Brunswick was stunningly overmatched in the Large School championship game last season. The Bruins fell to Cushing, 7-0, in the final, giving up four goals in a third-period onslaught.
It was a surprise given how good Brunswick was on paper.
Dartmouth commit Mason St. Louis (Old Greenwich, Conn.). Princeton commit Hampus Vandenberg (Riverside, Conn.). Ben Lombardi (Cos Cob, Conn.) was emerging as a legitimate scoring threat up front.
The problem was that no one showed up in the final. The other problem was that Brunswick lost three players early to juniors who should've been on last year's team: star forward Joe Salandra, star defenseman Cam Minella (Darien, Conn.), and goalie Dylan Lee-Stack.
That's the downside of having high-end talent.
Fortunately for Brunswick head coach Mike Kennedy, the Bruins return much of last year's team this winter.
"There won't be a big number of new guys," Kennedy said. "I think that gives us a leg up."
Zoomed-out view
Is this Brunswick roster star-studded? Not really. There don't seem to be any NHL Draft prospects. There are certainly some college hockey prospects who aren't already committed, but they will likely need to prove themselves in junior before a team extends an offer.
So what are the Bruins? They're deep and old — and those are two of the most important characteristics that lead to winning in prep.
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The last few years
The Bruins have turned into a perennial Elite 8 contender. Even as a day school, Brunswick consistently attracts high-end talent in southwestern Connecticut and parts of New York.
They were the No. 5 seed in the Elite 8 in 2024-25, falling to pesky Cushing in the first round. The year before, they were even more dominant, finishing at No. 3 in the Elite 8 and falling to powerhouse Salisbury in the first round. In 2022-23, Brunswick went into Nobles as the No. 5 seed in the big dance and took the Bulldogs down in overtime before falling to Cushing in the semis.
The coach
Kennedy has led Brunswick since 2018, posting an impressive 142-69-13. After missing the playoffs in his first year, he's made the postseason every year since, including those three Elite 8 appearances from 2022-25.
I like Kennedy for a couple of reasons. For starters, he's a great hockey mind who has developed great talent since taking over at 'Wick. But he also teaches a journalism class at Brunswick. Those are brownie points in my book.
Who will the stars be?
One of the biggest developments last season was Keegan Kazan (Wilton, Conn.). As an '08 junior, he logged a team-high 18 goals and 44 points in 31 games. He'll be one of the captains. He has a wicked wrist shot and is a scoring threat from everywhere.
Supporting Kazan will be Colton Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) and James Jackson (Darien, Conn.). Both were breakout players last season, with Jackson putting up 24 points and Cleaves notching 20. Both also played for the New England District at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer.
Cleaves had such a strong winter, spring and summer that he committed to Dartmouth on Aug. 1.
"They both had substantial periods in the top six last year," Kennedy said of Cleaves and Jackson. "They were in our top six by the end of the year. They're both going to be counted on heavily to increase their production."
On defense, Alex Zinman was one of the biggest breakouts last season. The '08 will be a senior captain after putting up 17 points last season.
"He's a really mobile defenseman who ran the power play last year," Kennedy said. "He'll be back to do that again."
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Newcomers
Since Brunswick is a day school, it's rare for the Bruins to bring in newbies. But one newcomer who could make quite the impact is Peter Lyden.
The '11 forward was a star for the Boston Junior Eagles before moving to Mid Fairfield this year. Even though he's undersized at 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds, Lyden is a fleet-footed skater with a high compete and great skill. Despite recovering from an injury, he could make an impact this winter.
Breakout prospects
The biggest potential breakout prospects are in net. Last season, '08s Zai Ferraro (New Canaan, Conn.) and Evan Akerman split the net. Ferraro posted a 2.88 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage, while Akerman put up a 2.51 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
It was a fairly even split. That may not be the case this winter.
"We're not promising that we'll do that again," Kennedy said. "I don't think either wants that promise. They want a little more. Both are capable goalies, capable of stealing games and getting hot. So it's really nice to have those two."
Up front, the big question will be: who are the next Cleaves and Jackson? One candidate is Jackson Luedke (Ridgefield, Conn.), a '10. As a sophomore last season, he didn't play much, mainly playing for Mid Fairfield's 15O squad. He's a 6-foot-1 power forward.
"What kind of step can he take in his game?" Kennedy asked. "He has the potential with his size and the ability to take off."
Another player in that same mold is Jack Thompson (New Canaan, Conn.). The 6-foot-1, late '08 saw considerable minutes last season and notched 15 points in 33 games.
"He's a rising junior," Kennedy said. "He can skate. He's got all the tools. He just struggled a little bit coming from New Canaan High School last year."
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The ceiling
The mix of older, established talent with potential breakouts puts Brunswick in an intriguing position. The Bruins don't seem to have any weaknesses. And with a notoriously difficult schedule (a Brunswick staple), they should be battle-tested enough to contend for the Elite 8, which has become the norm.
