Five players from New England have been invited to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp.
The top 46 players born in 2002 from around the United States will be evaluated over the course of four days later this month at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. From there, USA Hockey brass will select the players that will make up the 2018-19 U.S. NTDP U-17 Team.
Milton Academy freshman Matt Beniers (Hingham, Mass.), Bishop Hendricken freshman forward Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.), St. Sebastian’s sophomore goaltender Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.), Shattuck-St. Mary's defenseman Scott Morrow (Darien, Conn.), and Shattuck-St. Mary’s forward Mackie Samoskevich (Newtown, Conn.) are the five prospects from the New England region to make the team.
Commesso is considered a lock to make the team. A Boston University commit, he’s been widely regarded as the top goaltending prospect in this age group for quite some time.
Beniers is a good bet to make the program as well. One of the top rookies in prep school hockey this past season, Beniers is one of the most highly coveted uncommitted prospects in the country, regardless of age. Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, Northeastern and Providence are all in hot pursuit. Beniers is a great skater who can retrieve pucks and create offense, but his compete level is off the charts.
Berard is the son of Holy Cross coach Dave Berard, who played college hockey at Providence. The younger Berard will follow in his father's footsteps as he is committed to playing for the Friars. Berard is a terrific athlete, who also excels on the baseball field. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s fast, plays with an edge and can find seams in the defense.
Morrow is a defender who's played the last two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's, a prep school in Faribault, Minn. He has good size and offensive instincts. His father, also Scott Morrow, played college hockey at New Hampshire from 1988-1992 before embarking on a long minor pro career.
Samoskevich doesn’t have a high-end skill set, but he’s always moving his feet. He plays with pace and brings energy every shift. He excels in small areas where he can be elusive and win puck battles. His sister, Maddy, is committed to playing women’s college hockey at Quinnipiac.
In addition to the four New England natives, there were a few other players with ties to the region to make the camp roster. Avon Old Farms freshman forward Jason Siedem, a Boston College commit from Madison, N.J., and teammate Ryan Kirwan, a sophomore from Syracuse, N.Y., who is committed to Penn State, both will be at camp.
Boston University recruits Dylan Peterson and Luke Tuch and Harvard commit Alexandros Gaffney are forwards that will be competing for a spot at the program. Peterson is a lock to make the team. Northeastern recruit Brandon Chabrier and Boston College commit Eamon Powell both have a good shot of making the team out of camp.
