BOSTON — It's rare for showcases branded as "Boston" or "Beantown" (ew) to actually be hosted in Boston.
But this past weekend, the Beantown Fall Classic held 15O matchups between some of the best 2010-born squads in North America at Walter Brown Arena, Steriti Rink, Warrior Ice Arena and Conte Forum.
Heaps of junior hockey scouts were in attendance, as the '10s are eligible to be picked in the USHL and QMJHL drafts come the spring.
There were also USA Hockey eyes in attendance. The U.S. National Team Development Program is scouting the '10s who will be at Evaluation Camp in March.
Let's dive into the standout forwards from the event. A separate story will be done on defensemen and goalies.
Gabriel Belanger
Little Caesars, 3/23/2010, F, right shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Wasilla, AlaskaÂ
If you aren't rooting for Little Caesars, you will hate Belanger — and I mean that in the best way possible. He had his moments offensively — I counted two goals for him in an 8-3 win over Mount St. Charles. But he was so good at getting the other teams' skin. He finished all of his hits and consistently played on the edge. He reminded me a lot of the Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett. A lot of his stuff was borderline but never over the line, and it instilled fear and knocked the opposition off their game.
Thomas Boisvert
Mount St. Charles, 1/14/2010, F, left shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: Trois-Rivières, QuebecÂ
Boisvert consistently drove play with his powerful stride and good hands. He stickhandled through and around defenders in all areas of the ice to create offense. And, even as Mount's top center with defenses partially focusing on him, Boisvert was able to produce a lot. Against Markham Majors, he grabbed the puck shorthanded in his own zone, blazed past the defender to create a 2-on-1 and hit Zaac Charbonneau at the far post for a goal. Boisvert projects to be high on USHL and QMJHL draft lists.
PREP PREVIEWS: Winchendon | Salisbury | Choate | Nobles | Kent | Holderness | Dexter Southfield
Zaac Charbonneau
Mount St. Charles, 1/18/2010, F, left shot, 6-1/185
Hometown: QuebecÂ
There were a lot of QMJHL teams at Mount's game over the weekend, which makes sense given the hype around Charbonneau. I got to watch all three of his team's games, and Charbonneau certainly produced. He was much more noticeable against the River Rats and Markham Majors than against Little Caesars.
He's more physically mature than most opposing players and teammates, and can overpower most defenders when taking the puck to the net. His skating and hands could use some work, but he's reliable in his own zone, which isn't the case for most high-end players at this age. He's also intelligent with his puck decisions. If he crossed the red line and had defenders all around him and no one to pass to, he had no problem dumping it in. He projects as an anywhere-in-the-lineup forward at higher levels, and I could see him impacting junior hockey at 16 years old.
Carter Felt
Neponset Valley River Rats, 8/17/2010, F, left shot, 5-9/174
Hometown: Natick, Mass.Â
In a wild second half against Mount St. Charles on Friday night, Felt was highly impactful. He scored a goal when he drove the net and tipped in a pass from Jack Queally (Needham, Mass.). On a power play, he made a smart decision and took it right to the net, only to ding a shot off the crossbar. And when the game got physical, Felt thrived finishing hits and getting all over Mount defenders trying to get to pucks.
Joseph Fenwick
Markham Majors, 1/6/2010, F, left shot, 5-10/156
Hometown: Markham, OntarioÂ
Fenwick's speed served him well throughout the weekend. He was able to get behind and skate around defenses with ease. He scored a nice goal against Mount St. Charles by getting behind the defense and showcasing a slick finish. He showed patience with the puck, as he would skate around the zone with possession until a passing lane, shooting lane or route to the net opened up.
Owen Frick
Minuteman Flames, 3/17/2010, F, right shot, 5-10/168
Hometown: Holden, Mass.Â
Frick was consistently generating offense with his good vision on Friday against Markham Majors and Sunday against Little Caesars. He was so effective on cycles and protecting pucks long enough to create passing lanes. Against Little Caesars, he had a slick saucer pass to Brodie Anderson (Wayland, Mass.) for the game's second goal. Along with being an offensive producer, Frick plays with such a high compete and never shied away from going into the corner with bigger players.
READ MORE: 7 takeaways from 2026 NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary watch list
Aiden Kelly
Little Caesars, 2/2/2010, F, right shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Oakland Township, Mich.Â
Four letters came to mind while watching Kelly: NTDP. Kelly was dominant offensively in the two Little Caesars games that I watched. Against Mount St. Charles, he extended various offensive zone sequences with his intelligent puck plays and protection. He has a quick, accurate shot that he could (and did) score on multiple times.
Krew Kreiger
Mount St. Charles, 5/24/2010, F, left shot, 5-7/148
Hometown: American Fork, UtahÂ
Against Little Caesars, Kreiger was fearless in going up against a much bigger and more physical team. He skated as fast as he could towards loose pucks and didn't care if it ended with him getting crunched. He scored on a snipe from out high against the Markham Majors, letting a shot go that beat the goalie over the blocker through a screen. Kreiger is also a crafty puck mover.
Jack Queally
Neponset Valley River Rats, 7/27/2010, F, left shot, 5-11/181
Hometown: Milton, Mass.Â
Queally rose to the occasion against Mount St. Charles on Friday night. In the second half, he got open in the slot and scored on a missile. Later, he made a really nice pass into the slot for Felt to tip in for a goal. Queally also drew a penalty earlier in the game with his speed and strength, as Mount defenders were draped all over him. He also has a great stick on the penalty kill.
Ronan Quinn
Markham Majors, 6/25/2010, F, left shot, 6-2/174
Hometown: Stouffville, OntarioÂ
Quinn has intriguing size on the wing. He plays a powerful game and has no issue with physicality, as well as getting to interior ice. Two attributes to Quinn's game that I liked as well: his vision and skill. He had good hands in tight, especially got a bigger guy at his age, and he set up scoring chances.
Ben Slavick
Little Caesars, 2/26/2010, F, right shot, 6-0/159
Hometown: Westland, Mich.Â
Slavick's hands were his best asset. Down 4-3 in the third period to the Minuteman Flames, Slavick grabbed the puck off an offensive zone face-off, dangled to the slot on his backhand and scored. He was consistently able to stickhandle into high-danger areas and either get a shot off or, at least, create passing lanes.
READ MORE:Â Prep players leaving early for juniors, part 1Â |Â Prep players leaving early for juniors, part 2
Blake Wilichoski
Minuteman Flames, 4/18/2010, F, right shot, 5-11/161
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.Â
Wilichoski was fantastic in the two Flames games I watched. He was confident with the puck and protected it well. His wicked release created a hard shot. On cycles, his chemistry with his linemates led to longer offensive zone sequences. But what really made me sit up in my seat was a play he made against Little Caesars on Sunday. Wilichoski got the puck in the slot and looked like he would easily go for the scoring chance. He even had a Little Caesars defender draped all over him. But Wilichoski lightly dropped the puck back for Sam Lee (Woburn, Mass.), who went in and scored.
That kind of poise has Wilichoski near the top of his birth year.
