CONCORD, N.H. — Under second-year head coach Ryan Shannon, the Taft Rhinos proved to be the best of the four teams competing at the St. Paul’s Jamboree that took place this past Sunday and Monday.
The other three teams competing in the jamboree were the hosts, St. Paul’s, Groton and Tabor. Taft won all three games throughout the jamboree while Tabor picked up a pair of wins over St. Paul’s and Groton.
New England Hockey Journal took in Sunday’s action at the Gordon Rink on St. Paul’s sprawling campus. The annual jamboree is always a good stop on the recruiting or scouting circuit. It’s a nice rink with good lighting and sight lines.
While the Rhinos lack the goaltending and firepower of some of the other teams in the Housatonic League, Taft will be a hard out for opponents this season.
Taft Lines
15 F. Walker - 23 T. Fasig - 16 R. Colwell
21 B. Barrasso - 27 H. Molson - 9 Z. Tonelli
17 N. Novalev - 81 D. Franklin - 88 J. Humenay
2 C. Jimenez - 3 B. Dobensky
12 A. Ebersol - 5 P. Kenerson
6 T. Akasaka - 7 M. Willard
XD - 14 P. McLean
Taft has one of the best puck-moving, offensive-minded defensemen in prep school hockey in Christian Jimenez. The Yorktown Heights, N.Y., native is a Harvard commit who jumps up into the rush and loves to push the pace. He’s fun to watch and he’ll be a catalyst for the Rhinos all season.
Jimenez’s defensive partner is senior captain Billy Dobensky who undoubtedly has the tools to be a Division I player. He’s struggled with consistency, but if he can put together a good year and play a year or two in junior, he could make that jump. If not, he’d be a great target for a NESCAC program.
The other defenseman of note is Andrew Ebersol, who comes to Taft for a post-grad season after playing high school hockey in New York at Penfield High School. He’s big and rangy and while his skating isn’t great, he has some potential. He’s a player to keep an eye on, especially for an upper echelon Division III program.
The first line did much of the damage on Sunday with newcomer Tristan Fasig providing a spark to the line. The power forward has added some size and is a force below the dots. Ryan Colwell is a player who just seems to know where to go to score.
On the second line, Zach Tonelli has bulked up a little and has quickness to be the F1 on the forecheck. If he can continue to take steps in his game, Division I is a possibility. His center was Henry Molson, a new ’00 from Quebec. His father is Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson. On the left wing, Bobby Barrasso has good size, a hard shot, and his skating has improved.
Nikita Kovalev, the son of former NHL forward Alexei Kovalev, is the player to note on the third line. He’s still raw, but has the potential to blossom into a power forward. He shows some glimpses of that on Sunday. He’s also a new addition at Taft, having played for Greenwich High School previously.
The rest of the field
The other three teams in the jamboree are down, but there are a couple of players worth mentioning.
As mentioned above, Tabor is the best of the rest. The Seawolves’ top line was left wing Jake Cady, center Morgan Winters, and right wing Michael Cosentino. The three were able to make some plays while Winters, a Floridian, stood out as the top prospect among the group.
Connor Tobin and Owen Rudicus had good performances on the second line. Tobin, a ’01 junior from Sandwich, Mass., has taken a step in his game. He’s probably not a Division I player, but he’s improved significantly and should be watched by Division III programs for the 2020-21 season.
Gerry Dineeen’s team has two solid prep goaltenders in ’01 senior Kyle Myer and late ’01 junior Brandon Sherman.
St. Paul’s was without two of its top players in ’02 defenseman Jack Hepp, who suffered a broken kneecap in the Massachusetts District Championship while playing for the Neponset Valley River Rats, and ’00 senior forward Julien Menes. The top prospect on the ice Sunday was ’02 wing Joe Schubert. St. Paul’s will be able to hang in and compete on most nights with stellar senior goaltender Andy Beran, who is bound for Colby next fall.
Groton’s top line was centered by ’00 senior Jonah Gold, a Palos Verdes, Calif., native, who is being courted by a few of the NESCAC schools. He’s a solid player, but he doesn’t have much help around him.
