The fall hockey slate has been underway for the past month, and there are still two months to go, meaning the New England prep hockey season is still a bit away. But it's not too far away. One of the best parts of fall hockey is that it shows which players have improved the most...
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The fall hockey slate has been underway for the past month, and there are still two months to go, meaning the New England prep hockey season is still a bit away.
But it's not too far away.
One of the best parts of fall hockey is that it shows which players have improved the most since last season. That helps determine which prep teams will be best — who has those kinds of players?
There will be an obscene amount of preview content in the lead-up to the season beginning. But before then, it's good to get an early look at who might be the biggest contenders and sleepers. For contenders, these are teams I'd classify as definite Elite 8 favorites.
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Sleepers, however, are teams that aren't talked about much and aren't the typical powerhouse teams. They're squads who could catapult themselves into playoff contention.
Teams are listed alphabetically. Let's dive in.
Contenders
Avon Old FarmsÂ
The defending Elite 8 champs are stacked. In an era when prep teams consistently lose good players to juniors early, that didn't really hit the Winged Beavers — or at least it didn't hit them hard.
Sure, they lost defenseman Max Yakub and forward Grover Henderson early. But head coach Mark Naclerio kept star forwards Nico Ciardiello (Guilford, Conn.; Brown commit) and Ethan Gingeleskie (West Hartford, Conn.; Yale commit), as well as top-pairing defenders Matthew Koch (Yale commit) and Marshall Paul, who is a potential NHL Draft pick. Championship game hero Will Bagot, last year's backup goalie, is back for his senior year, too.
That alone would be enough to be a favorite to repeat. But Naclerio also brought in forwards Peyton and Ben Collins, both Cornell commits, who are highly skilled. Mid Fairfield standout Kai Scranton (West Hartford, Conn.) should be a legitimate scorer. And on defense, Michael Romano came over from Mount St. Charles. He's been one of the most improved players since last season. Newcomers Nathan Chenier, an '09, and Lev Smotkin, a '10, should also fight for the net.
The story for the Sextants last season was the number of young players who got legitimate playing time, putting them in the best position for this season. Sam Lee (Woburn, Mass.) took such advantage of that that he exploded for 32 points in 31 games, making the U.S. National Team Development Program.
But forwards like Jackson Burns (Wellesley, Mass.), Robert DeKleine (Westboro, Mass.), Liam Boyle (Needham, Mass.), Landon Roe (Darien, Conn.), Nicholas Hand (Dover, Mass.) and Nolan Boyle (Weymouth, Mass.) got valuable experience. Drew Short (Lunenburg, Mass.), a former Winchendon standout, should factor into the top six.
Nick Ware (Weymouth, Mass.) and Alex Guo (Weston, Mass.), both '10s, got valuable experience last year on defense. They will be expected to lead, along with rising senior Lance Toland (Burlington, Mass.). A fascinating name to watch is Emmet Aufiero (Winchester, Mass.), an '11, who played quite a bit last season as an eighth grader.
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Head coach Brian Phinney's team should be fine in net with Ethan Bauer (Belmont, Mass.), who popped as a junior last season.
Yeah, of course Kimball Union is a contender. When are they not? Even after losing six of their top seven scorers, the Wildcats have a strong returning core who should step right into primary roles and keep KUA in the Elite 8 hunt.
Up front, Princeton commit Charlie MacLeod, Conal Mulkerrin (Hingham, Mass.), Carter Cowan and Dawson Wood will be the go-to guys. Head coach Tim Whitehead is notorious for players progressing at KUA from depth guys into primary scorers, and those four have the makings of being that next batch.
Star defenseman Nasean Faria left Kimball Union a year early for the OHL, meaning it will be Thomas Ojard as the likely No. 1 blueliner. One returner who should also break out as a shutdown defenseman is Christian Toma.
A big advantage will be Luca Campo in net, who returned after losing almost all of last season due to injury.
Phillips AndoverÂ
Andover is fortunate that Princeton commit and 2027 NHL Draft prospect Jack O'Dell is back. He should be a top defenseman in prep, and a two-way force for the Big Blue. Along with him is newcomer Luca DePastena, who just committed to Yale and is 6-foot-3. Those will be the anchors.
Up front, Yale commit Michael Barrett (Lynnfield, Mass.) looks like he's primed to become a big gun for the Big Blue. The same is true for '08s Alex Theodore and Nolan Roberts. In net, Senji Kimura (Brattleboro, Vt.) is a '10 who has a big reputation.
SalisburyÂ
The Crimson Knights had a relatively new team last season and finished as the No. 3 seed in the Elite 8. Most of that core is back (Elliott Bibeau-Rivard and Luca Desjardins were the two main defections), which spells trouble for opponents.
Up front, Yale commit Greyson Espenshade returned for his senior year. He is the big name and has been dominant for the Northern Conn. Nor'Easter this fall. Other top forwards will be newcomer Dylan Rothstein, a Yale commit, and seniors Landon Klein and Angus Proctor.
On defense, Jack Mazzella and Elliott Watson should lead the way, while Christian Capone (East Haven, Conn.), an '09, got valuable experience in net last season. This should be another classic Salisbury team.
Sleepers
Choate
In head coach Mike Pereira's second year, Choate went from eight to 11 wins. The Wild Boars feel like a good candidate to take that next step. An impressive recruiting class should enhance a strong core of returners like forwards Keenan Hauser, Michael Dossier, Jalen Carter and Brogan Chinlund and goalie Tyler Donroe (Orange, Conn.). That should be enough to put Choate in playoff position.
Newcomer forwards Andrew Cheng, Brogan Chilund, Kellan Fenstad (Wallingford, Conn.), Landon Heinrich and Lukas Ruff should factor into the scoring. Pereria has strong defensemen entering the fray, with Matty Coccaro (Milford, Conn.), Colton D'Amico and Bryce Schaller (Cromwell, Conn.).
Last year, Deerfield went from No. 1 seed in the Elite 8 to No. 7 seed in the Large School tournament. This winter, the Big Green feel like they're going to be somewhere in the middle of that. Yale commit Alex Strug (Westport, Conn.), Colton Simas (Warwick, R.I.) and Owen Hannah (Newington, Conn.), all forwards, feel like enough of a scoring core to help Deerfield compete for a high Large School or a low Elite 8 spot. Even with the loss of stud Brown commit Elliot Lennon in net, head coach Tim McVaugh's team has Harry Holland and Ezra Jones becoming seniors on defense.
Tabor
On the surface, Tabor's biggest asset is senior goalie Vinnie D'Urso (Andover, Mass.). That alone should get the Seawolves within field goal range of an Elite 8 berth. But add in Sacred Heart commit Ethan Travis, an '08 forward, who took a step back in points last season and will be out with something to prove this winter. So far in the fall, he's been dominant.
Senior forwards Liam Kailher (Duxbury, Mass.) and Ares Miller will be valuable, along with defensemen Nolan Sweeney (Milton, Mass.) and Connor Wright (Lynnfield, Mass.). Tabor has definite Elite 8 potential.
ThayerÂ
Thayer lost forward Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.) and Washington Capitals draft pick Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.) a year early. While that hurts, both were expected.
The core around them from last season is back and a year older. Getting senior Northeastern commit Tommy Wilkinson (Duxbury, Mass.) back will be massive. He should vie for Player of the Year. Add in seniors Nick Sumner (Hingham, Mass.) and Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.), and junior Jack Funk (Duxbury, Mass.), and Thayer should never struggle to score. Senior defenseman David O'Brien (Weymouth, Mass.) will be vital, too.
Catholic Memorial goalie Jaxson Fleming moved to Thayer. The '10 should have no problem backstopping Thayer into Elite 8 contention.
Williston NorthamptonÂ
Williston just missed the postseason last year with 13 wins. While Williston lost goalie Kamden Jackson (Manchester, N.H.), arguably the top goalie in prep last season, and UMass commit defenseman Easton Anello (Windsor, Mass.) to the QMJHL, the Wildcats have a loaded roster.
Holy Cross commit Brayden White (Wakefield, R.I.) should lead the scoring after putting up 30 points last season. He had a fantastic summer and has been productive early in the fall. Along with him, newcomers Grady Rowley (Cumberland, R.I.), Nick Stevens (Newton, Mass.), Gabe Kolodjay (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Troy Hamelin (Springfield, Mass.) should provide primary and depth scoring.
Sam Chartier (Narragansett, R.I.), an '09, should move into the team's top defenseman role. Cole Ryan (Sciutate, Mass.) and Will Nadeau will also be big on defense. In net, Julian Herrera (Providence, R.I.) transferred from St. Mark's and should be ready to take over as the starter.
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Avon Old Farms 
Belmont Hill 
Salisbury 
Williston Northampton 
