With less than 60 seconds to play in regulation, Kent star and Cornell commit Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.) broke a 2-2 tie to give his team a very late lead in last March's Large School championship.
It was a lead Kent never gave up. The Lions went on to win a title.
Reality, however, began to set in after. DiGiulian, who had two goals in the game and 49 points on the season, was graduating. So was forward Owen Mahar, who also tallied a goal in the victory. Add in Jack Roberts' impending graduation and all three of Kent's top scorers were gone.
That doesn't mean expectations are tempered entering this season.
Head coach Dale Reinhardt brought in several high-end players who project to make an immediate impact. To say he's looking forward to this season would be an understatement.
"As high as any [team]," Reinhardt said when asked about his expectations. "I haven't been as excited about a group from a talent perspective in a long time."
The question will be just how fast can this group of newbies come together? And, of course, is the Elite 8 in play?
High-end new guys up front
While the top three scorers are gone, Kent is fortunate to return seniors Stefano Pietrantonio and Luke Dow (Orange, Conn.).
Pietrantonio is committed to Dartmouth and posted 10 goals and 28 points in 28 games last season. At 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds, he will undoubtedly be a leader offensively. Dow, at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, notched 10 goals and 23 points last season. He will be looked at as someone who can take another big step in production.
Why? Because of the players coming in around him.
It starts with Jack Broderick. The Rye, N.Y., native is a late '07 and committed to Cornell over the summer. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound forward was a force for the Westchester Express' 16U team last season, scoring 54 goals and finishing with 121 points in 70 games.
"We're excited about him," Reinhardt said. "He's a cerebral player and a goal scorer."
Reinhardt brought in a pair of Mid Fairfield '08s. The first is Maddox Boyle, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound power forward.
"He has some skill and can skate for someone his size," Reinhardt said.
The other is Richard Shin, who is a 5-foot-8, 175-pound center who has a high level of skill and is very smart and shifty. While the two couldn't be more different, both will have legitimate roles this winter.
Will Schlechtweg, an '08 from the New Jersey Rockets, will also be counted on to score this season. He's fresh off finishing tenth in scoring at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp this summer with six goals and eight points in five games.
MASS. STATE TOURNEY: 13 uncommitted 18U standouts | 9 standout 16U forwards | 7 standout 16U defenders
"I've gotten some calls on him throughout the fall and summer," Reinhardt said.
Aiden Grinshpun will join the fray this winter. An '08 from Monroe, N.J., he starred for Monroe Township (N.J.) high school last season, as well as for the New Jersey Junior Titans 15O squad. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, Reinhardt expects him to be a goal scorer.
Reinhardt brought in two other '07s as well in Lucas Husted-Edwards and Noah Fitzsimmons. Husted-Edwards was with the North Jersey Avalanche, while Fitzsimmons was a standout on the Carolina Junior Hurricanes.
"We're going to have nine forwards that can really go," Reinhardt said.
The challenge will be getting them to play cohesively and as a team.
"The hardest part is getting them to play the style," Reinhardt said. "The style of prep hockey is a lot different than Triple-A hockey. It's high intensity, finish every check, compete on every puck, which is just different. When you're playing an 80-game schedule, you just can't play that same way."
Two pillars return on defense
Kent had two big developments happen on defense since last season ended.
The first was that Ryan Poirier, an '08, committed to Harvard in August. The Salem, N.H., native was an impact player for Kent last season with five goals and 13 points. He went on to make Select 16 Camp.
"We just need him to take a jump offensively," Reinhardt said. "He had the offensive contributions last year, but he's going to need to run our power play and he's going to need to be our engine in the back in terms of offense. I want to make sure he plays within himself. Sometimes we get a kid that explodes onto the scene in a big way and they start trying to be something they're not or get away from what made them successful.
"Keeping him mindful of what makes him successful is certainly going to be an emphasis for us."
The other was when Nathan Di Chiara made NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list. The 6-foot-2, 181-pound defenseman will have lots of eyes on him this season, as he's uncommitted as well. He was named captain prior to the season.
"I love his game," Reinhardt said. "He's just a big, strong, defensive defenseman that can skate. He's got some stick skills, but more of a guy that's going to be a shutdown guy for us that we can rely on. I'm excited about his progression. He's a kid that can certainly help some college teams."
CHAMPS: Junior Eagles win the 15O title | Militia win the 16U title | Junior Eagles win the 18U title
While Poirier and Di Chiara will be tasked with high workloads, newcomers will have to shoulder responsibility, too. One of those players is Calvin Gustafson (Montpelier, Vt.). A 6-foot-2, 165-pound defenseman, he played with the Notre Dame Hounds' 18U team last season.
"He can skate and he's got really good offensive skills," Reinhardt said. "He's one of those kids because of where he's coming from, I got to see less in action. All the tools are there and they're skating on campus here in the fall and I'm blown away by him. I'll be curious to see him in game structure."
Dylan Mallgrave will also join on defense. He was at Summit High in New Jersey last season and played for the New Jersey Colonials' 15O team. He is the brother of Teddy Mallgrave, who just graduated from Kent and is committed to St. Lawrence.
Another '08 that will suit up on the back end is Chase Jelenic. The 6-foot-1, 161-pound defenseman played for Victory Honda's 15O team last season.
"We've got a really good group," Reinhardt said. "I'm interested to see who emerges from it."
Adding a high-end '08 in net
Aidan Hopewell got the majority of games in net last season for Kent, posting a 3.32 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage. Keegan Waldo was the backup with a 2.39 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
Waldo is back this season since Hopewell graduated. He should factor into the team's success again.
But Kent also brought in Jacoby Weiner (Riverside, Conn.). The '08 was invited to U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in the spring. While Weiner wasn't selected, just having been there elevates him as one of the best goalies in his birth year.
PREP PREVIEWS: Avon Old Farms | Belmont Hill | Berkshire | Brunswick | Frederick Gunn | Holderness | Phillips Andover Â
Earlier this year, he was selected in the sixth round (83rd overall) of the USHL Phase 1 Draft by the Waterloo Black Hawks. He was also taken in the seventh round (111th overall) of the QMJHL Entry Draft by the Moncton Wildcats.
He committed to Harvard in August. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Weiner has as high a ceiling as anyone. He could be one of the best goalies in prep school this winter.
