Manchester, N.H.— Bantam major players in the 2007 birth year competed in the New England District 14-U playoffs earlier this month and there was a strong representation of promising talent from the states at St. Anselm's College's Sullivan Arena.
Mount Saint Charles, top-4 among the nation's 14-U teams, captured the district championship, beating the Mid Fairfield Jr. Rangers. Coaches Frank and John O'Connor did a superb job of recruiting a regional power that will contend for a national championship in Chicago next week. Despite the losses of some players who began the 2021-22 season with the Saint M's, the O'Connors did well to fill those holes with players like defenseman Shayne Gould, from Princeton, Mass., who arrived in Woonsocket around midseason after playing in the fall with the Neponset Valley River Rats 14-U team.
The Providence Capitals, Seacoast Spartans, New Hampshire Avalanche and Vermont Flames also competed in the playoffs, and we've got some observations on some of the teams and players who stood out and will be at the top of the watch list for the 2022-23 season, when they will be eligible for selection to the U.S. National Team Development Program and USHL drafts.
