MILTON, Mass. — The 2025 Flood-Marr Tournament will be remembered for Hotchkiss' surprise run to the title. The Bearcats made a statement.
But other things will be remembered, too.
Kimball Union and Salisbury entered as the top two teams. They were the favorites to meet in the championship. Instead, both suffered losses.
Multiple players broke out and put their names in the mainstream over the course of the tournament as well. It was a nice time to do it with so many college coaches and NHL scouts in the stands.
It's impossible to sum up an entire tournament in one story, but these were my uncommitted standouts and takeaways from the Flood-Marr.
Let's dive in.
Zach Gill
Salisbury, 5/7/2008, D, right shot, 6-0/195
Hometown: Moncton, New BrunswickÂ
I'm shocked Gill is still uncommitted. In my viewings of Gill, he played mistake-free hockey and still took chances. The senior made smart, simple passes on the breakout. He was unafraid to skate pucks himself, using his good skating to get to space and keep his head up for passes. He maintained great gaps and used a good stick to break up plays off the rush. In the offensive zone, he routinely funneled pucks to the net and got involved down low.
Neilan Johnson
Hotchkiss, 8/1/2008, G, catches left, 6-2/172
Hometown: Annapolis, Md.Â
Johnson's Flood-Marr Tournament will be remembered for his 40 saves to take down Kimball Union. The 6-foot-2 netminder showed himself to be an athletic, composed netminder. He tracked shots well and was good at controlling his rebounds. While he was on NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary Watch List, I'd look more for him getting a college commitment. He's certainly good enough.
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Nate Kreppner
Phillips Andover, 9/17/2008, F, right shot, 6-0/185
Hometown: TorontoÂ
Against Salisbury, Kreppner drove the net late in the second period and followed the play perfectly, knocking in a rebound. Kreppner's high compete was on display, as he always supported plays well and was always around the puck. As a center, he was able to create offense with his good hands and great vision.
Edouard Lord
Phillips Andover, 10/28/2007, G, catches left, 6-2/190
Hometown: Quebec CityÂ
Last year, Andover goalie Chase Anderson broke out at the Flood-Marr. While Andover didn't win it all this year, Lord certainly burst onto the scene. He started all four games for the Big Blue, most notably making 34 saves to beat Salisbury and 38 to topple Kimball Union. His size alone is worth Division 1 attention.
Lukas Machan
Deerfield, 4/17/2007, F, left shot, 6-3/180
Hometown: Beaconsfield, QuebecÂ
The word I wrote down for Machan was "menace"...but in the best way possible. Machan was a pain for opposing defensemen, as he forechecked hard. As the third forward high on forechecks, he read the first passes correctly on the breakout. He showed himself to be a strong skater, especially at his size. He used that size to power his way into prime ice in the offensive zone, getting scoring chances.
Conal Mulkerrin
Kimball Union, 5/15/2008, F, left shot, 5-11/175
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.Â
Through 13 games, Mulkerrin has been KUA's best goal scorer by far with 11. Against Westminster on Friday, the Hingham High (MIAA) product potted one on the power play by fighting for space in front of the net and getting to the rebound from senior Lucas Hannay first. Mulkerrin's puck protection abilities were strong throughout the weekend, helping his line with Josh Phillips and Jackson Kimelman have extended offensive zone shifts.
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Ryan Murray
Hotchkiss, 9/10/2008, F, left shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Westfield, N.J.Â
Murray did it all for Hotchkiss throughout the tournament. As a center, his speed and skill allowed him to create offense both off the rush and via the cycle. He got back to aid in his own zone, too, supporting his defensemen. I'm intrigued to see how Murray, a late '08 junior, evolves as a center throughout the season. I wrote about Murray quite a bit after the championship game.
Jack O'Dell
Phillips Andover, 7/30/2009, D, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Wilmette, Ill.Â
O'Dell was the talk of the Flood-Marr. The do-it-all defenseman showcased his ability to shut plays down with a great stick and strong positioning in his own end of the ice, while also jumping into the offense and contributing at the other end. He's physical, a pure skater and has a high hockey IQ. He's a sophomore, so he will likely receive numerous phone calls from Division 1 programs on January 1.
Josh Phillips
Kimball Union, 4/24/2007, F, right shot, 6-3/195
Hometown: Los Altos, Calif.Â
In front of a lot of Division 1 coaches, Phillips showed himself as a play-driving power forward. The big man was able to get to inside ice with ease, using his hands and size to do so. As mentioned with Mulkerrin, his line cycled inside the offensive zone well. A lot of that success came from Phillips' size and his willingness to overpower defenders. Along with being a legit, Division 1 prospect, Phillips should also be on USHL and WHL radars entering this spring.
Elliott Watson
Salisbury, 4/5/2009, D, right shot, 5-9/175
Hometown: Mascouche, QuebecÂ
Watson can fly. The sophomore often grabbed the puck deep in his own zone and skated it himself, pushing the pace and making plays at high speeds. Even at his size, he never backed down with physicality in his own zone, getting under opposing forwards and being unafraid of going into corners with bigger players.
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Takeaways...
- Hotchkiss got the No. 10 spot in my rankings this week, and it wasn't because I was being nice. The Bearcats are deep, skilled and big up front, and play with so much speed. They move pucks aptly on defense, which is led by senior defenseman Evan Seow. Johnson consistently gives Hotchkiss an advantage in net. This team is legit, and the Flood-Marr win should only be the beginning.
- While Kimball Union doesn't have a true "star" on defense, the core is talented. Seniors Anthony Leech and Hannay, as well as juniors Nasean Faria and Thomas Ojard, all have quick feet, move pucks reliably and are stout in their own zone. There's a reason why Faria has 12 points, Hannay has 10, and Leech and Ojard have seven apiece. That crew will be vital for the Wildcats down the stretch.
- The Crimson Knights struggled to score goals at the Flood-Marr, finishing with nine in four games. I wanted to see more from Salisbury's forwards because there's quite a bit of talent there. Names like Luke Walkauskus, Luca Desjardins, Elliott Bibeau-Rivard, Landon Klein and Greyson Espenshade should always give Salisbury an advantage. The good news for Salisbury is that its offense is a bit of a sleeping giant.
- Deerfield had a bounce-back weekend at the Flood-Marr. The Big Green entered the weekend 1-3-0, which wasn't crazy given all the roster turnover they had since last season. Head coach Tim McVaugh's team seemed to put it together a bit more over the weekend with wins over Nobles and Andover, and a 1-1 tie with Salisbury. At the very least, Deerfield is hard to play against and stingy. Deerfield goalie and Brown commit Elliott Lennon had a tough go of it in the championship game, but was terrific outside of that, making 24 saves to beat Nobles, 28 to beat Andover and 20 to tie Salisbury.
- I mentioned this on the latest RinkWise podcast, but I think Milton Academy is closer to being a playoff team than its record shows. Yes, the Mustangs struggled this weekend, beating Hotchkiss, losing to Westminster and Salisbury, and tying Kimball Union. Four of head coach Jim Gaudet's team's six losses have been by one goal. There's too much experience and talent on that team for them to continue losing.
