Prospects: Boston Advantage winger Will McDonough eyes NCAA future

After a busy summer, Boston Advantage right wing Will McDonough is starting to see his road to junior and college hockey take shape.

A rising sophomore from Duxbury, Mass., the big power forward known for his goal-scoring ability was the second overall pick in the 2021 USHL Phase I Draft, taken by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the first round of the Tier I junior league’s 2005 birth-year draft.

It marked the second year in a row that a Boston Advantage product was selected by Sioux Falls in the first round of the Futures Draft. McDonough’s teammate, 17-year-old Harvard commit defenseman Ryan Healey of Hull, Mass., was drafted by the organization No. 7 overall in 2020.

McDonough, who turned 16 in June, has played the past three seasons with Healey and the Boston-area hockey club, averaging more than a point per game. This past season, playing in four games with the program’s 16-U squad, coached by Healey’s father, Eric Healey, the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder totaled 10 points on eight goals and two assists.

“Will is a very talented player with a high hockey IQ, but I think the thing that’s most impressive is that he’s been a year younger, playing up a year, every single year,” said Advantage coach Healey, a former Rensselaer standout who went on to play 10-plus seasons professionally.

“It’s been a battle for him, but I think he’s taken it as a challenge and he’s seemed to find a way to succeed playing against older kids each and every year.”

Weeks prior to his first-round selection, McDonough attended USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp. He was one of six ’05 New Englanders invited, all of whom arrived in Plymouth, Mich., with high hopes of securing a spot on the U.S. National Under-17 Team for the 2021-22 season.

At the end of the four-day camp, he wasn’t one of the 24 players selected, but he certainly made his presence felt among the best players the country has to offer in his age group. Pope Francis’ Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), and Boston Junior Eagles’ Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) were the locals selected to join the NTDP.

“I thought he had an outstanding national camp, and he was in the mix to make that team,” Healey said. “I think he did himself a very good deed by playing the way he played that week. He proved a lot of people wrong and raised a bunch of eyebrows to say, ‘Hey, this kid is for real.’ He made it tough for them to make their decisions at the end of the week.”

Weeks later, McDonough was invited to USA Hockey Boys Select 16 Player Development Camp to vie for a spot on the U.S. National Under-17 Men’s Select Team that will represent the red, white and blue at the Five Nations Tournament later this summer in Visp, Switzerland.

He made the initial cut and was picked to participate in the camp’s annual All-Star Game, but again, wasn’t one of the players selected for the final 20-man roster.

“Will is a very competitive kid,” Healey said. “He works hard on the ice and he’s a gym rat, so he definitely has taken this personally ... and I hope he does because that’s what great players do. They take things to heart; they want to prove people wrong for second-guessing them.

“(Ryan) was the same way, he was in the top 40 and he wasn’t one of the players chosen, so he took it the same way that Will, hopefully, will. I think he will be motivated to prove people wrong.”

Healey, who’s a year older than McDonough – the two have been teammates since they were Mites – played for Team USA at this summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He began the 2020-21 season with the Advantage before being called up by the NTDP. He was then called up by Sioux Falls for a brief seven-game stint in the USHL.

McDonough hopes to do the same in 2021-22: start another season in New England with the Advantage 18-U before getting his feet wet at the next level.

“He’s gotten better every year,” Healey said. “He’s working on his skating, which has been a knock on him. But at the end of the day, he’s a big body who moves well for his size and he’s good in tight areas. He’s just going to continue to improve and get better each year. He puts in the work, and he will be reaping the benefits of it soon.”

Plus, when the time comes to commit, one college program will be getting much more than an impactful player on the ice, added Healey.

“As a coach, I’ve had him for a long time, and not only is he a good hockey player, but more importantly, he's a good teammate. It’s one thing to be a good player, but if you’re not a good person and a good teammate then that’s not a good trait to have.

“I’m extremely proud of what he’s done and what he's been able to accomplish. The future is bright for him and whoever is fortunate enough to have him as a college hockey player.”