HUDSON, N.H. — There were some promising prospects in action at the New England District 14-U Tournament over the weekend at Cyclones Arena.
Mount Saint Charles defeated Mid Fairfield Rangers, 6-3, in Sunday’s final to earn the district’s automatic bid to USA Hockey Nationals later this month in Texas.
Mid Fairfield had defeated Mount Saint Charles on Saturday in round-robin play. The two teams were a notch above the rest of the competition in Hudson. Seacoast Performance Academy put up a good fight on Friday in a 3-3 tie against Mid Fairfield. The New Hampshire Avalanche were the fourth team at the district tournament.
I watched Friday’s games and Sunday’s final. There were several players worth mentioning, but there were three clear standouts. Below is an in-depth look at the top three prospects followed by evaluations of 21 others.
Top three prospects
1. Drew DellaSalla
Mid Fairfield, 5/8/06, C, left shot, 5-9/128
DellaSalla stood out in a big way this weekend. He’s always shown some flashes, but he was dominant at times. The Rye, N.Y., native had the puck on his stick a lot and made a ton of plays. There weren’t many Mid Fairfield scoring chances that he wasn’t directly involved in one way or another. He has skill, length and skating ability to bring a combination of finesse and power to his repertoire. DellaSalla is a terrific talent, but if nitpicking, he’d be even better if he used his teammates a little more. It’s a year away, but he definitely will be on the NTDP radar for 2022-23.
2. James Hagens
Mount Saint Charles, 11/3/06, C, left shot, 5-7/130
Hagens is an elite offensive player with skill, quickness and offensive instincts. A late ’06, he’s on the smaller side, but he’s crafty, can make plays and finish. He scored three goals during the two games I watched. He gets the puck off his stick quickly and with some zip. From Hauppauge, N.Y., Hagens is certainly in line to be in the mix for a roster spot on the NTDP in 2022-23.
3. Will Felicio
Mount Saint Charles, 5/19/06, D, left shot, 5-9/150
Felicio, from Holden, Mass., is a smooth, puck-moving, offensive defenseman. His vision stood out to me on numerous occasions during Friday’s game. A perfect example of that was when he was at the right point and found Joseph Monteiro at the back door for an easy tap-in goal. Felicio is one of the best defensemen in the region for this birth year.
Honorable Mention
Ben Bradley
Mid Fairfield, 6/12/06, LW, left shot, 6-1/185
Bradley likely was the strongest player on the ice this weekend among this division. The Weston, Conn., native is a physically mature, big winger. There were numerous instances where he overpowered his opposition and won puck battles. Bradley can shoot it hard, and he’s certainly a force below the dots.
Walker Bright
Mid Fairfield, 6/3/06, RW, right shot, 5-9/150
Bright is probably the most complete player on his team’s first line that also features DellaSalla and Bradley. From New Canaan, Conn., Bright skates well, is a smart two-way player and can be utilized in all situations. He’s heading to Berkshire School.
Sacha Boisvert
Mount Saint Charles, 3/17/06, C, left shot, 6-0/146
From Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Boisvert centers the second line for Mount. He’s a smart, cerebral center with good size.
Aidan Burwell
Seacoast, 4/29/06, RW, right shot, 5-10/175
Burwell is a good-sized winger who can be effective when playing a powerful, north-south game. He shoots it hard and gets to the scoring areas. He’s from Derry, N.H.
Cooper Cleaves
Mid Fairfield, 1/5/06, D, right shot, 5-8/150
Cleaves, from Greenwich, Conn., is a strong defenseman who can shoot it hard from the point. He plays the point on the first power-play unit and can be solid defensively with his strength.
Deke Davidson
Seacoast, 6/4/06, D, left shot, 5-8/140
Davidson is a good two-way defenseman who has played a little forward in the past. From Newmarket, N.H., he was solid defending the rush and also used his feet to jump up into the offense. He scored a power-play goal in Friday’s game.
Jackson Delleo
Mount Saint Charles, 1/13/06, RW, right shot, 5-9/140
Delleo is a goal scorer, but I liked the physical presence he brought to the games this weekend. He delivered a couple of big hits and used his size and strength to retrieve pucks and disrupt the opposition’s breakout. The Franklin, Mass., native has a good shot and has a promising future.
Max Dineen
Seacoast, 7/5/06, LW, left shot, 5-8/141
Dineen doesn’t jump out right away for his skill, but he’s an above-average skater who competes hard. The Brentwood, N.H., native was around the puck a good amount while playing wing on a top-two line.
Luke Gallo
Mount Saint Charles, 7/1/06, RW, right shot, 5-6/125
Gallo scored twice during my viewings. He’s on the smaller side, but he has good edges and can be elusive in small areas. The Dix Hills, N.Y., native scored a nice redirect goal on Friday, showing off his hands and his willingness to be in the greasy areas.
Ronnie Hill
Seacoast, 1/3/06, C, right shot, 5-7/130
Hill is a physically mature center who is heavy on pucks and shoots it with zip. He uses his size and strength to impact the play. From Saco, Maine, Hill forced a couple of turnovers and had some chances. He was the best forward on Seacoast based on my viewing.
Noah Jettelson
Mid Fairfield, 3/13/06, D, right shot, 5-10/150
Jettelson, from Carmel, N.Y., is a solid defenseman with length and mobility. He can contribute offensively, but also has a good stick when taking away time and space from opposing forwards.
Cayne Leive
Seacoast, 6/18/06, LW, left shot, 6-0/170
Leive, a Pittsburgh native now living in Scarborough, Maine, didn’t do a lot to stand out on Friday. However, I’ve been impressed by him in previous viewings. He has the size and can shoot it hard. Leive is a player to keep an eye on, especially if you’re a prep coach looking to add a goal-scoring winger.
Jack Montaldo
Mount Saint Charles, 6/1/06, D, right shot, 5-9/140
Montaldo contributes offensively quite a bit from the back end. The Commack, N.Y., native has good size and mobility.
Joseph Monteiro
Mount Saint Charles, 1/12/06, LW, left shot, 5-10/160
Monteiro is one of those goal scorers who seems to know where to go for pucks to find him. The Hudson, Mass., native uses his size and hockey sense to get open. He’ll go to the dirty areas, bulls his way to the front of the net, and wins battles along the wall and down low.
Jack Parsons
Mount Saint Charles, 1/15/06, G, catches left, 6-2/165
Parsons, from Ithaca, N.Y., doesn’t face much rubber in most games I’ve watched. He checks boxes for size, athleticism and technique. He picked up the win in Sunday’s final against Mid Fairfield. Ryder Shea likely is the goaltender everyone is chasing in this age group, but Parsons is certainly among the better 2006-born goaltenders in the country.
Liam Powell
Seacoast, 8/16/06, RW, right shot, 6-0/150
Powell had an assist on the power play and had some intriguing size. The Brentwood, Tenn., native is still a work in progress, but there could be upside here.
Kolin Sisson
Mount Saint Charles, 9/30/06, RW, right shot, 5-0/95
Sisson was the smallest player I took note of this weekend. He didn’t generate a ton on the scoresheet, but I liked how he played. The Lincoln, R.I., native did a good job recovering pucks and making plays down low. He kept a few cycles alive and created chances for open teammates.
Michael Solominsky
Seacoast, 6/22/06, D, right shot, 6-0/150
Solominsky is a player who I’ve never noticed before, but he stood out on Friday. The Ashburnham, Mass., native is a big righty with offensive skill. He’s strong and has a good stick. With his size, Solominsky should stay on the radar of coaches and scouts.
Blake Stant
Mid Fairfield, 4/7/06, D, left shot, 5-6/126
Stant, from New Canaan, Conn., probably was the best defender on his team this weekend. He’s confident and was solid defensively with his gap control, stick on pokechecks, and transitioning quickly from defense to offense.
Eric Whitelaw
Seacoast, 1/25/06, C, right shot, 5-9/157
Whitelaw is a smart, two-way forward who backchecked and did a good job with and without the puck. From Easton, Mass., Whitelaw has some potential and should be a solid prep player in a couple of years.
Tyler Wood
Mount Saint Charles, 2/15/06, LW, left shot, 6-0/165
Wood is a big power forward who can score goals, as he did here. He’s physically mature, shoots it hard, and can provide a net front presence. Wood is from Cornwall, Prince Edward Island.
