FOXBORO, Mass. — The Boston Jr. Eagles have made a habit of getting some of the best local players in each age group for a long time.
They're not the only team to complete such a feat, but the Eagles consistently draw in top talent. Recently, former Junior Eagle Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) walked across the stage as the No. 4 overall pick in June's NHL Draft.
This season's 14U team looks to be following a similar trend.
It's still very early — the squad full of 2009-born players has only played two games. Both were at the River Rats Jamboree, which took place on Monday and Tuesday. Many of the onlookers at Foxboro Sports Center flocked over to both games to get a look at the next generation of premier local talent.
The Eagles, coached by Freddy Meyer (Sanbornville, N.H.), put on a show in both games. On Monday, they crushed the Long Island Gulls, 11-1, requiring there to be a running clock in the second half. Meyer's team took down Philadelphia Hockey Club, 5-1, the next day.
Had Philly Hockey Club goalie Chase Pastor, a '10, not performed so well, it would've been a much more lopsided score.
Because it's early, here are my first impressions of one of the most intriguing 14U teams in the region.
1. Carter Meyer looks like an early NTDP candidate
This is so early to say and a big thing to state after two games. But it also speaks to how good Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) was in relation to his peers.
Meyer is a powerful skater. He always wanted the puck on his stick, and for good reason. He had composure with the puck that you don't often see at this level. There wasn't any panic in his game and he was able to slow the play down at any time.
When entering the offensive zone, he made smart plays with the puck. A great example came in the second half of Monday's game when he hit Joseph Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.) with a nice cross-ice pass that Covelluzzi eventually scored on. Meyer led his line in pinning the opposition in their own zone.
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Another weapon is his shot, which is very advanced for this level. It's hard, he gets it off quickly and it's accurate. That was evident from Meyer's four goals over the two games, including a hat trick against the Gulls. He also added two assists.
The Rivers School student won't be eligible to try out for the U.S. National Team Development Program until the spring of 2025. I'm stating the obvious here, but to be an NTDP candidate, the player has to be well above their peers. Meyer is there two games into his 14U season.
2. Lots of promising forward talent
Along with Meyer, the team's other top forward appeared to be Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.). Also a Rivers player, Sears is already 6-foot and 158 pounds, so he's bigger than a lot of his teammates and competition. He's quick and hard on the forecheck and good at finding passing seams. He finished the jamboree with two goals and one assist.
Sears played on a line with Meyer and Covelluzzi over the two games and they dominated, consistently hemming teams in their own zone. Along with Meyer's six points and Sears' three, Covelluzzi totaled two goals and three points. Covelluzzi, who attends Wakefield High School, has a really good shot and always seems to find high-danger areas to shoot from.
Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) was also highly effective in both games and at 6-foot-1 and 155 pounds, is a force down the middle. His work below the dots in the offensive zone was impressive, as he was such a major factor in the cycle game and earning scoring chances.
His best play, in my opinion, came in the first period of the game against Philly Hockey Club. He got the puck in the slot but rather than try to shoot through all the bodies in front of him, he turned around and made a nice pass back to Jacoby Palmer (Holden, Mass.) at the point, getting the opposing defense to drift towards the blue line and open up space down low. Palmer scored on the shot.
Another promising forward was Chase Warsofsky, who had a huge game against the Gulls. The Northborough, Mass., native notched a hat trick in Monday's game and has good speed and a high compete level. He's a ninth grader at St. John's Shrewsbury for 2023-24.
3. The Eagles have solid, reliable defensemen
Because the Eagles spent so much time in the offensive zone over both games, they didn't have to spend much time playing defense. That also means we didn't get to see much of either goalie under siege.
Still, the name of the game on defense looks to be reliability. Palmer stood out a lot, especially on Tuesday against Philadelphia Hockey Club. He's a good skater who moves along the blue line really well with the puck. He got his shots through from the point and even scored on one. Later in the game, he got an assist when his shot from the point was eventually knocked in by Sears. He's patient on breakouts, too.
Colin Yandle (Dorchester, Mass.) also had a goal in Tuesday's game, sending a slapshot over the opposing netminder by being aggressive at the opposing blue line — a trend that was evident throughout the game from the Catholic Memorial student.
Another intriguing prospect was JP Montgomery. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound defender made nice plays with the puck and showcased a good set of hands late in Tuesday's game, stepping in from the blue line and working toward getting to the high slot.
4. Rivers is the breakout team to watch in prep over the next couple of years
On just this roster, Meyer, Pandolfo, Sears and defenseman Eben Alden (Dover, Mass.) are all currently at Rivers. With many of the other players on the roster at public and private high schools, the door is open for them to choose Rivers or another prep school in the years to come.
Rivers, which is also coached by Freddy Meyer, was very young last season, featuring promising young forwards like Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.), Stephen Rousell (Roslindale, Mass.) and Meyer's son, who's also named Freddy. Just off the six forwards mentioned in this section, along with Alden, Rivers projects to be a force in the years ahead.
That's not even taking into account other strong players currently on the roster and those who will choose to go there in future years.
5. Tons of NHL and college hockey connections
My guess is you were wondering if some of those last names in the four previous takeaways are related to the people you think they're related to.
The answer is yes — if this team is full of anything, it's the connections to some big-time hockey names around the region. Stop me if I go too fast.
Freddy Meyer, the head coach of the Jr. Eagles, played seven seasons in the NHL as a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers. Prior to that, he was at Boston University from 1999-2003, captaining the team in his final season.
The assistant coaches are Jay Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.), Brian Yandle (Milton, Mass.) and Steve O'Leary (West Roxbury, Mass.).
Pandolfo is the head men's hockey coach at BU and played 15 seasons in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. After his retirement, he was a development coach with the Bruins and then moved into being the director of player development. From 2016-21, he was an assistant coach for the Bruins.
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Yandle, a defenseman, played four seasons for the University of New Hampshire from 2002-06, captaining the Wildcats in his final campaign. He played in both the AHL and ECHL in the four seasons after. O'Leary played four seasons at Babson from 1999-99. Colin, his son, is a defenseman on the U14 Eagles.
Other notable connections are Montgomery and Warsofsky. Yes, JP's father is Jim, the current head coach of the Bruins. And Chase's father is Adam who played one season at Division 3 SUNY-Brockport in 2000-01. Adam is the older brother of David and Ryan.
David Warsofsky played at Cushing, BU and later for both the Providence Bruins and Boston Bruins. He's still playing, competing for the Augsburger Panther in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany. Ryan played for Cushing, Sacred Heart and Curry College and is currently an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks.
