Avon Old Farms has been on quite the run.
Since 2019-20, the Winged Beavers are 92-12-5. They won the Elite 8 championship in 2023. Last spring, they made the Elite 8 semifinals before bowing out to Cushing. It's a testament to the culture having worked for so long.
"We're fair," Avon Old Farms head coach John Gardner said. "The one thing I try to do is I try to be honest with everybody and be up front. When you win, it's a hell of a lot easier to say you've got a good culture. But when you lose, that's when you know everything is being tested."
This year's team, however, has undergone major changes — and not just from the normal comings and goings of freshmen moving in while seniors move out.
"We lost a lot of really good players who've been in the program for a long time," Gardner said. "That's tough to replace."
Sixteen newcomers came into Avon Old Farms with the hope of carrying on the Winged Beavers' success (though they still have to make the team). There will still be impact players from last season, but Gardner's squad graduated a lot of talent from last winter and did the legwork to replace what was lost.
And they did it with players who look poised to make waves in the prep landscape.
Replacing lost scoring
Ready for a wild stat?
Avon Old Farms lost its top eight scorers from last season. Two of them were defensemen, which we'll get to in a bit, while the rest were forwards. All graduated except for Maine commit Michael Munroe (Hanover, Mass.), who opted to forego his senior year and join the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms.
Those guys posted 76 goals and they're all gone. Gardner and Avon Old Farms aren't sweating.
Leading the charge will be a returner in Providence College commit Cooper Snee, who is the captain. Snee posted eight goals and 18 points in 27 games last season. Snee isn't known for his flashiness, but the '06 plays a 200-foot game with a high compete.
"He's going to set the tone all year for us," Gardner said. "He's due for a big year."
Maxx Corradi (Woodstock, Conn.), another '06, is poised for offense. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound forward has been a dominant force at The Woodstock Academy over the last three years.
For the '07s, one of the highlights is Loomis Chaffee transfer Indiana Grossbard. The Dartmouth commit was outstanding for Loomis Chaffee last season, scoring 15 goals and posting 36 points in 22 games.
Last summer, Grossbard had seven points in four games at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp. He notched three assists for the New England District at Select 17 Camp this past summer.
"He's outstanding," Gardner said. "He's got really good vision, he can run a power play and do a lot of things. ...He'll be one of the keys of our offense."
Jake Schultz is another forward who transferred in and is slated to make an impact. The 5-foot-11, 181-pound '07 has been a standout with Philadelphia Flyers Elite for the past four seasons, while also playing at Saint Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia. He is the son of longtime NHL defenseman Nick Schultz.
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Mason Minsky, who recently committed to Miami (Ohio), will join the forward corps. From Libertyville, Ill., Minsky stands at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, and most recently was a star for the Chicago Reaper's 16U team last season.
New England hockey fans might know Brooks Armstrong, who is joining Avon Old Farms this season. He starred with South Kent for the last two seasons, captaining the 16U squad last winter with 18 goals and 45 points in 56 games.
Avon Old Farms also added some top '08 forwards.
Jacob Jett, a 5-foot-10, 154-pound forward from Summit, N.J., is one. He posted 49 points in 20 games for the North Jersey Avalanche's 15O team last season, while starring at Summit (N.J.). High. Liam Donnelly was a teammate of Jett's last season and made the same move to Avon Old Farms. While playing with the Avalanche, Donnelly was a high-end player for Delbarton (N.J.) School.
At 6-foot, 190 pounds, Donnelly has the frame to take on older, stronger players in prep.
"He's a big, strong kid," Gardner said. "He's going to be a real force for us because he's a scorer."
Rounding out the '08 class that Gardner mentioned was Nico Ciardiello, who was a point-per-game player with Mount St. Charles' 15O team last season. At 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, the Guilford, Conn., native is dynamic.
"Whenever you have a lot of new kids, it takes time," Gardner said. "They need to learn the right way to do things and the way we do things at Avon. They're good kids, but they've got to buy into the culture."
Yes, things will take time. But the potential for scoring is sky high.
A new defensive core, but the same in net
Similarly to up front, Avon's defense will look a whole lot different. Gone are top-four stalwarts in Andrew Pitts, Hudson Miller, Blake Jones and Magnus Turcotte.
"We have to replace them," Garnder said. "That will be a key area in the team's development."
Some of those replacements will be from within. That starts with senior James Odyniec, an '07, who is a hard-nosed presence on the blue line. Fellow seniors Josh Travaglino and James Tucker will also compete for spots.
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But Gardner has a strong crew coming in. It starts with three '08s.
Oskar Drabczynski is a big one. Although he's recovering from a shoulder injury, he has been a longtime standout with Mid Fairfield, recently starring for the 15O squad last season. He was also a participant in USA Hockey's Select 15 and 16 Camps over the last two summers. Gardner hopes to get him back early in the season.
Ryan Hecker is another newcomer to the Avon defense. From Evanston, Ill., he played for the Chicago Mission's 15O team last season and stands at 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds.
Avon Old Farms also got Jake Power out of Canada. The left-shot defenseman played for the Vaughan Kings U16 team last season.
"I think he's going to be a really steady influence for us," Gardner said of Power.
Matthew Koch, an '09, was brought in to make an immediate impact. At 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds, he was a high-end player on last year's Long Island Gulls 14U team. He was at Select 15 Camp this past summer and is playing up a level on the 16U Nor'Easters.
"He's mature beyond his years," Gardner said of Koch. "I saw him play and I thought he was outstanding. He came highly recommended from many people. He'll certainly bring something positive to the team."
The only part of the team where there are no changes is in net. Both Anthony Palmer, now a junior, and Michael Heinke, now a senior, return.
Gardner alternated the tandem last season, but Palmer saw a little bit more time as he started both Elite 8 tournament games. Palmer finished the season tied for the highest save percentage in the region (.939) and third in goals-against average (1.60). Heinke had a 2.05 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
The future of Gardner
Last season was Gardner's 49th behind the Avon Old Farms bench, meaning this year is the big 50. The arena was named after him in December of 2021 after his 800th win. He has seen a lot of success.
Naturally, the question of retirement comes up.
"I take it year to year," Gardner said. "I thought I was struggling a little bit at the end of last year with my heart and then I did a bunch of things and my heart is great now. I'm looking forward to this year but as I say, when you're my age, if it starts to become a chore or something I can't do ... as long as I'm healthy and feel good, I'll do it."
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Much has changed over his 50 years. One thing, however, hasn't changed: his practices.
"I still run every practice," Gardner said. "I still set up every practice. I'll take input from the coaches but people will say, 'Why don't you let people take over?' I've got good people who can take over, but if you want to do it, you want to do it your way.
"I know people that delegate a lot of stuff and I try to delegate some stuff but that's not my thing."
