BROOKLINE, Mass. — The New England boys prep hockey season doesn't begin until late November, but this past weekend, a slew of prep teams playing together in the fall hit the ice against one another.
The Cape Cod Whalers hosted the 18U Prep Alliance Showcase at Dexter Southfield. The Whalers, Boston Junior Eagles and East Coast Wizards were the only teams that weren't tied to a prep school.
The Brookline Whalers (Dexter Southfield), Central Mass. Penguins (Cushing), Islanders Hockey Club East (Winchendon), Islanders Hockey Club West (Holderness), Islanders Hockey Club North (Northfield Mount Hermon), Little Bruins (Lawrence Academy) and Fall Prep Wildcats (Kimball Union) were the other squads.
I saw every team over the two days except for Islanders Hockey Club West and North.
Here are 15 standout forwards. A separate story was done on defensemen and goalies.
Let's dive in.
Jake Eldredge
Islanders Hockey Club East, 3/25/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Brewster, Mass.Â
Eldredge showed assertiveness when he had possession. Against the Wizards, he navigated through defenders in the offensive zone with ease. Funny enough, defenseman Tyler Poti (Sandwich, Mass.) threw a pass up ice to Eldredge, who tipped it just before the offensive blue line, and it went past the Wizards' netminder. Eldredge scored his team's first goal against the Fall Prep Wildcats on Sunday.
Jack Funk
Boston Junior Eagles, 3/12/2009, F, left shot, 5-7/150
Hometown: Duxbury, Mass.Â
Funk potted two third-period goals against the Penguins. The first was after Cade Noonan (Boston, Mass.) won a board battle behind the net and fed Funk in front. The second was getting the puck in the slot, changing his angle and sliding a puck along the ice through traffic and in.
Liam Guilderson
Brookline Whalers, 3/30/2009, F, left shot, 6-0/175
Hometown: Belmont, Mass.Â
Guilderson doesn't just look to be improved off of last season — he was the best player on the ice in his game on Saturday. He scored on two complete snipes with quick, accurate, heavy releases. His offensive instincts and hands allowed him to do whatever he wanted off the rush and on the cycle. He's a huge breakout candidate this winter for Dexter.
Riley Harby
Islanders Hockey Club East, 7/21/2009, F, left shot, 6-3/190
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.Â
Harby was fascinating. He's a big guy, but he was a great skater. At one point against the Wizards, he went end to end, showing elusiveness from defenders, at one point doing a 360 to get away from pressure. That came after he scored on a snipe. Against the Fall Prep Wildcats, Harby sniped another goal. His skating, heavy shot and skill make Harby an intriguing watch for junior scouts.
Brody Ladas
Central Mass. Penguins 18U, 3/10/2009, F, left shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Southboro, Mass.Â
Ladas was mostly with Cushing's Varsity B program last season, but based on this weekend, he should be impactful for Cushing's varsity team this winter. He showcased quickness and was a pain on the forecheck with a high compete. He protected pucks well and used some good hands to get into scoring areas. Ladas played with a real edge, too.
READ MORE: 23 local prospects ranked for the 2027 NHL Draft
Charlie MacLeod
Fall Prep Wildcats, 7/21/2009, F, left shot, 6-0/179
Hometown: Sydney, Nova Scotia
NCAA: PrincetonÂ
It's impossible to miss MacLeod given the power that he skates with. In Sunday's battle with Islanders Hockey Club East, he made a heads-up play behind the offensive net, winning a battle, skating to space and finding Carter Cowan in front for a goal.
Tommy Moore
Brookline Whalers, 10/20/2009, F, right shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Milton, Mass.Â
Moore's stickhandling and shot have him looking like he will be a key part of Dexter's offense this winter. On Saturday, he opened the game with a snipe off the rush, cutting to the middle of the slot and potting a beauty. Late in the third period, he made a similar move, going in all alone and sniping another.
Conal Mulkerrin
Fall Prep Wildcats, 5/15/2008, F, left shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.Â
Mulkerrin was highly involved offensively against Islanders Hockey Club East. He scored the final two goals, sniping one and then driving the net for a rebound moments later. He made smart reads as the third forward high to keep plays alive and read breakouts. Mulkerrin will be vital for the Wildcats this winter.
Charlie Ness
Boston Junior Eagles, 7/1/2009, F, right shot, 5-10/159
Hometown: Cohasset, Mass.Â
Like Funk, Ness scored two third-period goals against the Penguins. His first tally was off a rebound after Penguins goalie Harper Hubbard robbed him. The second was a shot from the half-wall that slipped in. Thayer has a strong roster this winter, and Ness should certainly be a part of it.
Luke Ryan
Central Mass. Penguins 18U, 2/7/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/160
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.Â
Ryan played like a classic power forward. He scored in both games this weekend, sniping one on a breakaway against the Cape Cod Whalers and forcing a goalie misplay against the Junior Eagles, stealing the puck and scoring. Ryan was physical and hard to play against on the wing.
Jeff Swartz
Central Mass. Penguins 18U, 3/1/2008, F, left shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: Bechtelsville, Penn.Â
Cushing head coach Dan Fontas expects Swartz to take on a big role offensively this winter. This weekend, Swartz was impactful for the Penguins. The '08 has great hands and can slow the game down when he has possession. He was good at changing speeds to keep defenders on their heels, and he showcased strong vision.
READ MORE: 6 men’s college hockey recruiting takeaways from the last 10 days
Chase Warsofsky
Central Mass. Penguins 18U, 6/20/2009, F, left shot, 5-8/154
Hometown: Northboro, Mass.
NCAA: Holy CrossÂ
Warsofsky was the best, most dominant player over the two days. He posted a hat trick against the Cape Cod Whalers before putting up two more versus the Junior Eagles. The Holy Cross commit's speed and skill allowed him to toast defenders before utilizing his elite shot to beat netminders. He looks poised for a monster winter at Cushing.
Austin Wu
Brookline Whalers, 1/28/2010, F, left shot, 5-11/175
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.Â
I was impressed with Wu's play down the middle. He made intelligent reads as the third forward high in the offensive zone to cut off breakouts. When he gained possession, he kept himself going at a high speed and was assertive with his routes through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. He regularly skated around and through Little Bruins defenders.
James Wu
Cape Cod Whalers 18U, 1/9/2009, F, left shot, 5-8/160
Hometown: McLean, Va.Â
Wu can fly. Against the Penguins, he scored a beauty by beating his defender to the far post and depositing a pass from Reed Enders (Hingham, Mass.) into a yawning cage. I'm curious to see what Wu's impact is at Tabor this winter.
READ MORE: 13 standout defenders from 18U Prep Alliance Showcase
Leo Zhu
Brookline Whalers, 3/4/2009, F, left shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Needham, Mass.Â
Zhu scored a nice one against the Little Bruins, getting the puck on a 2-on-1 after a nice play by Brock Hanlon (Auburndale, Mass.) and showcasing a great finish. Zhu's size made him difficult to take the puck from and hard to handle on the forecheck.
