16#15FL18U AAA · F

Hawk Henderson

Skater rank: #16Forward rank: #15

Overall rank: #19Skater rank: #16

Overall rank: #19Skater rank: #16Forward rank: #15

Overall rank: #19Skater rank: #16Forward rank: #15

Overall rank: #19Forward rank: #15

Overall rank: #19Skater rank: #16Forward rank: #15

Nest Hockey Academy

Fifty-two points in 37 15U AAA games last season, followed by six points in four reported 18U AAA games with Nest.

View scouting report →

Eligibility: current 16U or 18U AA/AAA team in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana or Mississippi. Rankings consider results, scouting observations, role and projection; age and tier do not automatically set a player’s place. Rankings may change as further evaluations occur.

EVALUATION

How we build
the board.

Game results and available scouting observations guide the board. We consider impact within a player’s role, skating or crease movement, decisions under pressure and skills likely to translate to a higher level.

Read production against the level of opposition and the player’s role.
Identify the habits and tools that may carry to the next level.
Revisit each projection as the competition changes.

Age division and tier set the context; neither automatically confers a higher rank. A player at 16U or Tier 2 can rank above an 18U or Tier 1 player when the complete evaluation supports it.

COVERAGE

Regional Coverage

Evaluating 16U and 18U AA/AAA prospects across ten southern states. Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and Kentucky are represented on the current Top 25 board.

TNTennesseeView ranked players ↗FLFloridaView ranked players ↗GAGeorgiaNo players in current Top 25NCNorth CarolinaView ranked players ↗SCSouth CarolinaNo players in current Top 25ALAlabamaNo players in current Top 25ARArkansasNo players in current Top 25KYKentuckyView ranked players ↗LALouisianaNo players in current Top 25MSMississippiNo players in current Top 25

Eligibility follows the current team: players must be on a 16U or 18U AA or AAA team based in one of the ten states listed here. A former regional team or hometown alone does not qualify.