Through a month and a half, the boys prep hockey season has certainly been interesting.
Some different teams are near the top while other longstanding powers slumped through their opening stretch. The holiday tournament winners weren’t a huge shock, although Phillips Andover finally won its first Flood-Marr Tournament.
I’m not sure there’s a bonafide favorite yet. Kimball Union and Cushing were the two big dogs last season, as they met in the Elite 8 final. The No. 1 spot will likely change throughout the rest of the season.
On an individual performance level, there have been numerous young guns who are making their mark. And, even as prep gets younger, some older, NHL Draft-eligible seniors are standing out and making scouts take notice.
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned so far this season — and what may lie ahead.
As good as advertised
1. Dexter Southfield: Hey, it’s the cover team. They have lived up to earning our prep preseason magazine cover, ranking No. 1 in our latest rankings. Their offense has been as good as we thought it would be. But defensively, head coach Danny Donato’s team has been terrific. Through 14 games, they rank near the top of the region in goals against (33). Goalies Colin Davis (Canton, Mass.) and Kyle Ready (Pembroke, Mass.) have been up to the task, and sophomore defender Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) got even better from last season. No surprise here: Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.), a Boston University commit, has been an offensive force with 26 points in 14 games. Could this be Dexter’s year to win the Elite 8?
2. The Rivers ‘09s: One of the biggest stories last season was the emergence of then-eighth graders Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.), Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) and Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.). The ‘09s appeared destined for success at higher levels. But to do that, they needed to be even better this season — and they have. Meyer led the region in points for most of the first month. He currently leads the region in points per game (2.64) and boasts a whopping 37 points in 14 games. Sears isn’t far behind with 28 points in 14 games. Pandolfo has also improved with 19 points in 14 games. All three are making strong cases for the U.S. National Team Development Program.
3. Kimball Union: No real surprise here. The Wildcats were mostly dominant through the first month and a half, holding a 15-3-2. The reigning Elite 8 champs were known for their incredible top line last season. This year, head coach Tim Whitehead’s team might be even more dangerous because they’re deep. They have multiple forwards who can score across their top nine. Senior Lucas Siomos leads all defensemen in points with 25. Senior goalie Blake McMeniman (Revere, Mass.) picked up right where he left off last season and has been a stalwart. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Wildcats repeated.
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Three surprises
1. Brunswick: It’s not a surprise that the Bruins are good since they’re always in the mix. But they lost so much in the offseason with their two leading scorers, their top defender and their starting goalie. For them to spend the majority of the first month and a half as our No. 1 team, however, was a bit shocking. Junior forward Joe Salandra has been a beast, with 18 goals and a region-leading 38 points in his first 19 games. The ‘08 who’s committed to Harvard might be on his way to winning prep Player of the Year. Fellow junior forward Mason St. Louis (Old Greenwich, Conn.) has been dominant in his first prep season with 29 points in his first 17 games. Freshman ‘09 Cam Minella (Darien, Conn.) ranks fourth in the region in points for a defenseman with 21 through his first 19 games and has worked his way into being an NTDP candidate. Plus, junior goalie Dylan Lee-Stack has been good enough to work his way onto NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings.
2. Thayer: Head coach David Hymovitz has the Tigers back on track after a few seasons in the middle of the pack. Through their first 16 games, Thayer won 10, including big ones over Governor’s Academy, Rivers, St. Andrew’s College and Nobles. Scoring has come from everywhere. Senior Tommy Anderson (Braintree, Mass.) leads the team in points with 18, while sophomore Tommy Wilkinson (Braintree, Mass.) and Mason Shea each have 17. Senior Kevin Delay (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomores Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.) and Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.) have been impactful as well. With sophomore defender Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.) out due to injury, seniors Declan Devin (Norwell, Mass.), Peter Luecke and Blake Stuzynski (Bedford, Mass.) along with juniors Matthew MacDonald and Cooper Shea have stepped up. Juniors Tyler Moschella (Braintree, Mass.) and Quinn Devin have been terrific between the pipes.
3. St. Mark’s: Like Brunswick, the Lions lost a lot in the offseason. They graduated their two leading scorers up front and their leading producer on defense. They were also shaky in net last season. But head coach Carl Corazzini’s team hasn’t missed a beat this season. Through 13 games, they’re 10-1-2 and No. 3 in USHR’s projected Elite 8 tournament. Junior Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) and sophomores Cam MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Will Manchsuo (Stow, Mass.) have led the team in scoring, while senior Drew Carr (Medway, Mass.) and sophomore Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) have been vital to the offense. Senior Jack O’Connor, juniors Moussa Seydi and Jack Taylor (Framingham, Mass.), and sophomores Blake Grislis (Narragansett, R.I.) and Phin Howard (Newton, Mass.) have stepped up in back. Both Justin BriseBois and Cassidy Kittredge have been strong in net, but BriseBois has been particularly outstanding. After an up-and-down first year in prep, the senior carried a 1.75 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage through the first month and a half.
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Three questions
1. Can Salisbury get back on track? The Crimson Knights were our preseason No. 1 team and fell flat through the first month, highlighted by a rough Flood-Marr Tournament. They’ve struggled to score, as they put up four goals in four games at the famous holiday tournament, finishing in seventh place out of eight. After seniors Connor Davis and Ryan Hedley, scoring has been hard to find for head coach Andrew Will. But the Crimson Knights look to already be getting back on track. They ranked No. 9 earlier this week after six-straight wins.
2. Can Cushing get back into the Elite 8? The Penguins are currently the No. 2 seed in the Small School Tournament. In head coach Ryan Bourque’s first season, he was handed a younger roster that lost key pieces over the last two seasons. Things started rough after losing their first two games. They also tied Holderness and lost to St. Andrew’s College at the Groton/Lawrence Tournament. Most recently, they lost to Salisbury and Deerfield. Still, there’s reason for hope. They won their first four games in January, including a Watkins Tournament championship victory over Dexter Southfield. Senior forward Max Dineen (Brentwood, Mass.) is on a torrid pace with 13 goals and 29 points in his first 15 games.
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3. Who will end up being Player of the Year? When talking about Brunswick, I mentioned Salandra as a candidate for Player of the Year. He’s a favorite. Meyer is another. St. Louis and Sears would be impossible to miss. Dineen with Cushing will have to be considered. Some other good ones are Liam Lefebvre and Andrew Migliore of Trinity-Pawling. Both averaged two points per game or more through their first nine games of the season. Deerfield’s Justin Tavares is another who averaged two points per game through his first eight.
