Dexter Southfield's final game of last season looked like a humiliation ritual.
Dexter, the No. 1 seed, hosted No. 8 Avon Old Farms, who may have been the coldest team in New England after going 1-7-2 down the stretch. The arena was packed with full student sections from both sides.
Avon Old Farms dominated from start to finish, scoring two early and holding on for a 4-2 win, as the famous (or infamous) Avon Old Farms student section took over the away barn. That win powered Avon Old Farms on a torrid run to an Elite 8 championship.
As Avon celebrated that win, the realization hit Dexter: almost all of the primary (and secondary) pieces of this juggernaut wouldn't be back. The next core sat on the bench for most of that quarterfinal matchup.
So, this year's Dexter team won't open as a heavy favorite. It's full of unknowns and question marks.
That's what makes them so interesting.
"I really look forward to developing this group," Dexter head coach Danny Donato said. "It's rejuvenated me as a coach."
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Zoomed-out view
Dexter graduated 13 seniors. They also lost three juniors — forwards Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) and JP Messuri (Arlington, Mass.), and defenseman Kurt Beck (Arlington, Mass.) — a year early to junior hockey.
That's 16 players. Ten of the team's top 11 scorers from last year are gone. This will pretty much be an all-new team.
The good news with that: Everyone has something to prove. Opportunity will be aplenty.
"A lot of guys do have a lot to prove as far as showing people that they are good players," Donato said. "I think last year's team relied heavily on some of those older kids, specifically Myles Brosnan, in a clutch time. Like, Myles will get us over the top. We don't really have that this year.
"We're going to have to do it as a unit."
The last few years
It's no secret that Dexter is a prep powerhouse. The school checks both boxes: winning and developing talent.
The last two years in particular have been successes. After falling to Kent in the Large School championship game in 2024, Dexter is fresh off two straight Elite 8 appearances, most notably losing in the final in 2025 and then getting upset by the eventual champions, Avon Old Farms, this past March.
Dexter consistently has had stacked rosters with college-committed players.
The coach
Donato is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in prep. He's been at Dexter since 2009, coaching varsity hockey and varsity baseball.
He played hockey at Boston University in the early 1990s and eventually played some minor league baseball at the end of the decade.
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Who will the stars be?
The top returning scorer is Max Prudovsky (Newton, Mass.), and he's unquestionably got the most star potential of the bunch. The '11 had 10 goals and 22 points in 30 games as a freshman last season.
"I think he might be the most creative kid in prep school this year," Donato said.
Prudovsky will likely center the top line and play in all situations. He has a chance to show out for the U.S. National Team Development Program and QMJHL teams. The same is true for fellow '11 Carter Watson. He had nine points last season, but plays with power, has a wicked shot and high skill.
Along with those two, Liam Guilderson (Belmont, Mass.), who had three points in 16 games last season and dealt with injury, should be a top scorer. The former Belmont High (MIAA) standout has been a force for the Brookline Whalers, which is Dexter's fall team.
"He's going to be a good one this year," Donato said.
On the back end, Ryan Porter (Hanover, Mass.) looks poised to lead the charge. The '10 was at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp this summer and has been a two-way force this fall.
"He's excellent," Donato said. "He's going to be one of our top guys back there."
Newcomers
Donato brought in a slew of newbies on defense. Former Canton (Mass.) High School star defenseman Kellan Labanara joined the core. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defenseman is a mobile puck-mover who could be a legitimate point-producer this winter.
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Natick's James Dempsey, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound, right-shot defenseman, joins the fray, too.
St. John's Shrewsbury star defenseman Ryder Bisson (Holden, Mass.) was initially slated to play for Dexter this season, but ended up going back to SJS.
Breakout prospects
The entire roster. That's the short answer.
Sure, Prudovsky, Watson, Guilderson and Porter are the stars of the team. But their becoming stars would require breaking out.
There are other breakout prospects up front, too. It starts with Tommy Moore (Milton, Mass.), who had seven goals and 18 points last season.
"He's just miserable to play against," Donato said. "He's all over the ice, 100 miles an hour and plays hard every shift."
Austin Wu is another player who should be in Dexter's top six. He put up eight goals and 14 points last season.
"He's going to score 15 goals in his sleep," Donato said. "He can flat-out score."
In net, Drew Karlovits (Cohasset, Mass.) is back after posting a 2.16 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Joining him, however, is Pierce Brackett (Hingham, Mass.), who is also a breakout candidate.
Both should get significant time to see if one can grab hold of the crease.
The ceiling
The roster is wide-open, which means expectations are also wide-open.
"I hope I can make this group into a team that's really hard to play against," Donato said. "I want to play fast with our younger kids."
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If Dexter can adopt that, the stars break out the way they can, the breakout prospects produce more than they did last season and Donato's team gets solid goaltending, Dexter could make a push for the Elite 8.
"If we can make a tournament, that'd be a great season," Donato said. "If we can make the Elite 8, that would be sensational."
