Announcing The 2023 NCDC All-Stars: Young Guns Team National Defensemen/Goaltenders

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com

The National Collegiate Development Conference congratulates its selections for the 2023 NCDC All-Star “Young Guns” Game, set to kick off at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Foxboro Sports Center in Foxboro, Mass. We are announcing each team this week in two sets – forwards in one set and defensemen and goaltenders in another.

Every one of these players was voted on by the NCDC’s coaches, and every player is greatly deserving of the honor to be named an All-Star and to wear the All-Star jersey on Feb. 21.

Rosters, while being announced this week, are subject to change due to injuries or illnesses. 

Team National (Red Jerseys, Away Team) 

Goaltenders

Blake McMeniman 

Islanders Hockey Club • 2/28/2007 • L • Reading, Mass. 

A longtime IHC player who also competes for North Reading High School, McMeniman has played in eight Tier I Hockey Federation games, putting up a terrific 1.41 GAA and a .916 save percentage. Additionally, he has a 2.14 GAA and .945 save percentage with a 25-8-2 record overall. 

Lincoln Molind 

Lovell Hockey Academy (Boston Advantage) • 2006 • 6-0/161 • L • Middleborough, Mass. 

Molind currently plays for the Lovell Academy Lions, and has previously played for the Advantage’s 15U team and the New England Knights 16U squad, in addition to Middleborough High School. 

Hayden Rising 

Boston Junior Bruins • April 11, 2005 • 6-1/189 • L • Fond Du Lac, Wis. 

Rising has split the last few years between Fond Du Lac High School and Team Wisconsin, all before making his NCDC debut this year. Through nine games, he has a 5-4-0-0 record, including a win in his NCDC debut against the current North Division leaders the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs. 

Defensemen

Liam Chapman

New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs • 3/11/2004 • 6-1/194 • L • Weare, N.H. 

Chapman was a terrific pickup for the Monarchs, a great two-way performer who split last season between the Salisbury School and the Buffalo Regals. Joining the NCDC team in December, he has posted a goal and two assists for three points in 16 games. 

Alex German

Northern Cyclones • 7/7/2004 • 6-0/175 • L • Colorado Springs, Colo. 

German first joined the Cyclones’ USPHL 16U team in 2020-21 out of the Colorado Rampage, and has remained with the organization since. After splitting the 2021-22 season between the 18U and NCDC Cyclones, he has become a full-timer with the NCDC squad this year. In addition to a 1-6-7 line, he is a +6 with 29 blocked shots in 28 games. 

Chance Uzzell

Northern Cyclones • 5/10/2004 • 6-1/172 • R • Woodstock, Ga. 

A 2020 Futures Draft pick by the Cyclones, Uzzell is a second-year NCDC blueliner who joined from the nearby Seacoast Performance Academy. In 74 career NCDC games, Uzzell has posted 14 points – with 13 of those coming this year (2-11-13) in 31 contests. 

Anthony Leech 

Islanders Hockey Club 16U • 1/5/2007 • L • Lake Worth, Fla. 

Leech is in his first year with the Islanders’ 16U program, joining the team out of the Florida Alliance 14U program. In 12 Tier 1 Hockey Federation games, he has put up a 1-4-5 line, and he has 20 points and a +22 rating in 32 overall games. 

Elijah Brown

Islanders Hockey Club • 4/6/2004 • 6-5/200 • R • North Palm Beach, Fla.  

Another 2020 NCDC Futures Draft selection, the Islanders second-year NCDC blueliner first jumped in from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite for the 2021-22 season. A veteran NCDC defenseman already, he has 83 games in the league to his credit as well as as 6-18-24 line, including 14 points in 37 games this year. 

Julian Brown 

Boston Junior Bruins • 4/10/2006 • 6-2.75/211 • L • Montclair, N.J. 

DUBUQUE FIGHTING SAINTS (2022) USHL Draft Pick 

Brown was selected ninth overall in the 2022 NCDC Entry Draft out of the North Jersey Avalanche, and he has put up a 1-7-8 line in 33 games along with 229 takeaways for the Junior Bruins.