Kimball Union was one of the top two teams in New England prep hockey all last season. The Wildcats were rewarded when they won the Elite 8 championship, taking down Cushing, 4-1.
Much of that success had to do with forwards Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.), Sam LeDrew, and defenseman Andrew O'Sullivan (Scituate, Mass.). Sadowski, who is a UNH commit, scored 41 goals (including two in the championship) and posted 87 points. LeDrew, a St. Lawrence commit, notched 38 goals and 75 points. Both led prep in scoring.
O'Sullivan tallied eight goals and 55 points, which was the most among all prep defensemen. Those three were vital parts of a potent offensive attack and a lethal power play. KUA head coach Tim Whitehead called that power play their "knockout punch."
The knockout punch this season might have to be different. The strength of this team may instead be balance.
"We have more balance on our power plays and we actually have more balance throughout the team," Whitehead said of this year's group. "While we may not have that knockout punch, we can win in a different way this year."
Winning won't be easy — it never is for the Wildcats. They're the top dog in prep. Even when they don't win the Elite 8 championship, it's a game every team has circled on the schedule.
"It's always difficult," Whitehead said. "The kids tend to put more pressure on themselves than they should. But when you're the defending champs, the bar is set up pretty high whether it's realistic or not and that's OK. We're going to get everyone's best game and that makes us better of course. Hopefully, as the season goes on, we get more comfortable in that mindset."
The new primary scorers
It was almost impossible for opposing teams to stop the line of Sadowski, LeDrew and center Corwith Simmers last season. They dominated.
Fortunately for Kimball Union, Simmers is back for his senior season. He notched 25 goals and 54 points in 37 games last winter. He also provided the two-way presence that was necessary to help Sadowski and LeDrew thrive.
Simmers will be the team's No. 1 center again, this time likely centering Merrimack commit CJ Watroba (West Springfield, Mass.) and Iain Olsen. Watroba was a nice piece on the team's second line last season, scoring 15 goals and tallying 31 points in 37 games. Olsen missed some time but was still able to post 23 points in 21 games.
"Those are our top three," Whitehead said. "It's a good, strong first line. They know the game. They're really good offensively and defensively. They can actually all take face-offs. It's just a really, honest, very skilled line."
Things get interesting after the top trio.
One line who played together with the Fall Prep Wildcats, KUA's fall team, was returning forwards Max Kimelman and Mickael Tissier with Xander Boutilier — a first-year '08.
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Whitehead is moving Kimelman, who had 13 points last season to the middle. Tissier had 13 points, too. Boutilier, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, played for the Mississauga Senators' 16U team last season.
It should be a line that offers up a lot. While Kimelman should see a big jump in points and Boutilier will complement the line with scoring as well, Tissier provides the all-around game to round out the trio.
"He's a hard-hitting, tough kid," Whitehead said of Tissier. "He blocks shots and takes hits, gives hits. He's really good on the PK, we have him at the net front on one of our power play units. He's just a really hard nose, strong player."
A cool storyline up front will be the brothers Zach and Josh Phillips. Josh was a sophomore '07 with KUA last season and posted 12 points. This offseason, older brother Zach opted to go to KUA for a postgrad year. He was a standout for the San Jose Junior Sharks' 18U team last season.
"He's been a great addition," Whitehead said of Zach. "He skates well, he's strong, he's got a good shot. He's very aware defensively."
The cool part: Because Zach is an '05 and Josh is an '07, they rarely played on the same teams growing up. Now, the brothers get one last chance to skate on a line together. Skating with them through the fall has been Alex Gagne, an '08 from Quebec.
"This has been a thrill for them to get an opportunity to play together," Whitehead said.
Wille Carlsson, Rowen Sang and Matthew Ross are three other new forwards entering the mix. Carlsson is an '06 from Sweden, while Sang and Ross are both '08s who played with the Oakville Rangers' 16U team last season.
"We don't over-recruit, Whitehead said. "So they're all going to play."
New players stepping up on defense
O'Sullivan left a year early. Jack McMinn, who posted 35 points last season and anchored the second power play unit, graduated after last season. So did Ian Ramsay and Luke Clarner.
It will be a whole new look on defense.
That starts with Nick Evans. The '07 from Malden, Mass., played a real role in back last season, mainly serving as a shutdown defender. He was a go-to guy on penalty kills and blocked his fair share of shots.
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"He has a lot of courage," Whitehead said.
Evans has been playing a different game this fall. He moved pucks with confidence and led the breakout. He joined the rush a number of times. He showed early signs of a whole new side.
"He's really taken a big step," Whitehead said. "He's playing really well. He just has really good hockey sense, good skill, good vision. He's brought a lot more offense and he's on our power play and going to have a really good year."
Those two-way abilities set Evans up nicely to be a legitimate Division 1 prospect.
Lucas Siomos will be another dynamic part of the defense. The '07 posted 45 points in 48 games for South Kent's 16U team last season and played for the Atlantic District at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer. He has no issue skating the puck end to end and jumping into the offense.
"He'll definitely be in our top four," Whitehead said. "He's a good-sized right-shot defenseman, he'll be a nice addition."
Whitehead also brought in two '08s to bolster the defense. The first is Thomas Ojard. The 5-foot-9, 181-pound defenseman is from Duluth, Minn., and played for Duluth Marshall High School last season.
"He's a really good two-way defenseman," Whitehead said. "He's a sophomore and good size, stocky kid. He's got big legs and a good athlete. He'll help us right away."
The other is Nasean Faria. Even though he's 5-foot-8 and 148 pounds, the right-shot defenseman has promise.
"He'll grow a bit," Whitehead said. "Most importantly, he skates well and he's got really good hockey sense. A really good offensive defenseman."
Blake McMeniman looks to build off last season
McMeniman was the breakout goalie in prep last winter. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound goalie from the 16U Islanders Hockey Club grabbed hold of the KUA starting goalie job and never let go.
En route to an Elite 8 title, McMeniman made 49 saves to beat St. George's, 28 against Salisbury and 31 to take down Cushing.
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He has an offer from Army West Point, which is where his father, Thomas, played in the late 1990s.
"He's trying to be patient because he's still young. He's an '07 and a true senior," Whitehead said.
Whitehead did bring in another goalie — Luca Campo, an '08 from Quebec. The 5-foot-11, 143-pound goalie played for the Lac St-Louis Lions for the past three seasons.
