When the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings came out earlier this month, there were 11 current players from New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association listed.
Each NHL organization has its own list and it could vary significantly from that of NHL Central Scouting. However, NHL Central Scouting serves its purpose of identifying most of the qualified prospects for the upcoming draft.
Dexter senior center John Farinacci, despite missing significant time due to injury, was tops among prep players, coming in as the 37th ranked North American skater.
Farinacci has the least flaws of any of the 11 prep players ranked by NHL Central Scouting. The Chatham, N.J., native is probably the least talked about draft eligible prospect in prep hockey because there is more of a consensus on his ability.
Many of the other prospects have positives, but there are also negatives or questions regarding how their games will translate to the next level. While all 11 are certainly very good hockey players at the prep level, their upside in terms of NHL projection varies.
Here’s my top five prep players for the 2019 NHL Draft, including one player not ranked by NHL Central Scouting:
John Farinacci
#9 Dexter, C, Right Shot, 6-0/180
NCAA Commit: Harvard
Farinacci missed 14 games of the season, including the team’s two holiday tournaments. After going scoreless in his first game back, he’s scored a goal in three straight and added four assists over that time.
Farinacci was very good at Saturday’s game against Lawrence. He scored the team’s only goal in a 1-1 tie. However, he rang the post in overtime and made a couple of other really nice plays. He’s really good with the puck on his stick and he has the stick-handling to protect pucks and maneuver in traffic.
Another thing going in his favor is he’s been good in his limited action in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. That’s obviously better competition and will be a key part of his evaluation when NHL teams sit down to discuss their final list heading into June’s draft in Vancouver.
If there’s one area of his game that could use work it’s away from the puck. He sometimes appears to lack compete in his half of the ice. However, that’s less important with a player who has his offensive upside.
Jayden Struble
#3 St. Sebastian’s, 8/9/01, D, Left Shot, 6-0/194
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
The Cumberland, R.I., native has had a monster season offensively. An athletic, puck-moving defenseman, Struble is second on the Arrows in scoring with eight goals and 18 assists in 19 games played.
His skating is the best of any draft eligible player in the New England prep ranks. It allows him to retrieve pucks and start the transition up ice. He can carry it up ice and he also has good touch on his passes.
In the offensive zone, he’s able to quarterback a power play and get shots through from the point. His feet allow him to walk the blue line and side step forecheckers to get clear shooting or passing lanes.
Defensively, Struble is a little less consistent. He’s certainly able to bring it physically and can make some bone-jarring hits. However, he has a tendency to run around some or seem disinterested when the competition isn’t as high.
Many NHL scouts have concerns over his antics on the ice. He’s earned a few misconduct penalties and his body language isn’t always the best.
Nonetheless, there’s too much talent and potential for Struble to not be the second prep player picked in Vancouver.
Braden Doyle
#7 Lawrence, 8/24/01, D, Left Shot, 5-10/165
NCAA Commit: Boston University
Doyle logs a ton of minutes for the Spartans, a team that remains undefeated on the season. His play this season has been solid and his game has matured significantly.
The Lynnfield, Mass., native has always had the vision and puck skills to be a puck-moving defenseman who can join the rush and quarterback a power play. He’s been very efficient at moving pucks up ice and starting the offense from the backend this season.
That comes as no surprise to anyone who’s watched Doyle over the years. However, the most intriguing aspect of his play this season has been what he hasn’t done. His turnovers have decreased significantly and he’s forcing plays a lot less than he has in the past.
He has a good stick and feet which allows him to get in the way of shots and passes in the defensive end. Still, Doyle is a rover who will always be more of an offensive defenseman than anything else.
One concern remains his foot speed. Doyle’s skating stride is fine, but he isn’t the most explosive skater. For this level and even in college, it will be good, but he’ll need to get that second gear in order to make the jump to pro hockey.
Cade Webber
#8 Rivers, 1/5/01, D, Left Shot, 6-6/200
NCAA Commit: Boston University
The Meadville, Pa., native missed significant time due to an injury he suffered in an early season game against Thayer.
Starting with the positives, being 6-foot-6 and a good skater is not a teachable quality. His mobility and range for being his size is an immeasurable attribute when it comes to projecting hockey players.
There are concerns. Can Webber use that size and skating ability to finish plays. Oftentimes, Webber will carry the puck up ice, get down into the corner and the play goes dead. For such a big, rangy defenseman, Webber doesn’t use his body to engage in the defensive zone.
If he can put it all together, there is a ton of upside, due to him being a huge defenseman that can skate. However, there remains a lot of question marks in his game.
Webber played up with USA Hockey’s NTDP during its college exhibition swing through New England and for the most part didn’t look too out of place. Maybe he’s just over prep hockey and disinterested in the competition at this level.
There’s likely going to be a NHL team that takes him higher than a lot of others would just based on his size and skating ability.
Ben Meehan
#14 Dexter, 4/20/01, D, Left Shot, 6-1/190
NCAA Commit: UMass Lowell
Going off the board here as Meehan wasn’t listed by NHL Central Scouting. The Walpole, Mass., native simply gets the job done on a consistent basis. In all of my viewings of Dexter this winter, he’s been steady and made very few mistakes.
Meehan, whose dad played college hockey at UMass Lowell, is a defenseman with a mean streak. He’s tough and he wins a lot of one-on-one battles. He has a good stick and is tough to knock off pucks. He also uses that good stick and body positioning to get in the way of shooting and passing lanes.
While Meehan rarely will make a big rush up ice, he makes a good, smart outlet pass. His offensive production has increased significantly this season and he’s been on the first power play unit for Dexter.
The one area of concern is his feet and foot speed aren’t great. It’s certainly not bad, but he’s not going to blow by anyone or make a juke to make a forechecker miss.
While there might be other players with more athletic upside, Meehan’s ability to play an intelligent, steady game is tough to ignore in the opinion of this observer.
It seems that every year there is a NHL organization that goes off the board to select a player late in the draft who was overlooked by NHL Central Scouting. This year, that player could be Meehan.
