Visiting Team Bench - Player Spotlight: Christian Semetsis

The 2023-24 Mount St. Charles Bantam Major team put together a dominant season. They finished the year with a 57-6-1 record, capturing the USA Hockey U14 National Championship title with an upset victory over Shattuck St. Mary’s. So far this year, the team looks poised to make a run at a repeat championship.  They are currently sitting on a 19-1-1 record, and are listed 2nd behind SSM in the most recent national rankings. 

For the last few seasons, the team has been buoyed by a number of high-end Mid-Atlantic prospects. Forwards Rocco Pelosi, Braiden Scuderi and Steven Cover combined for nearly 350 points last season while defensemen Maxim Yakub and Cody Costello teamed up with goaltender Nathaniel Chizick to hold opponents to an impressive 1.6 goals against average. 

While most of Mount’s championship team returns from last season, they further strengthened their roster this year by signing defenseman Christian Semetsis, our top-rated 2009 Long Island prospect. Semetsis hails from Smithtown, NY hometown of current NHL forward Kyle Palmeri as well as defenseman Ryan Ufko who recently signed a contract with the Nashville Predators. Before landing at Mount, Christian played for, and captained a strong Long Island Royals 2009 squad that finished last year as the top ranked U14 team on Long Island. 

Christian is a smooth and skilled 2-way defenseman who plays every shift with a quiet confidence to his game. His skillset is very balanced as he shows strong edge control and 4-way mobility which is complimented by his soft-hands and smooth puck-skills. Nothing in his play is overpowering, which is part of his upside in that he just quietly makes the right plays in all 3-zones. While he hasn’t been relied on as much offensively this season (compared to last year where he averaged over a point/game for the Royals) he has learned to play a mature offensive game, transitioning pucks quickly up ice and supporting the play of his elite forwards. 

Semetsis is cerebral in his play and he always seems to put himself in the right spots on both sides of the puck. Skating at a high level with Mount, he’s learned how to effectively maximize his talent, without needing to overplay the game. His IQ and mobility allow him to play poised and controlled, even against elite forwards. He defends with a deceptively long reach and consistent gap control, which allows him to easily steer the play away from his net. He shows good defensive positioning below the dots in his end, and his anticipation and elite transition play allow him to easily win 50/50 races to space in tight. At 5’10 Christian has an adequate frame, but he’s going to need to continue to build strength so that he can battle for position against bigger players at the higher levels. 

With the recent move to Mount, Christian has certainly elevated his opportunities for both exposure and development. He has currently tallied 21 points in 24 games, and we absolutely think that his best hockey is still ahead of him. With an October birthday he’s  going to get some attention for his long-term pro potential, especially if he can get a bit bigger before his draft year.  Either way he should have a number of junior and college options ahead of him, and his game is certainly trending in the right direction.