23 breakout forward candidates in prep hockey for 2023-24 season

Charles Blanchard projects to take a big step forward this winter. (Avon Old Farms School)

Heading into the new prep hockey season, there are plenty of players who have a high expectation of production.

Kimball Union’s Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) is a good one at forward. New Hampton’s Cam Caron (Dracut, Mass.) is another. So is Alex LoGuercio at Frederick Gunn. St. Mark’s Calvin Beard (Southboro, Mass.) and Holderness’ Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.) are good examples on defense. Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.) of Milton Academy was tied for the region lead in save percentage last season. He’s expected to be one of the top netminders again this season.

Those are just a few of many players with already lofty expectations.

But what about breakout players? They are the ones that make the biggest difference. They turn middle-of-the-pack teams into Elite 8 contenders. They turn Elite 8 hopefuls into favorites. They are X-factors.

Through watching prep last season, and then the following spring, summer and fall hockey slates, these are 22 forward prospects I’ve identified as players who are poised to take a big step ahead this season.

Very few of these players are committed. They are young and stepping into bigger roles this season.

A separate story will be done on breakout candidates on defense and in net.

Tommy Anderson

Thayer, 2/2/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/175
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.

As a sophomore, Anderson had 14 points in 27 games for a younger Thayer team. He’s now an upperclassman with a strong ability to make plays happen in the offensive zone.

Malcolm Baar

Kimball Union, 4/10/2006, F, left shot, 5-11/190
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.

With Jackson Kyrkostas graduated, Kimball Union has a lot of forwards who will take big steps forward this season. Baar is certainly one, as he drives play well and can make his linemates better. He had six goals and 17 points in 33 games as a junior last season.

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Charles Blanchard

Avon Old Farms, 1/18/2005, F, right shot, 6-0/185
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.

Avon Old Farms was top-heavy when it came to scoring last season and all the primary producers are gone. Blanchard has the size and scoring touch to be a top contributor for head coach John Gardner’s team this winter.

Austin Borggaard

St. Mark’s, 1/15/2005, F, left shot, 6-0/187
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.

Borggaard, who scored 16 goals and 23 points in 29 games last season, has gotten stronger and faster over the offseason. He has one of the best shots in his birth year. St. Mark’s always has a high-flying offense and with Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.), Jimmy Lyver (Grafton, Mass.) and Sebbie Johnson gone, Borggaard will have every opportunity to have his numbers skyrocket.

Corbin Carkner

Frederick Gunn, 5/3/2005, F, left shot, 6-1/194
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

It’s his first season at Frederick Gunn and Carkner has the size and offensive awareness to be a primary scorer. Head coach Craig Badger’s team is already very good. Still, adding Carkner makes them a lot better.

Will Cavanagh

Phillips Exeter, 7/16/2005, F, left shot, 6-1/161
Hometown: Warwick, R.I.

Cavanagh is fresh off dominating for Bishop Hendricken last winter, scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 23 games. Prep is a step up, but Cavanagh has the skills and Exeter has the roster for the Warwick, R.I., native to make a big impact.

Rian Chudzinski

St. Sebastian’s, 12/30/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Needham, Mass.

St. Sebastian’s is full of veteran offensive talent, so it will be hard for many younger players to make a scoring impact. Chudzinski is an exception. He’s had an outstanding spring, summer and fall, and will force head coach Sean McCann to put him in a prominent role.

Rian Chudzinski improved a lot over the summer. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ)

Tommy Coccaro

Westminster, 2007, F, right shot, 5-7/150

Coccaro may be small, but his compete, skating and ability to avoid pressure will make him a legitimate scorer for Westminster.

Justin Graf

Rivers, 7/10/2007, F, left shot, 5-8/146
Hometown: Lincoln, Mass.

Graf impressed every time I watched the East Coast Militia’s 16U team this fall. He had eight goals and 13 points as a freshman. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he took a big step forward this winter.

Spencer Hirsch

Lawrence Academy, 1/7/2005, F, left shot, 6-3/201
Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.

Hirsch had 11 goals and 16 points in 28 games last year. Now a senior, he showed well in the fall with the Neponset Valley River Rats 18U team. His intelligent playmaking and work around the front of the net should lead to more offense.

Bronson and Tanner Hunt

Bronson: Cushing Academy, 3/26/2005, F, left shot, 5-9/165
Tanner: Cushing Academy, 3/26/2005, F, right shot, 5-9/165
Hometown: Long Beach, N.Y.

The brothers arrived at Cushing from Northstar Christian Academy in Rochester, N.Y. They’re smaller, but both have extremely high levels of compete and always find ways to produce. They project to be top six staples for head coach Paul Pearl.

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Billy MacAusland

Nobles, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.

As a freshman, MacAusland had eight goals and nine points in eight games. Even though Nobles didn’t lose a lot up front, MacAusland, now a sophomore, should play his way higher into the lineup and produce at a higher rate.

Cam MacPherson

St. Mark’s, 6/19/2008, F, left shot, 5-7/135
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.

Yes, MacPherson is only an ’08 and stepping onto a St. Mark’s team with various offensive producers. But MacPherson was the main catalyst for the Neponset Valley River Rats 15O team this fall, leading the team with 12 goals and 25 points. Even though he’s not big, he’s physical, which will help him in prep.

Joe Marchi

Dexter Southfield, 10/30/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/170
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass.

Marchi is already a known commodity from his time at Catholic Memorial last winter, but he looks poised and ready to be a top contributor for Dexter Southfield. Through 30 games with the River Rats 16U team this fall, he scored 13 goals and totaled 33 points. Head coach Danny Donato will rely on him quite a bit this season.

George McCaffrey

Westminster, 1/2/2007, F, left shot, 6-0/170
NCAA: New Hampshire
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.

It’s hard to stick a college commit on this list, but it’s his first season in prep. In McCaffrey, Westminster is getting a player who has been on an upward trajectory for the last 12 months and doesn’t show signs of stopping.

Carter Meyer

Rivers, 4/10/2009, F, left shot, 5-9/150
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.

Yes, it’s risky throwing an ’09 on here. But Meyer is that good. In the 2021-22 season, ’07s Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) and Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) were major contributors. With the skill, hockey sense and poise that Meyer possesses, he projects to be a legitimate piece on a young — but talented — Rivers team.

Michael Munroe

Avon Old Farms, 7/6/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/165
NCAA: Maine
Hometown: Hanover, Mass.

Munroe committed to Maine over the summer and had another outstanding fall season with the River Rats, notching 20 goals and 35 points in 29 games. The former Hanover High star posted seven goals and 14 points in 28 games in his first year of prep hockey last season. Those numbers will be a lot higher this winter.

Evan Nee

St. Mark’s, 8/12/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.

Head coach Carl Corazzini is looking for Nee to be a key cog in the top six. Nee, who had eight goals and 14 points as a freshman last season, has the attributes to play a hard-nosed game around the net and produce at a high level for the Lions.

Trevor Pellecchia

Winchendon, 2/23/2007, F, right shot, 5-11/160
Hometown: Leominster, Mass.

Pellecchia plays a confident, two-way game, which should serve him well under new head coach Mike Busconi. As a sophomore last season, Pellecchia only tallied a goal and an assist in 24 games, so a rise in production is pretty much a given this season as his role is elevated.

Nicholas Petrut

Salisbury, 12/14/2006, F, right shot, 5-8/150
Hometown: Kingston, Ont.

Salisbury has a variety of forwards who are candidates to break out, but one that caught my eye a lot this fall was Petrut. He’s shifty and a good play-driver. He will be important on a much-improved Salisbury team.

JT Rothstein

Taft, 1/19/2008, F, left shot, 5-7/141
Hometown: New York City

Taft head coach Ryan Shannon has led the Rhinos to become a destination for talent. Nowhere is that more true than with bringing in Rothstein, a standout forward with the Long Island Gulls 15O team this fall. At USA Hockey’s Select 15 Camp this summer, the New York City native impressed with four goals and eight points in four games.

Ty Wood

Lawrence Academy, F, left shot, 6-0/174
Hometown: Gloucester, Mass.

Lawrence Academy should be even better than last season, and one of the reasons for that will be the progressions Wood has made in his offensive game. After scoring seven goals and totaling 14 points in 28 games last season, he posted 17 goals and 29 points in 30 games, leading the 18U River Rats this fall.