There is no shortage of talent among the Independents in boys prep hockey this season.
Cushing is No. 1 in our preseason rankings and graced the cover of our November/December magazine. The Penguins were also in last season's Elite 8. So, too, was Dexter Southfield. Danny Donato's team ranks sixth heading into this season.
Brunswick was in last year's Large School championship. Pomfret won the Small School Tournament.
With Austin Prep added to this year's group, it's bound to be another highly competitive season among the Independents.
Here's a complete look at each team:
ALBANY ACADEMY
Coach: Matt Alvey
2021-22 record: 3-13-1
Players to watch: Jack Darby, F; Marty Magalette, D, Austin Jerzak, F; Rocco Marinucci, D; Alex Marasciulo, F; Leo Letta, D; Will Mizenko, G
Outlook: The Cadets enter the season with a strong mix of old (six seniors and one junior returning) and new (14 players) on their roster. Jerzak was the lone player to reach the 10-goal mark last season and will be an offensive leader again. Letta is back after playing in every game as a sophomore, while Mizenko is now a senior looking to make an even greater mark in net.
AUSTIN PREP
Coach: John McLean
Players to watch: Conor Griffin, D; Fischer Niehaus, D; Marty Pierce, G
Outlook: Austin Prep makes its NEPSAC debut with a first-year head coach in McLean, a former player at Boston College. McLean comes to the Cougars with a wealth of experience, which includes his current role as a skating coach for the Boston Bruins. He also was part of many Super 8-winning teams at Malden Catholic as an assistant and head coach. There will be growing pains in the school’s first year, but there are some young players to build a foundation with. Griffin will bring an offensive element from the blue line and Pierce could steal some games.
MORE PREP SCHOOL PREVIEWS: ISL | Housatonic | Lakes Region
BERKSHIRE SCHOOL
Coach: Dan Driscoll
2021-22 record: 12-9-3, lost to Brunswick, 4-3, in quarterfinals of Martin/Earl Large School Tournament
Players to watch: Jayden Davis, F; Tanner Marsh, F; Stanley Bright, F; Walker Bright, F; Nico Pasquale, D; Liam Bard, D; Danick Leroux, G; Cole O’Donnell, G
Outlook: Berkshire certainly won’t be in need of goaltending this season, as it has both Leroux and O’Donnell patrolling the crease. Leroux posted a 2.55 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage in 15 games last season, while O’Donnell had a 1.96 GAA and .931 save percentage in seven games. In front will be a solid group of defensemen with Bard, Pasquale and senior Burke Bogardus. Scoring will come from Davis, Marsh, Stanley Bright and Walker Bright.
BRUNSWICK SCHOOL
Coach: Mike Kennedy
2021-22 record: 21-8-1, lost to Kent, 4-2, in Martin/Earl Large School tournament final
Players to watch: James Shannon, F; Eli Friedman, F; Drew DellaSalla, F; Brendan Giles, F; Sean Gibbons, F; Sloan Farmer, D; Collin Eschricht, D; Niko Cadoret, D; Cooper Cleaves, D; Brendan Holahan, G; Will Baker, G
Outlook: The Bruins have one of the most experienced offensive cores in New England as five forwards return after scoring 29 or more points a year ago, including a pair of college commits in Friedman (Yale) and DellaSalla (Harvard). Shannon and Friedman were both 40-point scorers last year as Brunswick was the NEPSAC Large finalist. Lucas St. Louis has moved on, but Kennedy has plenty of options capable of stepping up. Cleaves recently committed to Dartmouth. Senior captain Holahan and Baker will both be strong in net.
CANTERBURY
Coach: Paddy McCarthy
2021-22 record: 7-13-4
Players to watch: Jed Brazo, F; Jake Kloss, F; Mitch Stenger, G
Outlook: The Saints welcome many new faces to the fold, creating a lineup that will be competitive from top to bottom. McCarthy’s team will have one of New England’s best players returning in Brazo, a co-captain whose 26 goals in 25 games ranked third in the region a season ago. Kloss also contributed 19 points. Stenger provides experience in the net and will help Canterbury in its quest to improve.
CUSHING
Coach: Paul Pearl
2021-22 record: 17-7-3, lost to Avon Old Farms, 6-0, in quarterfinals of Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 tournament
Players to watch: Ethan Gardula, F; Landan Resendes, F; Linas Dedinas, F; Emerson Marshall, F; Nikita Belik, F; Jack Costanzo, F; Zach Rizzo, D; Ryan Philbrick, D; Tyler Russo, D; Cooper Rautenstrauch, G
Outlook: The loss of Billy Norcross is big, but Resendes and Gardula are both poised for huge seasons. This team also has a lot more depth up front than last year, which gives Pearl four lines that can do damage. Rizzo and Philbrick will be essential on the back end with their experience. Russo is one of the top ’07 defenders in New England. He will provide a major presence on Cushing’s back end. The Penguins lost Jackson Irving in net, but Rautenstrauch looks poised to be a stout successor.
DEXTER SOUTHFIELD
Coach: Dan Donato
2021-22 record: 17-6-3, lost to Salisbury, 3-1, in quarterfinals of Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 tournament
Players to watch: Nate Porter, F; Cullen Emery, F; Sean Keohane, D; Liam O’Keeffe, D; Jonathan Lanza, D; Max Gatti, G; Paul Dalessio, G
Outlook: Dexter is going to be strong in its own end. In net, there’s Gatti and Dalessio, who comes to Dexter after two seasons with BK Selects. Both Gatti and Dalessio will benefit from a strong defensive group featuring Keohane, Lanza and O’Keeffe. There’s also Mick Frechette and Carson Nickulas to provide depth on the back end. Up front, Dexter is young but has promise. Look for Porter and Emery to see a big jump in production from last year.
PRESEASON RANKINGS: Check out the top 10 teams in prep hockey to begin the season
FREDERICK GUNN
Coach: Craig Badger
2021-22 record: 22-13-0, lost to Pomfret, 4-2, in the championship game of the Piatelli/Simmons Small School tournament
Players to watch: Kyle Smyth, F; Dylan Thorn, F; Paul Tollet, F; Connor Ferguson, F; Mike Pizzo, F; Peter Unger, F; Alex LoGuercio, F; Mike Markowski, F; Christian Wood, D; Luke Calabria, D; Jason Fritz, D; Mikey Ryan, D; Luke Orr, D; Blake Stant, D; Ryan Crowshaw, G; Mitchell McCusker, G
Outlook: Badger brought in lots of new talent to offset losing forwards Ryan Novo, Mike Murtagh, Julian Facchinelli and Aiden Lindley, as well as defensemen Sal Cerrato and Kiernan Gately. Facchinelli, Novo, Murtagh and Lindley led Frederick Gunn in points, which means Badger sees this season’s scoring being done by committee and with three lines that can score. The expectations are high for this group.
HOOSAC
Coach: Brett Welsh
2021-22 record: 1-19-1
Players to watch: Noah Jimbo, F; Samuel Turkowitz, F; Jacob Bryceland, F; Logan Kearley, D; Trey Thompkins, G
Outlook: After winning just one game last season, the Owls expect to be a much more competitive team as several players are candidates to take a big step up in their second year of prep hockey. Thompkins is a third-year player who should be the regular in goal. Hoosac’s schedule also features some new opponents that Welsh — who was previously an assistant coach — believes will lead to better games.
KINGSWOOD OXFORD
Coach: John Hissick
2021-22 record: 9-5-1
Players to watch: Dalton Smith, D; Sasha Filipovic, D; Cody Brew, D; Matt Cote, G
Outlook: Hissick expects defense to be the strength of this K-O team, as Brew, Smith and Filipovic provide toughness around the net and make for two strong power-play pairings. The Wyverns will be young overall with nine newcomers added to the roster, but there is plenty of experience with senior Cote in goal. K-O is looking to add some Holt Conference opponents to get back to a 20-game schedule this season after COVID interruptions of the recent past.
MILLBROOK
Coach: Vincent Sorriento
2021-22 record: 10-11-3
Players to watch: Dan Urban, F; Reese Judson, F; Connor Koropatnicki, F; John McLachlan, D; Zach Walsh, D; Reed Pettipas, D; Tyler Spokane, G
Outlook: While Millbrook wasn’t in one of the three tournaments last season, Sorriento is optimistic about this squad. This crew is deep, and Sorriento believes he has a ton of speed. He also likes the senior leadership.
NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON
Coach: Kevin Czepiel
2021-22 record: 14-7-3, lost to Nobles, 5-0, in quarterfinals of Martin/Earl Large School Tournament
Players to watch: Frankie Hipp, F; Jacob Fletcher, F; Josh Furman, D; Jack Turowsky, D; Oliver Morris, D; Kyle Bolduc, G
Outlook: After qualifying for the NEPSAC Large bracket last season, Czepiel expects to move forward with a strong and experienced team. Even with the loss of Maine commit Brock James to the USHL, NMH has depth on its forward lines and defense pairs. Goaltending is the team’s question mark, but Bolduc is a two-time USA Hockey National Camp participant among the team’s three underclass stoppers.
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PHILLIPS ANDOVER
Coach: Paul Tortorella
2021-22 record: 15-12-0, lost to Phillips Exeter, 3-1, in quarterfinals of Martin/Earl Large School tournament
Players to watch: Nolan Roche, F; Reid Malatesta, F; Joey Zheng, F; Grayden Robertson-Palmer, F; Rory Booth, D; Bobby Corkery, D; Bobby Falvey, D; Dan Rekoske, D
Outlook: Phillips Andover will look to find scoring after losing forwards Nick Royster, Conor Fitzpatrick, Jon Surrette and Pat Last. Defensively, Phillips Andover is a big team with Booth, Corkery, Falvey and Rekoske all over 6-foot-1. According to Tortorella, this team will be competitive with “a mix of skill, speed and grit.” Robertson-Palmer, who comes from Kanata, Ont., will generate interest from Division 1 college hockey programs, according to Tortorella.
PHILLIPS EXETER
Coach: Tim Mitropoulos
2021-22 record: 18-7-3, lost to Kent, 7-3, in the semifinals of the Martin/Earl Large School tournament
Players to watch: Christian Maro, F; Riley Piersimoni, F; Eli Pendergrass, jr., F; Barson Masopust, F; Aidan McDonnell, F; Beau Elson, F; Ryan Ehrgott, F; Cam Guthrie, F; Dylan Shapiro, D; Mike Durkin, D; Jack O’Brien, D; Johnny Johannson, D; Michael Salvatore, G
Outlook: With a strong goalie, Salvatore, Phillips Exeter projects to be a defense-first team. The squad’s identity will be one of a group that’s hard to score against, according to head coach Tim Mitropoulos. Even though Phillips Exeter lost a fair number of players after last season, “Opportunities for returning varsity players to earn more playing time will certainly be there,” the coach said. The expectation is to build off last year’s success, make the postseason and win a New England championship.
POMFRET
Coach: Matt Goethals
2021-22 record: 13-6-4, beat Frederick Gunn, 4-2, in finals of Piatelli/Simmons Small School Tournament
Players to watch: Aidan D’Urso, F; Louie Marcellino, F; Riley Frost, F; Nathan Rabadam, D; Colin Birch, D
Outlook: The defending NEPSAC Small champions aim to be competitive again. D’Urso and Marcellino are two upperclassmen who return to key roles. The former was the top scorer outside of the team’s senior class last season with 22 points. Goethals says whether his team can do the little things well and play team hockey during numerous departures will allow it to emerge with victories. Among the losses, goaltender Kellen Beauton is already off to play at Connecticut College.
WILLISTON NORTHAMPTON
Coach: Derek Cunha
2021-22 record: 8-16-0
Players to watch: Jayson Alegria, F; Perry Gaudreau, F; Brayden Deschamps, F; Riley Van Son, F; Wes Haynes, D; Cooper Conlin, D; Brady Clark, D; Jake Henry, G; Tyler Kirk, G
Outlook: Cunha believes the Wildcats will have a balanced lineup with a strong combination of returnees and newcomers, and they will be tested against a competitive schedule featuring some of New England’s top teams. A handful of forwards put up similar numbers this fall, including Alegria, who is the top returning scorer from last season. Henry shared time in goal previously and likely will do the same as a senior with Kirk entering the program from New York.
WINCHENDON
Coach: Brian Troy
2021-22 record: 7-14-4
Players to watch: Brendan Coughlin, F; Eli-Deener-Chodirker, F; Cole Roenick, F; Jake Freelove, D; Ben Andersen, D
Outlook: Winchendon returns a young group this season after losing its top two leading scorers. Still, Deener-Chodirker and Roenick ranked No. 3 and 4, respectively, last season and will be expected to continue providing lots of offense. Tory anticipates postgrads Connor Walsh, Maddox Gagne and Nick Calandra to step up, as well as sophomore Trevor Pellecchia and freshman Ben Short. “We’ve grown tremendous amounts and have matured nicely so we should be a hard team to play against throughout the year,” Troy said.
