10 Who Impressed: Juniors Open, Great 8, Prime Time Invitational

Now that we're in the thick of the summer circuit, let's look at 10 players — all '26s I saw live for the first time this month — who caught my eye at Juniors Open, Great 8, and the Prime Time Invitational.    Listed at 6'6 frame, it's hard for your eyes not to go right to Slusar when you arrive to the field. Beyond his big frame and ability to take up a ton of net, his athleticism, knack for stymieing low shots, and gorgeous outlets jump out next. With a wide base, he moved impeccably well from pipe to pipe and was up to the task whenever shooters tested him down low. On Saturday, he had the most eye-popping two-save flurry I've seen so far this summer and was tough to beat throughout the day. In addition, he was the best clearing goalie in attendance, throwing pinpoint outlets with poise.     A fleet-footed and hard-nosed athlete out of the Cleveland area, Ferguson jumped off the page in a three-goal performance in his first game and followed it up with a few more tallies in the next one. Ferguson has an excellent first step that he used to his advantage, along with superb wrists, at one point putting an absurd amount of touch on a shot to make it impossible for the goalie to get a read. He's also got outstanding eyes and connected with cutting teammates on skip passes to the doorstep on a handful of occasions.     Helping the Tigers to a spot in the New York State semifinals, Reese was part of a strong youth movement for Mamaroneck, earning All-Section honors after posting 25 goals and five assists as a sophomore. At Juniors Open, he was listed as an attackman but ran out of the midfield and showed his ability to score in a variety of ways. He found the back of the net off a re-dodge, a well-executed face-dodge through traffic, stepdowns, and sweeps to the middle. Highly skilled and possessing an athletic 6'2 frame, Reese is definitely a Class of 2026 prospect worth keeping an eye on.     The kind of imposing and athletic dodger that we've seen come out of the West Coast pretty much every recruiting cycle, Sedlachek seems to be next in line and is coming off of a 44-goal, 41-assist sophomore season. He was tremendous on Saturday, recording three goals and an assist for an impressive ADVNC team that beat Express North in the game I caught. Equally comfortable creating offense from above the cage or below the goal line and with both his left and right hand, Sedlachek was constantly able to get quality looks on cage. Between his two-handedness and use of deception, his skill set looks to be rather polished for his age, and I'd imagine he'll be a matchup problem for opposing defenses all summer given what he brings to the table.     A slick lefty who can play both attack and midfield at a high level, Boyd showed off the ability to score in bunches, lining up on attack and posting six goals between the two BBL games I watched. Shooting it at a high clip from the lefty wing, he did an awesome job of getting back to the middle and executed some well-timed C-cuts before finishing appropriately. On one occasion, he ripped one nearside on the run with a low angle. It was a fairly small sample size, but Boyd was one of the most productive players I've seen so far this summer.     Everything Banks does is fast: his first step, his straight-line speed, his shot, and his ability to make decisions. He plays with a lot of confidence, and for good reason. The Delaware native was outstanding at both Juniors Open and Great 8, where he put his quicks on display and had little trouble winning his matchup. Banks frequently used deception and hesitation moves, always getting to his spots and finishing at a high rate, posting three goals in a game on Sunday at Brunswick.     After combining for 125 goals and 64 assists as sophomores, the Shawnee tandem of Rotkowitz and Thomas McAneney had a lot of success while helping lift their loaded Team Ten squad to a championship at Great 8 on Sunday. Often serving as the beneficiary of his teammates' dodgers, Rotkowitz recorded a hat trick against the Texas Mustangs in the final. He caught everything thrown his way and finished appropriately, changing planes and going low and away on one particular offering. A tall, left-handed target, he's got super soft hands and is always keeping his feet moving off-ball. In addition, he was relentless in the ride, as were his teammates.     The 'Stangs don't make it to the Great 8 championship without James' last-second heroics and stout play against Hilltop in the semifinals. With the clock winding down, James turned away a low shot from eight yards after his defense lost sight of a cutter. A highly communicative leader with an explosive top hand, he played the entire game and was excellent throughout while holding a talented Hilltop squad to four goals. This week, James has carried over that success over to Maverik Showtime, where he's been outstanding.     Athletic and well-built, Askeroglu packs a punch albeit in a 5'8, 165-pound frame. With a powerful lower body (it's no surprise he's a track athlete and football standout), Askeroglu can absolutely bring it with his outside shot and was a force when sweeping. When defenders were unable to get their hands on him, the ball often found the back of the net. He was really impressive in both the semifinals and championship and like James, he's continued to play exceptional lacrosse at Showtime this week.     I could have picked 8-10 other players to highlight from Team Ten - they're just that good. But since I have yet to highlight a pole in this piece, Piontek deserves some love for his play at LSM. A number of things impress me about Piontek, who will help make up what should be an awesome defensive unit for the Churchmen next year. His motor is nonstop, his stick work is clean, and he plays with physicality, never hesitating to lay a big hit. On top of that, he's a stud in transition and always seems to make the right decision. I thought he turned in a great performance at Great 8, and he's been even better in the early goings at Showtime.

Now that we're in the thick of the summer circuit, let's look at 10 players — all '26s I saw live for the first time this month — who caught my eye at Juniors Open, Great 8, and the Prime Time Invitational.