With the prep school hockey season ready to get going, an excitement is in the air around rinks across New England.
The 2019-20 season is sure to offer up surprises, while a lot of familiar faces and teams look to stay ahead of the pack.
A few teams, including three-time defending champion Kimball Union, have already played a game, but the prep school hockey season doesn’t start in earnest until after Thanksgiving. The weekend after Thanksgiving is highlighted by a few of the traditional jamborees before most of the circuit gets underway for real the Wednesday after (Dec. 11).
The New England Hockey Journal will have an abundance of preview material leading up to the season. To start things off, here’s a preview of three of the biggest storylines heading into 2019-20:
1. Will Kimball Union make it four straight?
Kimball Union lost key players from its team who made it three straight NEPSAC Elite 8 Championships last March. However, Tim Whitehead returns his top four scorers, including Edmonton Oilers draft pick and Providence commit Tomas Mazura.
The Wildcats return starting goaltender Veeti Kohvakka, but he’ll be tasked with being the last line of defense in front of a relatively young and inexperienced blue line, led by senior Teddy Griffin (Duxbury, Mass.).
KUA brings in ’04 Adam Fantilli, the most heralded newcomer in prep hockey. Many predict the Toronto, Ontario, native to be the first player chosen in the 2020 OHL Draft, if he opts to go that route. His brother, ’02 defenseman Luca Fantilli, ’03 defenseman Nicholas Bernardo (Brown), ’02 left wing Liam Walsh and ’03 goaltender Zakari Brice (Arizona State) are the other recruits of note.
It will be hard to bet against Kimball Union, especially with the advantage the team has in coaching. As always, Salisbury looks to be the top competition standing in the way.
2. Will Tilton, St. Mark’s make the jump?
Two teams primed for more of a prominent role in the 2019-20 prep school hockey season are Tilton and St. Mark’s.
Tilton, the defending Piatelli/Simmons Small School champion, is a contender to take it up to the next level this winter. The Rams, led by head coach Brooks McQuade, could very well be a team that earns home ice in the Elite 8 quarterfinals this season.
Leading the way for Tilton will be two returners, forward Jack Seymour and defenseman Jagger Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.), a Vermont commit. McQuade did a nice job of bringing in some postgraduate students who previously dominated the MIAA circuit. Tilton should have enough talent to go along with age and experience to find its way into the Elite 8.
St. Mark’s has been the sixth seed in the Small School tournament the past two seasons, but should be in the top half of that bracket this winter. The Lions are led by 2020 NHL Draft prospect Ian Moore (Concord, Mass.). The Princeton commit is a dynamic, puck-moving defenseman with excellent offensive instincts and skill.
St. Mark’s head coach Carl Corazzini expects to have more depth and be able to roll three lines this winter.
“The depth, it’s the most we’ve had, will help our team. In the past, we’ve fallen short due to that third line. I’m really excited about the group we have at forward and defense,” said Corazzini, who played college hockey at Boston University.
That depth includes senior defenseman Tucker Hartmann (Southboro, Mass.), senior forwards Danny Ciccarello, and junior forwards Jackson Coutu (Upton, Mass.) and Brendan Gibbons (South Kingstown, R.I).
The Lions have some solid newcomers, including forward Trevor O’Brien (Hingham, Mass.) and twin brothers, forward Cam Sullivan and defenseman Luke Sullivan of Westboro, Mass.
3. Who are the prospects to watch?
NHL scouts are always scouring the New England prep school circuit for players and this season will be no different.
Moore and Gunnery senior right wing Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.) will be the two most scouted prospects in the circuit ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft next June in Montreal. Scouts will be at plenty of Lawrence Academy games, as well, as the Spartans feature forwards Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.) and David Sacco (Middleton, Mass.).
Also on the prospect front, USA Hockey scouts will be keeping close tabs on a few prep players who could potentially make the 2020-21 U.S. NTDP U-17 team. Players born in 2004 are eligible to be considered for March’s NTDP Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Mich.
Dexter Southfield goaltender Dylan Silverstein appears to be a lock to make the camp and could very well find himself on next year’s roster. He was recently named to the U.S. roster for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Other players under consideration are Phillips Andover center William Hughes (Andover, Mass.), Cushing defenseman Jackson Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.), Thayer forward and Penn State recruit Michael Stenberg (Needham, Mass.), Avon Old Farms defenseman and Boston College commit Charlie Leddy (Fairfield, Conn.) and Brunswick center Andon Cerbone (Stamford, Conn.).
Last season, three prep players earned spots on the NTDP. Now playing for this year’s NTDP U-17 team are Boston University recruit Tyler Boucher (Avon Old Farms), and Northeastern commits Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass./St. Sebastian’s) and Ryan St. Louis (Riverside, Conn./Brunswick).
