Every player who played in Mass. Hockey Festival's Final 40 raised their stock.
That's it. I was kidding about the 11 prospects. I'm granting you all a rise in your stocks.
Of course, I joke on the second part. But the first part is true — being judged as one of the 40 best players in your birth year in your state is an honor. That's a big deal.
But who boosted their stock even more at the Mass. Hockey Festival?
Players who are already committed to a Division 1 college were left out of this story. So, too, were players included in last year's story.
For this, it really came down to players who showed a large improvement at the festival. We went into this event knowing top '08s like Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) and Matthew Krayer (Concord, Mass.) were going to be real good and they were. Their stocks were already high.
Also, no 2009-born players were included in this story.
Let's dive in.
Tommy Anderson
Thayer, 2/2/2007, F, left shot, 5-8/175
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.Â
Anderson had strong showings over both weekends. He manufactured scoring chances in different ways. Some were through quick, hard shots, while others came from taking smart routes to follow plays to the net, which is what happened to open the first Final 40 game on Saturday. He also protected pucks well, using his body well to shield from opponents.
OUR PICKS: Who would we have sent to USA Hockey Select Camps? Â
Joe Feinberg
Milton Academy, 1/10/2007, F, right shot, 5-10/175
Hometown: Needham, Mass.Â
One of the biggest things for players at events like these is to always be around the puck. If you can, have it as much as possible. Feinberg seemed to always have the puck. In the first half of Saturday's Final 40 game, he made a really nice play by kick-starting the rush and feeding Nick D'Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) for a goal. Feinberg isn't going to wow you with speed, but his poise with the puck and vision made him so effective this past weekend.
Justin Graf
Rivers, 7/10/2007, F, left shot, 5-11/160
Hometown: Lincoln, Mass.Â
Graf showed his offensive upside in the Final 40. He opened the second half of Saturday's game with a nice goal. On Sunday, he made a heads-up play with an odd-man rush. He had the puck in the slot, looked at a teammate who was with him as if he was going to pass and hit the post. The Rivers product drove play and showcased a high compete when battling for loose pucks. Graf, who just wrapped up a 35-point sophomore year, should be hearing from Division 1 colleges. A strong performance at Select 17 Camp will enforce that.
Matt Hines
Dexter Southfield, 6/10/2008, D, left shot, 5-10/180
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.Â
Hines seemed to always be rushing the puck and carrying it out of his own zone. He kept his head up on rushes and typically made smart puck plays. He also was super involved in the offense when in the offensive zone, not being afraid to skate down low and make plays happen. His speed mixed with his offensive abilities make him an interesting defenseman to watch at Dexter next season. In my opinion, that's the biggest reason why he's headed to Select 16 Camp.
Phin Howard
St. Mark's, 1/30/2008, D, right shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Newton, Mass.Â
Howard isn't a flashy defender, but he's a very smart defender who can shut opposing players down, which is why he made Select 16 Camp. He showcased great compete at winning puck battles and he knew where to be in the defensive zone. St. Mark's is usually a highly offensive team, so it will be interesting to see how Howard factors into that next season as a sophomore. St. Mark's bench boss Carl Corazzini usually has no problem unlocking his defenders' offensive potential. I'd expect the same with Howard.
Evan Jones
Belmont Hill, 2/9/2007, D, left shot, 5-11/170
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.Â
Last season at the festival, Jones was coming off a strong first season in the MIAA. He would've made a fine prep school player this past winter. But he stayed at Arlington for his sophomore year and was dominant, playing in all situations and thriving. That confidence was on display in both weekends of this year's festival, as his skating, puck-moving abilities and judgment calls on when to join the offense were terrific. He will be a huge get for Belmont Hill this winter.
USNTDP: Which '09s from the Mass. Hockey Festival are on the U.S. NTDP track?Â
George Lovell
Lovell Academy, 7/7/2007, F, right shot, 5-6/130
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.Â
Undersized? For sure. But Lovell can outright fly. His first steps were impressive, as he could immediately generate speed to become the fastest player on the ice. He was shifty and easily able to get around defenders and keep pucks away from them and on his stick. In my eyes, he ascended into being one of the higher-end forwards in his birth year from Massachusetts.
Billy MacAusland
Nobles, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/178
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.Â
When MacAusland's driving the net, it's hard to stop him, and that was on full display in the Final 40. In the first half of Sunday's game, he drove the net hard, outmuscled a defender and tapped in a pass from Liam Gore (Arlington, Mass.). But what I also liked from MacAusland over the two weekends were his vision with the puck and his play without it. He was often able to reload well and force turnovers in the neutral zone. MacAusland has taken a big step.
Will Manchuso
St. Mark's, 1/8/2008, F, left shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Stow, Mass.Â
Manchuso is a terrific skater, which was evident this weekend. But it was how he used that great skating to optimize his shifts that boosted his stock even more. He made smart reads. One example was in Saturday's game, he read an opposing defenseman's decision with the puck, stole it and created a 2-on-0 scoring chance. He protected pucks well, too, and showcased a nice shot. He should be an immediate producer at St. Mark's next winter after dominating at Concord-Carlisle this past season.
JP Messuri
Arlington High, 6/19/2008, F, left shot, 5-4/152
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.Â
It's impossible not to love Messuri's game...unless you're playing against him. Even at 5-foot-4, his edgework, shiftiness, compete and high IQ make up for it. He has great hands, too, which combine nicely with his ability to protect pucks. He had a nice goal in Sunday's game, ripping a shot from the top of the face-off circle in transition. He also has an edge to his game that he brought to the Final 40, which is something you don't always see at these kinds of events. I said it in my own picks — he deserves a spot at Select 16 Camp.
SELECTIONS: 17 picked for Select 15 Camp | 15 picked for Select 16 Camp | 15 picked for Select 17 Camp
David O'Brien
BK Selects, 3/29/2008, D, left shot, 5-7/150
Hometown: Weymouth, Mass.Â
O'Brien is another undersized '08 who showed well at Final 40. I said it on the latest podcast, but he always had the puck on his stick. He scored early in Saturday's game, joining the rush and finishing a chance. His edgework and ability to get away from pressure was impressive. In his own zone, he used that good skating along with good reads to cut plays off. Early in Sunday's game, he almost pulled off a beauty of a goal, dangling through two defenders to earn a scoring chance.
