Concluding the New England Hockey Journal coverage on 16-U teams playing in the fall season for both split-season and full-season programs, the focus is on non-New England natives competing for teams both inside and outside of the region.
We previously covered the top-15 forwards and honorable mentions of New England natives. This top-10 is not a comprehensive list of players from all regions but is compiled from live viewings from the River Rats Jamboree all the way through the Beast series championship round (with Eastern Alliance Kickoff, USHL Fall Classic, Boston Jr. Bruins Shootout and many events in between).
The Long Island Gulls capped off a fine couple of months, winning the Beast 16-U championship game in a spirited affair against the Buffalo Regals in Attleboro on Oct. 24 by a 3-2 score. A pair of Northeastern recruits in Ben Poitras and Ben Yurchuk had standout performances for the Regals and Gulls respectively, but Poitras might be the fastest rising ’05 we have seen all year, and represents a significant get for Jerry Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) and his staff.
The series focus will next shift to the 18-U division, where there are myriad teams and players to shine a light on as we get closer to the start of the prep hockey season, while the 2021-22 full season rolls on.
