Covelluzzi was another strong playmaking forward for this Gold squad who put some really creative passing on display at this year’s National 15 Camp. He was able to frequently use some crafty deflections and touch passes to get pucks by defenders and hit the center swinging through the defensive zone which facilitated breakouts for his team and was engaged on the backcheck, often tracking back to pressure puck carriers and slow down plays coming into his own end. In the offensive zone, he was patient on the perimeter and on zone entries but acted quickly when lanes opened up with firm tape-to-tape passes and a knack for finding ways to fit pucks through tight areas to feed teammates around the blue paint. Although he wasn’t necessarily a shoot-first kind of player, his 2 goals from this event came from some well-placed wrist shots that had the velocity to beat goaltenders from range which made me wish I could’ve seen him be a bit more aggressive with it throughout the four games.

An incredibly fun member of the Boston Jr. Eagles to watch, Joseph Covelluzzi plays with such great pace and speed that he gives opponents so much trouble making decisions, and ultimately applies plenty of pressure to attack in short order. As a forechecker he gets involved quickly, hunts down the puck carrier with direct routes, and forces error as a result. He used leverage well to get under opponents, winning board battles, and coming out of such battles with the puck, connecting on passes to open teammates around the zone, along with those cross-ice hitting teammates through crowded seams. Game-in-game-out he was certainly one of the most noticeable transition pieces on his team. Changing angles, pace, and direction all in short order, he could slip around checkers, make plays in tight, and process the game quickly to create space for himself as he maneuvered his way up the ice.

With two goals in this one, Covelluzi showed off a wicked release that allowed him to beat goaltenders from distance with two perfectly placed shots from the high slot over both the right and left shoulders of the Team Black netminder. He was able to create with his passing ability by delaying on zone entries and finding the trailer on odd-man chances and picked up an assist in the second off a quick slip pass to DeMars after being pressured in the slot that turned into Team Gold’s 8th goal of the game. I liked his effort all over the ice in this contest, with the opportunity to complete the hat trick on two separate occassions where he used his speed to burst past defenders for a couple of breakaway chances along with some key breakups on the backcheck, tracking players back into the defensive zone and recovering pucks.

Covelluzi showed an immense amount of creativity in his playmaking by finding open teammates with various type of passes whether it was connecting on long east-west passes in the neutral zone, drawing in defenders and dropping to the puck off to trailing teammates or looking for teammates sticks around the net to fire a shot pass for a deflection. He was able to vision and passing ability to facilitate transition plays up the ice and even showed flashes of his quick stick handling ability to weave his way through traffic in the offensive zone where I thought he was really effective at feeding his teammates in high danger areas and became one of the more dangerous Team Gold forwards in the late stages of the game.

Joseph Covelluzzi was primarily responsible for the first goal of the game for the Boston Jr. Eagles; flying into the zone with great speed from the wing, and funneling a puck to the crease to start the chaos in front, his speed upon entering the zone allowed him to open a few decent passing lanes to the middle. He was certainly one of the more notable puck carriers for his team, not just in this game, but across Nationals as whole. He plays with a strong sense of urgency, pace, and desire to get moving into the offensive zone. Away from the puck he shadows his teammates well, getting in positions to build speed and catch passes, an example of that being him picking up a pass late in the first and darting into open ice for a breakaway chance.

The final player to make the cut of standouts in this one for the Boston Jr. Eagles, Joseph Covelluzzi, was at his best in this one keeping his feet moving, hawking down pucks, and involved on the forecheck and in puck races. He drew a penalty at one point in the game with a great effort chasing down a puck, getting leverage under his man, and forcing them to pull him down to the ice with an interference call. His speed in transition didn’t go unnoticed, perfectly capable of skating the puck across both bluelines amongst some of the best teammates he plays with, he was relied upon in transition a handful of times, gained the line, and make some inroads to the net with decent problem solving and puck skills to delay and create some space on the fly. He tallied an assist on Chase Warsofsky’s 6-2 goal, winning a puck free behind the net, centering the puck to his man, and reaping the rewards for his hard work as a result.

Another strong game for Joseph Covelluzzi in the Mass State Championships, his speed and processing was on point once again for the Boston Jr. Eagles. Coming out of tight turns explosively, he could attack open ice in many different situations, leading to some crafty defensive zone exits diffusing pressure, along with some strong moves the middle as he came off the wall in the offensive zone, gaining a step on his man and sending pucks to the goalmouth via quick and accurate passes. He was able to quickly close off puck carriers on the PK thanks to his explosiveness, on one occasion he intercepted a puck and was able to send Chase Warsofsky on a breakaway chance shorthanded. Overall, another solid game for Covelluzzi.

Covelluzzi was another forward who didn’t have luck on his side in this game although he had a solid showing. Covelluzzi impressed with his quick footwork to go along with some quick stick work that allowed him to create a lot of chances for himself when he attacked defenseman 1-on-1. He took the opportunities to attack when they presented themselves, but he also had the ability to find teammates with some skillful passes on the rush. He has a motor that doesn’t stop whether it’s chasing the puck or handling it maybe him difficult to deal with as a forechecker. Throughout the game but especially near the end of the third period, Covelluzzi finished off some nice passing plays with wide-open opportunities in the middle of the slot and although his shot flew off his stick, he couldn’t find a way to get it past the opposing goaltender making me question how more lopsided of a game it could have been had he converted his chances.

As the game progressed Joseph Covelluzzi only got better and better, impressing with high-end plays built on speed, splitting defenders, carrying the puck in transition, and creating plenty of advantages in the process. His effort as a whole combined with his speed made him the perfect combination to force turnovers, intercept pucks as he pressured opponents, and form counterattacks. On the forecheck he was incredibly tough to handle, quickly closing gaps and getting in lanes. On top of his impressive speed, his reading and processing skills were there to match his ability. He was able to help set up some nice odd man rushes by pulling in a defender as he crossed the line and slipped a puck to a darting teammate in the middle of the ice. He managed to get a breakaway chance for himself late in the third, hopping on a loose puck, splitting two defenders as he pursued the puck, and walked in alone on the goaltender. That play in itself was a summation of what he can do with his speed at any given point in the game.