With the Division 1 men’s college season having reached the unofficial halfway mark, it’s time for a progress report on how former New England prep stars are performing at the next level.
After starring in prep school rinks across the region for several years, these players are now trying to break through in college hockey.
These players on this list include top Hockey East scorers, Ivy League standouts and several goaltenders.
The college season resumes after the holidays and continues through March, leaving plenty of time for other familiar names to make their mark.
Mikey Adamson
Sacred Heart | D
Hometown: Quincy, Mass.
Prep: Dexter Southfield
One of Atlantic Hockey’s top returning defensemen and its Defenseman of the Month in October, Adamson has three goals and 12 points in 16 games.
Nicholas Bevilacqua
Bentley | G
Hometown: Abington, Mass.
Prep: Northfield Mount Hermon
Bentley’s goaltending competition opened wide after Northfield Mount Hermon product Connor Hasley transferred to Arizona State following last season, but another former Hogger has been one of the nation’s best netminders. Bevilacqua is 4-1-1 with a 1.65 goals-against and .935 save percentage, ranking in the top-5 nationally in both categories. He has twice been named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week.
Kyle Chauvette
New Hampshire | G
Hometown: Goffstown, N.H.
Prep: Loomis Chaffee
Chauvette transferred back to his home state after three years at Union to tend the Wildcats' net. He has nine wins, a 2.41 goals-against and .909 save percentage in 16 games. He’s been incredibly sharp of late, pitching two of his three shutouts and allowing just four goals on 95 shots in his last four games.
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Hank Cleaves
Dartmouth | F
Hometown: Riverside, Conn.
Prep: Brunswick
The team’s top line center, Cleaves opened the season on a five-game point streak and also had a seven-point weekend against Brown and Yale to conclude ECAC Hockey play until after the holidays. With five goals and nine assists, he is Dartmouth’s second-leading scorer to classmate Hayden Stavroff.
Matt DeBoer
Holy Cross | F
Prep: Salisbury
The New Jersey native and 2020 Elite 8 champion at Salisbury has eight goals and 16 points in November. He won Atlantic Hockey Forward of the Month honors in November.
CJ Foley
Dartmouth | D
Hometown: Hanover, Mass.
Prep: Thayer
Foley emerged in the conversation among the nation’s best defensemen following a 30-point sophomore season, and he continues to play a role in the Big Green’s success on both sides of the puck this season. The former All-ISL standout carries a plus-11 rating and has played more than 24 minutes in eight games this season.
Ethan Gardula
UConn | F
Hometown: Princeton, Mass.
Prep: Cushing
Gardula played a key role in UConn's rise to first place in Hockey East, co-leading an incredibly balanced offense with six goals — just shy of the eight he scored as a freshman last season — among 11 points through 17 games. He scored twice in an Oct. 24 win at Boston University and rattled off a three-game goal streak in November. He also dished out two assists Dec. 6 to help the Huskies finish a weekend sweep of Merrimack and has not taken a single penalty.
Caeden Herrington
Vermont | D
Hometown: Manchester, Vt.
Prep: Holderness
Herrington is representing his home state well in his freshman year, playing top-four minutes while emerging as one of the Catamounts’ top offensive defensemen. The Los Angeles Kings prospect scored a memorable first collegiate goal in his Oct. 10 debut against St. Lawrence and has since added four assists.
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Dylan Hryckowian
Northeastern | F
Prep: Salisbury
Just off the 20-point plateau for the Huskies, Hryckowian ranks fifth in Hockey East with 19 points. He has tallied nine times following a 17-goal sophomore campaign. He was the Hockey East Player of the Month for November. The brother of Dallas Stars forward Justin Hryckowian, who also played at Salisbury and Northeastern, Hryckowian helped lead the Crimson Knights to a repeat New England prep title in 2022.
Jackson Irving
UMass | G
Hometown: Newbury, Mass.
Prep: Cushing
Taking advantage of an opportunity due to a November injury to Michael Hrabal, Irving had his longest run of collegiate play yet before the semester concluded. He entered the break with a .934 save percentage and earned two of his three victories in shutouts. He has made 31 or more in all seven of his starts, including three contests with at least 40.
Jack Musa
UMass | F
Prep: Trinity-Pawling
A Floridian who spent two seasons in the prep ranks, Musa is second in Hockey East in scoring. The junior winger has netted eight of his 39 shots for goals and also shares the league lead with 13 assists, giving him 21 points in 20 games. Though UMass is off from game action until January, Musa will have a busy holiday break suiting up for the first-ever U.S. Collegiate Selects at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland.
Ronan O’Donnell
Yale | F
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.
Prep: Belmont Hill
O’Donnell has scored six goals and averaged a point per game for the Bulldogs. He is the team’s leader in points, which he also was as a freshman.
Ryan Philbrick
New Hampshire | D
Hometown: Concord, N.H.
Prep: Cushing
Philbrick has burst onto the Division 1 scene as one of the top blueliners for UNH. He has been a consistent threat for the Wildcats, tying for the team lead with a plus-7 rating.
READ MORE:Â The latest boys prep rankings entering the holiday tournaments
Philip Tresca
Harvard | F
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
Prep: Rivers
The Crimson are 7-3-1 -- losing only to Cornell and top-ranked Michigan -- with the help of Tresca, whose seven goals are already a career-high. The former Rivers standout has already produced five multi-point games.
