On Wednesday, Salisbury continued its torrent demolition of the rest of the field in a quest for a sixth New England Prep School Athletic Counsel championship in boys hockey.
One quick look up and down the lineup made it is easy to see why Salisbury hasn’t lost but three times all winter. In the team’s 7-1 stomping of Taft, Andrew Will’s team ran out four forward lines that consisted of three NCAA commits on the first line followed by two each on the next three.
Add to that a starting defensive pair that includes two NCAA commits, and it is easy to see why Salisbury is the front runner to be crowned champion of prep school hockey for the first time since 2015.
As prep school hockey has trended older, it hasn’t always been the most talented teams to bring home the ultimate hardware. Instead, it’s often gone to teams with the most veteran-laden lineup.
This year’s Salisbury team bucks the trend. While the Crimson Knights have some older players on defense, all but one of the impact forwards are ‘01s and ‘02s.
One of those veteran defensemen is Brown commit Luke Krys of Ridgefield, Conn. The Krys name is no stranger to hockey fans. His brother, Chad Krys, is a Chicago Blackhawks prospect who plays for Boston University. His dad, Mark Krys, captained the 1990-91 Terriers to finish out a solid four year career there.
Luke plays more like his dad than his brother. The late ’00 who is in his first year of draft eligibility isn’t as offensive-minded or as gifted with handling the puck as his brother Chad, but he has several attributes that NHL organizations note when scouting him.
Luke is certainly better defending than his brother as has more length and reach. He’s able to retrieve pucks. While his hockey sense isn’t elite, he’s able to do a good job making decisions at this level.
Krys’ defensive partner is fellow Brown commit Bayard Hall, whose game has come a long way over the past couple of seasons. He has a good stick and plays mistake-free for the most part with solid body positioning. If he can continue to improve his explosiveness and assertiveness, Hall’s stock will rise higher.
Penn State commit Jarod Crespo didn’t play on Wednesday due to sickness, so the second pairing was made up of Bobby Metz and the team’s captain, Clay Corpi.
The team’s leading scorer, junior left wing Justin Hryckowian, has the best hands of any player in prep hockey. Those hands and puck skills were on full display in Wednesday’s win over Taft. He had a goal and three assists. On his goal, he made a nice move cutting in from left to right, getting the goaltender to open his legs before sliding a backhand through the five-hole. One of his assists came on a terrific cross-crease pass that landed right on the tape of a linemate for an easy finish.
Hryckowian, a first year prep player from L’Île-Bizard, Quebec, is committed to Northeastern for the 2020-21 season. He’ll need to improve his footwork some, but he’s on the right track to becoming yet another high-scoring forward for the Huskies.
Hryckowian’s linemates, center Lucas Mercuri and right wing Matt Coronato, are very good players in their own right. Mercuri, another Quebec native, is committed to Vermont and has a hard shot and ability to control play below the dots with his size, strength and net drive. Coronato, a Harvard commit, has the best wheels of anyone on the line. He’s a 200-foot, play-making forward who can also play down the middle.
The second line is more of a power trio. Center Jake Quillan has grown a lot over the last couple of years and can really rip a shot in addition to being a strong skater who is hard to knock off pucks. From Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Quillan is committed to Quinnipiac.
On his right wing is East Haven, Conn., native Nick Capone, a Maine commit. There is not a single player in prep hockey who can deliver a body check like Capone. He’s a huge, physical presence who can also win puck battles and fire shots from below the dots. Michael Fairfax, who is not yet committed, rounds out the line on the left wing.
The third line is the fastest with UMass commit Michael Cameron holding down the middle. Cameron is a speedy, smart 200-foot playmaker while Providence commit Cole Vallese is a fast left wing that can make a good F1 on the forecheck. Matt DeBoer, the son of San Jose Sharks coach Pete DeBoer, is the line’s right wing.
The fourth line shows just an embarrassment of riches with UConn commit Ilya Usov centering the group. On the left wing is Thomas Richter, a Greenwich, Conn., native and son of longtime New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter. He’s committed to playing college hockey at Union.
There seems to be little getting in the way of Salisbury and a seventh prep school title come the first weekend of March at Trinity College.
Salisbury Lines
19 Justin Hryckowian - 7 Lucas Mercuri - 27 Matt Coronato
11 Michael Fairfax - 28 Jake Quillan - 17 Nick Capone
24 Cole Vallese - 16 Michael Cameron - 9 Matt DeBoer
15 Thomas Richter - 20 Ilya Usov - 12 Dean Bauchiero/22 Brendan Kennedy
5 Luke Krys - 6 Bayard Hall
18 Clay Korpi - 8 Bobby Metz
1 Jared Levine
30 Nick Haas
