Brunswick made the Elite 8 Tournament the last two seasons. But to get a glimpse at what this season might bring, the clock must be turned back to 2021-22 — a team that was the top seed in the Large School Tournament.
That edition of the Bruins was led by junior scorers like Eli Friedman, James Shannon, Hank Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) and Lucas St. Louis (Burlington, Vt.).
Even more compelling were the sophomores who packed a punch that season — Drew DellaSalla, Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.) and Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.). That trio led the Bruins to the Elite 8 in 2022-23. And while DellaSalla left for the USHL before his senior year, Gibbons and Giles were the primary offense on last season's team.
Now that group is gone. Fourteen seniors graduated off of last year's team.
"I don't like to compare teams, but I think we're going to be similar in how young we are and how important our younger guys are going to be to our success," Brunswick boss Mike Kennedy said.
In other words, the 2021-22 season laid the ground for high-end success the next two seasons. Now, Brunswick is back at the beginning.
"Our best guys are going to be our younger players," Kennedy said. "We're going to live and die with our '08s and a few older guys mixed in."
Fortunately for Kennedy and Brunswick, that '08 class is very strong.
The scoring starts with Joseph Salandra
Salandra, an '08 forward from Pleasantville, N.Y., was one of Harvard's big commitments when August came around. He's been at Brunswick for many years, but played with Mid Fairfield's 15U team last season, which was full-season.
He's a powerful, right-shot forward who can play the wing and down the middle. At 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds, he has high-end skill and a wicked shot that he can get off from anywhere.
Along with Salandra, Mason St. Louis projects to be an impact player for Brunswick. He's an '08 who is the son of NHL legend and Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
"They've been here for years," Kennedy said of Salandra and Mason St. Louis. "They just played for their Mid Fairfield 15U team last year. That's a decision that seems to be made more frequently now. With our team makeup last year being so old, it didn't really affect us. I think those kids could've helped last year, but they'll jump in right away and be top six forwards."
Returning seniors Oliver Czaja and Tucker Spiess will be valued members of the top six, too. Czaja played between Gibbons and Giles last season, posting 10 goals and 24 points while showcasing a strong two-way game. Spiess also notched 24 points, albeit lower in the lineup.
That blend should give Brunswick a stout scoring core.
There are other forwards from last season's Mid Fairfield 15O team who should step into Brunswick's team and make an impact. Ben Lombardi is certainly one. Keegan Kazan is another. Both are '08s.
The opportunities are there. It's up to them to seize it.
The plan on defense and in net
Cooper Cleaves was one of the most reliable, No. 1 defenders in prep last season. He graduated and is now playing with the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL. Luc Lampert, Carter Hall and Carter Grimes are also gone, too.
Headlining the returning cast is team captain Blake Stant. An '06, the Easton, Conn., native is known for his stay-at-home abilities and shutting down opposing scorers.
Jack McCullough will be counted on to shoulder some of the offensive load. He's an '07 who plays for the Neponset Valley River Rats 18U team this fall. His skating and puck skills will come in handy on power plays.
And just like up front, there's the theme of Brunswick bringing in some handy defensemen from last season's Mid Fairfield 15O team.
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Hampus Vandenberg will bring a dose of size. The 6-foot-1, 172-pound defenseman moves well and should fit right into prep hockey. Harry Holland and Declan Minella project to be more effective on the puck-moving side. Both have legitimate offensive upside.
But maybe the most intriguing prospect on defense is Cam Minella. An '09 who is playing on this season's Mid Fairfield 15O team, he still wants to play for Brunswick.
Minella is a phenomenal puck-moving defenseman and skater who has the traits of a Division 1 prospect when the time comes. Depending on how much he plays, it will be fascinating to see where he slots in.
"We're friendly with the Mid Fairfield program and coaches," Kennedy said. "So when he's able to, hopefully more than less, he'll be able to play for us. That's his choice."
Brunswick will also have a different goalie in net. Will Baker was stellar last season, posting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
This year, the net is Dylan Lee-Stack's — an '07 who was the backup last winter. In his handful of games, Lee-Stack had a 1.86 GAA and a .927 save percentage.
"We're confident in him," Kennedy said. "We didn't feel that we needed to bring in a new goalie. We're confident that he can do the job. He worked over the summer, training with [longtime pro goalie] Steve Valiquette. He's a rink rat. He's been training and working on his craft all the time."
A strong schedule and coaching a younger group
Brunswick boasts a difficult schedule. This season, that means games against Cushing, St. George's, Salisbury, Kent, Westminster and Belmont Hill. There's a back-to-back with Dexter Southfield. The Bruins open the season with the Phillips Exeter Showcase. For holiday tournaments, they play in the Kevin Mutch at St. Sebastian's, before heading to the Belmont Hill-Nichols showcase. In late January, they will go to a tournament at St. Andrew's College.
"It looks a little overwhelming on paper this year with such a young group," Kennedy said. "I think the players will be better for it. At the end of the day, you're trying to develop these guys and if you lose a few hockey games to Cushing and Belmont Hill rather than some of the lower end teams, it's better off for our guys in the long run."
One of the selling points is that schedule. And since Brunswick isn't a boarding school, Kennedy must attract high-end, local talent. He's proven to be very good at that.
"I want to get [my players] as much exposure as possible," Kennedy said. "It helps in the admissions process when I'm talking to these kids.
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"It's great for our culture. The kids love it. They love going on the bus. They love being in the hotels. Our parents travel. It's what these kids have been doing their whole lives. ...It makes us a stronger team off the ice spending so much time together and being in the hotels and taking a bus to Canada for eight hours."
That schedule will provide challenges. Kennedy also acknowledges this season in general will be more of a challenge than last.
"I joke with friends that last year, I would just sort of open the door and let kids go out and play," Kennedy said. "They knew and understood the concepts. They were used to it and comfortable in our style. ...The challenges are getting those younger guys up to that level where they know where the expectations are both on and off the ice. It takes more teaching, probably more time, more video than maybe we had to do last year."
"But in the same way, that's exciting."
