Wed. 9/15/21
We're Back!
After an 18-month hiatus due to the pandemic and the ensuing cancellation of the 2020-21 NEPSIHA championship season, we’re back. And we’re clearing out the office cobwebs in preparation for a full resumption of play.
Last season, says new NEPSIHA president – and Gunnery head coach – Craig Badger, was “stressful, frustrating, disappointing, and exhausting – a tough pill for all of us to swallow.”
“Now, we’re just excited to get back at it. We mandated the vaccine, we trust the vaccine. And everyone is planning to move forward as normally as possible.”
And so are we. We’ll be covering the game the same way we have in the past, and hopefully we’ll come up with a new feature or two.
We’ll be adding numerous details as the fall moves along and things begin falling in place.
Thank you to USHR readers for continued support. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Good to be back.
Chris Warner
Editor/Publisher
Cambridge, Mass.
cwarner@ushr.com
Sun. 9/19/21
Former Prep Players in the NHL in '20-21
As NHL training camps get ready to open for the 2021-22 season, we’ve created a list of former prep players who appeared in one or more NHL games last season.
The list is comprised of 45 players representing 25 schools (22 NEPSIHA, three NEPSIHA affiliates).
Twelve of the former players were first round NHL draft picks. Eleven went undrafted.
If a player's school and year are in parentheses, that indicates the player left prep school at that time, generally for the NTDP or USHL.
Prep players in NHL, by round:
Round 1: 12
Round 2: 4
Round 3: 7
Round 4: 5
Round 5: 2
Round 6: 3
Round 7: 1
Undrafted: 11
Avon, with five former players in the NHL, is the most-represented school, followed by Cushing with four. Deerfield, Nobles, and Salisbury each had three. And twenty schools had either one or two players represented.
As a new season gets underway, keep in mind that there are almost as many former prep players who went undrafted (11) as there were first round picks (12). And all 11 of those undrafted former players went on to NCAA play. So, despite players’ dreams of becoming a high NHL draft pick, or a draft pick at all, simply staying the course pays off nicely.
Anaheim
Kevin Shattenkirk, D, (Brunswick '05) -- Round 1
*Trevor Zegras, C, (Avon ’17) – Round 1
Arizona
John Hayden, C/W, (Brunswick '11) -- Round 3
Boston
Kevan Miller, D, Berkshire '07 -- Undrafted
Charlie Coyle, C/RW, (Thayer '09) -- Round 1
Matt Grzelcyk, D, (Belmont Hill '10) -- Round 3
Buffalo
*Jacob Bryson, D, Loomis ’15 – Round 4
Calgary
Noah Hanifin, D, (St. Sebastian's '13) -- Round 1
Carolina
Warren Foegele, W/C, St. Andrew’s College ’14 – Round 3
Chicago
*Mike Hardman, RW, Winchendon ’17 – Undrafted
Adam Gaudette, C, (Thayer ’14) – Round 5
Colorado
Jayson Megna, C/RW, (Tabor '09) – Undrafted
Columbus
Cam Atkinson, RW, Avon '08 -- Round 6
Gavin Bayreuther, D, Holderness ’12 -- Undrafted
Dallas
None
Detroit
Luke Glendening, C/RW, Hotchkiss '08 – Undrafted
Alex Biega, D, Salisbury '06 -- Round 5
Edmonton
None
Florida
Keith Yandle, D, Cushing '05 -- Round 4
Noel Acciari, C, Kent '11 – Undrafted
*Spencer Knight, G, (Avon ’17) – Round 1
Los Angeles
Jonathan Quick, G, Avon '05 -- Round 3
Minnesota
Nick Bonino, C, Avon '07 -- Round 6
Montreal
None
Nashville
Sean Malone, C, (Nichols ’12) – Round 6
New Jersey
Miles Wood, LW, Nobles '15 -- Round 4
*Tyce Thompson, C, (Salisbury ’17) – Round 4
AJ Greer, LW, Kimball Union ’14 – Round 2
New York Islanders –
Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, (N. Yarmouth Acad. ’14) – Round 1
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider, LW, Andover '09 -- Round 1
Kevin Rooney, C, Berkshire ’12 -- Undrafted
Ottawa
Colin White, C/RW, (Nobles ’13) – Round 1
Joey Daccord, G, Cushing ’15 – Round 7
Philadelphia
Shayne Gostisbehere, D, South Kent '11 -- Round 3
Kevin Hayes, C, Nobles '10 -- Round 1
Pittsburgh
Mark Jankowski, C, Stanstead '12 -- Round 1
Casey DeSmith, G, (Deerfield ’09) – Undrafted
Sam Lafferty, C/LW, Deerfield ’14 – Round 4
St. Louis
None
San Jose
Ryan Donato, C, Dexter ‘15 -- Round 2
Matt Nieto, LW/RW, (Salisbury ’08) – Round 2
Tampa Bay
Alex Killorn, LW, Deerfield '08 -- Round 3
*Ross Colton, C, (Taft ’14) – Round 2
Toronto
Zach Bogosian, D, (Cushing '06) -- Round 1
Vancouver
Jimmy Vesey, LW/RW, (Belmont Hill '11) -- Round 3
*Jack Rathbone, D, Dexter ’15 – Round 4
Vegas –
Max Pacioretty, LW, (Taft '06) -- Round 1
Washington
Conor Sheary, LW/RW, Cushing '10 – Undrafted
Garnet Hathaway, RW/LW, Andover '10 – Undrafted
Winnipeg
None
Note: South Kent School (Shayne Gostisbehere) is a former NEPSIHA school.
Thurs. 11/26/20
Giving Thanks, 2020-Style
As lousy as 2020 has been for most people around the world, there are still things to be thankful for. Our list includes...
-- The Players. Well, of course. They -- and only they -- can truly understand what it's like to play hockey in the middle of a pandemic, to say nothing of going to school, trying to have a social life, helping teammates and classmates... it's a hell of a lot. Thank you, guys. Stay safe, and we hope -- fingers crossed -- to see you in action after this long Thanksgiving/Christmas break.
-- The Coaches. What can we say? Take what they do in a normal year and multiply it exponentially. That's what coaches are up against this year as they balance keeping you as safe as possible while also working to make sure your development as a player continues. And a shout-out also goes to the athletic directors, who have the brain-melting job of constantly monitoring Covid-19 outbreaks, following local guidelines, and shaping schedules for dozens of sports.
-- The Front-Line Workers. The doctors, EMTs, nurses, health aides, food bank volunteers, and so many others who have put themselves in harm's way to save lives. With this current surge, many are being pushed to the breaking point. They are hurting. Many have gotten sick and died, often because they lacked the PPE and other equipment needed to stay safe. We don't know how they can be thanked enough.
-- The Scientists and Researchers. We now have at least two vaccines out there offering a potential path out this mess. We just have to keep our eyes on the prize. That means hanging on a bit longer.
-- You. Thank you for keeping your subscription to USHR. We're a small business, and really appreciate the support. You've enabled us to reach this, our 25th year of existence. Thank you. Beyond that, we are thankful for each and every one of you, both in and outside of the game, for graces that may seem small, but add up to something great. With you, we can get life -- and hockey -- back to some semblance of what it was like in the 'before times.' Stay positive. We have no other choice.
Thank you!
CCW
Thanksgiving Day, 2020
