Many of the top midget teams in the region will take to the ice next Monday through Wednesday, August 27-29, for the EHF Selects Preseason Showcase. The two-day event will take place at the Foxboro Sports Center in Foxboro, Mass. and at the Daly Rink in Newton, Mass.
Boston Jr. Eagles, Cape Cod Whalers, Mid Fairfield and New England Fall Prep Hockey League will be the top teams to watch at the showcase, featuring 18U, 16U and 15U teams. The majority of the games will take place within the 18U Division, but there are a few 16U and 15U games as well.
In the ever-changing landscape of youth hockey, the EHF and USPHL merged earlier this year while the Boston Jr. Eagles and Mid Fairfield organizations left the Beast Series.
Teams to watch
Mid Fairfield's 18U and 16U teams are both loaded with talent. Key players on the 18U team are forwards Joey Musa (Trinity-Pawling/Dartmouth) and Briggs Gammill (Berkshire/Yale), defensemen Cade Alami (Berkshire/Providence), Moses Acee (Avon Old Farms/St. Lawrence), and Phip Waugh (Trinity-Pawling/Vermont and goaltender Alex Aslanidis (Avon Old Farms/Providence). Forwards Gavin Puskar (Hotchkiss), Stephen Willey (Trinity-Pawling) and Charles Shaffer (Brunswick), defensemen Cooper Moore (Brunswick), John Garvey (Trinity-Pawling) and Gabe Blanchard (Trinity-Pawling) are all solid uncommitted prospects.
The 16U team features Tyler Boucher (Avon Old Farms/BU), Paul Davey (Brunswick/BC), Ryan St. Louis (Brunswick/Northeastern) and Drew Tsakounis (Avon Old Farms/Penn State). A few other uncommitted players, including forwards Matt McGroarty, Jack Musa, and Patrick Neal, defenseman Chase Ramsay and goaltender Connor Callaghan, are '03s who will be watched closely this season.
The Junior Eagles 18U will feature Harvard commit and Dexter senior center John Farinacci, a projected top two round draft pick in next summer's NHL Draft. Also slated to play for the Junior Eagles 18U are forward Chase McInnis (Dexter/Northeastern), defensemen Jayden Struble (St. Sebastian's/Northeastern) and Ben Meehan (Dexter/UMass Lowell) and goaltender Derek Mullahy (Dexter/Harvard).
At the 16U level, the Junior Eagles will be led up front by Northeastern commit Jack Hughes and Boston College commit Tim Delay, both of St. Sebastian's. Another Husky commit, Sasha Teleguine of Thayer, is expected to provide some experience to the lineup.
Cape Cod Whalers are always a strong organization. The 18U team lost to Selects Academy in last year's midget major national championship game. Star center Jay O'Brien was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 16U team will be minus three elite players, Matt Beniers, Brett Berard, and Drew Commesso, all gone to the NTDP, from last year's team.
The New England Fall Prep Hockey League All-Star teams are always strong and well-coached by former Division I players. Past players who've shined for these teams have gone on to make college rosters as late bloomers, including Jake Pappalardo (Holy Cross) and Ben Solin (Harvard).
The full schedule for the EHF Selects Preseason Showcase can be viewed here.
