BELMONT, Mass. -- The field at the Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament wasn’t deep, but there were several very good, younger prospects on the top teams.
The team with the most young talent, Brunswick, skated away with the championship thanks to a 1-0 victory over host Belmont Hill in the final. Jakub Teply’s power play goal and a few key saves from goaltender Alex Rohlf were the difference.
Millbrook finished third, but also looked to have some solid college prospects for the future. Albany Academy, Nichols and Rivers also had a couple of players who stood out during the three day tournament.
Below is a look at the prospects who stood out during the 2019 Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament:
Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament: Top forwards
Andon Cerbone
Brunswick, 4/13/04, C, left shot, 5-7/137
Cerbone has an elite offensive skill set. His hands are high end, which allows him to put touch on his passes and send sauce passes right on the tape as he did for an assist on an overtime game winner. He is a good skater who uses his edges well for agility. If looking for an area of his game that needs improvement, he’ll need to be a little harder to play against and be more willing to play in traffic.
Matt McGroarty
Brunswick, 1/30/03, LW, right shot, 5-10/159
NCAA commit: Quinnipiac
McGroarty got off the schneid a little over the past two tournaments. He had two goals here against Millbrook and had the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the final. His offensive instincts need to improve some, but he’s a complete player who plays hard and accomplishes a lot each shift.
Connor Welsh
Brunswick, 1/2/04, C, right shot, 5-9/145
Welsh had a goal in his team’s win over Rivers, but was held off the score sheet besides that. He has that quick first step and can get going in a hurry, which allows him to be a complete player in all 200 feet of the ice. There’s a lot of upside with Welsh.
Ryan McGuire
Belmont Hill, 7/27/02, C, right shot, 5-10/165
NCAA commit: Colgate
McGuire had a goal in each of the first three games of the tournament. In the final, Brunswick did a good job of limiting his puck touches and he didn’t get much in terms of looks to score. He does win a lot of face-offs and plays responsibly in his own end, especially for prep school.
Jakub Teply
Brunswick, 6/19/02, LW, left shot, 6-0/185
Teply is a big power forward who is heavy on pucks. He does a good job driving possession and cycling below the dots. His game-winner in the final was scored by planting himself near the circle and burying a one-timer on the power play. Some might remember Teply from Taft and North Jersey Avalanche where he played previously. His hockey sense and skating are two areas that could use some improvement if he’s going to take that next step in his game.
Beanie Richter
Brunswick, 8/20/04, LW, left shot, 6-0/160
Richter has seen a growth spurt over the past few months it would appear and is playing better. He picked up a goal and an assist in the team’s win over Rivers.
James Shannon
Brunswick, 8/12/04, RW, right shot, 5-10/170
Shannon is one of those players that makes plays happen by keeping his feet moving and playing hard. He’ll hunt pucks, win battles, and get pucks to teammates. It’s also not often you see an ‘04 in prep who is so willing to use his body, block shots, and kill penalties.
Mike Murtagh
Albany Academy, 9/11/04, C, right shot, 5-9/150
Murtagh has been hampered by illness for some of the season, but he had a couple of good games here. His clear asset is his skating and he looks to be putting it together offensively. He’s a youngster, the only ‘04 on the Albany Academy roster, so keep an eye on him.
Jake Percival
Millbrook, 2/11/02, LW, left shot, 5-9/165
Percival has taken a huge step in his game this season. He’s already close to tripling his production from his entire first season of prep in 2018-19. He doesn’t look that flashy, but he has good hands and is elusive before getting pucks to open teammates.
Niko Rexine
Millbrook, 6/20/02, RW, right shot, 5-11/161
Rexine scored a goal in games against Rivers and Albany Academy and set up some goals in the other games. He’s not gifted offensively, but he plays a hard, north-south game. Rexine goes to the net and finds a lot of loose pucks.
Ronan O’Donnell
Belmont Hill, 2/26/04, RW, right shot, 6-2/175
O’Donnell has above average size and can shoot the puck hard. His skating and footwork will need to improve to be more of a consistent force, but his finishing ability is noteworthy at the prep level.
Kyle Neudorf
Millbrook, 4/18/02, RW, right shot, 6-2/203
Neudorf found the back of the net in his team’s games against Rivers and Albany Academy. His feet and skating need work, but he has a hard and is heavy on pucks. He’s producing, despite not being on the top line.
DJ Walsh
Millbrook, 1/27/03, RW, right shot, 5-7/155
Walsh found the back of the net in the game against Albany Academy. It was a typical goal that he scores. He had a chance on the zone entry, but followed that up by going to the net and depositing a loose puck from outside the goal mouth.
Shane Albert
Millbrook, 5/29/02, C, right shot, 5-9/165
Albert had a point in each game here at the tournament while centering the top line. From Philadelphia, Pa., he’s in his first year of prep hockey after playing 16-U for the Mercer Chiefs last season.
James Fisher
Belmont Hill, 4/28/04, RW, right shot, 6-2/170
As I predicted after the team’s game against Nobles, Fisher has earned more ice time and an upgrade to the top six. He’s a good-sized power forward who was on the top line in the final. Fisher can drive the net, hunt pucks, and win battles.
Mel Mortarelli
Rivers, 1/7/04, RW, right shot, 6-1/175
It wasn't a great three days for Rivers' offense. Mortarelli was the only player to light the lamp as the Red Wings were shut out in three of the four games played. He has good size and was one of the top two players on the Boston Jr. Eagles 15-U team all fall. He's impressed in a couple of viewings of Rivers with his ability to protect pucks below the dots.
Liam Kelley
Belmont Hill, 1/10/01, LW, left shot, 5-5/150
I noticed Kelley a little in my first two viewings of Belmont Hill this year for how hard he worked. He flies around the ice and keeps his feet moving. While he’s on the smaller side, he’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas and challenge bigger defensemen. He kept that going here and was finally rewarded with a goal and an assist in pool play.
Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament: Top defensemen
Zach Bookman
Millbrook, 3/29/02, D, right shot, 5-9/170
NCAA commit: Merrimack
Bookman is a slight, puck-moving defenseman who looks to be trending in the right direction. He’s slick and has the feet and stick skills to sidestep oncoming forecheckers and keep pucks moving north. He was involved in the offense and is a kid who has gotten noticeably better over the past 12 months.
Will Killoran
Belmont Hill, 1/30/03, D, right shot, 6-2/180
I continue to be impressed with Killoran’s defensive ability. He plays hard and is physically imposing. He might not look the best doing it, but he gets it done more often than not. Watch him closely and you’ll notice he makes it hard on opposing forwards. Very rarely does he get beat.
Tyler Rubin
Belmont Hill, 1/10/03, D, left shot, 5-8/134
NCAA commit: Princeton
Rubin’s feet are consistently a reason to notice him. His ability to break pucks out of his own zone is a considerable asset. There are parts of his game, especially without the puck, that need refinement, but his skating allows him to be a skilled puck-mover at the prep level.
Joseph Blackley
Nichols, 9/8/03, D, left shot, 5-10/165
NCAA commit: Yale
Blackley is an offensive-minded, puck-moving defenseman. On the smaller side, his skating is above average and he’s rugged and hard to knock off pucks. He sees the ice well and makes good decisions with the puck for the most part. He had a couple of assists in this tournament.
Bauer Morrissey
Millbrook, 1/19/02, D, left shot, 5-10/165
Morrissey is an offensive defenseman who likes to step up into the rush. He has good feet and makes quite a few good stretch passes to push the pace in transition.
Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament: Top goaltenders
Alex Rohlf
Brunswick, 5/1/02, G, catches left, 5-10/162
Rohlf shut the door on Belmont Hill in the championship game. Over the past few years, he’s had some great outings between Brunswick and Yale Jr. Bulldogs. Rohlf is on the smaller side, but he’s quick, athletic and competes in the crease.
Brendan Holahan
Brunswick, 6/15/04, G, catches left, 6-2/180
Holahan had a shutout in one of his two starts here. A big, prototypical modern era goaltender, the future appears bright.
Alex Musielak
Nichols, 7/23/02, G, catches left, 6-3/157
Both Nichols goaltenders are solid, but I got more looks at Musielak in this tournament. He isn’t as big as Owen Parker, but he has good size. He had shutouts in both starts at this tournament.
Casen Janko
Rivers, 4/19/01, G, catches left, 6-0/178
Janko was the projected backup heading into the year, but he showed he’s more than capable of being a solid prep school starter with his work in this tournament. Kudos to him for battling and maintaining his grip on the starting job, despite being pushed by a highly touted youngster.
