Scouting Report
EVALUATED 22/07/2024Noah Poirier
Regional Scout- USA
With performances like this week, it’s really no surprise that the Michigan commit has been an absolute favorite at PuckPreps for quite some time. The skill, creativity and confidence that Bongo exudes makes him one of the most high end offensive defenders in the 07 class. He showed off patience with the puck, mostly buying time for his team to get to open space while he welcomed on pressure. He can transition the puck up ice by himself flawlessly at times, weaving through opponents. He is able to read and react quickly and problem solve under pressure to escape danger. After being left off the 5 Nations last season and once again failing to crack the Hlinka camp roster this year, there is no doubt Bongo will be playing with a chip on his shoulder this year.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 31/07/2023
Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
At the top of the mountain of defenders in this camp, Anthony Bongo sits at number 1. To me, the best offensive defenseman in this class regarding dangerous shot generation, creativity, puck skills, and talent. His speed and pace were next-level against many of his peers in the camp, weaving around bodies in transition effortlessly, head up, making great reads when moving the puck, and making whoever he played with better thanks to his offensive instincts and aggression as he challenged high-danger areas. Great 4-way agility to round out his game as whole, he intercepted plenty of pucks, cleared rebounds in front of his net, battled hard for position and in puck battles as a whole, showing a whole new level of physical aggression and strength I hadn’t quite seen in him before. The independence and one-man-show element Bongo has to his game really shows why he’s such a special player. If no options are available due to immediate pressure, he has the edges, speed, agility and thinking to problem solve on the fly, escape pressure, and quickly move the puck elsewhere once he’s freed up some ice for himself. He attracts so much attention in any given moment as he handles and skates with the puck, even pulling in players as he skates through the neutral zone and builds speed in transition. Bongo unfortunately didn’t make the 5-Nations roster, maybe the high-octane playstyle was “too risky” in USA Hockey’s eyes, but that doesn’t deter me from saying he was the top defender at the camp.
Scouting Report
EVALUATED 06/03/2023 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
Anthony Bongo may have the highest upside of all defenders we will talk about in this article. A ridiculously talented offensive defenseman, he has puck skills better than most forwards and isn’t afraid to use them. He flies up in the ice in transition, effortlessly bypassing neutral zone traffic and has a very strong wrist shot he can get on net. I’d say the only defender who rivals Bongo in high danger scoring chances from a blueliner is Asher Barnett. Bongo is very deceptive in his attack, I’ve seen him freeze defenders with a shot on numerous occasions only to connect on backdoor tap-in pass to a streaking forward. You truthfully never know what he’s going to do with the puck off the rush, or even when he’s going to decide to rush the puck to begin with since it all happens so fast. Now, this style of play is fun and all, bur Bongo can be prone to making a turnover in the middle of the ice and having a quick odd-man rush formulate against. Similar in nature to Asher Barnett, but I’d suggest Bongo turns the puck over on plays like this much more frequently due to the high-risk-high-reward factor his game comes with. For this reason, you need to pair him with someone you can trust, and I have faith in the defensive development of Carson Steinhoff to accommodate the hectic playstyle Bongo brings at times. Now, is Bongo a bad defensive player? His issues come from turnovers, not so much from positional play or getting beat off the rush. He is a gifted skater in all planes of motion, has an accurate stick, and takes away the puck carriers’ options very well by keeping them wide, and swatting down any centering attempts that come his way. Matter of fact, regarding taking away plays to the middle of the ice, Bongo is one of the best amongst all defenders at intercepting cross-ice passes in his own end and loves to form quick counterattacks as he carries the puck across both bluelines. If you couldn’t tell, Bongo is always thinking offense, when he’s playing without the puck in his own end the objective is defense, but as soon as the puck is on his stick he loves to skate it up ice. Players who skate the puck as often as he does can leave you someone concerned for projectability, but the success Bongo has when he skates the puck, it’s almost undeniable you give him credit and just accept that he is one of the special defenders who is capable of doing so. An addition to his arsenal is that he can also play both sides of defense, giving you a player, you can move around the ice freely with little concerns for unfamiliarity on his part. There may be some lows with Bongo because of the offensive pace he pushes, but you will also have plenty of highs.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 20/07/2024Blake Kloeppel
Regional Scout- USA
Bongo was a little quieter in this one than I would say he usually is but he was still very impressive when he was on the ice. One of my favorite parts of Bongo’s game overall is his quick maneuvers and edgework and that was on display in this one. He showed this in the neutral zone in the first half excellently by doing a Spin-O-Rama catching the defensive player off guard allowing Bongo to go right by him and gain the offensive zone very easily. Bongo is also so good at getting the puck out of his zone because of his skating and edgework. He showed that in this game as well, showing his ability to get out of the zone even in some cases while having multiple guys on him.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 05/07/2024Will Scouch
Regional Scout- USA
This was a trademark Anthony Bongo performance in my experience with him. Very skilled, very creative and confident almost to his detriment. He lacks a bit of mobility and raw speed to play his brand consistently and projectably, but when he was on, he was a notable part of the game. A very impressive pinch from the offensive blueline got the puck down to the goal line, and a quick shimmy and slot pass later landed New England a 5-0 lead in the first half. There were some shaky bobbles in the neutral zone and he lost possession in the offensive zone here and there, leading to neutral zone regroups, but he clearly wants to control the flow of the game, and when it works, it’s impressive.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 02/07/2024Cameron Patton
Regional Scout- USA
One of the more fascinating players in this entire game, Bongo’s high-end offensive ability from the backend made him standout on nearly every shift, for better or worse. At his best Bongo was initiating the breakout using his feet to create a numbers advantage off the rush, while also offering a deceptive approach from the offensive blueline where he would attempt to manipulate opposing checkers in order to open up passing lanes inorganically. I thought his breakout passes were a little off in this one, as there were a few times where he missed an open target in the neutral zone that lead to an icing or a loss of possession.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 10/04/2024Will Scouch
Regional Scout- USA
I was a little surprised to see that Bongo isn’t a particularly productive defenseman on this roster but also not surprised to see the University of Michigan already having recruited him. A silky and highly capable pass-first gunslinger, Bongo showed plenty of promise and results in this game. Largely showing his best moments on the power play, Bongo was changing angles, making quick decisions, delaying decisions to drag defenders out of blocking lanes, and using his quick feet to move laterally and open up the ice. Bongo’s key moment came in the dying minutes of the game with an empty net, as his skill and footwork opened up a shooting lane, leading to a tip from Gavin Katz that tied things late.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 16/09/2023
Ben Jordan
Regional Scout- Ontario
Anthony had a solid outing today, which was great to see. He played with a lot more confidence today than he did in game one of the showcase. The confidence was especially noticeable when the puck was on his blade. He was reacting to pass lanes and options that were opening as supposed to thinking and forcing the issue. Anthony is a natural playmaker and he let the natural aspect of his game go to work. He consistently set himself up for success playing with his head up and pursuing consistent shoulder checks in all zones. This enabled him to create and execute on many pass exits where the receiver received the puck beyond centre ice. He thread lanes that were populated with more than one stick and showed no shortage in confidence doing so. In the offensive zone, Anthony did well to keep plays alive, and transport the puck from the blueline to dangerous areas closer to the net.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 10/07/2023
Jordan Malette
Regional Scout- Ontario
Being highly ranked on our 2007 list, Bongo is a name I've seen in passing, but this was my first opportunity to view the talented defender. To date, I've seen seven of the ten teams at the development camp, and Bongo was easily the top defender. He took over when he was on the ice, and everything flowed through him. Anthony was so important to Gray's transition game, as he was frequently the one carrying the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive third. He is a mobile and elusive skater who can combine agile skating movements with slick puck moves to be a headache to defend coming through the center of the ice. He added further value in transition through his ability to spot teammates open down the ice and send them stretch passes to spring fast breaks. In the offensive zone, Bongo was calm with the puck on his stick and showed the confidence to walk the line and seek a better shooting lane or an open passing lane. Rarely did he rush his decisions and frequently created a chance from the desired home-plate area of the ice. It was a great performance from the Mid Fairfield Ranger, and it was nice to finally get a viewing of someone I've heard plenty about
Game Reports
EVALUATED 09/07/2023
Joel Henderson
Director of Scouting
Anthony was certainly very active and aggressive in this game and controlled the rush on his own multiple times. He looked like the best defender in the game from a standpoint of poise and decision making under pressure. He was the one I wouldn’t want the puck in his hands if he was my opposition since he waits for quality passing openings, can move the puck with his passing or skating, and showed multiple tactics to turn away from pressure with quick stops and curls.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 30/03/2023
Puck Preps
Regional Scout- USA
After a sluggish start for Bongo, he settled nicely into the game. He moves pucks effectively on his first pass either to the wall or looks middle, never really forcing the pass. Offensively he has the patience on the blue line to make plays and he uses his skating ability to create space for himself. He does need to improve on defending in hard to play areas in his own end, which as the tournament continues to move on will be interesting to see how he adjusts.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 12/09/2022 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
For back-to-back Mid Fairfield game reports, Anthony Bongo has stood out through his exceptional two-way play as a defenseman. On the breakout he displayed great poise and awareness to send no-look passes to his defensive partner as he rimmed the puck around the boards when put under pressure. When walking the blueline he used a series of head fakes and pass fakes to throw off defenders, freezing them in place he was able to thread the needle and utilize passing lanes to connect on cross-ice passes. On the first goal of the game, he was able to keep the puck in the offensive zone with a well-timed pinch, before sending the puck below the goal line that eventually resulted in a goal. His awareness without the puck enables him to make smart decisions regarding his positioning, supporting the puck well he was a constant facilitator of possession for the Rangers. He also continued to demonstrate his strong puck skills and fleet-a-foot skating style as he cut up the neutral zone through transition. When looking at high-end defenders at such a young age group a big indicator for me is how do their puck skills compare to the forwards the age group has to offer. When a defender has equally, if not better, puck skills than the forwards in the class, it gives me an inkling of what they’re capable of offensively – and I think it’s safe to say Bongo has hands that contend with the majority of forwards in the 2007-born class.
Game Reports
EVALUATED 09/09/2022 Chase Allen
Regional Scout- USA
In my eyes, Anthony Bongo was the best player in this game. The fleet-a-foot skating defender was able to provide value on both sides of the puck due to such strong skating ability. His backward skating ability was exceptional, with a study knee bend, strong c-cuts, proper foot stance-width – he was able to keep up with even the most skilled Minnesota Blades players when skating backwards. The play that sticks out most to me is when Cooper Simpson of the Blades was coming down on Bongo, Bongo simply stood square to him, remained composed, and when the window of opportunity was right, connected on a well-placed poke check that knocked the puck off Simpson’s stick and denied the rush chance as a result. Keep in mind, this was Cooper Simpson he casually shutdown, to this point in the game Simpson had been absolutely tearing defenders apart off the rush with his speed and creativity, but not Bongo. Bongo was able to pick up an assist on Mike Mardula’s goal, as he recognized the cross-ice passing option and connected on a quick and accurate pass. Atop the offensive zone he was magnificent with-and-without the puck. He knew exactly when to pinch and when not to, where to position himself relative to the puck carrier to remain as an option, along with when he had the puck himself, he did a tremendous job feeding it to teammates and evading pressure from incoming puck pursuers. Another strong facet of his game was on the breakout, particularly when under siege. Using sharp twists and turns to shake off checks, he was able to open up space for himself and fire breakout passes to the open man ahead. Overall, a tremendous two-way performance from Bongo.
Player Card
- All Data is derived via 5v5 per 60 minutes rate displayed in percentile format.
- Data Courtesy of In Slat.
SIGNED:
Sioux Falls Stampede
17/09/2024
TEAM PREDICTION
-
Michigan
Confirmed
100%
TIMELINE
- 2024
17/09/2024
Anthony Bongo commits to the Sioux Falls Stampede
- 2024
01/04/2024
Anthony Bongo commits to the West Kelowna Warriors
- 2023
02/11/2023
Anthony Bongo commits to Michigan
- 2023
29/07/2023
Victoriaville Tigres select Anthony Bongo in the QMJHL American Draft
- 2023
02/05/2023
Sioux Falls Stampede select Anthony Bongo in the USHL Futures Draft
