NEEDHAM, Mass. -- St. Andrew’s College won the 2019 St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament by defeating Rivers, Williston, and Brunswick.
The Saints, buoyed by quite a few future Division I college hockey players, were impressive. It’s the second of three swings through the Boston area for the Aurora, Ontario, prep school.
David Manning’s team came down the weekend after Thanksgiving to play Dexter and compete in the Belmont Hill Jamboree. St. Andrew’s will be back January 3-5, 2020 to play in the True Cup at Merrimack College.
While bouncing back and forth between the various holiday tournaments, I didn’t spend as much time at the St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament as I would have liked, but I did check out four games and want to give some highlights of what prospects stood out at Lane Rink.
Top committed players
Timmy Delay
St. Sebastian’s, 6/16/03, C, right shot, 6-0.25/162
NCAA commit: Boston College
The knock on Delay for the past year or so was that he didn’t produce as much as he could given his tremendous skating ability and hands. All of a sudden it seems to be clicking. He had five points in this tournament as he used his speed and skill to his advantage. He’s one of the top two or three skaters in prep school hockey, regardless of birth year.
Jack Bar
St. Andrew’s, 10/7/02, D, right shot, 6-2/175
NCAA commit: Harvard
Bar had three points on the weekend and is a huge presence on the blue line on both sides of the puck. He sees the ice well and is able to make smart and efficient breakout passes. He can also quarterback a power play. While he doesn’t have blazing speed, his hockey sense allows him to gap well and take away time and space.
Justin Ertel
St. Andrew’s, 5/27/03, LW, left shot, 6-0.5/186
NCAA commit: Cornell
Ertel had a goal and an assist Friday night against Rivers and added two goals in the championship game win over Brunswick. Ertel isn’t a flashy player, but every time I watch him, he’s producing on the score sheet. He’s heavy on pucks and smart, which allows him to force turnovers and be in the right position to get open and get scoring chances.
Devlin O’Brien
St. Andrew’s, 4/5/02, LW, left shot, 5-10/165
NCAA commit: Merrimack
O’Brien has elite speed and compete. He had a goal and an assist Friday versus Rivers. While his hockey sense and overall offensive skill set aren’t elite, he can blow by defenders and impact the play on the forecheck.
Matt McGroarty
Brunswick, 1/30/03, LW, right shot, 5-10/159
NCAA commit: Quinnipiac
McGroarty had a slow start to the prep season, but his production has picked up as of late and that continued here at St. Sebastian’s. The thing you have to like about McGroarty is that he plays hard and can be reliable away from the puck even when he’s not producing.
Mark Hillier
St. Andrew’s, 3/18/02, C, left shot, 6-0/184
NCAA commit: Merrimack
Hillier was quiet this weekend outside of a goal in Friday’s game. He’s a cerebral, smart forward who sees the ice well.
Top uncommitted players
Andon Cerbone
Brunswick, 4/13/04, C, left shot, 5-7/137
Cerbone had a big weekend, posting four points in three games. He continues to show he has the skill and offensive instincts to make plays. He’s really good coming off the wall and can stickhandle away from opposing defenders.
Brendan Dumas
St. Sebastian’s, 8/28/02, C, right shot, 5-10/180
In the past, Dumas impressed as a third liner who played hard, kept his feet moving, and played with an edge. He’s starting to produce, scoring a goal in each game of this tournament. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s a player to watch as the progress he’s made in his game over the past year is remarkable. If he continues trending in this direction, Division I might not be out of the picture.
Jake Black
Winchendon, 3/5/02, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
Black had an assist on the one goal his team scored against Brunswick on Friday night. He uses his speed to his advantage and he can make some plays on the rush.
Nate Boak
Northwood, 7/12/02, D, left shot, 5-8/160
Boak had five points from the backend over the last two games here. A smaller, offensive defenseman, he’s quick and uses his feet to sidestep forecheckers, get shots on net, and make plays to push the pace in transition.
