MIAA: Top freshmen and eighth-graders

Ryan Leonard of Pope Francis finished the season with 24 goals and seven assists. (Wendy Harrington/Pope Francis Athletics)

There were several really good prospects among the freshmen and eighth-graders who skated for a Massachusetts high school hockey team this season.

With the way the development model is in Massachusetts right now, many of the best underclassmen in high school hockey leave before becoming seniors. For this reason, many of the best prospects in school hockey inevitably are the freshmen and eighth-graders.

Pope Francis freshman right wing Ryan Leonard recently was named New England Hockey Journal’s Rookie of the Year for MIAA. The Amherst, Mass., native leads off our list of the top 41 freshmen and eighth-grade prospects in the Massachusetts high school hockey circuit.