Last year was Dan McGoff's first year as the head coach of the Nobles boys hockey team.
He knew it would be tough. The Bulldogs graduated five of their top six scorers from the year before. Brown commit Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) was the only big-time scoring returner.
MacAusland had a big senior year last winter with 21 goals and 45 points. But that was nowhere near enough to stop Nobles from going from an Elite 8 team in 2024-25 to out of the playoffs with nine wins last season.
"It was a learning process for sure," McGoff said.
Teams experience setbacks all the time — that's life when you graduate big classes of seniors. McGoff is fortunate to return a lot of last season's roster and bring in some valuable newcomers.
But this season will be big in helping chart McGoff's course forward for Nobles.
"We had a lot of new faces last year, and they're all coming back," McGoff said. "In theory, they should be more comfortable as well and kind of step in right away and get going."
Zoomed-out view
McGoff has recruited for Nobles ever since he started as an assistant in 2018. He feels it's as hard as it's ever been.
"I think it's more difficult now than ever because there are so many options now," he said. "It's us and then schools like St. Sebastian's, Dexter, Thayer, Belmont Hill — we're all competing for the same kids in the local area."
Those aren't the only options. Masters Academy just opened in Stow, Mass. USA Hockey's new Development League is on the way.
And, of course, there's junior hockey. McGoff felt the brunt of that this offseason.
Sophomore goalie Justin Lee (Newton, Mass.), an '09, left Nobles for the QMJHL's Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the spring. Come the end of summer, sophomore defenseman Kasen Walsh (Warwick, R.I.) went to Chicoutimi's camp and made the team, opting to stay there over returning to Nobles. He was the only New England-born '10 to make a QMJHL team.
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Lee would've been Nobles' starter this year, while Walsh would've been a top-pairing defenseman.
For Nobles and the high-end talent it draws in, that's life these days.
The last few years
While Nobles struggled last season and went 9-17-0, that's far from the norm. From 2021-25, Nobles alternated between being a high seed in the Large School tournament and making the Elite 8.
The coach
McGoff enters his second season as the head coach at Nobles after serving as an assistant under Day since 2018.
After playing at Nobles in the early 2000s, McGoff played at Boston University from 2004-08. He played a season bouncing around between the ECHL and CHL before playing overseas from 2009-12.
Who will the stars be?
Nobles is fortunate to bring back two foundational seniors: forward Ryan MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) and defenseman Kris Soja (Ludlow, Mass.).
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Because of all the losses up front entering last season, MacCurtain was one of the players called upon to step up, and he did that, going from four to 15 goals and six to 28 points, averaging over a point per game.
Soja has been a mainstay on Nobles' blue line since his freshman year in 2023-24. He had 17 points last season and will likely run the top power play. He's physical, a good defender and makes life difficult for opponents.
One player who should supplement much of the scoring is Zach Mohamed (Needham, Mass.), a '10, who had 18 points as a freshman last season.
"He's going to be great," McGoff said. "He's a big, strong kid. He plays how we want to play. He goes to the net, wins battles, has a really good shot."
McGoff also feels junior forward Tommy Zine, an '09, will take another step. The Cohasset, Mass., native had 11 points in 23 games after getting hurt at the beginning of the season.
"We feel he's put himself in a really good position to make a huge step and be a guy that we rely on," McGoff said.
Junior Eben Alden (Dover, Mass.) and sophomore Deniz Unal (Milton, Mass.) will join Soja in making up the defensive core.
Newcomers
Nobles typically brings in few newcomers. This year, however, two forwards are joining the fray who could become top-six regulars.
Quinn Woytowicz (Longmeadow, Mass.) arrived from Pope Francis. The '09 had six goals and 21 points last season. He will be a repeat junior.
"We're hoping that he's going to step right in and provide some offensive punch for us," McGoff said.
Bruce Ghostlaw (Walpole, Mass.) also came over from Roxbury Latin. A '10, he had 14 points with Roxbury Latin as a freshman.
"We're excited about him," McGoff said. "He's played at the prep level. He's someone that we anticipate will slide in seamlessly. We really like the way he plays."
Nobles also brought in '09 goalie Nate Antibi (Boston, Mass.) from the East Coast Militia.
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Breakout prospects
Ultimately, if Nobles is going to bounce back and contend for the postseason, many of the names mentioned, like Mohamed, Zine, Alden and Unal will need to break out.
But none will be bigger than senior goalie Tucker Monroe (Wellesley, Mass.). The '07 was the backup to Lee last season and posted a 3.31 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. He had double hip surgery this offseason.
"He had some hip issues that were holding him back last season," McGoff said. "But he seems to have gotten those resolved. We're expecting him to step right back in and be the guy we're leaning on."
Up front, sophomore '10 Connor Callahan is a prime breakout candidate. He had four points in 26 games, playing some big minutes last season. There's good reason to think he takes the next step.
"He's gone under the radar his whole life," McGoff said. "We think he's a really good player. He was undersized [last season] and wasn't big enough, but he's got the right mentality. He hopped right in there, and now he's grown a little bit and put on some more weight.
"I think you're going to see him pop on people's radars a little bit just because he's got good hockey sense and he's a really good competitor."
The ceiling
McGoff's expectation and goal for this year's Nobles bunch is to win the ISL — that's what it always is.
"If you win the ISL, your other goals come true as well," McGoff said. "You make the Elite 8. That's typically how it goes."
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Nobles is in the ISL Keller, which should be stacked this season with Tabor, Belmont Hill, St. Sebastian's, Thayer, Milton Academy, Governor's Academy and Lawrence Academy.
It's no guarantee that Nobles will come out on top among that group. But the Bulldogs should be better than nine wins.
