AMHERST, N.Y. — The Massachusetts District got off to a tough start at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp.
It fell to the Southeastern District, 4-1, on Day 1, and then lost to the New England District, a separate district in the eyes of USA Hockey, 4-0.
But the Mass. District, led by Andy Boschetto (Chelmsford, Mass.), UMass Lowell's associate head coach, and Jimmy Mullin, a Merrimack assistant, caught fire, winning its final four games to finish 4-2 and in fifth place overall. That included wins over Atlantic, Northern Plains, Mid-American and Michigan.
I watched Massachusetts' games against New England, Atlantic and Northern Plains.
Just by being here, players improved their status and set themselves up well for strong 2024-25 seasons. However, some players really boosted their standing among others in the '07 birth year.
Let's dive in.
Standouts
Cameron Aucoin
Muskegon, 3/20/2007, D, left shot, 6-0/181
NCAA: Notre DameÂ
Aucoin isn't from Massachusetts; he was an at-large bid out of Chicago. The Notre Dame commit was Massachusetts' most consistent, two-way defenseman. Against the Atlantic district on Friday, Aucoin made a heads-up play on a Michael Munroe (Hanover, Mass.) goal, passing up a shot to hit Munroe with a pass, who was open in the slot. Aucoin made smart decisions when it came to sliding down into the slot, such as when he slipped through the defense and knocked in a goal in the second half against the Atlantic district. I liked Aucoin's good stick in his own zone. He constantly disrupted opposing scoring chances.
Rian Chudzinski
St. Sebastian's, 12/30/2007, RW, right shot, 6-0/179
Chudzinski spent most of the winter further down the depth chart than a player of his caliber normally would be given the number of seniors St. Sebastian's had. At Select 17 Camp, Chudzinski showed himself as a future Hockey East recruit. He clearly had loads of chemistry with Mutryn, who he spent flanking the right side of. Against Northern Plains on Saturday, Chudzinski used smart stick positioning and compete to steal a puck in the neutral zone, enter the offensive zone and snipe one over the netminder. Earlier in the game, he executed a perfect saucer pass over a defender's stick to Munroe for a goal. Chudzinski had a nice goal against the Atlantic district on Friday, receiving a pass up ice from Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.) and showcasing a nice finish. Chudzinski's hands allowed him to do almost anything he wanted to do when he had the puck on his stick. Chudzinski will begin play at Dexter Southfield this winter as a junior, meaning he's able to commit to a Division 1 school on or after Aug. 1.
Evan Jones
Arlington High, 2/9/2007, D, left shot, 5-10/178
Jones continued to progress as one of the better '07 defensemen in the New England region. His mobility and puck decisions at the opposing blue line were outstanding. He never panicked, using his edgework to create shooting or passing lanes. In Thursday's game against the New England district, he did that by taking a shot for Chudzinski to tip that almost went in. On breakouts, Jones was elusive and able to cleanly transition the play into the neutral zone. Jones was a sophomore at Arlington High last season, so he's eligible to commit to a Division 1 college on or after Aug. 1. Division 1 interest was certainly there for him at Select 17 Camp. He would make a lot of sense for an Ivy, ECAC school or an Atlantic.
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Billy MacAusland
Nobles, 8/4/2007, C, left shot, 5-10/179
The Massachusetts district entered its date with the Atlantic district having scored one goal over its first two games. In the first half, it was MacAusland who showed a great nose for the net, grabbing the puck in the corner and taking it to the front where he got two prime scoring chances. He was rewarded in the second half when he ripped a wrist shot to beat the goalie blocker side. His best play that I saw came against Northern Plains. Midway through the first half, he read a play perfectly in the defensive zone to steal the puck. He went end-to-end, putting the puck around a defender (and a vacant stick on the ice) and scoring around the goalie. He finished with three goals and five points in six games.
No one moved the needle more for themselves than MacAusland. He was outstanding, proving he's a legitimate Division 1 prospect.
Michael Munroe
Avon Old Farms, 7/6/2007, LW, left shot, 5-7/168
NCAA: MaineÂ
As the games rolled on, Munroe found his groove. Against the Atlantic district, Munroe set a tone, playing physically and being all around the puck. From there, Munroe helped his team out of its scoring rut. He tallied a goal in a 7-1 win over the Atlantic district, knocking in a loose puck in front of the net. When Munroe faced Northern Plains, the Massachusetts district entered the second half down, 3-2. Less than two minutes into the frame, Munroe had a great rush, entering the offensive zone and switching to his backhand to snipe one past the goaltender from the slot for his second goal of the game. He was a huge part of why his team won its final four games, posting five goals and two assists over that span.
Teddy Mutryn
St. Sebastian's, 2/16/2007, C, right shot, 6-0/196
NCAA: Boston CollegeÂ
It's always impressive when a prospect plays an unselfish game at events like this and that's what Mutryn did. He didn't have the flashiest or most statistically productive time at Select 17s. But the Norwell, Mass., native was everywhere on the ice, playing a reliable, two-way game. He supported plays well, staying high in the neutral zone and pouncing on the first opposing forward who received passes. In the offensive zone, he was hard on forechecks with quick, closing speed. He had a good number of scoring chances, including one early in the game against the New England district when he made a nice read in the neutral zone, entered the offensive zone and almost tucked one past the netminder.
When it comes to projecting Mutryn, I think he's going to be a player a coach can put anywhere in the lineup whether it's in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, in the NCAA with Boston College or in the NHL. He should be a mid-round pick entering his draft year.
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Takeaways
- USA Hockey got it right in tapping Mutryn to be the only representative from the Massachusetts district at Hlinka Gretzky Cup Camp. There were players from the district that stood out, but I didn't feel anyone, at least in the games I watched, showed themselves to be in the top 10-20 players in the '07 birth year.
- Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.) may not always light up the scoresheet (although he did have two goals and four points at this camp), but his shutdown defensive game is impressive. That continued at Select 17s. The Minnesota State commit was always willing to lay out and block shots or take away passing lanes. Along the walls, he uses his stick and frame well to separate opposing players from pucks. He's the kind of player you want out in late-game situations protecting a lead. He will be vital for Cushing this winter.
- I wasn't overly impressed with Dylan Krayer's (Concord, Mass.) performance at the Mass. Select Festival, but the Arizona State commit was impossible to miss at Select 17 Camp. He was tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals and six points. His quickness — both with his feet and hands — stood out the most. His skating put him in optimal positions, such as against the Atlantic district when he forced a turnover at his own blue line, won a foot race for the puck and scored on a nice finish over the goalie's blocker. He's slated to play for the BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors next season.
- CJ Watroba (West Springfield, Mass.) had a tough first couple of games, but settled in nicely as the camp progressed. The best game I saw him play was against Northern Plains when he registered two assists. On a power play in the second half, Watroba showed great patience with the puck, not forcing any plays and waiting for a lane to open. When it did, he cut straight to the net, leading to a John McDonough (Duxbury, Mass.) goal. Watroba finished with one goal and five points in six games.
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- An uncommitted player who I thought played well was Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.). The Rivers product tallied three assists, but it wasn't so much those plays that caught my attention. His compete was what really stood out. Against the Atlantic district, there was a great play when Graf fought through two opposing players to get the puck in the neutral zone and start a rush the other way. He's an interesting prospect to track over the next 12 months.
- Speaking of interesting prospects to track, Cam Caron (Dracut, Mass.) is one to watch this summer, fall and winter. The common theme among most 2024 NHL Draft picks was size and Caron has that (6-foot-3, 193 pounds). Like most players at that size and that age, the Northeastern commit must continue to work on his skating, which he will do with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks next season. If he can do that and be productive in the BCHL next season, he could hear his name called next June.
