MARLBORO, Mass. -- There were plenty of good hockey players on display at the 2021 Beantown Fall Classic, including a handful of players who were on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List.
The five-day event at the New England Sports Center and surrounding arenas was well attended by NHL and junior scouts as well as dozens of college coaches. The NHL scouts that made the trek to the Beantown Fall Classic were there to watch a few teams.
Boston Junior Eagles, Cape Cod Whalers, GBL Bruins, Neponset Valley River Rats, Northwood, and South Shore Kings Prep were the teams with prospects worth watching for the NHL scouts. As is the case with fall hockey, some notable players were missing from lineups.
The two best games involving NHL draft prospects took place involving Northwood. The full-season prep school from Lake Placid, N.Y., had a couple of good players but played entertaining games against GBL Bruins and South Shore Kings Prep.
Below is a look at the two 2022 NHL draft prospects that caught my eye during those two games.
Duncan Ramsay
GBL Bruins/Kimball Union, 2/8/04, D, left shot, 6-4/185
NCAA commit: Vermont
Potentially with the exception of Nobles and East Coast Wizards 18-U center Ben MacDonald, there is not a better 2022 NHL draft prospect playing in the region than Ramsay.
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Ramsay has great size and is smooth. His pivots and how light he is on his feet are impressive for a big, rangy defenseman of his size. He had a point on an early power-play goal by GBL Bruins on Saturday. He takes away time and space and closes quickly on opposing forwards. I’d expect Ramsay to be selected in the late second or third round of the 2022 draft.
Chris Romaine
SS Kings Prep/Milton, 2/21/04, D, right shot, 6-0/185
NCAA commit: Providence
There are three players from South Shore Kings Prep 18-U on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List, but Romaine isn’t one of them. In my opinion, the Braintree, Mass., native showed better against Northwood than all three and is certainly better than two of them all the time.
Romaine’s skating and footwork are both very good and his breakout ability is top-notch for this region. He can avoid oncoming forecheckers, push the pace, and walk the blue line. Something tells me Romaine will keep getting better when he gets to the USHL and then at Providence. NHL scouts should keep close tabs on the mobile, puck-moving defender. If I were an NHL club, I’d take a chance on Romaine in the sixth or seventh round.
Off-topic a little, I’m sure NHL scouts watching Sunday’s game between Northwood and South Shore Kings Prep took notes on 2023 draft prospect and Dexter Southfield defenseman Sean Keohane.
The Milton, Mass., native is one of three notable late '04s on the South Shore Kings Prep roster. The other two are forwards Donovan and Julian Frias, twin brothers who play prep at St. George’s. Northwood goaltender Jan Korec is another late '04 who showed well over the weekend, shutting out Oakland Junior Grizzlies and being solid against the South Shore Kings Prep.
