FOXBORO, Mass. — The biggest sporting event in Foxboro on Wednesday night wasn't Tom Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame induction.
It was the opening of the Foxboro Prep League at Foxboro Sports Center.
Six teams hit the ice to mark the beginning of summer hockey. It also looked like summer hockey, as players took chances offensively. Some defensemen even took multiple shifts at forward. The league tends to strike the perfect balance of competitive and fun hockey in the hot months.
The teams are coached by Jeff Cox, Peter Donatelli, Tyler Holske, Ian Moran, Drew Omicioli and Sean Walsh. Click or tap here to access the full rosters.
Everett Baldwin (Providence, R.I.) was the best player throughout the three games. Despite being a fourth-round pick by Cedar Rapids in last year's USHL Phase 1 Draft, the Providence College commit is slated to return to St. George's next winter for his senior year. He will undoubtedly be the biggest 2025 NHL Draft prospect playing in the region.
Let's dive into six uncommitted standouts from the first week of action.
David Bosco
Team Holske/Belmont Hill, 2/8/2008, F, right shot, 5-10/154
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
It's always interesting to watch former U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp invites at these games. Bosco looked like one of the better players in the country on Wednesday night. He showed that on a rush in the second half when he got the puck at the opposing blue line, side-stepped an opposing player and shielded the puck from a defender. He ripped a goal over the netminder.
Gavin Callahan
Team Omicioli/Mount St. Charles, 4/12/2008, D, left shot, 5-11/157
Hometown: Lexington, Mass.Â
I continue to really enjoy Callahan's game, especially when he has the puck on his stick in his own zone. He always seems to find a way out of his own end, whether it's via a nice outlet pass or he takes it himself. That's exactly what happened on Sean Farrell's (Burrillville, R.I.) goal. Callahan skated the puck up from his own end and through the neutral zone. He got a nice zone entry and made a sweet pass that led to Farrell's tally. I'm still shocked Callahan didn't make USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp out of the Mass. Hockey Festival.
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Jack Fitzpatrick
Team Walsh/Dexter Southfield, 10/22/2007, F, left shot, 6-4/190
Hometown: Canton, Mass.Â
At 6-foot-4, Fitzpatrick has great size. But he also has nice hands and a good shot. Early in the first half, he hit the post and then later made a nice pass in transition rather than trying to force another shot through. Late in the second half, he dangled through two players to earn a mini breakaway. I really liked his ability to drive the net in Wednesday night's game and he was always around the puck. If he keeps that up, he will be an impactful player for head coach Danny Donato this winter.
Evan Jones
Team Moran/Belmont Hill, 2/9/2007, D/F, left shot, 5-8/165
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.Â
Jones looked like the best player in his team's game against Team Cox. It can often be hard for defenders to seamlessly move up and play forward. Jones took a handful of shifts at center and was really good. The former Arlington High standout drove play just like he usually does from the back end and made high IQ passes in the offensive zone. One play I really liked was when he used his feet to slip past defenders on a zone entry and feed Tommy Wilkinson (Braintree, Mass.) for a goal.
David O'Brien
Team Walsh/Long Island Gulls, 3/29/2008, D, left shot, 5-7/150
Hometown: Weymouth, Mass.Â
O'Brien's mobility served him well in every situation. He was able to walk the blue line with ease even when an opposing forward was on him. Midway through the first half, he was able to create a shooting lane from the point and he scored. Later in the half, he drove the play and earned an offensive zone entry. He made a sweet pass to Declan Grenache (Sutton, Mass.) for a goal. O'Brien also got a shot off from the point that was tipped in by Drew Carr (Medway, Mass.) later in the game, too.
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Marco Senerchia
Team Donatelli/St. George's, 7/4/2007, D, left shot, 5-8/141
Hometown: Greenville, R.I.Â
Senerchia's offensive abilities from the back end are well known and they were on display Wednesday night. In the first half of his game against Team Walsh, he had a nice curl and drag for a snipe. His release with pressure on him and in tight is high end. He doesn't need much room to work. He also showed off great hands on drives to the net, once again maneuvering around opposing players to get to high-danger areas. He just finished his sophomore year, which means he's eligible to commit to a Division 1 program after Aug. 1.
