In college hockey, watch lists and semifinalists come out for individual awards, such as the Hobey Baker, Mike Richter, and Walter Brown.
When the Mike Richter Award watch list recently came out, it got me thinking about who is in line to be the New England Hockey Journal’s Player of the Year for prep school hockey.
Our 2021-22 Player of the Year was Dylan Hryckowian, who helped Salisbury win a second straight Elite 8 championship. The Northeastern commit has moved onto the USHL where he’s having a productive year for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
It’s undoubtedly a two-horse race as of now, but here are the 10 players most likely to be crowned as our Player of the Year when the season comes to an end in early March:
Joe Connor
Avon Old Farms, 3/11/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/175
NCAA: Northeastern
Connor, who has the second-best points per game percentage (1.79) in prep hockey, is a fiery competitor who plays in the middle of the ice for John Gardner’s Winged Beavers. Connor, from Amherst, N.H., opted to return to Avon Old Farms instead of playing in Muskegon, despite a monster summer in which his stock rose incrementally.
Landan Resendes
Cushing, 12/10/05, C, right shot, 5-10/165
NCAA: Boston College
Resendes has been an offensive spark plug for the Penguins, scoring at a clip of nearly two points per game. The undersized righty has moved from wing to center and hasn’t skipped a beat. From Marlboro, Mass., Resendes is quick, skilled and plays with an edge. There’s little doubt that he’s the top player for one of the top teams in prep hockey.
Rudy Guimond
Taft, 5/19/05, G, catches left, 6-2/175
NCAA: Yale
Taft, the biggest surprise team in prep hockey, has been buoyed by the stellar goaltending of Guimond. The Kirkland, Quebec, native has a .944 save percentage and has stopped over 40 shots in seven games. There’s little doubt that no one has been more valuable to his team’s success than Guimond, who is now garnering NHL interest.
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Thatcher Bernstein
Nobles, 7/17/06, G, catches left, 6-3/200
Bernstein is another top goaltender in prep. The Brookline, Mass., native has played a major role in Nobles' ascension to the top spot in the projected playoff seedings. He does have the benefit of playing in front of a much better team than Guimond, which is why I gave a slight nod to the latter.
Sam Caulfield
Milton, 8/29/06, G, catches left, 6-1/180
Caulfield has the best numbers of any goaltender in prep hockey. Outside of a poor two-game stretch at the Joshua Weeks Tournament at the beginning of January, Caulfield has been lights out. He’s given up one or fewer goals in eight games this season. His play has helped Milton jolt into an Elite 8 position, despite not being on many people’s radars heading into the season.
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Richard Gallant
St. Mark’s, 6/12/07, C, left shot, 5-7/140
Gallant is the smallest player on the watch list, but he’s been electric at times for the Lions. The Concord, Mass., native is in his second year tearing up the prep circuit. Scoring nearly two points per game, his compete level is off the charts for a skilled, young player. The longtime Middlesex Islanders star is likely destined for USA Hockey’s NTDP in 2023-24.
Teddy Mutryn
St. Sebastian’s, 2/16/07, RW, right shot, 6-1/196
Mutryn, from Norwell, Mass., is another '07 who projects to play on the NTDP in 2023-24. The big right winger is a power forward who skates well and plays a strong north-south game. He can make plays down low and tracks well on the backcheck. He’s the second leading scorer for an Arrows team that is hovering around an Elite 8 bid.
Jack DesRuisseaux
Tabor, 2/24/04, RW, right shot, 5-10/175
NCAA commit: Sacred Heart
Another surprise team in prep hockey, Tabor, has been led offensively by DesRuisseaux, who hails from Manchester, N.H. The skilled winger quietly improved his stock with the GBL Bruins in the fall and in the early part of the prep season with the Seawolves. His productive first two months recently earned him a college commitment from Sacred Heart.
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Ethan Gardula
Cushing, 2/28/05, RW, left shot, 5-11/174
NCAA: UConn
Cushing is the only team with two representatives on this initial watch list. Gardula, from Princeton, Mass., is the second leading scorer on the Penguins, but his smart, two-way game sometimes goes underrated. When evaluating for the draft, it’s easy to nitpick Gardula and rightfully say that he could be more assertive on a more consistent basis. However, for the prep level, he’s a smart player who will be key if Paul Pearl’s team makes a run at an Elite 8 championship.
Jackson Kyrkostas
Kimball Union, 8/19/04, C, right shot, 5-10/170
NCAA: RPI
Kyrkostas is the leading scorer and has provided a veteran presence for Tim Whitehead’s team. The quick, skilled center is slick and creative with the puck. KUA has had its ups and downs this season but looks poised to make an Elite 8 run. Kyrkostas, from Windham, N.H., will be the driver offensively.
