NEEDHAM, Mass. — 2019 NHL Draft prospect Jayden Struble had a goal and three assists to lead St. Sebastian’s to an 8-4 victory over St. Mark’s on Monday afternoon at Henry T. Lane Rink.
With Monday’s light schedule throughout the hockey world, including just three NEPSAC games, there were plenty of NHL scouts in attendance to watch the junior defenseman who is committed to Northeastern.
Another Northeastern commit, Jack Hughes, had a goal and an assist while his linemates, Boston University commits Liam Gorman (two goals and one assist) and Liam Connors (one goal and two assists), paced the offense.
One of the bottom six lines also got in on the scoring with Brendan Dumas collecting a pair of goals and adding a helper while linemates Cam Collins and Declan Maguire each had three assists.
All eyes on Struble
Struble, the main attraction, can certainly push the pace and make plays with the puck on his stick. His athleticism and strength are reasons NHL scouts are intrigued. He made numerous strong plays in transition. A sauce pass from the left side of the ice to Tim Delay on the right wing in the neutral zone was one that stood out in the first period. He made a couple of nice ‘D-to-D’ passes as well as a few dink passes to hit forwards for a quick breakout. One such dink pass in the third period led to a Dumas goal and a secondary assist for Struble.
On his goal, he skated the puck into the zone and made a couple of nice passes earlier in the sequence before his wrist shot found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. On the sixth goal scored by Gorman, Struble gave a great feed on a rush that was right in the shooter’s wheelhouse.
Now to the negatives. He got beat on the Lions’ fourth goal and looked lackadaisical at times. There is no question he has the physical tools to be a draft pick and to be a very good player at Northeastern. However, his body language and inconsistency are issues that continue to come up when viewing Struble.
The bottom line is he will be drafted come June, but his stock would be even higher and scouts would have more conviction when going to their directors of scouting if Struble’s body language and focus level were better all the time.
Arrows have depth
Gorman, the team’s top center and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, was able to be dominant when he wanted to be on Monday afternoon. His skating and size are both good and he was able to drive to the net and overpower opposing defensemen. He was particularly strong below the dots. On one of his assists, he did a good job cycling the puck and eventually digging a puck out from below the goal line and out to Hughes for a goal. His two goals were both the results of going to the net. He banged home a centering feed from Struble on one and jammed in a loose puck just outside of the crease on the other.
Hughes, the ’03 and younger brother of New York Rangers prospect Riley Hughes, made some good plays. He beat out an icing and sent a pass right to Connors for the goal that put Sebs up 3-0. His quick release deposited the puck right into the back of the net on the fourth Arrows’ goal after receiving a pass from Gorman.
Boston College commit, ’03 Tim Delay, had somewhat of a quiet game, but his speed gives St. Sebastian’s yet another weapon. The Arrows were playing without New Hampshire commit Liam Devlin.
Sean McCann’s team has a solid defense. In addition to Struble, the Arrows’ blue line boasts Brown commit James Davenport, who has good feet and puck skills. ’02s Thomas Messineo and Ryan MacDermott are both Division I prospects. Perhaps the best prospect among the defensemen, outside of Struble, is ’03 Will Elias. He’s smooth and steady. His shot from the right point was tipped by Jake Lavoie for a first period goal.
Former BC High goaltender, ‘00 Luke Garrity, played Monday against St. Mark’s. He’s played in two of the three games so far. He will split time this season with ’01 Jack Moffat. The goaltending is definitely the biggest question mark among the three positions.
No quit in Lions
St. Mark’s, playing without last year’s leading scorer, Matthew Toporowski, adjusted its lines after going down, 4-0, and it paid off to an extent. Give the Lions credit for not mailing it in. The top line, as it was united for the final two periods, did all the scoring. Danny Ciccarello had two goals and an assist while Jackson Cuotu had a goal and three assists and Brendan Gibbons had a goal.
Cuotu is the most skilled and the best playmaker of the trio. Ciccerello was on fire today and almost had a couple more goals in addition to the two he did connect on. Gibbons needs to improve his skating, but he plays heavy on pucks and has a pretty good shot.
St. Mark’s, coached by former Boston University forward Carl Corazzini, boasts two ’02 defensemen who are legitimate Division I prospects. Ian Moore made some plays today, including a couple of nice breakout passes. He continues to get better and he’s definitely added some size. Moore has been offered by several schools, including a couple of the Ivies.
Tucker Hartmann had an up and down day. He made a couple of nice reads and used his really good stick to break up a couple of transition plays. Later in the game, he got beat a few times that ended up in the back of his net. Still, at the end of the day, he’s a Division I player, most likely in ECAC Hockey at a place like Colgate, Rensselaer or St. Lawrence.
After seeing St. Mark’s Monday, and earlier at the Belmont Hill Jamboree, the Lions have five or six good prep players, but lack the depth and goaltending needed to compete against against the big boys in the region.
St. Sebastian’s Lines
4 J. Hughes - 15 L. Gorman - 12 L. Connors
17 J. Lavoie - 20 T. Lyons - 18 C. Joyce
11 D. Maguire - 9 C. Collins - 8 B. Dumas
26 J. Milbury - 16 B. Gorman - 6 T. Delay
3 J. Struble - 2 R. MacDermott
24 T. Messineo - 14 J. Davenport
5 W. Elias - 10 L. Murphy
XD - 7 J. Harney
31 L. Garrity
St. Mark’s Lines
15 B. Gibbons - 10 D. Ciccarello - 24 D. Murphy
21 E. Connaughton - 9 J. Cuotu - 17 C. Berry
3 V. Mabbs - 23 B. Hall - 11 N. Karlson
5 N. Moore - 2 I. Moore
8 J. Oblak - 4 T. Hartmann
18 H. Ramirez - 16 M. Fisher
32 A. Cardonick
