MARLBORO, Mass. — A lot of talent was at the Mass. Hockey boys festival over the past two weekends.
Now it’s time for the evaluators to pluck the best from the best to attend USA Hockey Select Camps this summer.
This past weekend marked the final stage of the selection process after the competition dwindled from roughly 80 to 40 players among the ‘09s, ‘10s and ‘11s.
The draw of attending Select Camp is a big one. These are heavily scouted development camps and feature some of the best rising talent across the country. All camps will be held in Amherst, N.Y., in June and July. The ‘09s are hoping to land a spot at Select 17 Camp — their final opportunity to go to development camp — while the ‘10s will compete at Select 16 Camp and the ‘11s at Select 15 Camp.
My picks will be based on last season’s numbers for each age group, which are as follows. I would expect this year’s roster construction to be similar.
- Select 17: Nine forwards, five defensemen, one goalie
- Select 16: Nine forwards, five defensemen, one goalie
- Select 15: 10 forwards, five defensemen, two goalies
New England Hockey Journal doesn’t have any say in who moves on. These predictions are simply my opinion.
These players are ranked in order based on their performance at the festival.
2009s
Forwards:
- Joseph Coveluzzi
- Caiden Pellegrino
- Jack Funk
- Chase Warsofsky
- Owen Kailher
- Luke Dickson
- Cade Noonan
- Devin Cokinos
- Paulo Gualberto Jr
Defensemen:
- Kurt Beck
- Ryder Bisson
- Easton Anello
- Jacoby Palmer
- Preston Abbott
Goalie:
- Mason Raycroft
Rationale: I really liked Coveluzzi both weekends. He showed great vision and was a three-zone player who never stopped moving. From there, Pellegrino, Funk, Warsofsky and Kailher showcased themselves as high-end forwards with elite skill and playmaking ability. As for Dickson, he had a nose for the net both weekends. It’s always a great sign when a player can have that scoring knack transfer to the next weekend. That became obvious after his two goals on Saturday. There were some tough omissions regarding the final three spots, which included Tommy Moore (Milton, Mass.) and Gavin O’Toole (Canton, Mass.)
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On the backend, Beck was one of my favorite players I saw at the festival. He was one of the bigger players on the ice, but he showed immense speed on the rush and played the game hard. This is an easy choice for the evaluators. I feel similarly about Bisson, who I think really proved himself this weekend as a steady puck-mover. Anello is another blueliner who isn’t afraid to rush the puck, yet he plays a responsible two-way game. For me, Abbott and Palmer popped on Sunday. Both displayed an offensive side to their game. The hardest omission was Noah Mazzola (Lynnfield, Mass.), who played well on Sunday and inserted himself well. I also considered Nikolaos Tzouganatos (Sudbury, Mass.).
The goalie battle came down to Raycroft and Justin Lee (Newton, Mass.) Both are great goalies, but I think Raycroft looked really good.
2010s
Forwards:
- Colin Walsh
- Ethan Machado
- Carter Felt
- Owen Frick
- Robert DeKleine
- Drew Short
- Brayden Dickie
- Michael Barrett
- Owen Lundin
Defensemen:
- Logan Cotter
- Samuel Fishbone
- Alexander Guo
- Brendan Martin
- Benjamin Beaudry
Goalie:
- Will Torres
Rationale: I loved Walsh’s play throughout the festival as a physical power forward who showcased a lot of offensive upside. He found the back of the net on Sunday. Machado, meanwhile, was buzzing around the rinks. You couldn’t miss him. He had a serious pep in his step and ended the weekend well with a goal and two helpers on Sunday. From there, Felt, Frick and DeKleine were hard to play against. Felt and Frick were very strong skaters, and DeKleine demonstrated some serious offensive flair. It got more challenging down the list, but I went with Short, Dickie, Lundin and Barrett. I think Dickie surprised a lot of people at this event. He scored a few goals and was so good on the rush, making plays for himself and others. Tough omissions include Austin Wu (Dedham, Mass.), Jamie Calla (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Blake Ward (Melrose, Mass.).
There isn’t much to debate about Cotter. He was so good all weekend in all three zones. He was so smooth and patient with the puck on his stick and knew when to jump into the play. He was also fantastic in the corners and played the body well. Fishbone and Guo fit a similar mold, while Martin and Beaudry had active sticks in the neutral zone and made good steps.
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Torres showed well between the pipes, especially on Saturday. He made a nice stop on a breakaway and flashed his pad to deny the opposition on an odd-man rush. Kennedy Keung (Burlington, Mass.) was really good, too.
2011s
Forwards:
- Jackson Liao
- Chris Welby
- Max Prudovsky
- Deacon Brackett
- Mason McGovern
- Ryan Orszulak
- Patrick Taylor
- Robert McCann
- Theodore Iwasinski
- Brayden Campanale
Defensemen:
- Sam Archibald
- Alexander Bobrov
- Jake Reneau
- Emmett Aufiero
- Jaxson Kilimonis
Goalies:
- Ryan Pandolfo
- Brody Dickinson
Rationale: Liao’s skill was on another level at this event. After purely dominating the first weekend, he set himself apart this past weekend as a fast skater in transition and a nifty puckhandler. Welby was another player who was all over the ice, scoring a goal on Sunday on a slick shot through the five-hole. Prudovsky was effective in the offensive zone and had good hands. On one shift on Sunday, he rang the post twice. I also really liked McGovern, Orszulak and Taylor. It got a little more challenging from there, but I went with Iwasinski and Campanale to round out the forwards.
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At times, it looked like Archibald and Bobrov were controlling the game on Sunday. These defenders are easy picks. Archibald found the back of the net, and Bobrov had a primary assist. They were everywhere. Reneau and McElaney also showed well as two-way defenders who could move pucks up ice, while Kilimonis was a beast. He was throwing his weight around all game and was so hard to play against. My hardest omissions were Brayden Trach (Needham, Mass.) and Drew McElaney (Hingham, Mass.).
Goalies are always hard to judge in these events, but Pandolfo and Dickinson played well throughout the festival.
