While most of the attention in Massachusetts high school hockey is devoted to the Division 1 circuit and those teams with a chance to make the Super 8, there are some good prospects in Division 2 and Division 3.
A common misconception heard around rinks in the Bay State is that Division 2 and Division 3 hockey is a dead end. A few of the top teams in Division 2 are able to compete and hold their own against Division 1 schools.
Many of this year’s best players in Division 2 and Division 3 are younger freshmen and sophomores who will be moving on to prep school.
Below is a look at the top 32 players in Division 2 and Division 3 who I saw in person this past hockey season:
Forwards
1. Grayson Badger
Brookline, 5/9/04, C/RW, right shot, 6-0/170
Badger scored 25 goals and added 15 assists to lead the Warriors to a berth in the state tournament. Outside of Ryan Leonard on Pope Francis, he was the best prospect in Massachusetts high school hockey this winter. He’s got good size, speed and compete. While his skill is just slightly above average, he produces by using his strength and will to get to scoring areas. Badger is heading to play prep hockey for Danny Donato at Dexter Southfield next season.
2. Pavit Mehra
Hopkinton, 7/16/04, C/RW, right shot, 5-9/130
Mehra is a quick, skilled top-line player for the Hillers. He’s on the smaller side, but he plays in all situations, can zip around opposing defenders, and make plays. Pound for pound, he gets the most out of his physical tools, as he never stops moving his feet
3. Jason Cooke
Tewksbury, 2/20/04, RW, right shot, 6-2/170
Cooke is a big power forward who can shoot it hard and use his size and strength to get to the scoring areas. He scored 21 goals in 21 games as a sophomore and is expected to return to the Redmen for the 2020-21 season.
4. John Hagan
Canton, 9/7/01, RW, left shot, 5-10/145
Hagan leaves high school hockey as a two-time state champion. He’s been the unquestioned leader of the Bulldogs the past two seasons with his skating, skill and ability to play all situations. A good all-around athlete, he’ll be doing a PG year at Tilton.
5. Adam Heinze
North Andover, 2/4/03, C, right shot, 5-9/145
Heinze needs to gain some strength, but he’s a smart, cerebral center. His vision allowed him to make plays on a nightly basis. He ended the season with 14 assists and was one of the best skaters I saw in Division 2.
6. William O’Keefe
Tewksbury, 2/22/03, C, right shot, 5-9/145
O’Keefe centered Tewksbury’s top line with the aforementioned Cooke on the right wing. O’Keefe doesn’t have the size and strength of Cooke, but his skating is very good and he combines skill and vision to make plays. He finished with 14 goals and 29 assists.
7. Brendan Quinn
Lincoln-Sudbury, 3/17/04, C, right shot, 5-11/170
Quinn was the first-line center for the Warriors, a team that advanced to the Division 2 state championship game before the season was halted. He has good size, skates well and could be an impactful 200-foot center at the prep level.
8. Cole Fagan
North Andover, 3/4/03, LW, right shot, 6-0/145
Fagan has potential with his physical tools and skating. He’s a mature player who is able to slow the game down. Wearing a letter as a junior, he potted 11 goals and added 17 assists.
9. Riley Fitzgerald
Wilmington, 6/2/03, RW, right shot, 5-7/130
Fitzgerald had 11 goals this season for the Wildcats. His ability to see the ice, make plays and play in all situations stood out in my two viewings. He’ll reportedly be heading to Matignon to play for Boston Imperials Academy 18-U next season.
10. Kai Roberto
Masconomet, 9/23/04, LW, left shot, 5-6/120
Roberto is on the smaller side and will need to bulk up, but he has some skill and agility to make plays in small areas. He knows what to do with the puck when he has time and space. He finished the season with four goals and 10 assists.
11. Sean Walsh
Hopkinton, 4/19/02, C, right shot, 5-9/160
Walsh was one of the more skilled players in high school hockey this past season while playing a pivotal role in Hopkinton’s emergence in Division 3. He will do a postgrad year at Tilton.
12. Alex Infanger
Medway, 8/3/03, C, left shot, 5-9/170
Infanger has a good frame, which allows him to protect pucks and fend off defenders before dishing it off to open linemates. In 20 games, he had nine goals and 17 assists. He has a good brain for the game and should continue getting better at this level.
13. Andrew Perry
North Andover, 7/27/04, RW, right shot, 6-3/170
Perry needs to work on his skating, but there is upside present with his size and ability to shoot the puck as a north-south, power forward.
14. Jack Costanzo
Gloucester, 12/9/03, C, left shot, 5-9/160
In the Fishermen’s playoff game against Wakefield, Costanzo physically dominated. He made some plays and was good in small areas. A good skater, he’s hard to knock off the puck. He led the team in scoring with 17 goals and 13 assists.
15. Connor Jalbert
Marblehead, 4/11/05, LW, left shot, 5-8/140
Jalbert didn’t get a ton of ice time in first year of high school hockey with the Headers, but the potential is there. He has good hands and can make some good passes to give linemates scoring chances.
16. Peyton Defeo
Masconomet, 2/13/02, RW, right shot, 5-9/150
Defeo seemingly had a goal in every Masconomet game I saw this winter. On the smaller side, he’s quick and finished with eight goals and seven assists.
17. Colin Pickett
Lowell, 6/10/05, C/LW, left shot
Pickett played some forward for the Red Raiders but has been a defenseman for most of his playing career. He sees the ice well and was able to make plays to the tune of scoring a point per game as a freshman.
18. Cael Kohan
Triton, 7/22/03, C, right shot, 6-0/149
Kohan has good size and the ability to drive the net, as he showed during a playoff overtime game. He’s a player who could have a monster senior season in 2020-21.
19. TJ Fredo
North Andover, 1/1/02, RW, right shot
Fredo hit double digits in goals and certainly had a knack for finding the back of the net. In one playoff game I saw, he sniped one home for a key goal.
20. Brad Killion
Triton, 1/1/01, LW, left shot, 6-0/190
Killion used his size to plant himself in front of the net and make life difficult on opposing goaltenders. In the couple of Triton games I saw, he seemed to pot at least a goal per game, and they all came from right on top of the goal mouth.
21. Aidan Lowry
Triton, 11/7/02, C, left shot, 5-9/135
Lowry centered one of the middle six lines for the Vikings. He had a smooth stride and looked to be capable of taking the next step in his game while providing some secondary scoring punch.
Defensemen
1. Damon Alexander
Boston Latin, 7/12/04, D, left shot, 5-10/170
There was not a better defenseman in high school hockey this winter than Alexander. He’s a smooth-skating, strong offensive defenseman. He pushes puck possession with his ability to retrieve pucks and get them up ice to his wings. In the attacking zone, he has the ability to walk the blue line and get shots on net. In one playoff game, his Corsi had to be double-digits in the plus.
2. Caden Connors
Tewksbury, 12/30/03, D, left shot, 5-10/155
Connors is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who has the puck on his stick a lot when he’s on the ice. He totaled four goals and 14 assists this past winter in his second season of varsity play.
3. Jonathan Lanza
Winthrop, 3/10/05, D, right shot, 5-11/165
Lanza is a big, physically imposing defender for this level, even as a freshman. He was involved in the play a lot, whether it was the puck on his stick or bringing it physically in his own zone. He has a hard shot and can hit opposing players with his toughness.
4. Tom Barbati
Tewksbury, 3/5/02, D, left shot, 6-1/175
Barbati, who returned to his hometown high school after playing at South Kent Selects Academy, was a solid two-way defenseman on the top pairing. He averaged nearly a point per game for the Redmen in 2019-20. The first American taken in the 2018 QMJHL draft, Barbati likely will play junior hockey next season.
5. Drew Damiani
Lynnfield, 3/3/05, D, right shot, 5-8/145
Damiani needs to improve his skating, but he’s going to make a good prep player someday due to his ability to move pucks north and contribute offensively. He was the top player for the Pioneers as a freshman.
6. Tyler Godfrey
Triton, 6/10/02, D, right shot, 5-10/160
In seemed that Godfrey started just about every goal Triton scored when I was watching. A puck-moving senior defenseman, he got shots through from the point and pushed the pace in transition.
7. Jayden Cormier
Lincoln-Sudbury, 1/1/02, D, right shot, 6-0/170
Cormier, a senior, has good size and his shot from the right point was effective. He looked like a good athlete who could make an impact for a prep team as a PG in 2020-21.
Goaltenders
1. Patrick Green
North Andover, 11/9/03, G, catches left, 5-10/145
Green is average sized but plays the position well technically. He skates well and has quick reflexes. The only area I saw that could use some improvement is how he tracks pucks. Overall, he was one of the better goalies, regardless of division, that I saw during the past high school season. Green is heading to Brewster Academy for the 2020-21 season.
2. Tucker Hanson
Masconomet, 1/1/01, G, catches left, 5-10/155
Hanson also is a little undersized for a modern-era goaltender, but he’s quick and makes the saves he’s supposed to make. In multiple viewings of the Chieftains, he showed that he was athletic and could be counted on by his coaches and teammates. Hanson is slated to play for the Valley Junior Warriors in the EHL.
3. Luke Roberts
Wakefield, 6/1/02, G, catches left, 6-2/170
Roberts has good size and was a key reason the Warriors enjoyed one of their best seasons in recent memory. A senior, he’s looking to join a Tier 3 junior team in the fall.
4. Jack Russo
Swampscott, 12/19/04, G, catches left
I saw Swampscott only once, but Russo made a ton of saves and looked to be a key part in the Big Blue’s tournament surge.
