14 standout forwards from 16U level at River Rats Jamboree

FOXBORO, Mass. — Fall hockey is upon us.

On Monday and Tuesday, the 2023-24 season started with a bang, as the Neponset Valley River Rats did an outstanding job hosting the 14th annual River Rats Jamboree, which was spread across eight different rinks.

I had the chance to watch five different 16U teams at the Foxboro Sports Center over the two days. The games I viewed were...

• Monday: Long Island Gulls 16U vs. Mid Fairfield 16U
• Monday: Yale Jr. Bulldogs 16U vs. East Coast Militia 16U
• Tuesday: Long Island Gulls 16U vs. Boston Jr. Eagles 16U

It made for some great hockey and there will be a ton more coverage of fall hockey as September begins. Here are 14 forwards who stood out over my viewings. There will be a separate story done on standout defensemen and goalies.

Let's dive in.

Poul Anderson (7)

Long Island Gulls, 6/1/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/181
Hometown: St. Louis Park, Minn. 

Anderson showed himself as a go-to producer for the Gulls in Monday's game. He drove play and was really strong in the cycle game and below the goal line in the offensive zone. He finished off a great passing play between Jesse Orlowsky and Ethan Wyttenbach, rifling a one-timer past the netminder. In Tuesday's game against the Eagles, he laid a great open-ice hit midway through the first half and scored the Gulls' lone goal when he one-timed a shot off the rush.

Corbin Carkner (21)

Mid Fairfield, 5/3/2007, F, left shot, 6-1/194
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, Penn. 

Carkner scored a nice goal in the first half of Monday's game when he ripped a shot over the goalie's glove off the rush. Despite not being the fastest player on the ice, he was able to push the pace and earn multiple scoring chances. He also had good hands in tight and rocked a Gulls forward in open ice midway through the second half of Monday's game.

Rian Chudzinski (2)

Boston Jr. Eagles, 12/30/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Needham, Mass. 

Going into Tuesday's game, I knew Chudzinski had a lot of skill, and that was on display. But what really impressed me was his play away from the puck. He had some nice backchecks. One that stood out was early in the first half, the Gulls had an odd-man rush and Chudzinski sped back into the play and got under the puck-carriers stick, took the puck and transitioned the other way.

Jack Fitzpatrick (11)

East Coast Militia, 10/22/2007, F, left shot, 6-4/195
Hometown: Canton, Mass. 

Ever since seeing Fitzpatrick with Xaverian last winter, I've liked his game. That continued Monday. He used his size to protect the puck and sift through the neutral zone and over the offensive blue line. In the offensive zone, he was dominant getting to high-danger scoring areas and using his hard shot. He looks poised for a huge season with Xaverian.

TRACK THE '07s: Check out our brand new college commitments database for 2007-born players

Declan Grenache (43)

East Coast Militia, 2/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-8/140
Hometown: Sutton, Mass. 

Early in the second half of Monday's game, Grenache took the puck from an opposing defender, got a breakaway and scored on a quick shot low to the goalie's blocker to tie the game, 2-2. That was the first of three unanswered goals the Militia scored to beat the Jr. Bulldogs, and it started with a good hustle play by Grenache. He drove play all game with good speed. Grenache will be a key piece for St. John's Shrewsbury this winter.

Benjamin Kramer (10)

East Coast Militia, 1/3/2007, F, left shot, 5-11/175
Hometown: Massachusetts 

Kramer scored the eventual game-winning goal for the Militia in Monday's game. Off the rush, he came over the opposing blue line and got a shot off that went past the goalie's blocker. Kramer made a habit of getting scoring chances in Monday's game, using his good offensive instincts to put him in good positions to do so.

Billy MacAusland (7)

Boston Jr. Eagles, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Westwood, Mass. 

MacAusland saved his best for the end of Tuesday's game. After the Gulls scored late in the third period, MacAusland responded moments later, slapping a rebound into the back of the net to tie the game, 1-1. Then, with 44.3 seconds left and the score still tied, he snuck a shot past the Gulls netminder from in tight, giving the Eagles the lead and eventually the win.

George McCaffrey (12)

Mid Fairfield, 1/2/2007, F, left shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn. 

What struck me most about McCaffrey's play in Monday's game was he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. His first shift included him breaking up two plays in the defensive zone and transitioning the other way quickly. He's a very smooth skater and his offensive awareness was high. He showed that on Thomas Coccaro's goal when his pass started the whole play. McCaffrey should be a promising young prospect for Westminster in the winter.

Casey Mutryn (11)

Boston Jr. Eagles, 2/1/2008, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Norwell, Mass. 

The Eagles entered their Tuesday game as underdogs against the Gulls, but you wouldn't know it from the way Mutryn played. He constantly gained the offensive blue line with the puck on his stick and used his good hands and shiftiness to get to interior ice. In the corners, he showed off his high compete, battling for 50/50 pucks. He also always seems to be in the right spot. This is a big season for Mutryn as he enters Year No. 2 at St. Sebastian's. The consensus around the rinks is that Mutryn should get a shot at the U.S. National Team Development Program in the spring.

Jesse Orlowsky (4)

Long Island Gulls, 3/27/2007, F, right shot, 6-2/201
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
NCAA: Harvard 

In Monday's game, it was easy to see why Orlowsky was scooped up by Harvard. His mix of size and speed helped him drive play and protect the puck on offensive zone entries. When his line was set up in the offensive zone, he was able to generate chances and win battles for loose pucks. He had a great passing sequence off the rush with teammates Wyttenbach and Anderson, resulting in a one-timer goal by Anderson.

Owen Schwarz (11)

Yale Jr. Bulldogs, 2007, F, left shot, 5-5/130
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn. 

Schwarz scored one of the best goals I saw over the two-day event. Early in Monday's game, he dangled through a defender and then feathered a shot over the goalie's glove for a beautiful goal. He proved throughout the game that the goal wasn't a fluke, as he consistently used his great hands and even better vision to set up teammates and create scoring chances. He notched an assist late in the first half when he made a nice pass to Dominik Sedlak-Braude who tucked it in for a goal.

Nicolas Sykora (17)

Long Island Gulls, 5/24/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Roseland, N.J. 

While a lot of his teammates brought high levels of skill, Sykora brought something different with his game. He's big and plays a heavy game — he boasts a heavy shot and he's heavy on opposing players. He doesn't seem particularly fun to play against. That was evident right before the clock started running, as he was slashing the opposing wing on the opening draw. And yes, Petr Sykora, the longtime NHL player, is his father.

Stefano Pietrantonio (15)

Yale Jr. Bulldogs, 1/15/2007, F, right shot, 5-10/150
Hometown: Mont-Royal, Quebec City 

Pietrantonio seemed to always be in the right spot in Monday's game, supporting the play really well as the third forward high in the zone on forechecks. The same was true in his own zone, too. Being in the right spots also helped him get scoring chances. He posted six goals and 13 points in 26 games as a sophomore for Kent last season. Those numbers should jump as a junior this winter.

SUMMER HOCKEY: 10 forwards who elevated their stock | 5 defenders and goalies who elevated their stock

Ethan Wyttenbach (91)

Long Island Gulls, 2/10/2007, F, right shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Roslyn, N.Y.
NCAA: Quinnipiac 

What stood out most to me with Wyttenbach was his speed. He was able to grab the puck in his own zone and successfully navigate routes through the neutral zone, avoiding the opposition and keeping his head up. What also helped him do that was his high level of skill, and that was on display in the offensive zone, too. He had a ton of poise with the puck. In Monday's 5-3 win over Mid Fairfield, he scored two goals. One came on a missile of a snipe in the first half, while the second came on a dangle off a breakaway in the second. In my eyes, he was the best player on the ice Monday.