MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Each birth year had an interesting, but different, storyline to watch in the first weekend of the Mass. Hockey Festival.
With the 2008-born players, it was all about getting to know them as most embark on their prep or high school hockey careers. The '07s provided a look at many players who had a year of prep or high school hockey under their belt and will look to take that next step in 2023-24.
And then there were the '06s.
A large number of the '06s are already key contributors at the prep and high school levels. Two are even in the USHL. This weekend was about seeing how they developed over the winter and how that matched up with other players their age.
For me, Friday and Saturday were dedicated to the '08s and '07s. I caught the '06s on Sunday, which was when they were at their most tired after a long weekend of hockey.
Just like in the '08 and '07 standout stories, I didn't see enough of each goalie to give a proper analysis.
Let's dive in.
Gavin Cornforth
Dubuque, 12/15/2006, RW, right shot, 5-9/154
Tournament jersey: 43 GrayÂ
Heading into this weekend, I was curious to see how Cornforth improved playing against older competition in the USHL and how that looked when he played kids his own age. I got my answer in the second half of Sunday's game. Cornforth was protecting the puck below the offensive goal line and Dennison Monahan, a 6-foot-5 defenseman, came to knock him off the puck. Cornforth reverse-hit him and held onto the puck, continuing to help the cycle game. That's likely a product of facing big, bruising defensemen in the USHL all winter.
While Cornforth was a bit lax in his own zone at times, the Dubuque Fighting Saint more than made up for it with the puck on his stick. His usual skill and shiftiness were on full display in his offensive zone entries as he often skated around defenders. He dug hard for pucks in the offensive zone corners as well.
Dennis Davidson
Nobles, 5/25/2006, F, right shot, 5-9/154
Tournament jersey: 44 RedÂ
Davidson was great at working below the dots in the offensive zone. He's not big, but he protects the puck well and because of his good hands, he's able to elude defenders and create chances. He was also good at recognizing when things got too congested low and he'd move the puck up high to the point. He has a nice shot as well.
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Laz Giardina
Reading High, 6/29/2006, F, left shot, 6-5/190
Tournament jersey: 47 GrayÂ
Giardina stood out quite a bit with Reading High over the winter and that continued this past weekend. Giardina constantly used his size to his advantage, forechecking hard and forcing opposing defensemen to make mistakes. He was great cycling the puck down low and showcased a nice shot. He scored when he found open space in the slot and fired home a goal. The early signs point to Lawrence Academy being really happy it secured Giardina for next winter.
Dylan Hunt
Milton Academy, 2/9/2006, D, left shot, 6-1/175
Tournament jersey: 40 RoyalÂ
If anyone was going to play defense at this festival, it was going to be Hunt. The two-way defender broke up opposing scoring chances in his own end. One of his best came when he halted Cornforth on one of his many offensive zone entries. Hunt also stayed patient on breakouts and made crisp passes.
Owen Keefe
Muskegon, 3/26/2006, D, left shot, 6-1/192
NCAA: Boston University
Tournament jersey: 40 RedÂ
For the most part, Keefe did a nice job of avoiding pressure and moving the puck up ice. There were some times in which he rushed the puck, too. One even ended with him trying The Michigan, although the puck fell off his stick as he rounded the net. But hey — credit for having the confidence to pull that off in a tryout. There was one time when he was skating with the puck out of his own zone and tried to dangle around a forechecker. He turned the puck over and the opposing team had sustained zone time. Sometimes, the simple play is the right one. Keefe will be an interesting prospect to follow next season in his second USHL campaign.
Teddy MacAusland
Nobles, 1/13/2006, RW, right shot, 5-9/179
Tournament jersey: 52 GrayÂ
MacAusland's ability to create plays is nothing new. The Westwood, Mass., native did a lot of that this winter for Nobles. But MacAusland didn't skip a beat this past weekend. In Sunday's game, there were two set-ups that made my eyes widen. The first came when he rushed down the right wing, faked a pass to the front, kept skating and dished a pass to an open teammate in the slot for a goal as he was rounding the net. The second came when MacAusland had the puck along the half wall a sustained offensive zone shift. He looked up to see an open teammate in front of the net, kept skating and then fired a pass to the open player in front for another goal.
James Marshall
South Kent 16U, 4/5/2006, C, left shot, 5-11/154
Tournament jersey: 49 RoyalÂ
In my viewing of Marshall, the Weymouth, Mass., native notched two goals. One was off a snipe from the high slot, while the other was him getting to the net front and tipping in a shot. Marshall drove play well and created offense off of his trips through the neutral zone. Marshall posted 23 goals and 56 points in 52 games this season for South Kent's 16U squad.
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Joseph Mense
Boston Jr. Bruins, 7/21/2006, D, right shot, 6-1/190
Tournament jersey: 41 RedÂ
Mense worked really hard in his own zone to negate scoring chances and win battles for loose pucks. At the other end of the ice, he showcased his hard shot, beating the goalie with a wrist shot from the high slot in Sunday's game.
Dennison Monahan
Lovell Academy 16U, 5/8/2006, D, left shot, 6-5/190
Tournament jersey: 42 Royal
Monahan showcased his ability to use his reach and size to make trips in the offensive zone difficult for opposing forwards. Another area where he used size to his advantage was in the corners, as he separated the opposition from the puck. Monahan did, however, have some trouble moving the puck in transition.
JJ Monteiro
Mount Saint Charles 16U, 1/12/2006, C, left shot, 5-11/174
NCAA: Providence
Tournament jersey: 49 WhiteÂ
Monteiro lit the lamp twice on Sunday, which was the tip of the iceberg in terms of his impact in the offensive zone. He drove play really well, using his hands and puck protection abilities to create time and space for himself.
Nate Porter
Dexter Southfield, 3/10/2006, C, right shot, 5-10/161
Tournament jersey: 49 RedÂ
Porter's offensive skills are well-documented and they were on display in my viewing of him. He's crafty and can be dangerous with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone. But what impressed me most was his effort in his own zone. In the first half of Sunday's game, he had a really strong backcheck to break up a 2-on-1 and deny the opposition of a scoring chance.
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Kiernan Poulin
Lovell Academy 16U, 1/5/2006, D, right shot, 5-9/139
NCAA: UMass
Tournament jersey: 42 WhiteÂ
The best word to describe Poulin is dynamic and he's one of my favorite players to watch from this birth year (and no, it's not just because he's committed to UMass). The puck-moving wizard has no issue avoiding pressure and making a nice breakout pass. He was crafty with the puck. He's a smooth skater so he can always take it and exit his own zone by himself. In his own zone, he played with a high compete. Off the rush, an opposing forward tried to cut across the middle and Poulin threw himself into the player, laying him out and breaking up the play.
Jack Sadowski
Kimball Union, 7/29/2006, F, left shot, 6-0/179
NCAA: New Hampshire
Tournament jersey: 50 RedÂ
The Arlington, Mass., native burst onto the prep scene this winter and was really good this weekend. On Sunday, he was strong low in the offensive zone, protecting the puck and using his good hockey sense to find open teammates and be a driver of play in the cycle. With Jackson Kyrkostas (Windham, N.H.) graduating from Kimball Union, it will be fascinating to see how Sadowski progresses — and just how much more damage he can do.
