With the 2019-20 junior hockey and midget hockey seasons being at least a month old, now is a good time to circle back and look at New England’s top 2020 NHL Draft prospects.
I’ve already taken two looks at New England natives who are in their first year of eligibility for the draft in 2020. In this examination of the region’s top 15 draft prospects, I include players who are in their second or third time going through the draft process.
I talked about this when the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List came out last month, but it’s important to bring up again. I truly believe a key question to ask when evaluating a local prospect who hasn’t moved onto the USHL or NTDP is “would this prospect’s flaws be accentuated if he had left prep or midget?”
Prep school is the best option, if parents can afford it or if they can receive financial aid, for 99 percent of hockey players in this region. However, there comes a point when there’s nothing left to prove and it’s time to move on, if a player has aspirations of pro hockey.
It’s a weak draft class for the Americans as a whole and that extends to New England natives. After last year’s generational group, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given that most of these things are cyclical in nature.
Every player on this list is a good hockey player, but none are without fault, whether it be a lack of size, hockey sense, skill, or compete. All 15 players will not get drafted, and if I was a betting man, I’d go with six from this list not getting picked. However, it’s every NHL scout’s job to cross off players from watch lists. This list is meant to put draft eligible prospects from New England in order and then give reasons for why they will or will not get selected next June in Montreal.
2020 NHL Draft: Top 15 New England prospects
1. Sam Colangelo
Chicago Steel, 12/26/01, RW, right shot, 6-2/205
NCAA commit: Northeastern
Colangelo is a gifted goal scorer and he’s starting to pick up his play after an initial period of adjustment since going to the USHL. The Stoneham, Mass., native has six goals and six assists in 12 games, but he has two three point nights in his last three games. Colangelo sees the ice well and can finish with either a rocket of a wrist shot or touch around the net. His feet have come a long way, and like many prospects, there is still room for improvement in that area of his game. He’ll also have to prove he can play without the puck, but his offensive production in a tough league speaks for itself. I still expect to see Colangelo drafted somewhere in the second round.
2. Brett Berard
USA NTDP U-18, 9/9/02, LW, left shot, 5-8.5/152
NCAA commit: Providence
Berard continues to get better and he’s a winner, no matter how you look at it. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s very athletic and competes hard each shift. The East Greenwich, R.I., native is smart, sees the ice well, and goes to the dirty areas. He has strong agility and uses his edges well. His skill set is coming along nicely as well. Berard should be taken somewhere in the second or third round.
3. Ian Moore
St. Mark’s, 1/4/02, D, right shot, 6-2.25/171
NCAA commit: Princeton
Moore’s stock has climbed over the past couple of seasons. He often played up as a youngster and always possessed the talent and athleticism needed, but it’s all come together over the past 18 months or so. The clear positives are he’s a big, right-shot defenseman who can skate. He has a good stick and can really shoot it. The Concord, Mass., native is able to contribute offensively and he has a good stick and the ability to recover defensively. His reads and defensive positioning are areas that could improve, but overall, he’s the prep player with the highest ceiling entering 2019-20.
4. Ben Meehan
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 4/20/01, D, left shot, 6-0.25/178
NCAA commit: UMass Lowell
Meehan is a player that I advocated for on numerous times last winter during his first year of draft eligibility. While he didn’t get selected in June after a stellar prep career at Dexter, he’s not likely to slip through the cracks in his second go-around. The Walpole, Mass., native leads the USHL in scoring among defensemen with six goals and 14 points. Even if his production tails off, he has a good stick and plays with jam. He’s smart and makes good consistent puck touches. He’ll rarely throw one up the middle or put his team in trouble. While he doesn’t possess blazing speed, he’s efficient and has made the most of his ability. He’s also a great leader and locker room presence.
5. Alex Jefferies
Gunnery, 11/8/01, RW, right shot, 5-11.75/195
NCAA commit: Merrimack
Jefferies, from Lunenburg, Mass., has seen his stock rise tremendously over the past two years. He’s a strong winger who hunts pucks and can absolutely rip it. He has a hard shot and he’s willing to the drive the net. He also makes some very good passes from along the wall. His skating has gotten better, and while it might not be the prettiest of strides, it gets the job done. His compete and nose for the puck are high qualities to have.
6. Sean Farrell
Chicago Steel, 11/2/01, LW, left shot, 5-8.5/175
NCAA commit: Harvard
Farrell, who has two years of playing in the USHL with the NTDP under his belt, has been very good to start the 2019-20 season. He has six goals and 10 assists in 12 games. The Hopkinton, Mass., native can be knocked for his lack of size, but he makes up for it with his vision and playmaking capabilities. He makes a ton of very good passes, both on the rush and from below the dots in attacking zone situations.
7. Riley Duran
Lawrence Academy, 1/25/02, C/RW, right shot, 6-1.25/174
NCAA commit: Providence
Duran is an athlete who will continue to get better as he furthers his development in the USHL and in college. He might not always be a center, but he’d be a very good right wing with the way he can skate and disrupt the opposition’s breakout. His puck skills and offensive instincts are areas that could use improvement. Nonetheless, I think he’s a versatile player who projects as a very good third line wing, at the very least. He’s a player who should be highly regarded after the prep season, but he’ll truly test his draft stock out in the USHL with Youngstown come March.
8. Drew Commesso
USA NTDP U-18, 7/19/02, G, catches left, 6-1.5/180
NCAA commit: Boston University
Commesso, from Norwell, Mass., is a good-sized, butterfly goaltender who is off to a good start in his U-18 season with the NTDP. He moves well and is fundamentally and technically very strong. I’d like to see him challenge shooters a little more and not go down quite as early, but there’s a lot to like. From what I’ve seen, he’s the third best U.S. goaltender in this draft class, only behind Colin Purcell and Grant Riley.
9. Timmy Lovell
Boston Advantage 18-U, 2/8/02, D, left shot, 5-5.25/124
NCAA commit: Ohio State
Lovell is the most talked about prospect in New England ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft. From Hingham, Mass., no one can argue with his skating ability, skill, and vision. With the way he moves and the way he sees the ice, he can be dynamic in transition. What concerns me is his lack of size and the fact he’s only played seven games in the NAHL. He’s gotten blown up a few times on retrievals in games I’ve watched. With his small stature, I truly believe he’d benefit, both developmentally and exposure-wise, by leaving 18-U hockey and giving the USHL a try. It would allow him to begin to see what it will take to survive as a smaller, puck-moving defenseman at the collegiate level.
10. Gunnar Fontaine
Chicago Steel, 9/16/00, LW, left shot, 5-8.5/174
NCAA commit: Northeastern
Fontaine is an intriguing prospect, due to his lack of size and other factors. The East Greenwich, R.I., native can skate well and he certainly has the compete and knack for hunting pucks. He’s proven over the last year or so that he can produce in the USHL, a league that rarely rewards an undeserving player. The one knock on his production is a lot of it comes on the rush. I admittedly have seen him live much less since he left prep school, but it’s an area that has been of concern in the past.
11. David Sacco
Lawrence Academy, 1/3/02, C/RW, right shot, 5-11.5/187
NCAA commit: New Hampshire
I want to have Sacco ranked higher than I have him on here, but he needs to be more consistent and show a better compete level. When he’s on top of his game, he has the skating and physical presence to project as a really good third line winger. He can drive the net and he has a hard shot, as well. He has shown the ability to change the tone of a game with his hard hits. If he could ever show that every shift of every game he’d immediately move up my board.
12. Philip Tresca
Rivers, 4/10/02, C, right shot, 5-10.5/170
NCAA commit: Yale
Tresca continues to show he’s an improved hockey player. Going back a few years, the Newton, Mass., native displayed skill with the puck on his stick. However, he shied away from contact and stayed mostly to the perimeter. As he’s bulked up, he’s gained more confidence and explosiveness. While he’s still not a player who you’d describe as always going to the dirty areas, he plays more between the dots than he ever had before. While he’s not a draft pick, he’s earned the recognition he’s gotten and is probably one of the more improved players in New England over the course of the last year or so.
13. Ryan McGuire
Belmont Hill, 7/27/02, C/RW, right shot, 5-10/165
NCAA commit: Colgate
McGuire is a sound 200-foot center who does a lot of the little things. He wins face-offs, is on the right side of the puck, and is responsible in his own zone. He kills penalties and can be relief upon in all situations at the prep level. He seems to be a little bigger this fall than he was last season. His skating is a little better, but his puck skill limitations will keep him down the draft boards.
14. James Tepper
Proctor, 2/20/02, RW, right shot, 6-0/175
Tepper won’t get drafted, but he has a chance to become a pro prospect if he can connect all the dots. The Shrewsbury, Mass., native skates well, has good size, and can shoot it. When he’s playing his game, he’s a menace on the forecheck and throws his weight around with a purpose. His hockey sense is the thing holding him back right now.
15. Ronan Walsh
Proctor, 5/3/02, RW, right shot, 6-2.5/192
NCAA commit: Vermont
Walsh, from Andover, N.H., has a hard shot and can play a hard, north-south, power forward style from the wing. His feet are better than they were, but they’re still a reason he won’t be selected come next June.
