MARLBORO, Mass. — The Massachusetts Hockey "Final 40" was conducted over the weekend for three birth years, 2005 through 2007.
At the '06 level, 40 players took to the ice with the goal of being selected to USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp this July in Amherst, N.Y. This is a solid birth year around the country and Massachusetts is no exception.
The '06s were missing a handful of solid players this weekend, due to making the NTDP or earning exemptions at the NTDP Evaluation Camp. Absent were forwards Cole Eiserman (Newburyport), Teddy Stiga (Sudbury), Gavin Cornforth (Milton), defenseman Owen Keefe (Saugus), Kiernan Poulin (Norwell) and goaltenders Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline) and Ryder Shea (Framingham).
Nonetheless, there were a number of '06s that impressed at the "Final 40." USA Hockey allotted the district seven forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender. Below is my personal opinion on who should have been selected, followed by six players deserving honorable mention accolades, who I haven’t written up as much or at all over the last year.
