ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Now, it's time to look at the defensemen and goalies from New England District boys camp. We've already ranked the top forwards at the event, which was held at New England Sports Village.
The one theme of the defensemen was the top two were obvious...it was just hard to pick which one was better. Both were outstanding when moving the puck.
After the top two, the other five brought different skills.
It will be interesting to see which players make the team that goes to Buffalo, N.Y. That's slated to be announced later this week. While it's unknown exactly how many spots USA Hockey will let New England have, last season's championship-winning team had 10 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies.
Here’s our usual friendly reminder that the New England District includes all states except Massachusetts. In the eyes of USA Hockey, Massachusetts is a separate district.
These are just my opinions below.
Let's dive in to the seven best defensemen at the event, as well as the two best netminders.
Defensemen
1. Everett Baldwin
St. George's, 1/15/2007, D, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
NCAA: Providence CollegeÂ
This was a very tight call at the top...but I went with Baldwin. In my viewings of him, he did whatever he wanted with the puck. When he wanted to rush it, he created a route up the ice no matter who was in the way. He moved pucks easily out of his own zone, too. When he had the puck at the point, he could easily curl and drag for a shot around any defender. Baldwin's game is in a really nice spot.
2. Anthony Bongo
Shattuck-St. Mary's 16U, 5/16/2007, D, right shot, 5-9/150
Hometown: Ridgefield, Conn.
NCAA: MichiganÂ
Bongo was a breakout machine, evading pressure and finding open ice around his own net to make that first pass. He knew exactly when to jump into the offense, as was evident on his goal in his second game on Saturday. The 2023 U.S. National Team Development Program evaluation camp invitee found open space in the slot to tap in a pass from forward Van Martin. In my opinion, Baldwin and Bongo are easily the top two '07 defenders.
3. Marco Senerchia
St. George's, 7/4/2007, D, left shot, 5-8/150
Hometown: Greenville, R.I.Â
Senerchia's size works against him, but his hands and edge work do a great job at making up for it. Whenever Senerchia had opposing players closing on him, he found a way to dance around them. Against Team Gold, there were a handful of occasions in which he stick-handled through multiple opposing players. He almost completed an end-to-end scoring chance at one point. Because of his ability to successfully exit his own zone — whether by himself or via an outlet pass — I have him at No. 3.
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4. William Rob
Holderness, 8/2/2007, D, left shot, 5-11/174
Hometown: Montpelier, Vt.Â
Rob was outstanding. The Holderness product was assertive and always vocal on the ice. Against Team Gold, he made a heads-up play in the second half. He stepped up and gloved down a puck in mid-air, put it on his stick and rushed it for a zone entry. At the point, he was mobile with the puck, eluding defenders to try and find shooting lanes. He was also super active in the offensive zone.
5. John Donohue
Avon Old Farms, 1/14/2007, D, left shot, 5-10/195
Hometown: North Haven, Conn.Â
Donohue had a nice goal against Team White. The Avon Old Farms product grabbed the puck along the boards and fired a quick shot over the goalie. He had a couple of nice rushes with the puck, too. But what stood out most was Donohue's physicality, which isn't something normally seen at an event like this. Given the amount of puck-moving and offensive defensemen on this list, Donohue's physicality should be a welcome addition for Buffalo.
6. James Odyniec
Avon Old Farms, 1/2/2007, D, right shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Wilton, Conn.Â
Odyniec wasn't flashy, but he consistently got the job done in his own end. He broke up plays and had a good stick. When moving out of his zone with the puck, he didn't try to do too much, but could skate it himself when necessary. He wasn't afraid to drop down low in the offensive zone either, as was evident on his goal against Team Gold. He drove the crease and knocked one in during Saturday's second game.
7. Kirby Perler
Long Island Gulls 16U, 3/29/2007, D, left shot, 5-9/161
Hometown: Woodbridge, Conn.
NCAA: YaleÂ
Some might have had Perler higher on their list. Personally, for the games I did see of his, they weren't my favorite viewings of him. There were a couple of turnovers in his own zone that led to scoring chances against Team Blue that weren't good. However, Perler's skating is outstanding and he's elusive. Early in that game against Team Blue, he had a nice end-to-end rush that resulted in a scoring chance.
Goalies
1. Steven Luciano
Salisbury, 3/1/2007, G, catches left, 5-11/175
Hometown: New Canaan, Conn.Â
This event wasn't conducive to goalies having success. It's hard to go in for a 24-minute half and either get peppered or face minimal shots. Still, Luciano was the best goalie of the '07s, in my opinion. He was square to shots and when moved well laterally in the crease. He tracked pucks well, which helped him have good rebound control.
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2. Jack Fichthorn
Westminster, 5/10/2007, G, catches left, 5-11/170
Hometown: Darien, Conn.Â
Fichthorn's best performance came in the first half of the All-Star game. Fichthorn faced a slew of shots and stopped all but one. He handled shots off the rush well and was active in the net, getting across quickly to make saves. He took away angles on shots from high-danger areas as well. I'd pencil Luciano and Fichthorn in as my two goalies for Buffalo.
