MARLBORO, Mass. — Four teams comprising the 2005 and 2006 birth years competed at the Summer Beantown Classic’s Futures Division at the New England Sports Center here August 8-10.
There were some talented players on hand, many of whom will compete in the region during the 2021-22 hockey season at various levels. Some of the athletes here were known commodities from summer viewings. Other players were less familiar to us but had strong outings.
The below list of players at all positions from the Futures Division made a positive impression and impact in our viewings.
Brent Beswick, NY Saints - Yellow
10/06, shoots left, 5-6/145
Fast, disruptive forward buzzed the net with relentless tenacity and finished off several plays. Although he lacks ideal size, he’s unafraid to stick his nose in and lives in the greasy areas of the rink. We’ve seen the New Jersey product a bit this summer, and he revs with a consistently high motor.
Ben Buckley, St. George's - Black
2/8/05, shoots right, 5-11/160
Responsible two-way forward competed hard with and without the puck and played the game in straight lines. He and his younger brother Danny both were impressive up front for the black team, but the elder Buckley's intensity and three-zone effort were laudable.
Drew Carr, St. Mark's (Medway, Mass.) - Blue
3/29/06, shoots right, 5-11/145
We first noticed Carr at the Junior Chowder Cup for his ability to play the game with pace and some physicality and jam. Here he showed off his ability to accelerate quickly as he hunted pucks and made a positive impact up front for Team Blue.
Cameron Cooke, Boston Jr. Bruins 16U (Pelham, N.H.) - Yellow
2/2/06, shoots right, 6-2/175
The Granite Stater has had an excellent summer and continued it in this event. He’s the complete package of size, skating, skill, IQ and effort. On one play, he generated speed through the neutral zone up the left side, moved the puck to the middle of the ice for a clean zone entry, then went straight to the net and deflected the subsequent shot up under the crossbar. It was a major league play and shows the immense potential Cooke has.
Gavin Cornforth, Thayer Academy (Milton, Mass.) - Yellow
12/15/06, shoots right, 5-9/140
Dynamic and skilled forward pushes the pace and loves to attack. Top-end separation gear and supreme on his edges to make rapid cuts and direction change. Handles the puck deftly at top speed and not afraid to shoot from anywhere. When it comes to offense, Cornforth is one of the top players in the ’06 birth year, period. At times, Boston Jr. Eagles and Thayer product missed open passing windows and didn’t leverage opportunities to involve his teammates in the o-zone. Plays with high energy and works.
Drew DellaSalla, Mid-Fairfield 15-U - Red
5/8/06, shoots left, 5-10/145
Looks taller than his listed size and stood out here for his skating, hands and vision. New York native is not as dynamic or flashy as other forwards here, but he zipped through skating lanes quickly and distributed the puck well. First time viewing him this season, but he has some real talent.
Dennis Davidson, Nobles (Newton, Mass.) - Blue
5/15/06, shoots right, 5-7/145
Another Minuteman Flames product was a whirling dervish in every game, flying around the ice and always around the puck making plays. We hadn’t seen him before, but he was impactful and played the right way. Although small, he checked the boxes with his speed, ability to handle pucks in traffic and high motor.
Blake Montgomery, Seacoast Performance Academy - Red
5/4/05, shoots left, 6-3/181
The huge, athletic younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Bryce Montgomery, could be also headed to the OHL after being selected by the same London Knights club that signed his sibling. Has a powerful stride, though needs to iron out the mechanics. He can really fire it, and though raw and unrefined, has a high ceiling as a power forward.
Ryan Flaherty, BC High (Milton, Mass.) - Yellow
4/25/05, shoots right, 6-1/160
Impressed with his all-around game and ability to make nifty offensive plays. Is growing into his body and showed a high compete and willingness to get to the net. Unselfish- looked to pass and create higher percentage scoring chances at the right times. Has good habits and details already and appears to be on track to play junior hockey at a high level/is a legitimate D-1 candidate.
Kyle Murray-Smith, Kimball Union Academy (South Strafford, Vt.) - Red
1/18/05, shoots left, 6-6/240
After helping the New England Crows win the Junior Chowder Cup, he was highly effective here by playing to his strengths and imposing his will physically. He’s got excellent hand-eye coordination, redirecting shots for goals and going to the top of the paint for rebounds. Skating is his biggest area of improvement, but with his physical package, he’s well on his way. He owned the walls and is a possession machine.
Josh Reaska, Windy City Storm 15-U - Red
1/25/06, shoots left, 5-9/146
Chicago native demonstrated game-breaking speed on several occasions, accelerating instantly with an explosive couple of steps. With deft, smooth hands, he can finish off breakaway chances. We didn’t know him before, but he’s going to have a lot of eyes on him this year for the USHL futures draft.
Landan Resendes, Cushing Academy (Marlborough, Mass.) - Blue
12/10/05, shoots right, 5-7/135
Moving from Hillside School to Cushing will be good for his development. Another New England Crow who has played a lot of hockey this summer, Resendes overcomes his lack of natural size by using his speed, hands and a high motor to be a constant threat. He scored a shorthanded breakaway goal in one game, using a dazzling array of dekes before tucking the puck home. Although he has a lot of physical maturing ahead, the Chicago Steel draft pick’s stock continues to rise.
Colin Gorman, St. Sebastian's (Westwood, Mass.) - Black
5/18/05, shoots left, 6-1/160
Athletic forward with good size and hands made some creative plays and did well in the possession game. When he's driving his feet, he's tough to contain and can back defenses up.
Defensemen
Calvin Beard, St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) - Blue
10/4/05, shoots right, 6-2/180
Tall, long and plays to his size with an effective reach and impressive range. A showcase like this one doesn’t play to Beard’s strengths, but he looked fluid, confident and played well overall. He takes care of his own end first, and moved pucks out of the d-zone efficiently. Watch for the trustworthy ‘D’ to log big minutes this season with the NV River Rats and in prep.
Evan Dresser, Belmont Hill (Everett, Mass.) - Yellow
2006, shoots right, 5-10/180
First time seeing Dresser this summer and he looked good with his movement and ability to read and activate at the right times. His gaps were a little loose at times, but there appears to be some upside here in the longer term if he can take next steps with Cape Cod Whalers and in prep.
Jack Harney, St. Sebastian’s (Needham, Mass.) - Black
2005, shoots right, 6-5/195
With his terrific height and reach plus hard, physical edge, he is difficult to play against. His footwork and mobility has to get better for the next level, but he’s athletic and should develop his balance/agility as he grows into his frame.
Dylan Hunt, Boston Little Bruins (Marlborough, Mass.) - Blue
2006, shoots left, 6-0/160
With natural size and still growing/filling out, he looked the part with a strong two-way presence to join the rush at the right times and good puck poise in the face of aggressive forechecking. He showed a willingness to defend and ended plays along the walls. Intriguing player.
Daniel Johnson, Windy City Storm 16-U - RedÂ
5/22/05, shoots left, 5-10/180
Explosive speed and dynamic offensive talent from the back end, the Marylander loves to run and gun. A USHL futures draft pick of the Youngstown Phantoms, Johnson has difference-making skating and puck skills, but will benefit from focusing on his positioning; at times an adventure at both ends of the rink.
Jack Montaldo, Mount Saint Charles 15-U - Yellow
06/2006, shoots right, 5-11/170
The modern two-way defender who skates and handles pucks with speed and skill. This kind of event played to his strengths, allowing him to get up in the play but he also showed good defensive recognition and closed off routes nicely. He has the size and talent to play higher-end junior and D-1.
Tommy Rose, Boston Jr. Bruins 16-U (Westford, Mass.) - Yellow
8/31/05, shoots right, 5-9/140
Although he has a short/light frame, Rose shows no signs of limitations, as he moves effortlessly up and down the ice. A heads-up skater, he advances pucks rapidly and has four-way compass mobility, able to stop on a dime. He’s not dynamic, but is automatic on breakouts and has good defensive awareness/stick positioning/habits.
Goaltenders
Ryder Shea, St. George’s (Framingham, Mass.) - Blue
5/4/06, catches left, 6-1/190
This was the best we’ve seen Shea play this summer, using his size and quickness to deny some point-blank shots and make the kind of athletic saves that give a team a big boost. He looked poised and confident here, and if he carries it forward with the Jr. Bruins and at St. George’s, he’ll elevate his profile.
Brendan Nee, The Rivers School (Arlington, Mass.) - Yellow
6/4/05, catches left, 5-11/165
Held the fort in net for his team and made some quality stops throughout. He’s ranked because he consistently made the saves he needed to and stole some. Between the EC Wizards 16-U and Rivers, he’ll be one to watch this season.
