Fri. 12/26/14-updated

 

Jumping from Preps to the World Junior Championship
Noble & Greenough forward Miles Wood is the first New England prep player in 19 years to play for the U.S. National Junior Team while still enrolled in prep school. Before Wood, you have to go back to Cushing Academy defenseman Tom Poti, who played on the ‘96 squad.

And it was on this day – Dec. 26, 1995 – that the Jack Parker-coached U.S. Team, in the same pool as Canada, opened world junior play against their neighbors to the north in Worcester (Poti’s hometown) and got shellacked 6-1 as Jarome Iginla ran roughshod over the U.S. One thing that sticks in this typist’s mind from that day was the enormous contingent of Canadians who’d come south and guaranteed a sell-out at the Centrum (now DCU Center). It seemed like a road game for the U.S., and more so given that the U.S. was never in the  game.

At any rate, Wood deserves a lot of credit for making this year's team for the simple reason that it’s a huge jump to go from preps one week to the World Junior Championship the next. In that game 19 years ago, Poti was overwhelmed, as were most of his teammates. But it was also a very young U.S. Team that year – half of the U.S. roster consisted of ‘76s (19-year-olds), while the other half consisted of ‘77s (18-year-olds) and a few '78s (17-year-olds), i.e. forwards Jeff Farkas and Mike York, and defenseman Ben Clymer.  Farkas was playing for the Niagara Scenic, York was already at Michigan State, and Clymer was making the jump from Bloomington Jefferson High School. Seven of Canada’s players that year were under 19, too, including Iginla (’77) and Chris Phillips (’78). While the WJC is considered by many 'a 19-year-olds’ tournament' now, this year's U.S. team is quite young, with five '96s -- Jack Eichel, Nick Schmaltz, Sonny Milano, Alex Tuch, Dylan Larkin -- and three '97s, Auston Matthews, Noah Hanifin, and Zach Werenski. The big difference between now and 1996 is that most of the players on this year's U.S. National Junior Team have appeared in numerous international competitions. Wood has played no international tournament of significance.

Incidentally, many of the WJC games in 1996 were played at Northeastern's Matthews Arena, which resized their ice surface for the occasion. A few games were even played at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough (you can be sure that will never happen again).

Prior to Poti, and the simultaneous emergence of the NTDP, it was far more common to see players enrolled in prep school spending their Christmas/New Year’s break playing for the U.S. National Junior Team. Craig Janney (Deerfield), Chris Biotti (Belmont Hill), Scott Young (St. Mark’s), Greg Brown (St. Mark’s), Brian Leetch (Avon Old Farms), Jeremy Roenick (Thayer), Tony Amonte (Thayer), Ted Crowley (Lawrence Academy), Ryan Sittler (Nichols School), and Ian Moran (Belmont Hill) are among those on the list. Most played in the '80s, and a few in the early '90s.

While the bulk of high school players that played on early U.S. National Junior teams came from Minnesota, a notable group representing the U.S. came out of New England, including Bobby Carpenter (St. John’s Prep), Brian Lawton (Mount St. Charles), Tom Barasso (Acton-Boxborough HS), and Steve Leach (Matignon). All played in the '80s.

The above list was drawn primarily from this typist’s memory and a few reference sources, and includes many of the better-know names (a number of the guys above played for the Junior Team two or even three times). If we missed anyone, please send players' names to information(at)ushr.com. If we get any more we will add them to the list after fact-checking. Just note, we are only interested in players who played for the U.S. World Junior Team while playing prep/high school hockey. We are not including former prep/high school players whose first appearance with the U.S. Junior Team came after they had moved on to college or major junior. That would be another list – and it would be long.

We’ve heard that scalpers (oh, sorry, secondary market sellers) are getting ungodly prices for tickets to the New Year’s Eve US-Canada matchup. Seems a little hard to believe. All through the ‘80s this was a pretty obscure tournament, primarily of interest -- even in Canada -- to a relatively small group of amateur hockey mavens and NHL scouts. In the early ‘90s, the tournament just exploded, particularly when games started appearing on TV, at first in Canada and,more recently, in the U.S. And that's where we're at today.

Addendum:
Two more who played for the US National Junior Team while still in prep school are Perry Florio (Kent) and Jason Zent (Nichols).

Note:
A reader brought up the achievement of David Jensen, a Newton, Mass. native who was as skilled as any other hockey player his age in the U.S. at the time, and probably faster than the whole bunch. Jensen, a first-round draft pick of Hartford after his junior year at Lawrence Academy (89 points in 25 games), went on to play his senior year for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1984 games, which were played in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzogovina). Jensen, along with fellow 18-year-olds Ed Olczyk (142 points in 40 games with the Stratford Cullitons -- Ont. Tier II) and Pat LaFontaine (230 points in 70 games in the Q, with Verdun), made up the Yanks' top line in Sarajevo. Despite their eye-popping skills, it was a little hard to believe the U.S. would put three teenagers on the top line, and even harder to believe in hindsight.

The team had a difficult time, perhaps exacerbated by the expectations that came with following the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' team. From the get-go, absolutely nothing went right -- and the Lou Vairo-coached team finished seventh. There were no parades when they landed back on U.S. soil. A couple of days later, David Jensen was back playing at Lawrence Academy.

The next year Jensen was in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers and, mostly, the Binghamton Whalers (AHL). He might have had an NHL career equal to Olczyk's and LaFontaine's, but injuries dogged him and, just as was the case with the '84 Olympic Team, he never reached the level of confidence a teenage pro player needs in order to have success playing a man's game.

Anyway, since we were on the subject of players who, like Miles Wood, have jumped from prep school to the US National Junior Team, we just thought we'd recall for you the story of Jensen, who made a much larger jump in the '83-84 season. 

Wed. 12/31/14

 

McDavid and Eichel: If Only We Had Known
This afternoon, before a packed Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and the US will face off in a game that, due to the mano a mano meeting of sure-fire #1 and #2 draft picks Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, has the Canadian media hyperventilating and scalpers making enough money to take off after the tournament and spend the rest of the winter in Florida.

Yes, it is true that McDavid and Eichel faced off against each other at the World Junior Championship in Malmo, Sweden a year ago today. It was the third time they had faced each other, all in sanctioned international competition, and it was much different than what we are seeing now. Their draft year was still far enough in the future that everything was pretty low-key. McDavid, the baby of the Canadian team, played a bottom six role. Eichel played a bigger role for the U.S. Squad.

Nearly three years ago, in Boston, McDavid, then still 14, and Eichel, who had turned 15 a couple of months before, nearly faced off at the same tournament.

A few days in advance of the weekend of January 6-8, 2012, the headline in the U.S. Hockey Report, sounding as if it were written by a carnival barker rather than this typist, read, “Don’t You Dare Miss It!”

Here’s the first paragraph:

“The First Annual U.S. Hockey Report International Showcase faces off starting Friday at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena. There will be five teams: the Toronto Marlboros, Vaughan Kings, Selects Hockey Academy, Boston Advantage, and the Junior Bruins (Empire). You won’t want to miss this! Josh Ho-Sang (Marlies), Connor McDavid (Marlies), Michael Dal Colle (Vaughan), Roland McKeown (Marlies), and Jack Eichel (Junior Bruins) are potential first round NHL draft picks two or three years down the line but, just as importantly, there will be a slew of potential Division I college players on hand, some of whom are also interested in attending New England prep schools.”

Tues. 12/30/14

 

Red Star Vorobyov, and Two Goaltenders
The Russian Red Stars will be playing at Babson College on New Year's Eve, Wed. Dec. 31, at 4:00 pm.

The Red Stars have at least a couple players of interest. Kirill Vorobyov, a left-shot D, has impressed NHL scouts with his play on the tour. Vorobyov is 6’1.5” and 205 pounds, a 2/11/95 birthdate, and is described as a smart player, with great skills, excellent hands,  and strong passing and puck-handling skills. He sees his options, picks the best one, and zips lightning-hard passes. The 19-year-old, who played for Russia in the World Under-17 Challenge a few years ago, stood out against Harvard, which, translated, means he could jump right in and play for any Beanpot school. That won’t happen, of course. Russian hockey players don’t grow up dreaming of playing in the Beanpot. Anyway, he burnt his college eligibility by playing a full season with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) in 2012-13.

But he’s still eligible for the draft and NHL scouts who haven’t seen him might want to take a look.

The Red Stars goaltender, 6’2”, 185 lb. Sergei Korobov, has been getting good reviews, too. He’s played for Russia in the Hlinka Memorial and other international tournaments and is playing with SKA-1946 (St. Petersburg, Russia) in the MHL, the country’s top – only? -- junior league. He’s a 3-12-96 birthdate.

The team is a mixed bag, with three ‘93s, six ‘94s, eight ‘95s, and seven ‘96s.

After the game at Babson, they have one remaining, at Princeton on Sat. Jan. 3 at 4:00 pm.

Babson, by the way, is 11-0-0 and ranked #3 nationally in Div. III. Their junior goaltender, 6’3” 23-year-old Jamie Murray, is 11-0-0, has four shutouts, an 0.77 GAA and a .986 save percentage. Murray led Scituate High to back-to-back Eastern Mass Div. 3 high school titles and played for the South Shore Kings (EJHL) before arriving at Babson.

Mon. 12/29/14

 

ECEL U14/U16/U18 All-Star Games Review

USHR traveled to Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center on Friday Dec. 19^th  -- a busy night, what with the prep tournaments going full-tilt and the U.S. National Junior Team playing an exhibition game vs. Boston University a couple miles away – in order to take in the East Coast Elite League All-Star Games, one each at the U14, U16, and U18 levels. 

The games were a fundraiser for Hockey Fights Cancer, a charity created by the NHL and NHLPA dedicated to raising awareness of the disease. The six ECEL All-Star teams were each named for an NHL player who has either battled or survived cancer, or has a known connection to the fight against cancer.

The teams were: Team Phil Kessel and Team Jason Blake (14U), Team Saku Koivu and Team John Cullen (U16), and Team Mario Lemieux and Team Dominic Moore (18U).

The league provided a detailed program booklet, to which we have included a link below. The heights and weights we are using here (only a handful were missing) are taken directly from that book. Of the three games, the U16 tilt was the most entertaining, with a fast pace, several nice goals from each team, and a total of 11 different goal scorers in Team Cullen's 8-5 win over Team Koivu.

Below is a list of 20 players who, to our eyes, stood out. There is no formal order to the rankings. The players are simply ordered by team, and jersey number. Four are U14s, eight are U16s, and eight are U18s.

ECEL All-Star Game Program Book

Sun. 12/28/14

 

Pete Frates Tournament

USHR stopped in at the Pete Frates Tournament at Merrimack College’s Lawler Rink last night. Here are our thoughts.

Game #1 – Springfield Cathedral 6, Central Catholic 0

This was an intriguing matchup in the sense that Jake Wise, Central Catholic’s freshman center and a Boston University recruit (for fall ’18) would going up against a powerhouse team with six Div. I recruits (and likely more to come).

Naturally, we wondered how Wise, a ’00 birthdate, would do. The answer: not very well. But that’s more of a testament to Cathedral’s skill. Every time Wise touched the puck there was a body on him. Halfway through the first, Cathedral’s 6’2” senior defenseman Bryce Peritz tagged the young centerman with a hard but clean center-ice hit, that said, “Welcome to the big time, kid.” For the rest of the period, Wise was out of sync. He wasn’t seeing the ice. He was missing open lanes. His passes were getting picked off. And his shots were getting blocked or missing the net.

In the second period, Wise began to adjust. Midway through the period, while playing the right point on the power play, he used a good burst of speed and awareness of where the coverage was -- and wasn’t -- to sneak into the low slot and get a good shot off on Cathedral’s 6’6” sophomore goalie Keith Petruzelli. From that point forward, Wise played with more confidence. But clearly, he’d never played a game against a team as remotely powerful as Cathedral, who were certainly aware of his skill, and weren’t going to give him – or anyone, for that matter – room to operate in. Despite being kept in check, Wise’s skill is obvious and he was his team's best player. He’s an extremely smooth skater, has good size for a 14-year-old (he’s listed as 5’10”), moves the puck extremely well, and sees the ice. Manning the PP from the point, there’s a lot of zip to his passes, which, against lesser teams, must be devastating. Going forward, it’s going to be fun watching his development. We'd chalk up tonight's game as a learning experience for a superb prospect. It will benefit him going forward.

As for fun-to-watch right now, Cathedral LW John Leonard, who, with a hat trick and two assists, figured in five of his team’s six goals, was the dominant player last night – by far. Leonard, whom we have written about a lot, doesn’t have blazing speed, but he has a hard, accurate shot and quickness in all areas. His hands are extremely quick and down low he makes magical plays that happen in the blink of an eye. It’s remarkable how he suddenly appears in exactly the right spot at the right second and buries it, or finds an open teammate even in the tightest of areas. He’s a pure quick-twitch player. Watching him is a bit like watching Martin St. Louis in his years at UVM. With St. Louis it made no difference what the situation was – every time he stepped on the ice, he was a constant threat, the one guy you had to be aware of and, even if you were, he’d still burn you. You couldn’t stop St. Louis; you’d just hope to limit the damage. That’s the way it is with Leonard. And, by the way, he’s two inches taller than St. Louis, so, yes, he does have NHL potential. Quite a lot of it, actually.

Wed. 12/24/14

 

Happy Holidays, Everyone!
We would like to take a minute to wish the happiest of holidays to all USHR readers. Without you we wouldn’t exist, and that is something we never take for granted. Have a great Christmas, a great 2015, and may the river be long, glassy-smooth, and frozen -- with the wind always at your back.

Wed. 12/24/14

 

Checking in on the Top ‘00s
USHR took a step away from the prep tournaments last weekend and drove up to Hudson, N.H, to catch a few of the top ’00s at the Northern Cyclones Showcase. We did not see all of the teams – there were many there -- but we wanted to check out Matthias Samuelsson and Patrick Giles, both of whom we mentioned last week.

We also stopped in at that night’s Central Catholic at Billerica High School game to check in on the progress of Boston University (fall ’18) recruit Jake Wise.

In addition, we had stopped in at the ECEL All-Star Games Friday night at Harvard – and we’ll have something on that shortly.

Mon. 12/22/14

 

Pelicans Take Top Spot in USHR Prep Poll

Loomis-Chaffee, the winners of this past weekend's Avon Tournament, have taken over the top spot in this week's USHR Prep Poll.

Click here to see the rest of the Top 10 teams:

USHR Prep Poll, Week of Dec. 22, 2014

The next poll will be in two weeks, on Jan. 5th, the night that the New Year's Tournaments come to a close.

Note:

The team that is bubbling under this week is Gunnery. After a lackluster 2-2 start, last season's prep runners-up have won four of their last five. While goals are still a little hard to come by, team defense is tight, as the Highlanders have held their opponents to two goals or fewer in seven of their last nine games. Jr. G Trevin Kozlowski (.929) has been strong as the last line of defense.

Wed. 12/17/14

 

Rider Cup at Albany Academy Review

USHR traveled to Albany Academy last weekend to cover the Rider Cup round-robin games on Friday night and Saturday morning; then returned Sunday afternoon for the championship game, in which the Hill, behind a 36-save effort from junior goaltender Jake Cerullo, topped Winchendon 4-1.

The eight teams in this tournament do not get as much exposure throughout the season as the traditional powerhouses, hence this effort to highlight those players who stood out for us. The list below is dominated by Div. III candidates, but there are also a few younger skaters who have D-I upside, and they are ranked as B’s. The first few “C” players are tweeners, but likely high to mid-level D-III players.

Here is our ranking of the tournament’s top 34 skaters.


Rider Cup Tournament Rankings

Forwards:

A:  None

B:

Kevin O’Neil (#22 Albany, Jr., R, 5-10/165, ’98) -- Our pick for tournament MVP, O’Neil was a constant force offensively. He has great control of the puck, he quarterbacks the Albany umbrella powerplay, skates well with the puck, showcased some nifty stick tricks, and releases the puck quickly in stride. A D-I prospect. Leads Albany in points with a 5-6-11 line over the first 7 games.

Ben Thomas (#19 Winchendon, Fr., R, 5-8/155, ’99) -- One of the youngest players in the tournament, but also one of the most intelligent. He makes the right decisions, has impressive poise and confidence carrying the puck, and possesses a keen hockey sense. He reads the play very well for his age and uses his high hockey IQ to put himself and his teammates in positions to score goals. Small and young but balanced and strong on his skates. 2-6-8 line in 7 games, second on his team.

Josh Sanchez (#2 Albany, So., R, 5-7/155, ’99) -- Sanchez impressed us over the summer at the Select 15 Festival in Buffalo, NY and continues to impress us. He is still adjusting to the pace of the game, but his speed and moxie allow him to stand out. Sanchez has a well-rounded game, i.e. a strong shot, quick hands, and a willingness to do the little things to help his team win.

C:

Brian Brooks (#9 Winchendon, Sr., L, 5-9/170, ’96) -- A small, skilled playmaker who is fluid and agile. Possesses a mature hockey sense coupled with a slick set of hands. The puck always seems to wind up on his stick. He can stickhandle or skate his way out of a jam and doesn’t mind – despite his size -- mixing it up physically. He leads Winchendon with a 4-6-10 line over 7 games and was their best player over the weekend. A high end D-III prospect.

Guillaume Beaulieu (#8 Hoosac, Sr., L, 6-0/175, ’96) -- A power forward in every sense of the word. Has a powerful stride and often plows right over opponents while driving hard to the net. He competes for loose pucks, is physical, and literally took opponents off their feet around the boards. His feet are a tad heavy and he can be tunnel visioned with the puck, but he scores goals, is tough to play against, and has deceptively efficient hands. Leads Hoosac in points with a 4-3-7 line in 4 games. Should get solid D-III attention.

Brandon McCullough (#10 Wyoming, Jr., L, 5-10/175, ’96) -- McCullough was not on the program roster, but was Wyoming’s most potent offensive weapon. He has a good burst of speed, soft hands, and creative instincts. A 9^th round pick by Rimouski in the 2013 QMJHL Draft.

Jack Riley (#3 Albany, Sr., R, 6-3/180, ’96) -- Riley has plenty of size, skates well north- south and showed a nice finishing touch. He plays with some jam, isn’t afraid to throw his body around or block shots when called upon, and has a good overall skill set. Likely D-III but should have many suitors. He's the cousin of his coach, Brett Riley, and the son of Jay Riley, who played at Harvard in the early '70s.

Joey Piccinini (#19 Wyoming, Jr., L, 6-0/185, ’97) -- Coming off an impressive season 2013-14 season where he averaged nearly three points per game with a 27-61-88 line in just 32 games. He is the only returner off his line from last season. Of the other two, one is playing in the QMJHL and the other is at Castleton State College in Vermont (NCAA D-III). Piccinini has good size, is smart both with and away from the puck. Has a strong and efficient stick.

Nick Boyagian (#11 Albany, Sr., L, 6-2/170, ’97) -- An intriguing prospect who has both height and a gifted set of hands. Was stickhandling his way through, around, and past nearly everyone who came near him. However, his skating is a work in progress -- both in speed and edgework. Appears to have a good head for the game and exceptional poise once he gets possession.

Steven Bray (#7 Lawrenceville, So., L, 6-2/195, late ’98) -- A big, rugged power forward who drives to the net and also finished off a left-to-right breakaway with a nice deke, lifting the puck over the goalie’s pad on a backhander at top speed. Definitely worth a look given his build, youth, and intensity.

Jacob  Kamps (#25 Wyoming, Jr. L, 6-2/200, ’97) -- Kamps is a dual-threat forward with a long, smooth stride and slippery hands. Also has a big frame and the ability to drop his shoulder and force his way to the net. Could have more upside than several players ranked ahead of him here, but just didn’t play at a consistently high pace, instead showing flashes of skill and speed.

Colton McMenamin (#17 Hill, Sr., L, 5-7/169, late ’95) -- McMenamin is Hill’s leading scorer but was given a misconduct for a check from behind only a few minutes into the championship game, so we didn’t see him as much as we would have liked. However, we saw him as much as most others here. McMenamin is a small, cerebral playmaker who finds openings in the defense and has the skill to exploit them. He has quick hands and even quicker feet and is perfectly willing -- despite being a small body -- to fight for position in the tough ice.  Has a 4-2-6 line over the first 5 league games.

Michael Novello (#19 Hill, Jr., R, 5-8/173, ’97) -- Novello is not quite as dynamic as McMenamin but, being two years younger, has more upside. He’s also a little bigger and plays a simple but efficient style. He scored a nice goal going hard to the net, stick down, stopping on the puck to receive a pass from behind the net -- and burying it.

Connor Leach (#7 Brewster, Soph., R, ’99) -- No height or weight listed on the roster but we guess he is about 5-11/180. He is strong, tough to knock off the puck, and exhibits control and patience with the puck. He made a few nice passes into space, showing he sees the ice well and is aware of his surroundings. What we like best is that at his age – he’s a ’99 -- he is blocking shots, finishing checks, picking up traffic on the backcheck and doing all the behind-the-scenes work to make his team more competitive. Keep an eye on him going forward.

Cooper Norton (#9 Rice, Jr., R, 5-8/175, ’98) -- We wrote about Cooper at the MPHL Showcase and he was much the same here: small, crafty, and skilled around the puck. Plays a high-energy game. Not much in the size department, but has a ton of jam.

Misha Mrotchek (#10 Lawrenceville, Jr., L, 5-3/120, ’98) -- The most dynamic forward for Lawrenceville and their leading scorer with a 2-2-4 line over 4 games. However, he is so small it’s hard to imagine him playing at a higher level. He is lightning-quick and both instinctual and creative at the same time.

David Null (#7 Hill, Jr., R, 5-11/186, ’97) -- A strong skater who doesn’t try to do too much, plays a physical game, and opens up room for his linemates. Had a crucial assist in the championship game and always seemed to win battles along the boards and in front of the net.

Brett McHale (#17 Hoosac, Sr., 6-3/185, ’96) -- McHale is a PG from Pennsylvania who is just starting to hit his stride. He is tall, slightly lanky, but has a long, powerful stride and a touch around the goal. He made a nice coast-to-coast rush on the power play where he gained the zone and made a brilliant backdoor saucer pass that hit his teammate on the tape. A good D-III prospect.

Anthony Scarcella (#10 Winchendon, Jr., L, 5-7/155, ’97) -- Scarcella stands out because of his speed and pace. He’s constantly moving and can hit another gear that most other kids cannot reach.  His hockey sense is still developing and he doesn’t yet know how to use his speed to full advantage.

Renat Nigmatullin (#11 Rice, Sr., L, 5-11/175, ’97) -- A pure goal scorer with 14 goals on the season, more than twice that of the #2 goal scorer on his team. He is not the most skilled, but he is dangerous in tight spaces, has a touch  around the net, and knows how to read the defense and find openings.

Logan Stanislas (#17 Rice, So., R, 5-11/185, ’99)  -- Stanislas, a ’99, is far from being a complete package but he scored a nice wrist shot goal in the game we saw, his first of the season. Looks to be developing nicely at Rice since we first saw him at the MPHL Showcase last month. A young talent who caught our eye throughout the game, he has a long stride and strong hands along the wall.

Defense:

A:  None

B:

Jack Moran (#8 Winchendon, So., L, 6-3/210, ’98) -- Jack Moran has been all over the map since we first saw him last year at the Belmont Hill Jamboree, where he made an instant impression despite the fact that he had just coverted to defense. He has been closely watched since then and the opinions are varied. Here, he had flashes of both good and bad. He has the body of an NHLer, has above-average mobility for his size, and a lot of offensive capabilities. On the negative side, he is undisciplined, and lacks hockey sense and vision. He had six power play rushes in the championship game, but on each he failed to even look to make a pass, and wound up turning the puck over all six times before getting to the far blue line. His upside is unquestionable. We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him picked in the 2016 NHL draft. However, Moran needs to play within himself, and understand is strengths and limitations. If he does that, he could go far.

Matt Fuller (#4 Brewster, Jr., L, 6-2/175, ’98) -- We first caught a glimpse of Fuller at the New England Festival this past summer. He has vastly improved since then. He’s a pure skater with balance, speed, and agility. He has size, plays smart, doesn’t try to do too much, is defensively reliable and focused, and makes a nice first pass. Emerging as a potential D-I prospect.

Adam Desgagnes (#3 Hoosac, Jr., R,  6-0/170, ’97) -- Desgagnes is an acquired taste. He is not the prettiest skater and sometimes pivots the wrong way. He also has a bit of an unconventional stride but he has a lot of talent. His size and strength jump out when he grinds down opposing forwards along the boards, and shows a strong net-front presence, moving bodies out away from his goalie, and eliminating second-chance opportunities. When he gets possession of the puck he has a great set of hands and is able to quick cradle or finesse his way around the defense to set up scoring chances for either himself or his teammates. He scored a goal and an assist in the first half of the game we saw (the tournament format consisted of two 25-minute halves).

C:

Julien Choiniere-Denicourt (#10 Brewster, Sr., L, 5-9/170, ’96) An athletic, highly- mobile defenseman who excels on the breakout and at the top of the umbrella power play. He is decisive with the puck, makes a firm accurate pass, and keeps his head up-ice at all times. His skating ability allows him to play a tight gap, and he doesn’t shy away from the physicality of the game. A mid to high-end D-III prospect.

Alexander Vukota (#12 Albany, Sr., R, 5-11/170, ’97) -- A rugged, old-school type of defender who plays the game tough, takes the body, and hits with authority. He is tough to go up against because he takes away space, physically engages, and keeps his balance and body positioning. A solid defensive defenseman who lacks flash but gets the job done.

Jeff Fasegha (#27 Albany, Sr., R, 6-0/195, ’97) -- Fasegha has an array of abilities. He is mobile, tough to beat on 1v1’s and is comfortable skating with the puck up-ice and making plays in the offensive zone. He had a beautiful end-to-end rush where he used his reach and slick hands to bait a defenseman and then blow right by him before feeding a cross crease pass to O’Neil who rifled it into the net. Can play on the power play and penalty kill -- and is equally effective at both.

Anthony Gandolfi (#8 Wyoming, Sr., R, 5-11/185, late ’95) -- As a late ’95 his upside is limited but he is a good-sized, well-rounded offensively-inclined defender who is smart and skilled with the puck on his stick. He stands out rushing the puck or in the offensive zone on the powerplay, but his defensive game is equally strong.

Andrew Troy (#15 Hill, Jr. R, 6-1/165, ’98)  -- Troy has a good frame to grow into, plays sound defensive hockey, blocks shots, and has a strong presence around his net. In the corners he gets down and uses his lower-body strength to pin forwards to the wall and gain puck possession. Simple and solid in all three zones.

Trent Thomas (#20 Hill, Jr. R, 5-11/182, ’97) -- Thomas is a gifted skater. He can pivot and change direction instantly, he walks the offensive blueline, and is balanced in the tough ice. Thomas stayed within himself in the championship game, making some plays offensively but not over-extending and neglecting his role as a d-man. Thomas is likely a D-III player as he is a tweener ---not quite dynamic enough to be a power play defenseman at the D-I level and not big enough or rugged enough to be a shutdown d-man at that level either.

Jan Silvala (#12 Rice, Jr. L, 5-10/165, ’97)  -- Silvala is a highly intelligent player with a smooth set of hands and mature hockey instincts. He moves the puck quickly and to the right areas, he knows when to pinch and when to hang back, and he is excellent on the breakout. Plays with poise and grace.

 

Goaltenders:

A:   None

B:

Jake Cerullo (#1 Hill, Jr., 6-1/184, ’97) -- You could make the case for Cerullo as the tournament MVP with his brilliant championship game performance in which he stopped 36 of 37 shots. He has good size at 6’1” and moves well in net, but he really didn’t face a lot of second-chance opportunities and Winchendon took a lot of shots from the outside, in large part because his teammates played excellent team defense in the championship game. He currently has a .915 save percentage on the season.

C:

Jordan Elwood (#30 Hoosac, Sr., 5-9/165, late ’96) -- Elwood is one of the quickest goalies we have seen in a while. He is very small which will hurt his college recruitment but he has great rebound control, is athletic and acrobatic, and flashes a quick glove at the last second. He uses every inch of himself to make the stop -- and he had some excellent ones, keeping his team in games. He has a .933 save percentage which is really impressive for his team, which lacks depth. Highly-skilled.

Brandon Graf (#31 Winchendon, So., 5-10/160, ’99) -- Graf had a shaky championship game. He made a few really nice stops but also let in a real softie in the first period on a wrist shot from the point that beat him five-hole. He showed his age at times, but is someone to keep an eye on as there aren’t many ’99 goalies at this level and, despite being small in net, he has good reflexes and is able to play outside his crease and challenge shooters.

Tournament Scoreboard

Fri. Dec. 12 -- Rider Cup Day 1
Game 1 – Winchendon 4, Albany Academy 3 (OT)
Game 2 -- Rice 5, Brewster 2

Sat. Dec. 13 -- Rider Cup Day 2
Game 3 -- Wyoming Seminary 3, Hoosac 2
Game 4 -- Hill 4, Lawrenceville 3 (OT)
Game 5 -- Losers Games 1&2 – Albany 7, Brewster 3
Game 6 -- Semifinal: Winners Games 1&2 – Winchendon 8, Rice 2
Game 7 -- Losers Games 3&4 – Lawrenceville 6, Hoosac 1
Game 8 -- Semifinal: Winners Games 3&4 – Hill 5, Wyoming 4 (OT)

Sun. Dec. 14 -- Rider Cup Day 3
Game 9 -- Losers Games 5&7 – Brewster 4, Hoosac 3 (OT)
Game 10 -- Winners Games 5&7 – Albany 4, Lawrenceville 1
Game 11 -- Losers Games 6&8 – Rice 3, Wyoming Seminary 2
Game 12 -- Championship Game: Winners Games 6&8 – Hill 4, Winchendon 1

Update 12/17/14:

Hosts Albany Academy, under first-year head coach Brett Riley, may not have won their own tournament, but several days later would go on the road and upset Salisbury, 4-2. Junior goaltender Giancarlo Ventre, a '98, stopped 36 of 38 shots to lead Albany past the defending prep school champions.  

 

Wed. 12/17/14

 

ECEL All-Star Rosters for Harvard on Friday

As part of the East Coast Elite League Showcase taking place over the coming weekend at several different venues, there will be three All-Star games – U14, U16, U18 -- held Friday Dec. 19 at Harvard University’s Bright Hockey Center. 

Players will be drawn from all six full-season ECEL members. In partnership with the All-Star event, ECEL co-founder Peter Alden has announced that Friday’s games at the Bright Center will be a fundraiser for Hockey Fights Cancer, a charity created by the NHL and NHLPA dedicated to raising awareness of the disease, and money to be put to use in cancer research.

Each of the six ECEL All-Star teams are being named after an NHL player who has either battled or survived cancer, or has a known connection to the fight against cancer.

The teams are: Team Phil Kessel and Team Jason Blake (14U), Team Saku Koivu and Team John Cullen (U16), and Team Mario Lemieux and Team Dominic Moore (18U).

While there will be no admission fee to the games, there will be donation boxes for Hockey Fights Cancer set up at the entrance to Bright.   

The game times, which are approximate are:

14U, 5:15 pm (two 22-minute periods)
16U, 6:30 pm (three 17-minute periods)
18U, 8:15 pm  (three 17-minute periods)

Sat. 12/13/14

 

Saturday Morning Notes

If you’re heading out for the Exeter @ Cushing game today (4:45 pm), you should know that the game will be a fundraiser, with proceeds split 50/50 between the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Robin Cook-Milligan Breast Cancer Foundation. These two organizations deserve all the support they can get. Dana-Farber is well known, and this typist can attest to the great work they do there. The latter foundation is smaller and less widely known, but is very personal to the Cushing community, as it was started in honor of Cushing’s Head of Security, Richard Cook. There will be all sorts of raffle prizes – at least 40. If you can’t make it, you can donate by sending a check to April Boettcher, Pink the Rink, 39 School St., Ashburnham, Mass. Christmas is a time of giving, and we often wind up both buying and receiving far too much overpriced junk that nobody truly needs. Many people need – and will continue to need – organizations such as these.


***

Mon. 12/8/14

 

Exeter Invitational Notes

The Exeter Invitational had a different look this year. Specifically, it was smaller, with just four teams this year, each playing two games. The field was strong, so all the games were a good test.

If we were to pick an MVP for the tournament – and it looks like we are – we’d go with Gunnery right-shot junior defenseman McKay Flanagan, who, at 6’2”, has impressive size and strength, has vastly improved his skating ability, and looks more confident and composed with the puck than ever before.

The Goaltender MVP goes to 6’4” Gunnery junior Trevin Kozlowski, a native of Santa Clarita, Calif. Kozlowski came up with some big saves against Tabor on Saturday night, and was just as tough vs. Exeter on Sunday. For the weekend, he stopped 59 of 61 shots, good for a .967 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against average.

The Hero of the Day Award goes to Exeter senior forward Stanley Brenner. The native of Boca Raton, Florida scored both of Exeter’s goals in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Gunnery. The first of the two goals came on a terrific shot – a bar-down laser to the top corner blocker side of Trevin Kozlowski, who had absolutely no chance whatsoever.

Game scores:

Saturday:
Exeter 7, Kent 4
Gunnery 4, Tabor 1
Sunday:
Kent 4, Tabor 4
Exeter 2, Gunnery 1

(Exeter went 2-0-0, Gunnery went 1-1-0, Kent went 0-1-1, and Tabor went 0-1-1.)


A Look at the Teams & Players:
Exeter

Fri. 12/5/14

 

Midwest Prep Kick Off Weekend
We’ve been hustling to get everything ready for the prep season, which means we have a backlog of things we’re still working on.

Here are our notes on the MPHL Kick Off Classic Weekend at Cairns Arena in South Burlington, Vt. Nov. 14-16. Last year’s event had high-profile players like St. Andrew’s College senior Warren Foegele, who was drafted in June and is now a UNH freshman; and Lake Forest Academy’s 5’7” sophomore Alex DeBrincat, a former UMass commit who signed with the Erie Otters and is putting up big numbers this year playing on a line with Connor McDavid. This year, we didn’t see anyone jump out at us as much as those two did last year, but there were plenty of strong prospects for Div. I and Div. III. Many are still on the young side, and will grow as players over the course of the season.

Word is that Stanstead College defenseman Filip Dusek, a 6’4”, 192 lb. ’99-born sophomore from Prague, Czech Republic, is a player to keep an eye on. He started the season injured, but is expected back soon.

We got to see each team play twice, and found a good number of close, competitive games.

The league is broken into two five-team divisions. The Bower Division has the stronger teams, headed up by Stanstead College (5-0) and St. Michael’s College School (4-0-1), the latter being a replacement for Saint Andrew’s College. The two teams following Stanstead and St. Michael’s in the Bower Division are the Edge School (4-1) and Ridley College (3-0-1-1). Rice Memorial is a step below the top four, but also has the youngest team in the league. The Malloy Division is led by Lake Forest Academy, who were 2-3-0 here. The other four teams in the division -- St. Francis, Gilmour Academy, Shady Side Academy, and Loyola Academy -- combined for only one win.

Following is a ranking of the tournament’s standouts.

Forwards:

A:

Jaret Anderson-Dolan (#11 Edge School, Soph., L, 5-9.5/170, ’99) -- The 1^st round draft pick (#14 overall) of the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL Bantam draft was firing on all cylinders in Burlington. Last season, Anderson-Dolan played for Edge’s Bantam AAA team, amassing a 79-47-126 line in 59 games. At this level he is the youngest player on his team, with a Sept. ’99 birthdate, but you would have been hard pressed to know that unless you had a roster. Anderson-Dolan skates with great confidence and composure. He possesses quick and agile hands which he used to side-step defensemen and stickhandle his way through the neutral zone. While the hands, skating ability, and scoring touch are what jump out the most, his hockey sense, spacial awareness, and ability to read the play are well beyond his years. He has a potent shot that he gets off instantly and appears to have great control over, putting it exactly where he wants it to go. Anderson-Dolan has signed with Spokane for the 2015-16 season.

B:

Connor Hill (#21 Ridley College, Jr., L, 6-1/185, ’98) -- Hill had a monster weekend with a 3-3-6 line, showing great consistency in creating scoring chances shift after shift. Hill and linemate Christian Girhiny are the best one-two punch in the league and find each other well. The duo, making beautiful passes back and forth, created countless 2-on-1 opportunities. Hill has size, slick, soft hands, and a hard shot. He’s a calculating, crafty type who is in complete control of the puck when it’s on his stick, knowing not only where he wants it to go but how to get it there. Hill could an effective skilled power forward at the next level if he can just improve his skating a bit. He led the Ontario Jr. Knights in goals last season but fell in the OHL draft to the 15^th round where he was selected by Peterborough.

David Jankowski (#28 Stanstead College, Sr., R, 6-0/155, ’97) -- Jankowski is a tall, thin prospect from a great hockey family. His older brother Mark, a first round NHL draft pick of Calgary in 2012, is currently a junior at Providence College. The younger Jankowski has a lot of tools at his disposal: he has a long fluid stride, athleticism, soft hands, and a quick-release wrist shot. He has excellent hand-eye coordination that allows him to tip pucks and redirect one-touch passes. His best attribute is his hockey sense, as he reads the ice well, anticipates where the puck is going to go, and puts his teammates in position to make plays. Jankowski will need to grow into his body and get stronger and more physical to play at the D-I level.

Christopher Smith (#27 Stanstead College, Sr., L, 5-9/171, ’97) -- The leading returning scorer from last year’s squad, Smith picked up where he left off, finishing the weekend with an impressive 6-5-11 line in five games. Smith is fast, and is able to accelerate instantly from a stationary position. He uses a change of speed to create separation. He is quick and agile in small spaces and has excellent vision, which was on full display during the powerplay where he finds his teammates all over the ice. He showed some grit in the tough areas, which we haven’t seen much of before, and also a willingness to battle in his own end. A more complete player than he was last year. Definite D-I upside.

Christian Girhiny (#18 Ridley College, Jr., L, 5-11/155, ’98) – Girhiny, who was dominant at times, has an excellent set of hands and plays on arguably the top line in the league. What impressed us was his ability to make plays – many quite flashy – at full speed. He made a backhanded saucer pass at full speed, ditto for toe-dragging a defenseman. He makes quick juke moves in the corners and along the boards without ever slowing down. He works well with linemate Connor Hill. The two of them were a constant threat, feeding off each other almost every shift. The highly-skilled forward, who had a 3-3-6 line in five games over the weekend, could develop into a nice D-I player if he decides on that route. He was a late-round OHL draft pick by Erie.

Jacob Elmer (#14 Edge School, Soph., R, 6-1/168, late ’98) -- A December 31^st birthdate, Elmer was a 6^th round selection of the Regina Pats in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. He signed with them in June and had a good training camp, but has returned to the Edge School. He showed well here. He has great poise carrying the puck, slick hands, and a fluid stride. He never appears to be in a rush, values the puck, and makes good decisions. He can score from in tight or from the outside and has excellent hockey sense. He should grow to be a quality player in the WHL.

Josh McKechney (#7 Edge School, Sr., R, 6-0/170,’97) -- McKechney returns from last year’s squad where he played alongside Taro Hirose, who is now the second-leading scorer at Salmon Arm (BCHL). McKechney plays a controlled style -- he has the ability to slow the game down and use his soft hands and hockey instincts to create scoring chances. He sees the ice well, makes good decisions, and is able to use his size and reach to fight for space or dangle in tight spaces. We would like to have seen more effort away from the puck; regardless, he has D-I upside.

Charles Levesque (#16 Ridley College, Sr., R, 5-9/165, ’98) -- Levesque has speed, is shifty in small areas, and has an ability to find open ice, buy time and space, and make plays out of nothing. He is smart and precise in the neutral zone, makes smart decisions, and plays with a lot of pace. Currently plays on Ridley’s top line with Girhiny and Hill.

Kyle Haskins (#15 Rice Prep, Fr., L, 5-9/150, ’00) -- Haskins made a name for himself this summer at the New England Festival and again at the ECC Tournaments. He has good size, stick skills, and a rocket shot. He is tough, willing to throw his body around, and fight through checks. We loved the fight he showed playing against older players as he is one of the youngest players in the entire league. However, he is raw and immature at times, has tunnel vision, and doesn’t pass the puck. Overall, his upside is high as he can use his body to shield the puck and elusive hands to stickhandle through traffic to scoring areas. A center, he did well on draws, but was unfocused at times in his own end. A Div. I prospect, though he has a long way to go.

Drew Packman (#9 Stanstead College, Sr., L, 6-0/201, ’97) -- Packman is a strong skater who lacks high-end speed but is difficult to match up against because of his strength and skill. He and linemate Christopher Smith worked well off each other, creating a lot of scoring opportunities. Packman is a better distributor then he gets credit for, and he has a good head for the game. In the corners and along the wall he is able to use his size to outmuscle opponents and come out with the puck.

Will Lavezzorio (#11 Lake Forest Academy, Sr., L, 5-10/170, ’96) -- Lavezzorio left the tournament on a high note when he scored the last two goals for his team and added an assist in a 4-3 OT win over the Edge School on Sunday. He is a skilled playmaker with gifted hands, values the puck, and is crafty and hard to defend behind the net. He leads his team in points with a 4-2-6 line in five games. On his game-winning goal in overtime he beat the defenseman and deked the goalie left to right before backhanding it past him. As a ’96 his D-I upside is limited, but he would be a good get for a D-III school.

C:

Austin Leduc (#16 Edge School, Sr., L, 6-0/149, ’98) – Leduc, with a good combination of puck possession skills and vision, is at his best on odd-man rushes because he can lure in defensemen and either take the shot or make the pass. He made a 10-foot behind-the-back saucer pass on a 3v2 that was perfectly timed and placed and while it wasn’t converted for a goal it did show his hockey sense and ability to read the defense’s vulnerabilities.

Patrick MacDonald (#22 Ridley College, Sr., L, 6-0/175, late ’97) -- MacDonald has a good build, uses his reach and size to protect the puck and power to the net. He made one really impressive move, splitting the D on a 1v2 and cutting to the net for a nice bid. He is not quick, but once he gets his feet under him he uses his long stride. He doesn’t look like he’s going particularly fast, but we saw him motoring wide around defensemen. He will need to improve his agility and process the game more quickly. But there’s potential here.

Marco Violo (#16 St. Michael’s College, Sr., R, 5-9/157, ‘96) -- A smart, crafty playmaker who always has his head up, looking for holes in the defense. He is slippery and skilled, and able to stickhandle his way out of a bind. Violo is a cerebral player who tends to play a perimeter set-up game but isn’t afraid to cut to the middle of the ice and shoot. He generated a lot of chances off neutral zone turnovers. He led the team in scoring last year and should do the same this year.

Erkka Vanska (#29 Stanstead College, Soph., L, 5-8/148, ’98) -- An Espoo, Finland native, Vanska is a smart player who controls the puck extremely well, and utilizes his quickness and agility in small areas. He avoids pressure with spins and quick side-to-side moves. He’s also a two-way guy. What we liked best was his compete level and his ability to fight through checks and win puck battles in the corners.

Wyley Veinot (#2 Gilmour Academy, Jr., L, 6-0/185, ’98) -- A tall, thin prospect with weak ankles. But he’s also surprisingly athletic, has smooth hands, and can skate with the puck. He had a beautiful rush on the powerplay where he was able to motor around two players, gain the zone, and set up a play. He’ll need to fill out and get more physical.

Michael Bryne (#26 St. Michael’s College, Sr., R, 5-11/162, ‘97) -- Bryne scored the game-winning goal with 45 second remaining to lead St. Michael’s to a 2-1 win over Gilmour. He is a graceful skater, with speed and finesse. He was a bit passive at times and didn’t get physically engaged but he is noticeable when he has control of the puck. He can make quick dekes at high speed and has the ability to isolate a defenseman and create odd-man opportunities for his teammates.

Matvey Skripchenko (#19 Rildey College, Sr., L, 6-4/210, ’97) – A Moscow native, Skripchenko is starting to adapt to the North American game and has taken great strides since last year. He has an imposing body, is tall and strong, and has plenty of room to grow into. He is improving his stickhandling ability and is able to create separation with his reach and body positioning. Once he maintains possession of the puck, it’s difficult to knock him off it, unless he tries to get cute. Skripchenko is also shooting the puck more and developing the strong net front presence one looks for from a 6’4” forward.

Michael Locatelli (#22 St. Michael’s Colllege, Sr., R, 6-3/186, ‘97) -- Locatelli brings size and physicality to the game and opens up the ice for his skilled linemates. He has deceptively smooth hands and is able to use his reach and strength to win puck battles along the wall and come out of the corners clean. He is also a purposeful forechecker and causes a lot of turnovers for his opponents. He has some north-south speed but agility and lateral quickness are a work in progress. We’d like to see him develop more of a net front presence and attack the goal more before we can label him as an effective power forward, which at 6’3” he certainly has the tools to be.

Cooper Norton (#9 Rice Prep, Jr., R, 5-8/175, ’98) -- Norton is small but smart, has an explosive first step, and an ability to find his teammates in the offensive zone. He competes, forechecking and backchecking hard without getting out of position.

Milo DeFay (#9 Shady Side Academy, Soph., 5-8/150, ’98) -- A pure goal scorer, shoots with his head up, has a quick release, and is able to shoot the puck in stride with something on it. He is a smart player, knows where to be on the ice, and competes in all three zones.

Renat Nigmatullin (#11 Rice Prep, Sr., L, 5-11/175, ’97) -- Rice’s leading scorer, Nigmatullin shoots it really well, has good hands -- especially in tight -- and knows his way around the slot. He isn’t overly skilled but he’s crafty and gets the most out of his talent. Worth a look.

Chase Sriprajittichai (#13 Gilmour Academy, Jr., R, 5-11/155, ’98) -- The Santa Barbara, Calif. native has quick hands and is able to find open ice. Needs to improve his strength in order to take his game to the next level.

Wyatt Glover (#23 Shady Side Academy, Jr., 6-0/190, ’97) -- Glover has good size and a long stride which allows him to go wide on defensemen. He had a hand in 60 percent of his team’s goals here, but we would have liked to have seen him play with more of an edge. He was too perimeter at times. Overall, though, he is a good prospect given his size and touch around the net. Speed and agility could use improvement.

Luke Court (#15 Ridley College, Sr., R, 5-9/155, ’97) -- Court is a shifty playmaker who is light on his skates and possesses quickness and agility. He made a quick juke on a defenseman on the offensive blue line and squeezed by the D and the boards to get around him and then cut to the net for a scoring opportunity.

AJ Oppenheimer (#19 Shady Side Academy, Sr., 5-8/168, ’96) -- Short but stalky, and strong on his skates, Oppenheimer has good speed up and down the ice. He stops on the puck, plays hard and forechecks with authority. He wasn’t able to get much going offensively but that should change as the season progresses.

Owen Ramsay (#10 St. Michael’s College, Jr., L, 5-10/168, ‘98) -- Ramsay is a two-way player who isn’t overly flashy but knows where to be on the ice and is efficient with the puck, rarely turning it over or forcing the play. He wasn’t noticeable in the offensive zone but was in the right places at the right times.

Antoine Belisle (#26 Stanstead College, Jr., L, 5-8/164, ’98) -- Belisle is young and undersized, but he played with a high compete level and scored a highlight top-corner goal in a blowout win over Shady Side.

Jonathan Blais (#22 Gilmour Academy, Jr., L, 6-0/180, late ’96) -- A smooth-skating, highly athletic player with some size and a determined effort in his own end.

Konsta Jaakola (#10 Rice Prep, Jr., R, 5-6/156, ’97) -- Jaakola is small but talented with the puck on his stick. He plays on Rice’s top line with Norton and Nigmatullin and, while he lacks size, he is compact and skates with a low center, which makes him tough to knock off the puck. He lacks the speed needed for his size, but he is quick in tight spaces and always seemed to come out of the corner with possession.

Mac Caruana (#17 St. Michael’s College, Jr., L, 5-7/143, late ‘98) -- At 5’7”, 143 lbs., he doesn’t look like much but his elusive stick skills, quickness, and hard shot allow him to stand out despite being his team’s youngest player.

Alex Herbert (#6 Ridley College, Sr., L, 6-3/220, ’97) -- Herbert is one of the league’s most physically imposing players at 6’3”, 220 lbs. He has great strength in the corners and along the boards. He is stiff and slow now, but, keeping in mind his size, if can iron that part of his game out then he could develop into a third or fourth line power forward at the next level.

Sean Remillard (#24 Rice Prep, Sr., R, 5-8/165, ’97) -- Remillard is small but fast and plays with a lot of energy. He scored one of the top goals we saw in the tournament, a bar-down snipe in gull stride.

Ian Socrates (#6 Gilmour Academy, Sr., R, 5-10/175, ’97) -- A small, shifty player with a nice blend of agility and quickness. Has an explosive first step from a stand-still position and is able to play at a high pace. Would have liked to see him get more involved offensively, but Gilmour didn’t have a lot of puck possession time as a team.

Lake Forest ’99 Forwards (Andrej Hromic, Reiss Jensen, Will Everett and Jacob Upshall) These four players are all very young and were unnoticeable for most of the games but they are all ‘99s, have potential, some size, and just need to adjust to the pace of the game while gaining strength and confidence. Hromic was the leading scorer for Team Illinois Bantam Major last season.

Defensemen

A:

None

B:

Noah Tooke (#24 Ridley College, Jr., L, 6-0/185, late ’98) -- Tooke appears to be the best overall defenseman in the league. While his offensive ability stands out, he is a much better defender then he gets credit for. He is strong in the tough ice and is able to strip the puck and immediately shield the opponent from it. When covering a player, he gets a stick on them but always keeps his head towards the puck carrier and reads the play. Often times he broke off of his guy to break up a play. On the offensive end, he is dynamic on the blue line, has smooth yet sturdy hands, and quarterbacks the umbrella powerplay. His stride is long and powerful which translates into speed, balance, and explosiveness. He gets his shot on net and picks his spots well – they are rarely blocked. A late-round selection of the Erie (OHL), Tooke should get a lot of interest if he decides to go the NCAA route.

Jeremy Descheneaux (#15 Stanstead College, Jr., L, 6-1/182, ’98) – Descheneaux, normally a centerman, made a name for himself this summer with a strong showing at the Road to College and the Beantown Summer Classic. Here, he was one of the guys we were most excited to see play, only to find him, due to injuries on his team, playing defense. Descheneaux is a gifted skater with an array of offensive abilities, but on the backend he looked out of place for much of the time. He is ranked as a ‘B’ here due to his ability and upside and taking into consideration that he is unfamiliar with the position. He still stands out, though. He had a few nice rushes and came into his own on the powerplay. But wait until he is back playing forward!

Jake Stevens (#4 Lake Forest Academy, Sr., R, 6-1/195, late ’96) -- A big, mobile defenseman who has great escapability in his own end and buys himself that extra second to make direct passes to break it out. He is tough to beat on the wall, keeps the puck in his zone, and is athletic on the offensive blue line. On the power play he shows the qualities of both a distributor and a shooter. On the defensive side he uses his size and strength to grind players down, has a decent reach, and uses his hockey instincts to put himself in the best position to break up plays.

Jordan Gonzales (#2 St. Francis HS, Fr., R, 6-2/165, ’99) -- Gonzales has a tall, slim build and although he was the youngest defenseman on his team, he appears to be their best prospect. He zips the puck across the ice and hits targets tape-to-tape in mid-stride. He has vision, great control of the game, and a long reach to keep forwards outside and off angle. He will need to fill into his body and iron out some of his stride issues. A wait-and-see approach must be taken here but Gonzales is certainly worth watching.

Nathan Sanderson (#20 Stanstead College, Sr., R, 6-3/232, ’97) -- Sanderson has great size and is able to swallow up opposing forwards with his strength and long reach. He has improved his skating since last year and makes a crisp and well-placed first pass. Has a cannon of a slap shot but struggled to get it off quickly. Has obvious potential but is still a raw prospect at this point. He was drafted late in the QMJHL draft by Rimouski.

C:

Cole Cameron (#4 Ridley College, Jr., R, 5-11/165, ’98) -- Cameron showed off his speed with several end-to-end rushes and also demonstrated confidence on the first powerplay unit. Has poise with the puck on the offensive blue line, is able to walk it out from the boards and put himself in position to shoot the puck or make a pass. He makes sound decisions and doesn’t try to force passes that aren’t there. In his own end he is tough, plays the body, and takes away the angle with body positioning and stick work.

Austin Ehret (#20 Edge School, Sr., L, 5-11/150, ’96) -- We first noticed Ehret on the powerplay where he breaks the puck out of the zone and helps quarterback the play from the offensive blue line. Ehret has decent size, good mitts, and makes a firm, accurate pass. On the powerplay he is able to put just the right amount of touch on this passes, soft enough to enable his teammates to take one-timers but not so soft enough that his passes get picked off. When he decides to shoot, he is able to get it through traffic and on net, despite low velocity. In his own end he has an active stick. He gets outmuscled at times in the tough ice.

James Zanca (#4 Stanstead College, Sr., L, 6-1/185, ’97) -- Zanca continues to be a reliable, rugged defenseman who is tough to play against and has deceptive offensive capabilities. He uses his size well, is able to win battles along the wall and behind the net, and clears out bodies in front of his goalie. He logs a lot of ice time and is making the most of his increased role this year.

Axel Cote (#2 Stanstead College, Soph., 6-0/164, ’98) -- Cote is tall and has an active stick to break up passes and keep forwards off balance. He’s a pure skater who has the ability to take the puck and go at any time. An 8^th round selection in the QMJHL by Baie-Comeau.

Mac Ference (#6 Shady Side Academy, Soph., 5-7/155, late ’98) -- Ference is rostered as a forward but we saw him playing defense on Sunday and he played well. He was quick, aggressive, moved the puck up ice well, and was able to take away opponents’ time and space. In addition, the sophomore out of Pittsburgh, PA likes to play a physical game.

Johnny Tomlinson (#43 Lake Forest Academy, Sr., R, 6-0/180, ’96) -- A strong weekend for Tomlinson, a native Californian with good size and a shot. Was at his best on the powerplay. His defensive play is solid but didn’t stand out, as he was beat on a few occasions where he over-committed and pinched at the wrong time. He logs a lot of minutes and will be counted on to produce offensively and hold down the back end throughout the season.

Nicolas Arel (#5 Stanstead College, Jr., L, 6-3/186, ’98) -- Arel was paired with Descheneaux on the Stanstead backend. Still growing into his massive frame, Arel’s footwork has a way to go, but he handles the puck decently, has good anticipation skills, stays in position and keeps the game simple. We’ll take a wait-and-see approach, but his combination of size and a good sense of the game makes him someone to keep tabs on.

Mark Paolini (#5 St. Michael’s College, Jr., L, 5-11/170, ’98) -- Paolini showed a variety of skills: he can skate with the puck and had a nice end-to-end rush, gaining the zone and making a cross-ice pass for a scoring chance. He can also stay back and play a shutdown role. He has some size, skates well, and moves the puck efficiently.

Devon Daniels (#7 Gilmour Academy, Jr., R, 6-1/170, ’98) -- Daniels made a lot of plays in his own end, is a willing shot blocker, and is physical in front. In the offensive zone he showed a powerful slap shot, the accuracy of which he will have to improve on.

Brandon Marinelli (#27 St. Michael’s College, Sr., L, 5-10/163, ‘97) -- An athletic offensive defenseman who has a slight build, but makes up for it with skill and finesse. He excels on the offensive blue line, particularly on the powerplay. However, his defensive zone game is underrated as he is able to play tight on the man and keep them away from the net. In the neutral zone he challenges the opponent and rarely concedes the blue line without pressure. He keeps the puck in the zone, makes a crisp first pass and plays sound, aggressive defense.

Jan Silvala (#12 Rice Prep, Jr., L, 5-10/165, ’97) -- From Tampere, Finland, Silvala is new to Rice but stands out as their top defenseman. He has decent size, moves the puck well and is a gifted skater. He can transition seamlessly from forward to backward and does a nice job defending the 1v1.

Nick Buchanan (#12 Lake Forest Academy, Sr., L, 5-9/160, ’97) -- An undersized D with an explosive first step, good change of speed, and an ability to stay with his man. Buchanan is able to play a tight gap and keep opposing forwards outside and off balance.

Kyle Rock (#33 Loyola Academy, Soph., L, 5-9/160, ’99) -- The bright spot for a weak Loyola team is this ’99 who gets ice time in all situations. In limited action we saw him shut down countless 1v1 opportunities while showing an ability to keep the puck in the zone on the offensive blue line. On the power play he keeps it simple, getting it and moving it quickly.

Paddy Mangan (#16 Rice Prep, Fr., R, 5-10/150, ’00) -- Mangan, from our study of the rosters here, is the youngest player in the league. He is on the weak side both in edge work and overall size, and he got rattled at times and threw the puck away. That being said, he has a good foundation to build off of, and he looks like he has room to grow. His stride is fluid and he isn’t afraid to take a few steps before moving the puck. He could be a very good player once he grows into his body and gains more experience playing against older guys.

Cabot MacKenzie (#7 St. Michael’s College, Jr., L, 5-11/174, ’98) -- MacKenzie quarterbacks the St. Michael’s power play, has vision and poise, and makes smart decisions with the puck. He grinds down the opposition in the corners and along the boards and makes quick, timely decisions on the breakout, usually skating it up a bit and making direct passes to exit the zone. He knows when to pinch and when to retreat on the offensive blue line and was always in position to make plays defensively.

Colin Lee (#4 St. Michael’s College, Sr., L, 5-8/155,’97) – An undersized, mobile, and puck- moving defender who is agile on his skates. He has great escapability, and once he steals the puck he can avoid pressure, find open ice, and make a play. His upside is limited due to size and not being overly dynamic.

Eric Lifvendahl (#20 Loyola Academy, Sr., L, 5-8/140, ’97) -- A small defenseman, Lifvendahl played on a team that only scored one goal all weekend so he saw a lot of action coming back his way. He makes a nice first pass and demonstrated good overall vision and awareness. He lacks size and strength to provide a physical presence in front of his net, but he used a quick stick and an array of spin moves to win battles in the corners.

Goaltenders

A:

None

B:

Alex Butler (#30 Stanstead College, Sr., 5-11/160, ’97) -- Butler did not see much action in the shutout effort we saw, but his stats here speak for themselves: two shutouts over three games, one goal against on 51 shots, a .980 save percentage and 0.33 GAA. He isn’t the ideal size for a goalie, but he moves really well in net, has great reaction time and a quick glove hand. He reads the play, is able to see through traffic, make stops when screened, and does a nice job controlling rebounds. Arguably the most formidable goalie in the league but we didn’t get to see him tested much as Stanstead dominated in the game we saw.

Peyton Zern (#39 St. Francis HS, Soph., 6-0/150, ’98) -- Zern is slated to play the backup role this season, but in the one game we saw him play he was outstanding, keeping St. Francis in the game against a talented Ridley College team. He’s positionally sound, stays square, and rarely gives the shooter much to see. He also plays fairly aggressively and made some acrobatic stops when needed. We did not see him against Rice Memorial, a game in which he stopped 27 of 29 shots. Other scouts reported that Zern was the sole reason the game was a tie.

C:

Cedric Hansen (#30 Gilmour Academy, Sr., 5-11/175, ’97) -- Had a big game against a talented St. Michael’s team, keeping his team in the game with 24 saves on 26 shots in a 2-1 loss. He was under attack all night and made several stops from point-blank range as well as post-to-post sliding saves on 2-on-1’s. He is quick, agile, and moves well in and out of the crease.

Matthew Chan (#33 Stanstead College, Jr., 5-11/165, ’98) -- A late round draft pick of the Guelph Storm (OHL), Chan is coming off an impressive season in Midget AAA in Ontario where he had a .937 save percentage and a 1.34 GAA. He is the backup to Alex Butler (see above) but in his two starts he allowed only one goal against on 37 shots for a .973 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average. He is graceful, always in position, and appears to have great flexibility and range. He was not challenged much in the 5-1 win over St. Francis despite stopping 21 shots, but he doesn’t give the shooter much to look at, swallows up rebounds, and pounces on loose pucks around the crease. He has good balance, moves well up and down as well as in and out of the crease.

Evan DeBrouwer (#30 Ridley College, Sr., 6-2/195, ’97) -- While the 6’2” DeBrouwer wasn’t tested much in the game we saw, he has size, his footwork is good, and, while he wasn’t called on to make any big saves, he was always in position, made himself big (he is anyway), and cut down angles well.

Aiden Ethier (#31 Rice Prep, Sr., 5-11/185, ’97) -- Ethier was solid in net in both games we saw him play, stopping 35 of 37 shots and never getting rattled. He is composed, plays his angles well, and has a calming presence. He didn’t have to make any really tough saves but stopped the ones he was supposed to.


Notes:

***Alex Ziatek (#18 Shady Side Academy, Fr., 6-2/205, late ’99) -- Ziatek is a big, rugged power forward who we only saw for 2 ½ periods because he was ejected from the game -- and the following game -- for fighting. He is one of the youngest players in the league. His size and brute strength are impressive and while he isn’t the most graceful or agile skater, he has deceptive hands in tight and has a proven scoring touch (last season in the PIHL Middle School league he scored 26 goals in 15 games; the second-leading scorer had 10). Capable of a high rank but due to the fight and sitting out an additional game we had limited viewing.

*** Filip Dusek (#6 Stanstead College, Soph.,6-3/192, ’98) - Defense- We did not see him play because, as we mentioned above, he was injured. Other coaches, however, were impressed with his ability. He comes to Stanstead after playing with the Czech Republic U17 National Team. Definitely worth seeing when Stanstead plays New England Prep teams. He will be out of action until December.

*** Defenseman Jack Clarke (#21 St. Michael’s College, Sr., L, 6-0/210, ’96) and forward Massimo DeMarinis (#19 St. Michael’s College, Sr., L, 5-10/190,’97) – These two St. Michael’s players were kicked out of the Saturday night game for fighting, so did not play on Sunday. Consequently, we had a very limited viewing.

 

Mon. 12/1/14

 

2014-15 New England Prep Preview

OK, this is it. No more scrimmages, no more jamborees, please. Time for the rubber to meet the road.

Here’s our prediction for the upcoming season. One through sixteen, with a little bonus at the end. One thing that has caught our attention amongst all these jamborees is simply the fact that there are a lot of impressive teams out there and, between the Elite 8, the Large School Tournament, and the Small School Tournament, there will be no lack of good hockey when this all comes to an end Sunday March 7 at a site to be determined (Boston University or Holy Cross, most likely).

So good luck to all.

One new twist this season is the addition of four ‘affiliate’ schools to the picture. Games against The Hill School, Lawrenceville, Stanstead College, and Academie St. Louis will be factored into the NEPSIHA post-season computations, even as those schools are, not being NESCAC members, ineligible for the playoffs. The reason for their additon, albeit a limited one, is that, since those schools share common ground with the New England Preps, it seemed unfortunate that NEPSIHA schools have been historically reluctant to schedule them simply because NEPSIHA schools -- and the various leagues under that umbrella -- limit the number of total number of games, and teams were reluctant to use their open dates playing schools in what really amounts to exhibition games. So now they will count.

Anyway, more on that later. For now, drop the puck!  

#1 Salisbury

Last Season:(24-1-4) NEPSIHA Champions  

Key Departures: 
F Derek Barach Mercyhurst (23-33-56);F Evan Smith Yale (12-40-52); F Mitchell Smith Yale (23-11-34);D Will Toffey Vanderbilt Baseball (8-29-37); F Neil Robinson (19-15-35); D Adam Baughman Harvard (2-14-16); D Griffin Luce (3-4-7) to NTDP; F Matt Muzyka (5-9-14) expulsus ad Hartford Jr. Wolfpack (EHL).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Vimal Sukumaran (13-20-33); Sr. F Kale Kane (15-16-31).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Thomas Lee (Jr./’97) Edge School; Edgars Treigs (Jr./’98) Sweden; Luke Israel (Jr./’98) Culver; Cole Poliziani (Jr./’97) OJHL; Jordan Kaplan (Jr./’97) Lawrenceville. DEFENSEMEN: Dayne Finnson (Jr./’97) Manitoba; Nathan Ellis (Jr./’98); Henry Girardi (Jr./’97). GOALTENDER: Bailey MacBurnie (PG/’95).

The Crimson Knights were terrific last season, losing just one game en route to their second New England title in a row. It’s virtually impossible not to put them in the #1 slot going into the 2014-15 season. Yes, they lost their entire first line – and much more. Coach Andrew Will is going to look to his solid supporting cast from last year – senior forwards Vimal Sukumaran and Kyle Kane, junior F and Cornell commit Michael O’Leary, and big senior D James Gobetz, who has gotten steadily better in his time at Salisbury. Of the new faces we expect some to be very good. Actually, we know some will be very good, because we’ve seen them in other settings. Also of interest will be a pair of new juniors coming from western Canada in F Thomas Lee (The Edge School in Calgary), and D Dayne Finnson  (Arborg Interlake Lightning – Manitoba).  We have not seen them. PG goaltender Bailey MacBurnie (St. Mary’s of Lynn), and sophomore Nick Sorgio will compete for playing time in net.

The Bottom Line: Not only is Salisbury the defending champion, but they have reached the Elite 8 for five consecutive seasons. Thus they are the gold standard – until they aren’t. That said, we expect that they will lose more than one game this time around, and will have to work that much harder to gain the #1 spot again come March.

#2 Gunnery

Last Season: (20-7-1) NEPSIHA-Runner Up

Key Departures:
F Nathan Sucese Penn State (17-22-39); F Kevin Darrar Holy Cross (12-21-33); F Joey Fallon Princeton (12-21-33); D Mike Lee UVM  (7-21-28) – to BCHL; F Ryan Dmowski (18-8-26) UMass-Lowell; USHL; F Alec Mehr (13-14-27) to USHL; Max Luukko (0-3-3) to USPHL.

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Noah Bauld (10-13-23); Sr. D Nick Quillan (2-15-17).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Daniel Haider (Jr./’97); Matt Danner (Jr./’98); Alex Hopkins (PG/’96) Berwick; Zach Pellegrino (Fr./’99); Jordan Robert St. Lawrence Thunder (Jr./’98); Cam Donaldson (Jr./’98) Dallas Stars; Evan Johnson (Sr./’97) LA Jr. Kings; Shawn Knowlton (Sr./’96); Jake Marrello (Sr./’97).  DEFENSEMEN: McKay Flanagan (Jr./’97) Conn. Oilers-EHL; Taylor Slade (Jr./’97) Junior Bruins; Keelan Ulnick (Soph./’98); Josh Gagne (Jr./’97) Toronto Marlies.  GOALTENDER: ZacK Kinard (Fr./’99).

Coach Chris Baudo’s squad lost a lot in the offseason. While every team loses a few key seniors, Gunnery also lost four underclassmen to junior hockey – forwards Alec Mehr and Ryan Dmowski, and defensemen Mike Lee and Max Luukko . Thus, seniors Noah Bauld and Nick Quillan will look to provide senior leadship to a group that features a bevy of talented newcomers. Forward Jordan Robert, a recent Clarkson commit and an eye-opener at the USA Select 16 Camp, is one of seven new juniors on campus. A PG to keep an eye on is Alex Hopkins, the leading scorer at Berwick last winter. New senior forwards include Shawn Knowlton and Jake Marrello coming over from Albany Academy, and Evan Johnson arriving from the LA Jr. Kings. McKay Flanagan, a rugged right-shot D from the Connecticut Oilers (EHL) has played well this fall, and, along with incoming junior Josh Gagne (Toronto Marlies), will help bolster the blue line. We can report that 6’3” junior goaltender Trevin Kozlowski has looked excellent this fall, and ’99 freshman Zack Kinard will wait for his chances.

The Bottom Line: Gunnery, notable every year for their bevy of swarming forwards who just keep coming over the boards, has been to the Elite 8 tournament five of the last six years. Baudo and his staff keep coming up with players to fill holes. Even though they lost several key players, expect this year’s team to look similar to last year’s.  

#3 Cushing

Last Season: (22-10-0) Quarter Finalist – Elite 8

Key Departures:
F Matt Hoover (15-26-41); D Richie Boyd (10-30-40) UNH; F Tommy DeFelice (11-16-27); D Malcolm Hayes (5-9-14) Maine.

Returning Leaders:
Jr. F David Cotton BC (19-32-51); Sr. F Jake Simons (21-25-46); Sr. F Bailey Conger St. Lawrence (14-27-41); Sr. G Joey Daccord.

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Marc McLaughlin (Soph./’99); Mike Mahan (Jr./’97); Jeff Morgan (Jr., ’96) Wall HS (NJ). DEFENSEMEN: Brian Scoville (Soph./’99); Ethan Roswell (Jr./’98); Matt Dillon (Jr./’97); Dominic Cormier (Soph./’98).

Cushing is coming off of a heart-breaking 3-2 loss in a Double-OT thriller against eventual champions Salisbury in the Elite 8 quarterfinals last season. But they also have their entire top forward line – Conger, Cotton, and Simons – returning. Cotton, you may recall, scored both goals in that game, and Daccord almost stole the game, kicking out 55 of 58 in a losing effort. So you get the idea: the foundation is there for coach Rob Gagnon to build upon. Returning forwards Max Brainin, Danny Eruzione, and Stephen Marsico have all looked good this fall, and should provide sufficient secondary scoring. Cushing loses a pair of key defensemen in Boyd (UNH) and Hayes (converted to a forward at Maine). There is a pair of ’99 sophomores to keep an eye on in Ashburnham this winter with Marc McLaughlin up front and Brian Scoville on the back end. Both have both played very well this fall. Also, new junior D Matt Dillon (Islanders Hockey Club U18s) should contribute right away.

The Bottom Line: You know that the top line will put up points and that Daccord is a proven goaltender. That’s money in the bank. Cushing’s soft spot is the fact that the best d-men are also the youngest and most inexperienced. How quickly they come along, especially with the loss of Boyd and Hayes, will be crucial to the Penguins’ success.

#4 Nobles

Last Season: (20-7-1) Quarter Finalist Elite 8

Key Departures:
D JC Brassard Union(11-32-43); F Cal Burke (19-26-45) to USHL and Notre Dame.

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Miles Wood (29-25-54) BC/NJ Devils; Sr. F Cody Todesco (10-29-39); Jr. F Michael Fahie Brown (12-18-30); Sr. D Billy Sweezey Yale (8-20-8); Jr. F Luke Stevens Yale (15-7-22): Sr. D Alex Hreib (3-15-18).

New Faces:
Ryan Heath (Soph./’98); Danny Jacobs (Jr./’97).

Noble & Greenough returns the majority of the squad – including five committed Div. I players -- that reached the Elite 8 last season. With Boston College recruit and 4^th round NHL draft pick Miles Wood set to come back for his senior season, the Bulldogs will boast one of prep schools’ top lines as Wood will be surrounded by Ivy recruits Luke Stevens and Michael Fahie. Cody Todesco can also be counted on to put up points. Also, look for sophomore Cam Burke to step into a bigger role this season. The defensive unit, with Yale commit Billy Sweezey and senior Billy Carrabino, will have a much different look without J.C. Brassard, who is at Union College.

Note: Luke Stevens is out of the lineup with an injury and may not be back until after the Flood-Marr Tournament.

The Bottom Line: Cal Burkeforegoing his senior year to join Cedar Rapids (USHL) hurts, but there’s still plenty of depth up front and others will likely step up. Ultimately coach Brian Day’s squad will need a big year from junior goaltender Brendan Cytulik (.887 last season).

#5 Loomis-Chaffee

Last Season: (15-10-3) Champions – Large School

Key Departures:
F Corey Swift Conn. College (10-9-19); D Matt O’Donnell UVM (6-13-19).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Ben Sharf Colgate(6-28-34); Sr. F Alex Esposito UVM (14-15-29); Sr./F Eric Benshadle (6-16-22); Sr. D Zach Giuttari Brown (3-10-13).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Lucas D’Antuono (PG/’95); Shamus Fenton (Jr./’97); Justin Grillo (Soph./’98); David Troiano (PG/’96); Griffin Welch (Jr./’97); Cam Toohey (PG/’96). DEFENSE: Jacob Bryson (Jr./’97) PC; Michael Greenberg (Soph./’98). GOALTENDERS: Tim Biarelli (Jr./’97); Adin Farhat (Soph./’98).

Coach J.R. Zavisza has turned the program around at Loomis very quickly. The Pelicans capped off a great run last season by winning the Large School Championship over St. Paul’s. The scary thing is that -- on paper, anyway -- Loomis appears to be a much better team this time around. The offense will be lead by the trio of seniors – Sharf, Esposito, and Benshadle -- augmented by sophomore Eric Esposito (UNH); and the slew of newcomers listed above. Incoming juniordefenseman and recent Providence College commit Jacob Bryson has been excellent this fall. From the London Jr. Knights Midget AAA, Bryson will run Loomis’ power play. Senior D Zach Giuttari is a strong two-way force on the blue line. Tim Biarelli, who led Beverly High to the Mass. Div. II state championship in March, looks to be the starter in net, with new sophomore Adin Farhat, from Bishop Guertin (NH)HS, battling for time as well.

The Bottom Line:  This team is deeper and playoff-tested. Bryson, who can run the PP and a lot more, will provide a dimension the Pelicans lacked last season. Both goalies, however, are new to prep hockey. How quickly they adapt will be a key.

#6 Choate

Last Season: (17-8-3) Semi-Finalist – Large School Tournament

Key Departures:
F Joey Caffrey (24-13-37); F Owen Powers (10-24-34).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Jeremy Germain (10-26-36); Sr. G Sam Tucker Yale; Sr. G Andrew Tucci; Sr. F Charley Borek (DNP last season; 17-12-29 as a soph).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Jack Hoey (Fr./’98) Fairfield Prep; Jake Smith (PG/’96) Nichols; Alex Kolowrat (Jr./’98); Bobby Goggin (Soph./’98). DEFENSEMEN: Billy Overby (Soph./’98) Fairfield Prep; Faisal Alsaif (Fr./’99); Brendan Less (Jr./’98); Craig Uyeno (Soph./’98);

Coach Pat Dennehy took his injury-plagued team to the semi-finals of the large school tournament last March. This year seniors Charley Borek and Nick Sanchez, who only played six combined games last season – with only one from Borek -- could be help push them over the top. Borek was a budding star with his 17-12-29 line games in 21 games as a sophomore, while Sanchez was averaging a point a game before his injury last season. We expect both of them are burning to get after it. Look for incoming PG Jake Smith, the leading scorer at  the Nichols School last winter, to provide an instant scoring impact up front. Choate has defensemen galore: they are rostering ten. Returnees include Vincent Ditmore, Brendan Russ, and Turner Upgren along with newcomers that include Billy Overby, Brendan Less, and Craig Uyeno. Most importantly, Choate has, in Yale recruit Sam Tucker and last year’s save percentage leader Andrew Tucci, the best goaltending duo in prep hockey.

The Bottom Line: Choate has had really good teams the last few years, but they have faded at the end. One would suspect the Wild Boars have something to prove, and might be playing with a huge chip on their shoulders. They have the potential to go far, but no one’s going to make it easy for them.

#7 Kimball Union Academy

Last Season:  (26-6-5) Champion-- Small School

Key Departures:
F AJ Greer BU (24-39-63); F JD Dudek BC/NJ Devils (9-35-44); F Tyler Bird Brown/Columbus Blue Jackets (33-27-60).

Returning Leaders:
Jr. D Ben Finkelstein (7-18-25); Jr. F Brendan Riley (12-12-24); Sr. F Jack McCarthy (11-9-20) Brown.

New Faces:  
FORWARDS: Patrick Shea Maine(Jr./‘97); Thomas Samuelson (Fr./’99); Bobby Young (Soph./’98); Conner Jean (Sr./’97); Michael Lombardi (Soph./’98); Kyle Shero (Soph./’98). DEFENSEMEN: JJ Layton (Jr./’97); Jake Massie (Jr./’97). GOALTENDER: Elijah Harris (Jr./’97); Oscar Flory (PG/’95).

Coach Tim Whitehead’s squad has quite the void to fill after graduating prep school’s dominant line. A very solid group of newcomers led by Maine recruit Patrick Shea and former Austin Prep goalie Elijah Harris should help ease the pain. The Wildcats, who were thin on D last season, will be much stronger this time, with one-man breakout Jake Massie (John Rennie High - QJHL)and steady blueliner JJ Layton (Austin Prep) joining returning juniors Dennis Cesana and Ben Finkelstein.

The Bottom Line: Losing Bird, Dudek, and Greer gives an opportunity to seniors Brendan Riley and Jack McCarthy, along with junior George Sennott to really put their stamp on the team. This Wildcats team will have a more balanced look this year. There’s more speed, the defense is vastly improved, and so is the goaltending.

#8 Dexter

Last Season: (22-6-2)Runner Up – Small School Tournament

Key Departures:
D Liam Feeney (3-35-38); F Mark Webber (16-16-32); F Ian Sheridan (7-20-27); F Jake McDonough (11-15-26).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Ryan Donato Harvard/Boston Bruins (37-41-78); Sr. F Matt Brazel (8-19-27); Sr. F Sam D’Antuono (18-16-34); Jr. F Kevin Hock (15-21-36).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Patrick Daly (Jr./’96) Andover transfer; Jay O’Brien (Fr./’99). DEFENSEMEN: Luke McInnis BC(Jr./’98); Jack Rathbone (Fr./’99). GOALTENDER: Liam Moore (Soph./’98) Governor’s transfer.

Last season, Dexter’s offense flowed through Ryan Donato, our choice for top player in prep school hockey, and it will surely be the same this year. Coach Dan Donato also has some strong complementary players coming back in Matt Brazel, Sam D’Antuono, Kevin Hock, all a year older. Winger Jack Donato could develop into a nice power forward over the course of the season. Dexter also features intriguing young defensemen with Sean Keohan, who, coming off an impressive freshman campaign, will get major help from newcomer Luke McInnis. A couple of freshmen who could be a big help once they get adjusted are forward Jay O’Brien and defenseman Jack Rathbone. Ex-Governor’s goaltender Liam Moore, a junior, will take over between the pipes.

The Bottom Line: As great as Ryan Donato was last year, no one player can single-handedly beat a strong prep team, as was illustrated in the loss to KUA in the small school final last March. Look for seniors Matt Brazel and Sam D’Antuono, and junior Kevin Hock to raise their game another notch and take some of the load off Donato. In addition, McInnis’ skating and offensive skills will make the Dexter powerplay that much more difficult to defend. Goaltending is a question mark, as the 6’3” Moore (.811 last season) has always been intriguing for his potential, but has not yet proven he can be a top prep goaltender.

One thing we know: this is the best Dexter team we have ever seen. (Of course, there was no upper school until about 10-15 years, so that's not as grand a pronouncement as it seems.) 

#9 Westminster

Last Season: (12-11-3) Quarter Finalist – Small School

Key Departures:
F Mario Benicky (9-9-18); G Zac Hamilton Colgate (.911), D Frankie Sullivan (4-10-14) – to Jersey Hitmen (USPHL).

Returning Leaders:
Jr. F Taggart Corriveau St. Lawrence (18-12-30); Sr. F Anthony DiPlacido (5-15-20); Sr. F Jack Fitzgerald (9-8-17); Jr. F Johnny McDermott BU (5-9-14); Sr. D. Will Brophy Holy Cross (3-6-9). Brophy and Fitzgerald will be co-captains.

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Jack Flanagan (Soph./’98); John Hunt (Soph./’98); Cal LeClair (Soph./’98); Connor Lloyd (Jr./’97); Mike Ventricelli (Jr./’97). DEFENSEMEN: Patrick Dawson (Fr./’99); Peter Horsfall (Soph./’98). GOALTENDER: Hunter Chaisson (Fr./’99).

The Martlets look to bounce back after a disappointing early departure from the playoffs last season. On paper, this is one of the deepest and most talented teams in prep hockey, with most of the key players returning, despite D Frankie Sullivan leaving for the Jersey Hitmen (USPHL) and G Zac Hamilton graduating and playing now at Colgate. Returning forwards Taggert Corriveau, Anthony DiPlacido, and Johnny McDermott will be tough for defenses to handle. Add to that a nice mixture of grit and skill in newcomers Mike Ventricelli, Cal LeClair and Connor Lloyd and the Martlets should be a tough team to contain for a full fifty four minutes. The trio of experienced – and big -- defensemen Joe O’Connor, Will Brophy, and Kevin O’Leary will play a big role in the team’s success. Freshman D Patrick Dawson has shown a lot of potential this fall and will be a big factor down the road. Ultimately, the brunt of the load will land on the shoulders of junior goaltender Stephen Gasior (.892 in limited minutes last season). Gasior has shown flashes of strong play this fall but is still untested over the course of a season.

The Bottom Line: This is still a young team, as there are not a lot of key seniors, so how far they go will depend on how much the underclassmen step up. Key players like Corriveau, McDermott, and O’Leary are all still juniors – as is Gasior, who has big shoes to fill, as Hamilton was the team’s backbone last season.

#10 Avon Old Farms

Last Season: (9-15-1) Missed Playoffs

Key Departures:
F Jackson Tucker (8-13-21); F Liam Murphy to Moncton-QMJHL(7-14-21)

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Chase Zieky (7-17-24); Jr. F Tyler Carangelo (6-13-19); Sr. G Tucker Weppner (.891).  

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Jamie Armstrong (Jr./’98) Northeastern; Patrick Harper (Soph./’98) BU; Josh Vertentes (Soph./’98) Portsmouth Abbey; John Giatrelis (Soph./’98); Cam Klein (PG/’96). DEFENSE: Andrew Cross (PG/’96)Austin Prep; Brendan Kilroy (Jr./’97); Ben Mirageas (Fr./’99). GOALIE: Jon O’Donnell (Fr./’98)

The Winged Beavers historically underperformed last year, but head coach John Gardner wasn’t going to suffer through that again. So he reloaded. On paper, Avon looks eerily similar to last year’s Westminster squad – talented and young. The new trio of ’98 forwards, Jamie Armstrong, Patrick Harper and Josh Vertentes, along with returnees Chase Zieky and Tyler Carangelo, should help catapult them into a playoff spot, possibly even the Elite 8. But the new forwards aren’t the only part of the team that will be fun to watch this winter. ‘99 defenseman Ben Mirageas, who canfly, will earn his stripes playing alongside senior defensemen Austin Jadovich, the Winged Beavers’ top returning defenseman, and Andrew Cross – a top Mass high school player out of Austin Prep. Much will be expected from senior goaltender Tucker Weppner, who has looked strong this fall.

The Bottom Line: Patrick Harper comes ready-made for prep hockey. A Boston University recruit from New Canaan, Conn., Harper, who is 5’8”, is a nifty player who will put up a ton of points, and feed players around him, such as 6’1” power forward and Northeastern recruit Jamie Armstrong. Those two -- and the speedy Ben Mirageas on the back end -- will make Avon hockey exciting again.

#11 Exeter

Last Season: (23-5-3) Semi-Finalist – Elite 8

Key Losses:
F David White (32-26-58); F Henry Hart (19-39-58); F Kevin Neiley (19-39-58); D Spencer Young (4-23-27) to Dubuque-- USHL; D Matt Foley (3-8-11) Merritt –BCHL.

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Teddy Hart PC (10-15-25); Jr. F Devin Moore (4-12-16); Jr. D Trevor Cosgrove (3-11-14); Jr. D Peter Christie (4-8-12), Jr. D Jordan Haney (0-6-6)

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Max Roche (PG/’96) Team Illinois; Ben Solin (Jr./’97) Hand HS (Conn.); Mitchell Shennette (PG/’96) Toronto Jr. Canadiens; Robert Durst (PG/’96); Bradley Ingersoll (Soph./’98). DEFENSE:Jacob Dupont (Jr./’97). GOALTENDER: Bryan Botcher (PG/’96).

Coach Dana Barbin has a much different looking squad than the one he rolled out last season. His first line of PG forwards – good for 70 goals -- is gone. How new players such as repeat junior Ben Solin, Div. II Connecticut HS player of the year -- and others -- can fill that void, will be the #1 thing to keep an eye on. Of the returners, captain Teddy Hart, who doesn’t lack for skill, will have to, well, play like a captain. Look for senior forwards Andy Espinoza and Stanley Brennar to be used in bigger roles this season. Jr. D Derrick Spencer will be out until mid-January which thins out a d-corps that’s already taken a hit as top d-man Spenser Young left for the USHL. PG goaltender Bryan Botcher, from the University School in Milwaukee, will be the #1 guy in net.

The Bottom Line: Losing all that firepower will make replicating last season’s success a major challenge. The games against Kent and Gunnery Dec. 6-7 will make for a good barometer – and good hockey, too.

#12 Thayer

Last Season: (21-5-1); Quarter Finalist – Elite 8

Key Departures:
F Neil Conway (17-31-48); D Jon Barry (5-29-34) Northeastern; F Christian Leahy (12-16-28); D Steven Cochrane (9-18-27); F Adam Gaudette  (29-38-67) USHL, then Northeastern; G Robert McGovern (.911).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Lincoln Griffin Northeastern (23-32-55); Sr. F Ryan Pfeffer (15-16-31); Jr. F Ty Amonte (8-19-27), Jr. D Colin McCabe (2-9-11).

Although Gaudette, the focal point of the team’s offense, has chosen to spend his senior year in the USHL, and top d-man Barry has graduated, the shelves are hardly bare. Lincoln Griffin, a Northeastern recruit (like Gaudette and Barry), is back and will be the go-to forward. Junior F Ty Amonte appears to be physically stronger, which adds a new dimension to his game. He, along with fellow juniors Monte Graham and Robert Carmody and sophomore Casey Carreau, will be counted on for more of the offense this year. Junior D Colin McCabe looks like he could blossom this season. He’s played well every time we’ve seen him over the summer and fall.

The Bottom Line: Top line center Gaudette and big d-man Barry are tough to replace. But if the returnees can step up and take a bigger role, Thayer will be fine. Junior goaltender Mike Royer, though small, has been excellent this fall. He will be every bit as good – and quite possibly better -- than Rob McGovern, who graduated.

#13 St. Paul’s

Last Season: (20-9-1) Runner Up – Large School

Key Departures:
F David Storto (23-22-45); F Cam McCusker (11-29-40); F Luke Babcock (18-14-32); D Nick Romanov (1-6-7).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Connor Sodergren (17-28-45);  Sr. F John Laurito Army (17-14-31);  Sr. F Austin Ricci (15-13-28); Sr. G Nathan Colannino.

New Faces:  
FORWARDS: Markie Campbell (Jr./’96); Karl Risley (Soph./’97);  DEFENSEMEN: Simon Loiselle (Soph./’97); Matt Zandi (Soph./’98).

Coach Mark Bozek took his team to within one goal of a Large School championship last season, even with his top scorer, senior David Storto, taking a powder (Storto is now playing in the Q, by the way).  Bozek lost three top point-producers, and needs his three senior forwards – Sodergren, Ricci, and Laurito -- to take over for the guys who graduated, and help to fill in from below. There will be five returning defensemen from last year’s squad, including the top three scorers in Cam Bando, Giacomo Messina and Vincenzo Renda. Having seasoned goaltender Nathan Colannino, who played all but 19 minutes last season,back for his senior season helps keep the Pelicans in the hunt. 

The Bottom Line: Most of the components that led to their success last year are still in place. Our question concerns the secondary scoring. If SPS can get that, they will be tough to beat.

#14 Northfield-Mt. Hermon

Last Season: (19-10-2) Quarter-Finalist – Large School Tournament

Key Departures:
F Kevin Dazkevich (10-19-29); F Bradley Allen (10-11-21); F Corey Moriarty 5-14-19).

Returning Leaders:
Sr. F Ben Freeman UConn (20-26-46); Sr. F Peter Owen Hayward, Sr. D Luke Harer (0-1-1); Sr. G Conor O’Brien (.924).

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Casey Hoban (PG/’96) Notre Dame-West Haven; Oliver Chau (Jr./’97) Governor’s transfer; Ben Barton (PG/’96); DEFENSEMEN: Michael Yablong (PG’96) CYA.

Coach Tom Pratt saw twelve seniors graduate off last season’s team. While the Hoggers have some work to do to repeat the success of last season, they are returning some key players. 6’4” forward Ben Freeman, a UConn commit who racked up 46 points last season, should have another standout season. Freeman has looked good in the early going, as has 6’1” senior forward Peter Owen Hayward. Casey Hoban, a PG from Notre Dame – West Haven (Conn.) Look for defensemen Alden Weller, Jamie Dorsey, and Owen Sandercox to have more of an impact this winter.  Incoming PG defenseman Michael Yablong comes to NMH via the Chicago Young Americans, and will help the blueliners. Look for 6’2” Conor O’Brien, a fourth-year goaltender from Florida who has quietly gotten better every year he’s been at NMH, to finally get the attention he deserves. O’Brien will steal some games for the Hoggers. And he will be closely watched by college recruiters and NHL scouts.

The Bottom Line: Although twelve seniors graduated last year, this remains an older experienced team. There are seven PGs on the roster. Everyone else, except for 6’2” freshman goalie Eric Green, who’ll be backing up O’Brien, is either a ’95, ’96, or ’97 – and a senior or junior. There are no sophomores at all. NMH has experience and an excellent goaltender. They will sneak up on people, and have the potential to vault into the Elite 8.

#15 Kent

Last Season: (20-4-1) Quarter-Finalist – Elite 8 Tournament

Key Departures:
Lewis Zerter-Gossage Harvard (9-31-40); Brendan Soucie Army (11-24-35); Phil Klitirinos Colby (14-15-39).

Returning Leaders: Sr. F Max Kaufman (15-19-34) Vermont; Jr. D Greg Krisberg (8-18-26), Sr. D Keanu Hilaire; Sr. D Josh Hardiman.

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Evan Gray (Soph./’98); Teddy Simpson (Jr./’97); Kevin Hill (PG/’96); Connor Landrigan (PG/’96) WB/Scranton --EHL. DEFENSEMEN: Carter Dwyer (So/’98). GOALTENDER: Peter Negron (Soph./’98) Bergen Catholic; Jackson Norris (Jr./’97).

Coach Dale Reinhardt graduated twelve seniors off his Elite 8 squad of last season. The Lions will rely on junior forward Satchel Clendenin and junior defenseman Greg Krisberg to help senior forward Max Kaufman carry this team through the early part of the season. Look for some new players to make an impact early on. PGs Kevin Hill and Connor Landrigan should contribute right away. If Evan Gray continues to play like he has this fall, he could play a significant role.  On the blue line, Krisberg, Hilaire, and Hardiman are all back, so there’s a solid core there. New goaltender Peter Negron, out of Bergen Catholic, was one of the better goaltenders at this summer’s Select 16 Camp. Junior Jackson Norris, a Minnesotanwho played at The Blake School, will battle for playing time

The Bottom Line: Kent lost a lot to graduation. How quickly the newcomers get integrated into the team will be the major determining factor in their ultimate won-lost record.


#16 Berkshire

Last Season: (19-7-3) Semi Finalist – Elite 8

Key Departures:
F Craig Puffer (23-16-39); F Charlie Corcoran (11-25-36); F Tipper Higgins (11-9-20); F Nick O'Connor (12-9-21); D Bryan Gerstenfeld (3-13-16); G George Blinick (.931)

Returning Leaders:
Barclay Gammill Sr. F (11-7-18); Dan Driscoll Sr. D (0-8-8); Jimmy McKee Sr. D (2-5-7); Spencer Cookson Sr. G.

New Faces:
FORWARDS: Matt Koopman (Soph./’98) Marblehead HS; Ryan Keelan (Soph./’98) CVU; Jack Lloyd (Soph./’98); Zack Hale (PG/’96) Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Reid Lemker (PG/’96) Duluth Denfeld. DEFENSE: Kyle Koopman (Soph./’98) Marblehead HS; Sam Topham (PG/’96) BC High; Chris Maratea (PG/’96); Andrew Pitcher (Soph./’97) CVU. GOALTENDER: Jimmy Graham (Jr./’97) Upper Canada College.

Coach Dan Driscoll graduated 14 seniors from last year’s Elite 8 semi-finalists, most notably the entire Puffer-Corcoran-Higgins line, as well as F Nick O’Connor and D Bryan Gerstenfeld. That’s a lot, but others are in the same boat. It’s not who you lose, it’s who you add. Berkshire will be competitive. Look for returning top line forward Barclay Gammill to help new sophomores like Northeastern recruit – and Marblehead High star -- Matt Koopman and Vermonter Ryan Keelan to adjust quickly to the strength and speed of the league.  A pair of PGs from Minnesota, Zack Hale and Reid Lemker, should alleviate some growing pains for the young forwards. The defense has a trio of returnees in Jimmy McKee, Dan Driscoll, and Henry Manley.  There are three goalies on the roster. We’ll see who is #1 amongst last year’s backup, Spencer Cookson, newcomer Jimmy Graham (an Upper Canada College transfer), and Sam Merrill (on Berkshire’s roster last year; did not see any action).  

The Bottom Line: While this doesn’t appear to be a team poised to make another deep run through the Elite 8, the Bears will rely on their experience on the blue line, fresh faces up front, and solid goaltending. And they will win more than they lose.

***

We feel that up to 5-6 Large Schools and an equal number of Small Schools will wind up playing in March.

These are the teams we are keeping an eye on:

Large School:
1. Belmont Hill
2. Andover
3. St. Sebastian’s
4. Milton
5. Brooks
6. Taft

Small School:
1. Proctor
2. Brooks
3. Rivers
4. Vermont Academy
5. Millbrook
6. St. Mark’s