One week into the official start of the 2021-22 prep hockey season, the fact that we have a return to play after much of the 2020-21 campaign was scrubbed due to the pandemic has been a welcome development.
As teams continue to work out the rust and kinks of some sloppy, disjointed early contests, here’s a quick look at six forwards who have impressed in the live viewings thus far. With the annual holiday tournament schedule right around the corner a week from now, there will be myriad opportunities for others to rise and make names for themselves.
For this analysis, I attended the Kimball Union Academy home opener against Bishop’s College School (BCS), based in Sherbrooke, Que., as well as the Exeter Invitational tournament.
This snapshot analysis of six forwards focuses on success, production, effort and potential to play at the D-1 collegiate and pro hockey levels with two players each from the 2003-05 birth years.
2003
Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.)
KUA, 5/4/03, right shot, 6-2/190
One of KUA’s captains, I’ve liked his game going back to the Beantown Summer Classic. A big-bodied right wing who competes hard and has very good hands and a heavy shot, Moriello scored a pair of goals in the season opener, including one third period strike that displayed nimble skill and a soft touch to carry the puck wide, then pull it back and snap it home just inside the post, when it appeared there was no room behind the BCS netminder.
Below the dots, he’s a boon in puck protection, shielding it from defenders and wearing defenses down by moving his feet and making smart decisions. When he has the puck on his stick he can get rid of it quickly and has the accuracy to paint the top corners. He’s also an unselfish passer who looks to find the open man and make those around him better.
His foot speed is what has likely prevented him from securing a commitment to date, but there is a lot to be said for his smarts and effort/compete. If he can get just a tad quicker off the mark, he’s got a chance to keep climbing the ladder, because everything else he does is higher-end.
Hank Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.)- Dartmouth
Brunswick, 12/25/03, left shot, 6-4/180
With his size, skating and shot, it’s not a surprise that the Mid Fairfield standout this past fall verbally committed to the Big Green this week. He’s eligible for the NHL draft, though still pretty raw at this stage of his development.
What stands out about Cleaves is his agility and quickness for his body type. He gets around the ice with authority and puts in the work on each shift. He has a heavy shot that should translate at this level and the next as he refines his mechanics and accuracy.
At times he can get locked in with some tunnel vision, so want to keep watching to see if he can improve his vision and overall awareness, but there is a lot to like about Cleaves and his longer-term potential as a project forward. He will likely play in juniors before he makes the jump to the ECAC and should appeal to USHL and BCHL teams given his size and intriguing skill set.
2004
Matthew Maltais- Nebraska-Omaha
KUA, 9/2/04, left shot, 6-2/175
Quebec import has been impressive this fall, gaining attention for his performance at the Mass. State Tier 1 championships last month in Marlboro. He’s a tall, rangy skater who can separate when he gets up to speed and plays with good length and effort.
He uses his big body to power through contact and has made some deft offensive plays that showcase a natural feel for the game and a quick ability to process what is going on around him. His game doesn’t always translate to pure production, but he’s around the puck a lot, goes to the net consistently and backchecks hard. He’s got some NHL buzz for the later rounds with his all-around game and reliability.
Julian Facchinelli
Frederick Gunn, 7/4/04, right shot, 6-0/170
Toronto native who played the fall schedule with the Buffalo Regals 18 team looked very good at Exeter, scoring a nifty goal against New Hampton, while playing a smart, effective two-way game. He’s a good skater who anticipates the play well and does a nice job of getting to loose pucks and maintaining possession when defenders make body contact.
His wall play was solid, as he was able to pick pucks up cleanly while maintaining momentum coming out of the corners to back opponents up. Good passer and has some fluid hands to deke and score goals in tight. He’s a good student who looks like a strong candidate to play in the Ivy League somewhere for a team that can see that he is trending up and could be a find for the ECAC in a few years when he’s ready to play.
2005
Christian Maro (Stamford, Conn.)
Phillips Exeter, 8/4/05, left shot, 6-0/170
So far, so good. The sophomore is in his first year at Exeter after coming from Cardigan Mountain. He played for the Cape Cod Whalers 16’s during the fall schedule and is able to make good passes to teammates for quick shots to the net.
That penchant for threading the needle through traffic has paid off for him in the early going, and it will be interesting to see if he can sustain that. He’s not a flashy player, but gets a lot of puck touches and is getting rewarded with production in the early portion of the season.
Amine Hajibi
Bishop’s College, 5/4/05, left shot, 6-1/171
Rumored to have multiple D-1 schools on him, it isn’t difficult to see why at first glance. He’s a terrific skater: explosive and dynamic. He gets up to top speed in just a few, powerful strides and can move well laterally to elude would-be defenders. The Montreal product has the size/skill/skating combo to not only be an NCAA player, but will get the attention of NHL scouts for the 2023 draft.
Having said all of that, this wasn’t the best viewing, as KUA quickly got ahead in an eventual 8-1 win and Hajibi seemed to get frustrated as the game went on. His body language isn’t the greatest at times- he’ll need to work on reining in the emotions and focusing on making plays and elevating the play of those around him, but when he's flying up the ice with the puck on his stick, he’s an attention-getter.
