The focus right now is on prep and high school playoffs. For full-season teams at the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U levels, national championships aren't far off either.
But from March 19-23, the focus will be very different. That's when the U.S. National Team Development Program holds its evaluation camp to pick its U17 team for 2025-26.
Forty-seven players were selected to head to Plymouth, Mich., to try out for the team last season. Seven New Englanders, along with one other who played in the region (Luke Schairer), got spots at the camp. Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), Jamie Glance (Stratham, N.H.) and Schairer were the only locals who made it.
This season, the NTDP fixes its focus on the '09s. NTDP director of player personnel Rod Braceful and his staff have been watching these players for the last year (and then some).
So, how is the local crop of '09s? They're really good.
Evaluation Camp invites haven't been announced yet and, crazily enough, I don't pick who goes to Evaluation Camp. And even more crazy: I don't pick the final team. Shocking, right? But from watching the '09s for the last two years, I'd anticipate seven or more get invited. Once at camp, I'd imagine more than three make it.
Rather than just list out every player, I organized them into three tiers: "Locks", "Likely" and "Bubble." "Locks" is for players who I'd be willing to bet make the team. "Likely" is for players who, in my opinion, have a better chance of making the team than not making it. "Bubble" is for players who, in my opinion, would be on the bubble for making it to camp and then making the team.
Here's a look at how local players stack up one month before evaluation camp.
