BELMONT, Mass. — There was little doubt as to which team had the most talent at the Belmont Hill Jamboree.
St. Andrew’s College, a Canadian prep school from Aurora, Ontario, had a few elite hockey players and impressive depth throughout its lineup. Five players on David Manning’s team are committed to Division I colleges and at least three to four more are likely to follow suit.
Several NHL scouts were in attendance to get a glimpse at a few of the top players on St. Andrew’s, while a myriad of college coaches and junior scouts from the USHL, USPHL and OHL took in the games as well.
There were five scrimmages played between the five teams: host Belmont Hill, Proctor, St. Andrew’s, St. Mark’s, and Winchendon. None of the four New England schools are as strong as they have been in recent years, but there were some players to watch, particularly on Belmont Hill and St. Mark’s.
Belmont Hill has a young team and will start the year without a proven prep school goaltender after Yale commit Connor Hopkins (Malden, Mass.) left to play his senior season in the BCHL. Last year’s leading scorers, ’00 Andrew Holland (Winchester, Mass.) and ’01 Luke Khozozian (Lexington, Mass.) are both back, as is two-way center Ryan McGuire (New Canaan, Conn.), an ’02 who is the son of NBC Sports NHL analyst Pierre McGuire.
Jeremiah McCarthy should have a strong group on the blue line, led by ’00 seniors James Perullo (Revere, Mass.) and Robert Radochia (Woburn, Mass.) and late ’01, Brown recruit Brett Bliss (Chelmsford, Mass.), the team’s only committed player.
A few young players to keep an eye on over the coming seasons are ’03 left wing Drew Blackwell (Haverhill, Mass.) and ’03 defensemen Will Killoran (Charlestown, Mass.), Tyler Rubin (Natick, Mass.) and Thomas Goguen (Weston, Mass.).
For St. Mark’s, Carl Corazzini’s crew had mixed results from the jamboree. Both games ended in 3-3 draws, but there were moments of positives and negatives. In prep school, teams need older players to be their leaders, but the Lions’ two best players are ’02 defensemen Tucker Hartmann (Southborough, Mass.) and Ian Moore (Concord, Mass.). Ian’s brother, ’00 Nolan Moore (Concord, Mass.), will be another key contributor on the blue line.
Offensively, St. Mark’s will be paced by ’00 senior captain Matthew Toporowski (Kirkland, Quebec) and ’03 sophomore Jackson Cuotu (Upton, Mass.). Sophomore ('02) Brendan Gibbons (South Kingstown, R.I.) and ’01 junior Danny Ciccarello (Kirkland, Quebec) will be two other forward the team will lean on over the course of the season.
Two newcomers to watch are ’03 forwards Eamon Connaughton (San Diego, Calif.) and Dom Murphy (Worcester, Mass.), who showed some positive signs yesterday.
Proctor and Winchendon both struggled on Saturday. Wing James Tepper (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was flying all over the ice and throwing his body around as usual, but there weren’t many other bright spots for the Hornets. The Wampitis salvaged a tie with St. Mark’s before giving up 10 goals against Belmont Hill. They didn’t bring rosters.
St. Andrew’s College Standouts
Jack Bar
#24 St. Andrew’s, 10/7/02, D, Right Shot, 6-2/175
NCAA Commit: Harvard
The Newmarket, Ontario, native was the best prospect here. A late ’02, he’s not eligible until the 2021 NHL Draft. He has good size, skates well, and makes good decisions with the puck. He quickly transitions from defense to offense, but he’s a two-way defenseman. He’s solid, reliable and smart in his own zone. He gaps well and has good body positioning.
Matthew Steinburg
#27 St. Andrew’s, 10/7/00, RW, Right Shot, 6-1/185
NCAA Commit: Cornell
A late ’00, Steinburg is in his year of draft eligibility. The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native is a heavy winger who plays well below the dots. He was able to use his size and strength to win puck battles down low and in the corners. He crashed the net and went to the dirty areas to pick up a few garbage goals. His skating and hands are just slightly above average, but his hockey sense, compete and ability to dominate down low will gain him some draft attention.
Brendan Bowie
#29 St. Andrew’s, 4/18/01, RW, Right Shot, 5-9/170
The Burlington, Ontario, native is a finisher. He’s on the smaller side, but his hands are terrific. He can toe-drag and he can switch sides with his stick-handling to keep pucks away from defensemen. His skating and lack of elite foot speed has scared some college coaches, but he’s absolutely dynamic enough to make it work at the collegiate level.
Frankie Carogioiello
#21 St. Andrew’s, 6/21/02, C, Left Shot, 5-8/155
NCAA Commit: Miami
Carogioiello is an undersized, speedy, playmaking center who was picked by the Erie Otters in the third round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. He’s really good in small areas between his agility and stick-handling.
Jack Agnew
#4 St. Andrew’s, 10/22/01, D, Right Shot, 6-0/200
NCAA Commit: St. Lawrence
Agnew isn’t really dynamic in anyone specific skill set, but he does a lot of things well. His one area where he got himself into a little trouble on Saturday is when he overplayed the puck. When he kept things simple, he retrieved pucks and made good, crisp outlet passes to push the pace and keep things out of the middle of the ice. He gapped well and made numerous good plays with his stick to defend on the rush.
Xavier Henry
#20 St. Andrew’s, 3/20/01, D, Left Shot, 6-4/192
Henry, from Scarborough, Ontario, is an intriguing prospect due to his size and physical tools. He’s interested in the college route as he came down for the 2017 Road to College Showcase at Babson. He’s huge and can play physically, but he’s also got a decent stick. He has a hard shot that he got off a few times from the point. He’s not afraid to activate and carry the puck, which obviously won’t be his strength as he moves up a level. He made a couple of good decisions, but also made some questionable plays. In short, he’s raw, but with his size and upside, a college should give him a shot.
Mark Hillier
#10 St. Andrew’s, 3/18/02, C, Left Shot, 6-0/172
NCAA Commit: Merrimack
Hillier, from Newfoundland, centered the second line for the Saints and showed he’s a cerebral, well-rounded player. He skates well and made some plays with good vision. A fourth round selection by the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL Draft, that’s a potential destination as well.
Devlin O’Brien
#11 St. Andrew’s, 4/5/02, LW, Left Shot, 5-10/174
O’Brien, a fifth round OHL Priority Selection pick of the Mississauga Steelheads, is a great skater who can get around the sheet. He didn’t show a great offensive skill set, but he scored a goal and proved to be more than a good complimentary player as a left wing on the top line.
