Written by Juliette Connors
The Neutral Zone team is proud to announce the addition of seven new interns, Andrew Beran, Chase Rochon, James Lusher, Juliette Connors, Jack Goodman, Brandon Wells, and Joshua Katz. Each intern has a unique background and selective interests that will contribute to Neutral Zone’s news and scouting capacity.
“It’s a diverse group” said VP Brian Murphy. “We have current players who were league all stars, recent graduates, math wizards who love to crunch stats and writers who can help post news and information from around the hockey world. Our hope is that we can help each intern become great at what they love but also show them the work it takes to run a company like Neutral Zone. They will be given lots of responsibility backed by the teaching and mentorship of our entire Staff.”
Alex Sorichetti is the new Director of the Quinn Robelle Internship Program. Alex has been working with Neutral Zone since 2020, after getting his start with the Quinn Robelle program himself. Through hard work and consistent communication, Alex has grown into the company and plans to help this summer’s interns gain knowledge of the scouting process and assist them in getting reports ready for publishing. He currently attends the Toronto Metropolitan University for Sports Media, where he’s entering his third year. “Alex is a Rock Star.” Murphy added. “He has been for a couple years now. He is the perfect person to help this group understand what it takes. Alex has earned his promotion within Neutral Zone. He is a talented young man.”
“My goal is to help the interns realize that there is a lot of potential for growth within the industry, should they be willing to put the work in.”
Our first intern is Andrew Beran. A rising junior and goalie at Colby College, Andy joins Neutral Zone with years of playing experience. Originally from Minnesota, he played locally for St. Paul Academy before heading to the Northeast to conclude his high school career at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. Andy entered Colby in 2019, then spent a covid year with the Minnesota Magicians before returning to the college, where he’s been an influential player. At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, he earned the title of All-NESCAC First Team goalie and posted a .937 save percentage.
“I’m excited to be working with Neutral Zone to get a different point of view on the game of hockey, and to learn more about scouting while having fun along the way.”
Next up is Chase Rochon of Welland, Ontario. Chase is a third year student at Brock University, where he studies Sports Management. He has extreme passion for the game of hockey and has worked to gain experience within the industry. He’s been involved as a coach for minor hockey in Ontario and is also entering his second season as an on-ice official for the OMHA. Additionally, Chase does analytic work for the Brock Men’s Hockey team, and he has experience in statistics and data tracking for the OHL. He is enthusiastic about connecting with the staff at Neutral Zone and expanding his knowledge of the use of software like Rinknet.
“I hope to grow as a young hockey mind in the industry and learn as much as possible while providing the best possible work for NZ.”
Joining us also from Ontario is James Lusher. James has been both playing and watching hockey since the age of 6, and has always been interested in working in the sports industry. He enjoys educating himself on sports and connecting with friends and family through them. James currently attends Brock University, where he is majoring in Sports Management.
“I’m excited to be working with Neutral Zone because of their high degree of credibility and their knowledge of hockey,” said Lusher. “I hope to gain experience working in the hockey industry, and take a deeper dive to see what more there is to learn about the game.”
Juliette Connors joins the team from Plymouth, Massachusetts, as the journalism intern for the summer. She attends the University of Dayton, where she studies English and Sports Communication. Juliette is a contributing sportswriter for her University’s news and plans to work in sports reporting and journalism in the future, with focused interest in hockey. She gained interest in pursuing a sports journalism career after working at the Boston Sports Institute and being constantly surrounded by athletes, coaches, and industry professionals.
Juliette is eager to work with an organization as highly regarded as Neutral Zone and gain hands-on experience. She also looks forward to connecting with the passionate staff at Neutral Zone and people within the industry for the purpose of her writing, and to gain knowledge of current activity in the world of hockey.
Our fifth intern, Jack Goodman, is from Long Island, New York. Jack is entering his third year at Stevenson University where he plays hockey and was recognized as an Academic All American scholar during his freshman year. At Stevenson, Jack studies Business Administration with a minor in Marketing.
While recovering from double hip surgery this past season, Jack was given the opportunity to do virtual scouting with Neutral Zone, where he feels that he got a sense of what’s to come and learned the expectations of a scout on a basic level. He looks forward to learning the ins-and-outs of scouting in the rink while also gaining knowledge of the technical computer work required.
Brandon Wells comes to us from Alberta, Canada. Brandon is passionate about both the game and the business side of hockey. He played junior A hockey in the CJHL and then furthered his career at Plattsburgh State University, where he played all four years and graduated with a degree in Sports Management, with minors in Business and Coaching. Brandon gained strong experience through an internship with an NHLPA certified agency and is ready to learn more with Neutral Zone.
“I am looking forward to working and gaining more experience with Neutral Zone as they are the largest scouting company in North America. I think it is great for young kids to gain exposure and get the opportunity to play at high levels of hockey throughout North America.”
Our final intern, Joshua Katz, joins us from Dunstable, Massachusetts. Joshua majors in Sports Management at Merrimack College and has played hockey from a young age. Post high school, he began building experience through coaching bantam level players.
“I’m excited to see and learn another part of the hockey world, and expand my knowledge of the game.”
