Last winter, Salisbury’s reign atop the Housatonic League standings reached four consecutive years.
The Crimson Knights were winners in 13 of their 14 league games, but Lakes Region powerhouse Kimball Union ultimately dethroned the No. 1 team in New England in their second straight meeting for the Elite Eight championship.
Despite losing 14 players, head coach Andrew Will’s club has reloaded and includes some talented senior leaders, including a 20-goal scorer in Vermont commit Lucas Mercuri and four others with a Division 1 future already secured. Don’t expect the Crimson Knights to go anywhere.
“Salisbury will be at the top again,” said Trinity-Pawling coach Robert Ferraris, whose squad took home the Founders League championship in 2017-18. While finishing as Salisbury’s top challenger a year ago, an experienced Westminster team earned the Founders title and clinched an Eight Eight berth.
This Salisbury team’s seniors and overall drive have the coach excited for the months ahead.
“Our goal is to play a fast, aggressive and up-tempo style, and we anticipate having the depth to get contributions from all four lines,” Will said. “We believe we have a smart, mobile and skilled defense with a mix of experience and new players, and our goalies are hard-working and talented, giving the team plenty of confidence and experience.”
The middle of last year’s standings was tight with Kent, Deerfield and Avon Old Farms all finishing within just two points. Longtime coach John Gardner’s Avon team will benefit from another year of experience after seven ’03 birthdates played for him last season, while the defense corps has added depth.
Loomis Chaffee’s top four scorers are seniors and look to help the Pelicans make a jump up the standings. Taft and Hotchkiss joined T-P in finishing as four-game winners against Housatonic competition last year, while Choate aims to start an upward trend with some strong prospects from the goaltender out.
“The depth in prep school hockey is better than it has ever been,” Deerfield coach Tim McVaugh said. “I think the nature of our league is that anyone can beat anyone on any given night. That’s part of what makes it such a great experience for these kids.”
Housatonic
Avon Old Farms
Coach: John Gardner
2018-19 record: 14-9-2, lost to Deerfield in quarterfinals of Martin/Earl tournament
Players to watch: Tabor Heaslip, F; JP Turner, F; Paul Davey, F; Charlie Leddy, D; Conor Callaghan, G; Drew Tsakounis, D; Jason Marsella, D; Timur Alishlalov, F
Outlook: The Winged Beavers return with a wealth of experience after longtime coach Gardner had seven ’03s on his roster a year ago. Out of that group, only forward Tyler Boucher (U.S. NTDP) departed from a club that lost its opening Martin/Earl playoff game. Avon should be deeper on defense with Tsakounis (Penn State) and newcomers Leddy (Boston College) and Marsella (Yale) in the fold, while Callaghan assumes the starting role in goal after previously backing up Alex Aslanidis. Captains Heaslip (UConn) and Gentry Shamburger should provide outstanding leadership.
Choate
Coach: Pat Dennehy
2018-19 record: 2-19-2
Players to watch: John Russo, F; Zach Yokoyama, F; Zach Vandale, F; Tomas Horak, G; Bauer Swift, D; Andrew Carmody, D; John Mahoney, D; Colin Chon, F; Charles Greszes, F; CJ Stafford, F; Mattie Grabmann, D; Charlie Aronov, F; Harry Meisel, F; Tom Lynch, D
Outlook: Dennehy lead the Wild Boars after a down season and believes his team created a strong culture during preseason workouts. The coach is particularly excited about the potential on defense and in goal, while two of the team’s top three scorers from a year ago (Yokoyama and Russo, 11 points each) return among a group of forwards that has added more skill.
Deerfield Academy
Coach: Timothy McVaugh
2018-19 record: 15-9-3, lost to Kent in semifinals of Martin/Earl tournament
Players to watch: Alex Robert, F; Eamon Doheny, D; Jake Higgins, D; Pierce Patterson, D; Brian Grant, D; Justin Katz, G
Outlook: The Big Green’s senior class is strong and looks to build on last year’s successes, earning the top seed in the Large School playoffs before losing to Kent in the Martin/Earl playoffs. Deerfield’s top three scorers and starting goaltender Thomas Gale (Dartmouth) were seniors last season, but a 20-point man and the team’s top defenseman both return in Robert and Doheny, respectively, giving a jump start on establishing chemistry on a team that hopes for an impact out of newcomers like Grant and Katz.
Hotchkiss School
Coach: Michael Traggio
2018-19 record: 11-11-2
Players to watch: Henry Wilder, G; Jeremy Abraham, F; Gavin Puskar, F; Matt Tullo, F; Jack Ferguson, D; Nick Traggio, D; Jon Horn, F; Karsen Dorwart, F
Outlook: A core of seniors will look to lead the way in continuing the program’s upward trend while making up for losing four of last season’s top six scorers. Puskar is the top veteran after a 15-point junior year. Coach Traggio points to Horn and Dowart as two newcomers who will provide a boost up front while several underclassmen look to take on expanded roles on a team that should be led by strong defense early in the season. A .923 goalie last year, Wilder (Boston College) returns for his third straight year starting.
Kent School
Coach: Dale Reinhardt
2018-19 record: 14-7-3, won Martin/Earl tournament championship
Players to watch: Aidan Cobb, F; Ryan Remick, F; Jason Kleinhans, F; Cole Watson, F; Nick Marciano, D; Michael Hurst, F; Dante Palombo, F; Phil Feinberg, F; Tommy Raith, F; Simon Mandel, D; Matt Perryman, D
Outlook: The defending Martin/Earl tournament champions will have a younger lineup this winter. Three of last season’s seniors are now preparing for their college careers in the USHL, but Cobb is back to provide crucial leadership after an 11-goal, 24-point season. While Reinhardt is excited about the program’s future, the key to success this year will be how quickly a talented group of new forwards can make an impact. Among them, sophomore Remick is committed to Maine.
Loomis Chaffee
Coach: John Zavisza
2018-19 record: 9-13-3
Players to watch: Cody Hoban, F; Anthony Cipollone, F; Kennedy O’Connor, D; Kyle Chauvette, G; Alex Krause, F; Ben Ritter, F; Oliver Flynn, F; Charlie Andriole, D
Outlook: The Pelicans have plenty of firepower back in the fold. Last year’s top four scorers are all seniors, including a pair of local commits in Hoban (Dartmouth) and Cipollone (Vermont), who netted a combined 25 goals. The steady O’Connor (UMass) will key the defense after handing out 10 assists, while Krause’s (Dartmouth) 18 helpers made him the leader among five players to reach that mark. In net, Chauvette (Holy Cross) returns for his junior campaign.
Salisbury School
Coach: Andrew Will
2018-19 record: 23-3, lost to Kimball Union in Stuart/Corkery tournament championship
Players to watch: Lucas Mercuri, F; Cole Vallese, F; Jake Quillan, F; Matt DeBoer, F; Michael Fairfax, F; Dean Bauchiero, F; Jarod Crespo, D; Bayard Hall, D; Nick Haas, G; Max Donoso, G; Calum Chau, D; Jake Lammens, D; Cole Eichler, F; Sam Deckhut, F; Oliver Frontini, F
Outlook: After losing 14 players from the squad that fell to Kimball Union in last year’s Elite Eight title game, the Crimson Knights are reloaded and have plenty of room for contributions from returnees and newcomers alike. The forward group should be deep and play a fast, aggressive style, while the talented defense is mobile with a mix of young and old. A handful of seniors are already Division 1 commits, including Mercuri (Vermont) and Quillan (Quinnipiac).
Taft School
Coach: Ryan Shannon
2018-19 record: 10-10-2
Players to watch: Zack Tonelli, F; Tristan Fasig, F; Henry Molson, F; Bobby Barrasso, F; Nikita Kovalev, F; Max Willard, D; Patrick McLean, D; Mikey Roberts, G; Nick Cullinan, F; Jackson Cook, D; Wesley Carbone, F; Zach Hahn, D; Connor Colucci, D
Outlook: New players will look to step into big roles at Taft as the Rhinos return just two defensemen from last year’s team. Now seniors, Tonelli and Fasig will provide key leadership up front after scoring seven goals apiece a year ago. Willard and McLean are the only two blueliners back, while Roberts will assume the net after backing up Thomas McAleer. Among the newcomers is Cullinan, the reigning Player of the Year from the Connecticut high school ranks who hails from Ridgefield.
Trinity-Pawling
Coach: Robert Ferraris
2018-19 record: 9-13-2
Players to watch: Frank Djurasevic, D; Stephen Willey, F; John Gelatt, F; Jack Musa, F; Taylor Ewing, F; Jack Mangan, F; Jack Gorton, F; Spencer Ryall, F
Outlook: With experience on the forward lines, Ferraris hopes this year’s Pride can take on the identity of the “rugged” squad that took home the Founders League title two seasons ago. Even with the likes of forward Joey Musa (Dartmouth) and defenseman Philip Waugh (Vermont) graduated, T-P will have no shortage of seniors leading the way, including the top goal scorer from a season ago in Willey. Also offensively, Jack Musa is back after contributing 13 points as a freshman.
Westminster
Coach: Timothy Joncas
2018-19 record: 14-5-6, lost to Salisbury in Stuart/Corkery tournament quarterfinals
Players to watch: Jake Monroe, F; Ned Blanchard, D; Ryan Pineault, D; Danny Judge, F; Brennan Horn, F; Sean Hurley, F
Outlook: Despite losing a few players to the junior ranks, including goaltender Ian Shane and leading goal scorer Ignat Belov, the defending Founders League champions and Elite Eight quarterfinalists bring back a veteran team with significant game experience and leadership. Many of the Martlets’ top contributors a year ago were juniors, so they will be looking to take the next step and build upon last year’s playoff berth. The goaltending position will be assumed by someone new, but Monroe is coming off a 20-point season and Blanchard led the team in assists (19) from the blue line. Pineault is a recent Holy Cross commit.
