The Cape Cod Whalers are typically one of the strongest midget programs in New England. A year ago, their 18U team – led by Thayer's Jay O’Brien, Aidan McDonough and Jayson Dobay, Nobles captain Jerry Harding and Harvard-bound Jack Rathbone – made it all the way to the USA Hockey National Championship game.
All five of those players have moved on, so this year’s edition of the 18U Whalers will be very different. The 2018 squad will be coached by former Boston College defenseman Andrew Orpik, who will be assisted by Wade Poplawaki and former UConn forward Cory Ronan.
Forwards Reilly Moran (Army) and Ryan Stevens (Yale) are the team’s only two committed players. Moran, a Thayer senior, made a huge jump last summer, which led to his commitment to the Black Knights. Stevens is a Nobles senior and the younger brother of Yale forward Luke Stevens and the son of retired NHL forward Kevin Stevens.
