David O'Brien played for the Long Island Gulls this past season. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ)
It's a big year for the '08s. The first step of that was this past weekend at the Mass. Hockey boys festival.
From Friday to Sunday, players battled for spots in the Final 40, which were just announced. Players now turn their attention to making it to USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp, which is big. There, colleges get a great glimpse of prospects taking on other top players in their age group. It's also the first time the next NHL Draft class is scouted.
I caught the '08s on Sunday morning, getting to see every team once. Some top '08s aren't in this story, and it doesn't mean they had bad weekends — it just means they weren't standouts when I saw them on Sunday.
Let's dive in.
