The boys prep hockey season ended roughly three months ago with Kimball Union taking down Cushing for the Elite 8 championship. Kent won the Large School bracket, while Canterbury hoisted the Small School title.
In 2022-23, only three players posted more than 50 points and none surpassed 60.
This past season was different. Six skaters had 60 or more points with one almost reaching 90.
Some new teams pushed for glory. St. George's earned a spot in the Elite 8, Rivers got back on the map and Canterbury became a champion.
So, it's that time of the year when we take the temperature of New England boys prep hockey coaches.
We surveyed coaches across the NEPSAC to get their thoughts on everything prep hockey. From the best players this season, to who they think the best teams will be next season, to players leaving early for juniors — we asked about everything.Â
The most common response was along the lines of, "Come on, Evan. This many questions?" Many thanks to those who participated.
All coaches were granted anonymity in their answers.
This story will be focused specifically on these topics from this season:
- Best overall player
- Best goalie
- Best newcomer this season
- Most surprising players
- Hardest team to play against
There will be future stories on different topics we asked the coaches about. This is Part 1.
Who was the best prep player this past season?
Surprise, surprise: The most common answer to this question was Jack Sadowski.
"The most dangerous offensive player in prep this past season," one coach said.
Sadowski finished with the most goals (41) and points (87) in the region. He posted the most points in a season since Jay O'Brien (Hingham, Mass.) notched 80 at Thayer in 2017-18. The most recent prep alum with more points than Sadowski in a single season was Josh Robertson (Whitman, Mass.) with 93 for Proctor in 2003-04.
"Can't argue with that production," said another coach.
Sadowski also showed up in the big moments consistently, too.
"He played his best against the best," another coach said. "Especially in big games down the stretch. He's a fierce competitor and has developed into an elite goal scorer and playmaker."
Sam LeDrew, Sadowski's linemate, got some love from a coach, too. The St. Lawrence commit ranked second in prep with 75 points.
LAST SEASON'S COACHES SURVEY: Best player, part 1 | Surprising teams and players next season, part 2 | The future of prep hockey, part 3
"Dynamic player with a pro shot," one coach said of LeDrew. "Skates well, strong, good size. He was a reason Sadowski did so well."
The only player other than Sadowski to get multiple mentions was Kent's Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.). The Cornell commit had 25 goals and 49 points in 26 games and led Kent to the Large School title.
"I only saw him play once, but I was impressed by DiGiulian from Kent," one coach said. "He impacted the game in so many ways. Players like Sadowski were so dynamic offensively, but I really enjoyed watching how DiGiulian was physical, made defensive plays, took away time and space, but he was also the driver of the offense for his team. He really made everyone around him better."
Everett Baldwin (Providence, R.I.) received a vote. The dynamic Providence commit tallied six goals and 27 points in 28 games on defense for St. George's.
"The ability to skate, make plays at pace and he can be physically dominant at times," a coach said. "That is a rare combination."
Three seniors scored votes. One of those was St. George's goalie Ryder Shea (Framingham, Mass.). We'll get to him in a minute. St. Sebastian's forward Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.) and Avon Old Farms forward Charles Blanchard (West Hartford, Conn.) were also recognized.
"He was the best player on a star-studded team" one coach said of Cataldo. "He was a threat offensively every time on the ice, but he was just as effective in the defensive zone as well."
Physical, unselfish, skilled and a great hockey IQ," a coach said of Blanchard.
Who was the best goalie in prep hockey?
The common answer here was Cushing's Marko Bilic. The second-most common answer was Shea.
Bilic at No. 1 is no surprise. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Arizona State commit was tied for the region lead in save percentage (.939) and ranked second in goals against average (1.45).
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"Marko Bilic played a ton of minutes, was consistently sharp and led Cushing to the finals," said one coach.
Bilic's work helping Cushing finish as the No. 1 seed for the Elite 8 Tournament surely helped his stature among prep coaches.
"He played well from start to finish on a top team in prep," another coach said.
Shea also got a fair amount of love. The Maine commit led St. George's to the No. 7 seed in the Elite 8 Tournament with the third-best save percentage in the region (.938) and fifth-best GAA (1.90).
"I thought Shea was good," one coach said. "Consistent. Looked like he gave his team a ton of confidence and freedom to take risks offensively."
Getting the Dragons to the Elite 8 just one season after going 15-13-0 was impressive.
"He carried his team to the Elite 8," said a coach.
Connor Towle (Fairfield, Conn.) of Hotchkiss got a vote, as did Frederick Gunn's Mitchell McCusker.
"He won multiple games for them," a coach said of Towle.
"He played at a high level while playing the most minutes in New England," another coach said of McCusker.
Who was the best newcomer in prep hockey?
This question was a bit open for interpretation. Some coaches took it as best rookie, while others included all first-year players.
It speaks to the depth of young talent in prep that there were so many answers.
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The most common was Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) of Rivers. The '09 led his team in points with 39.
"Best player in our league in a long time," a coach said. "Smart, competitive and very skilled. Was difficult to handle every shift he played."
One coach mentioned "The Rivers '09s" as his answer. Along with Meyer, Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) posted 34 points, Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) had 25 and Eben Alden (Dover, Mass.) played an important role on defense.
Three other rookies got recognition: Belmont Hill's David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.), Dexter Southfield's Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) and Taft's JT Rothstein.
Avon Old Farms goalie Anthony Palmer got a vote, too.
"He led Avon Old Farms to the Elite 8 semifinals," one coach said.
Five other newcomers who got votes were Pavit Mehra (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Aaron VanWie of Holderness, Antoine Gauthier of Berkshire, and Ryland Randle and Bilic of Cushing.
Which opposing players surprised you the most?
This one was really interesting given the amount of players mentioned. Let's separate these by birth year.
For '05s, Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) was mentioned multiple times. The Belmont Hill forward posted 14 goals and 41 points in 31 games.
"His compete and impact in all aspects," one coach explained for why he picked McManus.
Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.) was another '05 with a vote. He was tied with his teammate Sean Gibbons (Southport, Conn.) for third in the region in points with 68. He committed to UConn at the end of the season.
"He wasn't the most dangerous player, but his level of production was impressive," said a coach on Giles.
One under-the-radar '05 was Brewster Academy's Mason Meltzer.
"Mason Meltzer was impressive scoring 26 goals for a team (that) only scored 79 all season," another coach said.
Brendan Hirsch (Arlington, Mass.) of Lawrence Academy also got recognition. He finished the season with 25 goals and 37 points in 28 games.
"He played to his strengths and scored critical goals against us," one coach said.
Thayer forward Brady Kudrick (Norwell, Mass.), who finished with 17 goals and 38 points, got a mention for his "offensive strength."
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The two '06s mentioned were both defensemen. The first was Taft's Noah Jettelson.
"Noah Jettelson was a name I didn't really know coming into the season, but I was impressed with him," a coach said. "He was elusive and smooth with size."
Nathan Walsh (Mendon, Mass.) of St. George's was the other '06 mentioned. He finished with nine goals and 25 points in 28 games.
"I knew he was a good player," a coach said. "But he carried play in our games."
Two '07s who got some love were Berwick forward Parker Murch (York, Maine) and Loomis Chaffee forward Indiana Grossbard (Wilton, Conn.). Murch, with 31 goals and 61 points in 30 games, and Grossbard, 15 goals and 36 points in 22 games, led all '07s in points per game.
An '08 who got some more love on this question was Survilas, who finished with 12 goals and 30 points in 31 games as a freshman.
"As a freshman, he was confident and dominant in games," a coach said.
Sears, an '09, got recognition with this question, too.
"Just to be that young and that dominant was surprising," another coach said.
Bilic also got a vote.
Who was the hardest team to play against?
Ten teams got votes on this question. Cushing led the way.
The Penguins went 26-3-0 en route to the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8 Tournament. They made it all the way to the Elite 8 championship for the second straight year.
"The speed of Cushing's top guys was most impressive and most surprising I guess," a coach said. "Maybe we just hadn't seen a team like them before our game with them, but they pushed the pace and made it uncomfortable on our defense all game."
Depth was a key reason why the Penguins were so strong.
"They were the deepest at all three positions," another coach said. "They were talented, physically strong and could play fast and hard."
Kimball Union, the team that beat Cushing in the Elite 8 final, also got some votes. The Wildcats finished 32-5-0.
"Deep, talented, heavy, fast, good goaltending, well coached, well prepared, confident group," a coach said.
Another coach mentioned Kimball Union "can beat you in lots of ways."
Brunswick had an outstanding season, finishing 21-3-2 during the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed in the Elite 8 Tournament.
"They capitalized on every opportunity they had against us," said a coach. "They worked hard, limited our chances and then were lethal on their power play against us."
Avon Old Farms got multiple votes, which makes sense. The Winged Beavers went 22-2-1 and scored the No. 4 seed in the Elite 8. They took down Holderness in the quarterfinals, before bowing out to Cushing in the semis.
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"They played great defense to go with their offensive skill," another coach said. "We had two epic games with them, some of the most fun games of the year for us."
It was also no surprise that Salisbury got recognition. The Crimson Knights upset Brunswick in the quarterfinals of the Elite 8.
"Once they got the lead, they just locked it down," a coach said. "They closed gaps and were in your face, taking away time and space from our skilled guys."
An interesting, non-playoff team that received a vote was Roxbury Latin.
"They did not have the most skill," a coach said. "But they got the most out of their talent by finishing hits, blocking shots and a team commitment to playing defense."
Other teams who received votes were St. George's, Thayer and Nobles.
