MARLBORO, Mass. — Six teams of players competed in the Uncommitted Division at the Beantown Summer Classic from Sunday to Tuesday at the New England Sports Center.
Players in this division were born between 2003 and 2007 and all were looking to catch the eye of college coaches in attendance. In addition to Division 1 coaches from Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey, there were also a handful of Division 3 coaches, mostly from the NESCAC.
The talent pool in this division varied widely from a couple of younger players who appear to be slam dunk Division 1 prospects to some skaters who are more likely to play club hockey, if at all, in college.
Below are evaluations on 15 players who caught my eye during viewings of this division at the Beantown Summer Classic.
Three Stars
Malcolm Baar
Kimball Union/Top Gun U16, 4/10/06, C/LW, left shot, 5-10/174
Baar was the best player in this division. A dual citizen from Ottawa, he’s been with Team Maryland since at least bantam hockey. Now, he’s off to play for coach Tim Whitehead at KUA. Baar skates and sees the ice well. He can finish and make plays. He’s around the puck a lot and will be a player to watch at the prep level.
Colin Winn
Youngstown Phantoms, 8/5/04, G, catches left, 6-1/175
Winn was terrific in an entire game’s worth of action Monday evening. The Westford, Mass., native skated well and did a good job of keeping his team in it for a 3-2 win. Winn is making the jump from the Junior Bruins in the NCDC to the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms with a couple of Hockey East schools in the mix to land his future services.
Joey Zheng
Andover/River Rats U18, 9/8/05, RW, right shot, 5-10/165
Zheng, from Glenview, Ill., is a speedy winger with skill. He scored three goals in the first game Monday and had a ton of chances in the afternoon contest, as well. His speed allows him to separate from opposing defenders. If he can continue to hone his instincts offensively and become harder, he has potential to be a Division 1 player after a couple of years of junior hockey. A great student, he’s a no-brainer for NESCAC schools.
Honorable Mention
Dane Carter
Belmont Hill/EC Wizards U18, 1/25/04, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
Carter was an underrated piece to the puzzle for Belmont Hill last winter. From Concord, Mass., he chipped in with secondary scoring. He’ll have an even bigger role for coach Brian Phinney’s team in 2022-23. At the Beantown, he showed some skill and quickness. There was a notable shift Monday night where he was able to protect the puck in traffic with his stickhandling before getting off a scoring chance.
Cooper Cleaves
Brunswick/Mid Fairfield U16, 1/5/06, D, right shot, 6-1/175
Cleaves, from Riverside, Conn., is a good-sized blue liner who skates well and makes solid plays at both ends of the ice. He’s gotten leaner and better over the past 12 months. Always a strong player for the Mid Fairfield '06s, he’s taken a step and looks the part of a Division 1 defenseman. It’s likely he’ll follow in the footsteps of his '03 brother, Hank, and commit to Dartmouth.
Dennis Davidson
Nobles/Little Bruins U16, 5/15/06, RW, right shot, 5-9/155
Davidson was around the puck a lot and scored a goal on the rush. He was a consistent force in that regard and it was certainly an above-average viewing for the Newton, Mass., native. Expect him to have an increased role and continue to show improvement as a sophomore at Nobles this winter.
Max Gagnon
Central Catholic, 6/14/07, RW, right shot, 5-11/155
Gagnon is a young wing who played on the varsity at Central Catholic last year as a freshman. His skating and compete stand out, as he can hunt pucks and make some plays. He was good here at times, despite being on the younger side. From Byfield, Mass., prep schools should be on him for the 2023-24 season.
Evan Jones
Arlington/Junior Eagles 15O, 2/9/07, D, left shot, 5-8/165
Jones is an athletic, offensive defenseman whose skating and stick stand out right away. From Arlington, Mass., he’ll play for his hometown high school this upcoming season. He was good here and showed the skating, skill and brain to have Division 1 potential down the road.
Thomas Molson
Deerfield, 1/5/05, LW, left shot, 5-8/150
Molson, from Montreal, will be in his second year at Deerfield when school starts in September. He’s on the smaller side, but he showed an ability to be slick with the puck on his stick Monday. He scored a nice goal and made a couple of nice passes, including one that set up a breakaway chance for a teammate.
Daniel Moor
New York Saints U16, 1/17/06, G, catches left, 5-11/165
Moor, from Allendale, N.J., was good in the game Monday. He has good size, prevented second chances with strong rebound control, and did a good job making the saves he was supposed to. A longtime member of the New York Saints, he’ll need to make the jump to prep for increased exposure. At the Beantown, he certainly looked good enough for prep coaches to have interest in his services.
Liam O’Keeffe
Dexter Southfield/Junior Eagles U18, 1/31/06, D, left shot, 5-11/178
This was a very good viewing for O’Keeffe, who has been a strong player for a number of years. The Boston native has size and strength on his side, but he made more plays on the breakout and had less dead plays off his stick. He made a couple of really nice slip passes after retrieving pucks deep in his own zone.
Thomas Rose
Junior Bruins NCDC, 8/31/05, D, right shot, 5-9/135
Rose, hailing from Westford, Mass., catches a scout’s eye for his skating. He’s able to move pucks north and skate up ice well. If he can get heavier and more consistent, his footwork is strong enough to be a puck-moving defenseman at the Division 1 level.
Marcus Senerchia
New Hampton/River Rats 15O, 7/4/07, D, left shot, 5-5/125
Senerchia is small, but he’s got great feet and an above-average stick. He scored a nice goal, firing home a shot from the point that went just below the crossbar. The Greenville, R.I., native is able to escape forecheckers and make plays with his feet or stick on the breakout. After a season at Mount Saint Charles, he’s off to play for coach Connor Gorman at New Hampton.
Mate Tardi
Mount Saint Charles, 2/6/07, LW, left shot, 5-11/170
Tardi is originally from Virginia, but moved to Hamilton, Mass., a few years ago to play for the Middlesex Islanders. Now, he’s heading to Mount Saint Charles to play for Scott Gainey’s 15 Only team in Woonsocket. Tardi is smart and skilled and he showed that with a goal he scored Monday afternoon. He’s one of the better '07s who weren’t at the national camp.
Jack Turkowsky
Northfield Mount Hermon/GBL Bruins U18, 10/15/04, D, right shot, 6-3/185
Turowsky, from East Longmeadow, Mass., is a big, physical defender. He played hard and was tough to play against. He rubbed a few opposing forwards off into the wall and got into a couple of near scraps. He had a hard shot and moved pucks north with simplicity. I’ve always noticed Turowsky back to his days playing for the Springfield Rifles and Pope Francis, but this was his best viewing to date.
