12 uncommitted standout 16U forwards from Beast Fall Classic

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — It's that time of the year when you can throw a rock and hit a hockey tournament.

This past weekend was the Beast Fall Classic, with games played across the New England Sports Center, New England Sports Village, Canton Ice House and Rodman Arena.

I've been focusing a lot on the 18U and 14U levels the past two weekends, so I kept my eyes on the 16U level at the New England Sports Center on Saturday.

Here are the three games I watched:

• Avon Regals 16U vs. Neponset Valley River Rats 16U
• Mid Fairfield 16U vs. East Coast Militia 16U
• Long Island Gulls 16U vs. Yale Jr. Bulldogs 16U

Here are 12 uncommitted forwards who stood out. A separate story will be done on standout defenders and goalies.

Tommy Anderson

Neponset Valley River Rats, 2/2/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/175
Hometown: Braintree, Mass. 

What stood out most with Anderson on Saturday was his offensive creativity. In the first half of the River Rats' matchup with the Avon Regals, Anderson sniped a goal over the glove of Regals goalie Tyler Bridge. Later in the first half, Anderson got the puck in the slot off the rush but rather than immediately shoot it, he waited an extra second and gave a behind-the-back pass to Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.) for an easy goal. Anderson comes in at 5-foot-9 but used his strong frame midway through the second half when he muscled through two defenders off the half-wall and went between his legs for a pass to go around another Regals player to a teammate in the slot. Anderson looks to be a legitimate piece for Thayer this winter.

Corbin Carkner

Mid Fairfield, 5/3/2007, F, left shot, 6-1/200
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, Penn. 

Carkner was terrific at driving play on Saturday. The puck was always on his stick and when it wasn't, he fought to get it back. In the offensive zone, he took smart routes to get open and his size helped him protect the puck in corners. He should be an impact player for Frederick Gunn this winter.

Cooper Dennis

Long Island Gulls, 5/7/2007, F, right shot, 5-6/150
Hometown: Ithaca, N.Y. 

Dennis entered the 2023-24 season with a ton of hype. He scored 53 goals and tallied 113 points in 75 games for Bishop Kearney Selects 15U team and then was selected 17th overall by the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the 2023 USHL Futures Draft. I didn't notice Dennis a ton in my first couple of viewings of this stacked Gulls squad but on Saturday, the Ithaca, N.Y., native showed well. He made smart puck plays and showed a high compete, especially in the offensive zone. His hard work led to production in the second half. His hustle to keep a puck in the offensive zone led to a goal moments later. Then, Dennis notched a goal of his own on an odd-man rush a few minutes later.

Nicholas D'Olympio

East Coast Militia, 6/28/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/155
Hometown: Rockland, Mass. 

D'Olympio always seemed to be involved offensively Saturday. His impact was felt most off the rush when he used his speed and shiftiness to sift through the neutral zone and gain the offensive blue line for his team. Early in the first half, he had a great rush and made a smart play by shooting low-pad on Mid Fairfield goalie Steven Luciano (New Canaan, Conn.) to produce a rebound.

Ethan Goodrich

East Coast Militia, 6/29/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: North Hampton, N.H. 

Goodrich really impressed on Saturday. He's a terrific skater, which helped him a bunch below the dots in the offensive zone. His edgework and good hands allowed him to stickhandle away from pressure and get closer to high-danger areas. A couple of times, he was able to dangle his way to the front of the net. Goodrich, who will play at St. John's Prep this winter, will be one of the more intriguing '07 MIAA prospects to watch.

Justin Graf

East Coast Militia, 7/10/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/155
Hometown: Lincoln, Mass. 

Graf was the Militia's most impactful forward against Mid Fairfield, making good plays at both ends of the ice. In the offensive zone, he showed great poise with the puck and was always around it. He was rewarded with a goal off the rush in the second half. In his own end, he seemed like a pain to play against on the penalty kill and did a good job at getting under opposing players with the puck and taking it at even strength.

Indiana Grossbard

Yale Jr. Bulldogs, 12/21/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/130
Hometown: Wilton, Conn. 

The Bulldogs were outmatched by the Gulls Saturday, but you wouldn't know it from the way Grossbard played. He created two goals early in the game. The first came when he had a nice offensive zone entry, beat a defender and passed it to Domenico Clarizio whose shot was stopped but Stefano Pietrantonio jammed the rebound in. Shortly after, Grossbard carried the puck into the offensive zone again, but this time he got a shot to produce a big rebound that Nathan DiChiara (Fairfield, Conn.) scored on. Grossbard drew two straight penalties in the second half, too.

Owen Knight

Avon Regals, 8/2/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Sarnia, Ont. 

Knight drove play well for the Regals Saturday. He had multiple offensive zone entries because of his strong puck-protection skills and great hands. He assisted on a Mason Serafin goal late in the game and then almost potted one of his own when he dangled through three opposing players and got a scoring chance off. Knight is an interesting prospect to watch at Salisbury this winter.

Joe Marchi

Neponset Valley River Rats, 10/30/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/170
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass. 

I've written about Marchi a lot over the last 12 months, but he continues to get better. On Saturday, his offensive awareness really stood out, especially on the power play. He made strong, cross-zone passes on the power play with defenseman Collin Rowe (Andover, Mass.) that eventually led to Anderson's goal. Marchi potted a lamplighter of his own late in the first half, scoring off the rush.

Malachi McKinnon

Long Island Gulls, 1/18/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/161
Hometown: Forest Lane, Minn. 

McKinnon was always involved in the offense on Saturday. He scored an early, power-play goal when he got a pass from Gulls forward and Quinnipiac commit Ethan Wyttenbach off a faceoff. McKinnon's quick release allowed him to score the goal. Later in the game, McKinnon assisted on Dennis' goal off a 2-on-1.

Trevor Pellecchia

Neponset Valley River Rats, 2/23/2007, F, right shot, 5-11/160
Hometown: Leominster, Mass. 

Pellecchia played with a ton of assertiveness on Saturday. He scored early in the contest off a rebound and hit the crossbar on a 2-on-1 later in the game. I was impressed with Pellecchia's two-way abilities, too. Early in the game, he set the tone by hustling hard on the backcheck, breaking up a play and transitioning quickly towards the offensive zone. He was also terrific on the penalty kill. He should have an elevated impact at Winchendon this winter.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?: Everything that's taken place in college hockey recruiting over the last month

Carter Zakrzewski

Avon Regals, 6/8/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/141 

Compete was the name of the game for Zakrzewski, and he was rewarded with two goals. In the first half, he scored after a long offensive zone sequence from in front of the net. His second came off the rush when Regals defenseman Kieran Riley hit the post and Zakrzewski cleaned up the rebound. He was relentless in front of the net on the power play and protected the puck well behind the net. His penalty-killing skills were great, too, as he gained possession of the puck and consistently killed time.