FOXBORO, Mass. — Without the New England Patriots in action, a late October Sunday in Foxboro meant only one thing: fall hockey.
The NEGHL Showcase took over the Foxboro Sports Center. It was a great opportunity to see many of the region’s top 16U and 19U club programs and prospects compete under one roof as the prep season quickly approaches.
I made it to Foxboro on Sunday morning and bounced between a handful of 16U and 19U games.
Here are the 16U games I caught:
- Assabet Valley vs. Massachusetts Spitfires
- Boston Junior Eagles vs. Connecticut Polar Bears
- East Coast Wizards vs. Islanders HC
We broke down 11 standout 19U prospects earlier this week. Now, it's time to get into the 16Us. These 13 stood out.
Let's dive in.
Lexi Hinck
Boston Junior Eagles/Lawrence Academy, 2010, D, right shot
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
Hinck was an effective two-way presence against the Polar Bears, defending hard and making good reads at the attacking blue line. She had a big effort early on to hustle and cut off June Kleiner in a race for the puck, preventing a clear lane to the net. Later, she won a battle along the boards and quickly got play going the other way. Hinck had a hell of a shift later on, making two excellent plays to cut off exits and keep the offensive pressure going. She also showed good patience out high, hesitating for a shooting lane to open before putting a good shot on.
NEGHL SHOWCASE: 11 standout 19U prospects
Ani Andersen
Assabet Valley/Phillips Exeter, Class of 2030, F, left shot
Hometown: Charlestown, Mass.
Andersen was dominant with her size, strength and speed. She created space for herself with a quick first step and hands in tight spaces. She set up a terrific chance early on, clogging a passing lane in the neutral zone, going to work on the forecheck and tapping a feed to her linemate in the slot. Andersen's puck pursuit later led to a turnover in the lead-up to Malin Wilde's goal.
Grace Hildebrandt
East Coast Wizards/Tabor, 3/30/2010, F, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
Hildebrandt's speed and power with her first few strides helped her create space for herself, move the puck effectively through the neutral zone and create chances. She set up a great bid in front when she got the puck high in the offensive zone, turned a corner and flew down the right wing before sending a perfect backhand feed to the far post.
Chatham Brouillette
Assabet Valley/St. Paul's, Class of 2029, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: St. Albans, Vt.
Brouillette showed strong offensive instincts with her ability to find open space in the scoring areas, getting several quality scoring chances and executing as the F3 high in the attacking zone. She broke through with a beauty later on. After dogged puck pursuit in the neutral zone, Assabet drove into the zone. Brouillette skated into the loose puck as the trailer, cutting to the left dot and ripping a snipe to the top left corner.
GIRLS PREP PREVIEWS: Loomis Chaffee | Groton | Phillips Andover | Brooks
Malin Wilde
Assabet Valley/St. Paul's, 4/20/2011, D, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Shelburne, Vt.
Wilde was everywhere against the Spitfires. She set up a great look early when she drove down the wall and slipped a cross-crease feed for a one-timer at the right post. Later, she got rewarded when she intercepted a pass off Andersen's pressure, sped the other way, drove into the slot and went low glove. Wilde also did a good job of using her strong frame to protect pucks against forecheckers, getting leverage, spinning off pressure and getting space with a good first step.
Ava Franus
East Coast Wizards/St. Paul's, 5/23/2011, D, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Sewickley, Pa.
Franus' big frame and strength made her effective in the attacking zone, killing plays with her long reach and winning battles. Her quick decision-making and ability to keep things simple helped her at the attacking blue line, too. Franus took the layups, making the easy play right in front of her, and she moved off the puck well to make herself available at the point.
Caitlin Byrne
CT Polar Bears/Williston Northampton, 05/2011, D, right shot, 5-1`
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
Byrne played a speedy, skilled game with the puck on her stick against the Junior Eagles. Her skating and vision helped her excel at moving the puck in transition. She was also strong quarterbacking the power play, making quick decisions with the puck and anticipating open lanes.
MAKING THE JUMP: Former girls prep stars on going from prep to college hockey
Ella Skeiber
Boston Junior Eagles/Williston Northampton, 03/2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Pembroke, Mass.
Skeiber's compete and details made her a menace on the penalty kill and in battles in the attacking zone. She was excellent in shorthanded situations with her ability to fill passing lanes, and her speed helped her cut off puck carriers in the neutral zone. Later, Skeiber made a clever play at the end of a long shift, drawing a defender toward her as she got an outlet from Lydia Kealty before tapping it back to her for the give-and-go. It opened a huge lane through neutral ice for Kealty to speed into.
Saimi Pesola
CT Polar Bears/Deerfield, 7/11/2010, G, catches left, 5-9
Hometown: Oulu, Finland
Pesola was fantastic down the stretch in the Polar Bears' win over the Junior Eagles as the latter pushed for a goal late. She made every save look easy with her sound positioning and big frame. One of her best stops came when she stoned Parker Kathan's heavy wrister from the top of the circle with tons of traffic in front before smothering the loose puck as the Eagles dug away in front. It followed a huge pad save on Kealty breaking into the slot alone after dangling a defender.
Keagan Gray
Boston Junior Eagles/Lawrence Academy, 2010, G, catches left
Hometown: Canton, Mass.
Gray got the second half of the Junior Eagles' loss to the Polar Bears, and she was sensational, tracking pucks and anticipating plays around the net. She made some tricky saves immediately upon entering the game, including a tough shot from the point through a screen and another on Lydia Libis through a moving screen as she cut into the slot off the rush. Gray smothered another Libis chance on a 2-on-1 later on before making some big stops late. The first came against Sophie DiGioia dangling in on a 2-on-1. The second was on Alessandra Picard driving to the slot off the rush.
WIZARDS 14U SHOWCASE: 11 standout forwards | 10 standout defenders
Stephanie LeBlanc
Mass. Spitfires/St. Mark's, 2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Wrentham, Mass.
LeBlanc played above her size and with plenty of speed, winning battles with her high compete. She disrupted plays all over the ice, including one instance when she won a puck down low and swiveled in front for a short-side chance. Later, she came off the bench, intercepted a pass and drove into the attacking end, throwing a shoulder to keep the sequence going before going to work on the forecheck.
Libby Melly
Assabet Valley/Middlesex, 11/13/2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
Melly's power skating and strong skills as a puck carrier through the neutral zone helped her create offense. She had a strong sequence early, picking up a loose puck in the defensive zone, motoring the other way and powering past a defender with a self-pass. She found Brouillette in the slot as she curled around the net. Melly set up another chance for Brouillette on that shift after winning a puck battle along the boards.
Isabella Goncalves
Mass. Spitfires/Nobles, 2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Brighton, Mass.
Goncalves' smarts and body positioning made her extremely effective at protecting the puck in 1-on-1s. She anticipated well and created pockets of space down low and along the boards, keeping plays going and finding open lanes. Her vision also helped her read the play well through the neutral zone.
BOYS PREP PREVIEWS: Brunswick | Winchendon | Cushing | Salisbury | Kimball Union | Hotchkiss | Williston
