Salisbury was one goal away from returning to the Elite 8 championship game last spring. The Crimson Knights fell, 4-3, in overtime to eventual champion Kimball Union in the semifinals.
Like everyone else, the Crimson Knights lost a fair amount of talent to graduation. But where things are different from the other prep powerhouses is the amount of talent returning, combined with the high-end, older prospects coming in.
"Our expectation as a staff is that we're going to be able to play our style and our game relatively early in the season," Salisbury head coach Andrew Will said. "How that translates to wins and losses, we're not worried about that. But we want to get to playing our game as quickly as we can."
Typically, Salisbury struggles early in the season. In the 2021-22 season, the Crimson Knights lost four of six games from Dec. 11 through the Flood Marr Tournament before only losing one more time en route to an Elite 8 title. They won their first three matchups last season and dropped four of their next eight games. They were fine, however, comfortably making the Elite 8 in the end.
But this roster shouldn't struggle as much at the start. It's why Salisbury enters with such high expectations.
It's also why Salisbury is our preseason No. 1 team in boys prep hockey.
A mix of old and new up front led by Connor Davis
Davis burst onto the scene last season with 12 goals and 30 points in 27 games in his first season at Salisbury. The Vaudreuil, Quebec native was consistently Salisbury's most noticeable forward. His compete, skill and offensive sense propelled him into being a Division 1 prospect.
That came true this summer when Davis committed to Northeastern.
"He had a really good summer just continuing to get stronger and quicker and a year more of maturity," Will said. "I think he's going to help set the pace for us up front."
Davis was also put in the spotlight when he was included in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list, given a "W" rating for players deemed a sixth- or seventh-round candidate come June's draft.
"It's trying to help them see that as an opportunity as opposed to pressure," Will said of the extra attention. "Those are guys who through their ability, through their hard work and what they've put into it, have put them in a situation where they're having those eyes on them and those evaluations happening. Trying to help them see that the way to maximize the opportunity is by continuing to dive into and commit to the details of their habits and hard work.
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"Helping them understand that it isn't, in our case, going to the Flood-Marr and scoring 10 goals to get drafted. It's a year-long process and there's going to be a lot of different people looking at you over the course of the season."
Fortunately for Davis, he won't be a lone wolf up front. In terms of returners, Nicolas Petrut opted for a postgrad year. He posted eight goals and 24 points in 27 games last season. He should take another step forward.
So, too, should Ryan Hedley. Now a senior, he had 10 goals and 21 points last winter. Senior Oliver Morris should also make an impact.
"He's poised to really continue to take his game to that next level," Will said. "He was a really impactful guy for us last year and now has a chance to have an increased role and involvement in what he's doing."
While Hedley, Davis and Keanan Hodgson are assistant captains, senior Brud Delaney will wear the "C." He had 10 points last season.
"He's kind of a swiss army knife kind of guy," Will said. "Extremely smart guy who plays in all three zones and both sides of the puck. We can really plug him in with a lot of different types of players in our lineup. He can play with those high-end skill guys and he can also be a guy that you can rely on to shut opposing teams down."
The returners won't be alone in being relied upon to produce.
Will brought in three '06s. One is Jake Novak (Needham, Mass.), who posted 16 goals and 32 points for Roxbury Latin last season. The 5-foot-9, 154-pound forward is known for his compete, ability to win pucks down low and find ways to produce.
Another is Hodgson. The 6-foot-2, 174-pound forward played for Culver Military Academy the last two winters.
"Big, strong, hard-working guy who's going to be really effective on both sides of the puck and bring some outstanding leadership qualities," Will said.
Liam Baxter is the final one, coming from Upper Canada College. The Toronto native posted 23 goals and 46 points in 48 games last season.
"He plays hard, has a high IQ," Will said. "A guy who's going to bring a lot of versatility, experience and maturity for us."
Salisbury also brought in two '07s in Luke Walkauskas out of North Allegheny (Penn.) high school and Riley Slovis, who was previously with the Cleveland Barons.
A new crew on defense
Salisbury lost its top three defenders from last season in Holy Cross commit Anthony Biakabutuka, Zach Walsh and Ty Creech. Will has a number of players he can turn to replace that talent.
For returners, it starts with Kieran Riley, a junior '07 who had one goal and five points last season.
"He's a guy who was really good for us last year," Will said. "Good size, extremely mobile. He's got some phenomenal feet and legs. His skating is really a separator. He's worked hard on his play away from the puck."
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Finn Boyd and Ian Wheland are also back. While neither will jump off the stat sheet, they bring a different element to the lineup.
"Neither of those guys are monsters but they're heavy and hard to play against," Will said. "They take a lot of pride in defending well and getting in shot lanes and making the plays that are there."
Caden Creech projects to make an impact on defense, too. The '07 is a Princeton lacrosse commit. Will attributes him with bringing emotional energy for the group and playing with an edge.
The high upside on defense, however, comes from the new players on the roster.
The oldest is Jake Jarrell. The '06 was a star for Pope Francis in the MIAA with 13 goals and 28 points last season. Walsh entered Salisbury last season in a similar circumstance — a postgraduate defenseman who can contribute a lot of offense. Jarrell should be able to fill those shoes.
Will has three '08s entering the fold. Colin Feeley, a Harvard commit, is one. The 6-foot-6, 174-pound defenseman still has a ways to go in his development. But what he could turn into excites onlookers.
"Big, long, rangy defenseman," Will said. "He has a little bit of bite to his game, but also distributes pucks well."
Someone who has the potential to produce offense is Chris Baird-Gajdos. The 6-foot-2, 181-pound defenseman enters Salisbury from Little Caesars where he had 39 points with the 15O team last season. He's a smooth skater who moves pucks up ice well and knows when to join the rush.
Finally, there's Zach Gill. Spencer Gill, one of his older brothers, was drafted in the second round (59th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year. His other older brother, Dyllan, was picked in the seventh round (223rd overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.
"He's got some great pedigree," Will said of Zach. "His brothers went through the [QMJHL], they're both NHL Draft picks. He's got that maturity and presence and drive about him. I think he's going to be a really good addition."
The plan in net
Last season, Cooper Flemming had a bit of shaky start, but stabilized. All along, however, Steven Luciano (New Canaan, Conn.) was pushing for the job.
Flemming graduated and is with the Powell River Kings in the BCHL, leaving Luciano as the lone returner from last season. The senior '07 looks poised to own the net. He was drafted in the ninth round (137th overall) by the Omaha Lancers in this year's USHL Phase 2 Draft.
"We are excited to see how Steven takes that next step," Will said. "I thought he had a really good year for us last year and we're really looking for him to come in and be a guy that we're counting on to play important, meaningful minutes for us."
Pushing him will be Jordan Rittenberg, an '08 out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rittenberg, who is 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, was with the Cole Harbour Wolfpack last season. He's also a great baseball player, according to Will.
"Good size kid, athletic," Will said. "He moves well and has really good poise and composure."
A common theme with goaltending in prep is competition. Luciano competed with Flemming for the net last season. Now, it will be up to Rittenberg to challenge Luciano, ideally keeping the senior goalie on his toes and at his best.
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"Jordan's a year younger but we're looking for some really good, healthy competition in net," Will said. "I think right now, their play is going to dictate how our goaltending goes. We're very comfortable with all those guys. We have that experience of working with Stephen last year and having him get some really good success at our level and looking to build on that. But also feel that Jordan's going to push and challenge him."
