SALEM, N.H. — Two separate showcases, hosted by the New England Fall Prep Hockey League and Northern Cyclones, brought together some of the region’s 18-U teams over the past weekend.
A few NHL scouts made the trek to southern New Hampshire to the ICenter in Salem and Cyclones Arena in Hudson for the games. I saw both Eastern Conference and Western Conference amateur scouts at both venues.
Cape Cod Whalers, Neponset Valley River Rats, South Shore Kings and Mid Fairfield were four teams in attendance that I had seen already this fall. Committed players, including Merrimack recruit Matt Copponi on the River Rats and Providence recruit Declan Loughnane on South Shore Kings, have been written about extensively on this website. Both shined again, with Copponi scoring five points in a losing effort on Sunday.