WOBURN, Mass. — The Massachusetts High School Hockey Showcase was held Friday through Sunday at O'Brien Rink in Woburn.
Six teams full of MIAA players took to the ice over the three days for games and practices. The event was run by Arlington bench boss John Messuri, who was recently on the RinkWise podcast.
Before we dive into standout forwards from the event, I have an observation.
One of the cool parts of the event was seeing strong players from lesser-known, less-covered high schools in Massachusetts. It's impossible to see every MIAA team play in the winter, so when an event like this is happening, it's worth it to see top talent from all over the state.
Here are 12 standout forwards from this event. We will have a story highlighting the top defensemen and goalies later in the week.
Let's dive in.
Jack Doherty
Marshfield High, 2007, F, left shot, 5-8/145
Hometown: Marshfield, Mass.
Doherty was one of the best forwards at the event. His skating and skill set him apart from almost everyone. He was able to drive play without issue and create with good vision. His brain and hands helped him score early on Friday. He forced a turnover at the blue line, beat the defender and reached around the goalie for a beautiful finish. His speed helped him score a goal later by driving the far post. His defensive game was great, too. He regularly hustled back into his own zone to break up plays and get in passing lanes. He's a promising prospect for Marshfield this winter.
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Sam Hubbard
Natick High, 2/28/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/190
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
Hubbard was one of the most offensively effective players at this event. He always wanted the puck, showing confidence when he had it and phenomenal hands. He was able to use his hands to dance around defenders to get to high-danger areas. On Sunday, he did that and backhanded a pass to a teammate for a goal. He has a quick, hard shot that stunned goalies. Fun fact: Hubbard is also a running back and linebacker for Natick's football team. He's a senior, so he's a strong candidate for a postgrad year at a prep school next season.
Jack Lee
Woburn High, 2007, F, left shot, 6-1/195
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
Lee opened his game on Sunday with a goal, releasing a hard, quick shot past the goalie from the slot. For someone with his size, he skated well. He was smart and patient with the puck, especially low in the offensive zone. He used his size to protect pucks and facilitate. Lee had a great play on Sunday when he held onto the puck a second past when most would've dished it off, waited out a defender and slid it to Woburn High teammate Jack McEleney for a scoring chance.
Nolan Lewis
Westwood High, 12/20/2008, F, right shot, 5-5/115
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
From my two viewings of Lewis, I came away feeling like he has a lot of promise. A late '08, Lewis was always around the puck. On Friday, he drove the net after being the third guy high in the offensive zone and scored on a one-timer. He showed off great hands when driving play. When forechecking, he took smart routes to cut off opposing defenders. His awareness in the offensive zone and his fearlessness going against bigger players were also noteworthy.
Jack McEleney
Woburn High, 2007, F, left shot, 5-11/165
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
McEleney was dynamite working with Lee. He made a nice pass from behind the net to Lee for an early goal on Sunday. McEleney followed that up with a goal of his own, getting a pass from John Paul Messuri off the rush and finishing on the backhand. McEleney continued to showcase great vision, but he also had a high compete. Towards the end of Sunday's first half, he protected the puck from a defender and returned the favor for Messuri, hitting him with a pass for a goal in front of the net.
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Brayden McKenna
Dover-Sherborn/Weston High, 2006, F, left shot, 5-9/160
Hometown: Dover, Mass.
There was a lot of speed in McKenna's game, as was shown on a rush Thursday in which the '06 forward passed the puck off the rush, followed the play to the right area and got a high-danger chance. McKenna also had nice hands, too.
Matthew McLellan
Hingham High, 1/1/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/180
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
McLellan's size was often a bit of a problem for opposing teams this weekend. He was able to use it to protect pucks both off the rush and in corners. He was also able to drive play and he worked great with Hubbard and Aiden Rotondo, his linemates.
Quinlan Mcnulty-Lu
Arlington High, 2007, F, right, 5-9/165
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
On Friday, Mcnulty-Lu scored on a rush down the left side of the zone when he got off a nice shot to beat the goalie. He was always trying to make things happen offensively and always seemed to be pushing the pace.
John Paul Messuri
Arlington High, 2008, F, left shot, 5-5/155
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
I've long been a fan of Messuri's game. That continued on Sunday. Messuri used his typical high compete and IQ to drive play through the neutral zone, protect the puck from two defenders and chip it middle for McEleney to score. Messuri scored later in the half, finding open space in the slot to get a pass from McEleney. Messuri's minor details will make a big difference in him being one of the top forwards in the MIAA this winter.
Aiden Rotondo
Hingham High, 2008, F, left shot, 5-6/155
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
Rotondo's compete was impossible to miss. As a defender tried to break the puck out on Friday, Rotondo hustled from behind him, stole the puck and got a scoring chance. He zipped back into his zone later in the half to prevent a scoring chance. Rotondo got the puck and took it the other way to drive play. Rotondo was a good skater, which helped put him in optimal positions on the ice.
Nolan Russell
Arlington High, 2007, F, left shot, 5-9/155
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
In my eyes, Russell was one of the best forwards in the whole showcase. His vision was on display when I caught his game Sunday. He consistently set up scoring chances and did a great job at waiting for passing lanes to open. He used his feet well to improve angles on passes and shots on net. He scored on a shot that he backhanded off an opposing defender and into the net. His work with Messuri bodes well for Arlington when the season begins in December.
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Sam Steinman
Middleborough High, 8/23/2007, F, left shot, 5-11/170
Hometown: Middleborough, Mass.
Steinman generated considerable buzz among onlookers. From Middleborough High, Steinman was able to stand out without issue. On Thursday, he scored by driving play himself, cutting to the middle of the slot and firing a shot over the goalie's blocker. His skating was high-end for the showcase and his skill allowed him to be vital in creating offense.
