Introducing Neutral Zone’s Interns for the 2019-2020 Season!
Liam Barnicle, Kyle Handszer, Christopher Walsh and Quinn Robelle named newest NZ interns!
The Neutral Zone team is proud to announce the addition of four new interns, Liam Barnicle, Kyle Handszer, Christopher Walsh and Quinn Robelle for the 2019-2020 season! Each intern has a unique hockey background, along with the knowledge and skills to help contribute regional coverage throughout the season.
Liam Barnicle comes to Neutral Zone having over 15 years of hockey experience. Residing in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Liam first tied up the skates at age three and stretched throughout his high school years. Playing hockey led him to Coyle & Cassidy HS for his first two years, eventually capping off his career at Archbishop Williams for his final two years.
“I’ve always had a passion for the game and wanted to get my foot in the door when it comes to scouting, and I believe working for NZ would be extremely beneficial in achieving my goal,” said Liam when asked what made him want to join the NZ family.
Currently, Liam is entering his sophomore year at Saint Anselm College and is pursuing a degree in business. He began managing their Division III ice hockey team his freshman year, and plans to continue his role as manager for the upcoming season.
Next up is rising Boston University junior, Kyle Handszer. Kyle arrives at Neutral Zone with experience in Tier 1 hockey, as well as the prep school level.
Throughout his career, Kyle has played for teams such as the Westchester Vipers and Westchester Express. He then decided to attend Avon Old Farms following his U16 season, where he would graduate two years later in the Spring of 2017.
A New York native, Kyle is currently a Communications major with a concentration in Advertising at Boston University, and is also pursuing a minor in business administration.
“I have always loved to play hockey my entire life, and now that my playing days have come to an end, I’ve always wanted to experience the business side and all the in’s and out’s that come with it,” said Kyle. “I’ve always seen and heard about the writeups that NZ does at all of these tournaments and events. I am excited to be apart of it and am thankful for the opportunity to gain some insight,” exclaimed Kyle.
Next up is our third intern Christopher Walsh. Chris is a Massachusetts resident who has played for perennial powerhouse teams such as the South Shore Kings and Boston Junior Bruins. He attended St. John’s-Shrewsbury in Massachusetts for high school before moving on to the local EJHL powerhouses in juniors.
Following an extensive hockey career, Chris decided to attend UMass Amherst where he graduated in 2018 with a Masters Degree (M.S.) in Business and Analytics. Since graduating in May of 2018, Chris has been working as an Inventory Analyst for Staples Inc. In addition, Chris is in his second year of coaching a U16 split season team, with elite players from around New England.
When asked why he was looking to become a part of the NZ team, Chris responded: “I wanted to get involved with Neutral Zone because I thought it would be a good way to learn more about hockey from a different point of view: as a scout, rather than as a player.”
For our final intern introduction, we have Quinn Robelle. Quinn comes to Neutral Zone from Lutz, Florida. He started playing hockey at the age of four and played AAA with one of the first AAA programs in Florida, the Florida Everblades. After starting in Florida, he played juniors in Canada and New York, specifically in leagues like the NOJHL and EHL. After a half season in the EHL, he committed to Becker College and he is currently a sophomore hockey player for the school. More importantly, he is a two time cancer survivor and in a direct quote, he added “I love the game more than anything in this world and I know Neutral Zone is the best. I’ve heard it from coaches and even know some NHL scouts who encouraged me to take this position. I am excited to start”.
Neutral Zone Vice President Brian Murphy spoke on the addition of these four candidates. “Our goal at NZ is to give exposure to as many players as possible. This will help us do that while also providing these four young men a chance able to learn from some of the best scouts in hockey about how we do things while finding an approach that works for them. They also can all write very well as there will be a media aspect to these positions as well. In fact, Kyle wrote this article. Make no mistake, we had over a hundred applicants and these four went through a tough process to get these spots including interviews and writing samples. We have high expectations for all of them!”
Please join us in welcoming these four hard-working men as they begin their tenure with the NZ family!
