Neutral Zone Adds to Scouting Team

Neutral Zone has continued to add to its scouting team, officially announcing additions in several different regions.

Dakota Keene joins the team as a New England Regional Scout. A former player at UMass Boston, Keene, 25, has worked in college hockey at Harvard as Director of Hockey Operations. Keene will work in the New England region and also add his expertise as a video scout.

“Dakota is a young up and coming scout who just finished his career playing with UMass Boston and has moved on to Harvard University as their Director of Hockey Ops,” said NZ Director Brendan Collins. “We were able to bring Dakota on our team during this COVID outbreak and utilize his work ethic and expertise to help our video scouting department.”

“I am very excited about the opportunity to join the Neutral Zone staff,” Keene said. “I look forward to continuing to have a presence in rinks around the country and beyond while helping evaluate the many talented athletes competing day in and day out.”

Neutral Zone has also added Shane Madolora as a Goalie Scout and he’ll also lend his ability as a video scout. 

Madolora, 33, played three seasons of Division I hockey as a goalie at RIT before embarking on a professional career that brought him to the ECHL, France, Italy and the U.K.

After returning to the U.S., he spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the RIT women’s program and has junior hockey experience as an associate head coach with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and serving as head coach of the Rochester Monarchs in the NCDC.

Shane is a former NCAA D-I and pro goaltender who has also coached at the NCAA and junior levels and brings a lot of experience to our goalie scouting department,” Collins said. “He has worked on both sides from junior level to college level which gives him a unique background for how he sees the game and knowing what it takes to play at the next level.”

“I am excited to be joining Neutral Zone this season,” Madolora said. “I look forward to continuing to identify players as they progress and develop in their mission to play at the next level. I can’t wait to see everyone in the rinks competing again this season.”