For a local kid, it's hard to top what Matt Grzelcyk has been able to do.
The Charlestown, Mass., native grew up playing for the Middlesex Islanders before moving over to the Boston Jr. Eagles for split-season hockey. He played at Belmont Hill, got an invite to the U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in 2010 and made the team.
He got drafted by his hometown Boston Bruins in 2012, followed that up with a standout, four-year career at Boston University and just finished his seventh full season with the Bruins.
His latest contract was worth $14.75 million over four years, earning him $3.697 million per season.
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Even though Grzelcyk has only spent two seasons outside of Massachusetts, he would've loved more time at Belmont Hill. He only spent his seventh, eighth and ninth grade years there.
Moving away for more opportunity is something he wishes local kids didn't have to do.
"I personally wish [staying in prep] was more of a thing," Grzelcyk said. "It's tough that kids have to move away when they're 15, 16 years old. I know I did it, but I feel like back in the day, it was cool to grow up going to your high school and getting to play and not having to move away from your family. I just wish that aspect was a little different."
Picking Belmont Hill was an easy choice. His father, John, helped out with the Sextants' junior varsity hockey team. Even at 10 years old, Grzelcyk would jump on the ice to practice with the Belmont Hill JV team.
Grzelcyk wasn't the only player on this year's Bruins roster to go the prep route. Johnny Beecher did too, although it wasn't something he initially wanted to do.
"I actually didn't really want to go at first," Beecher said.
But his parents were driving him two hours each way from their house in Elmira, N.Y., to take him to practice with the Syracuse Nationals. His parents, rightfully, didn't want to continue to do that and looked into the prep school route.
So, when Beecher had a tournament in Connecticut, they toured a few schools. Then, finally, he toured at Salisbury and the rest was history.
"At the Salisbury campus, I saw how beautiful it was," Beecher said. "I met [coach Andrew Will] and just kind of walked around. One of the players gave us a tour. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I was pretty much sold within the first 20 to 30 minutes."
Beecher spent one season at Salisbury in 2016-17, tallying 12 goals and 24 points before heading to the NTDP.
"That was genuinely one of the most fun years that I've had playing hockey," Beecher said.
Like Beecher, many local players have gone from prep to the NTDP in recent seasons. Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) were the two notable ones in 2021. In 2022, it was Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.). Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) made the team last year, while Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) will skate for the U17 team come the fall.
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Many more will make a similar journey.
"Prep is a great way to get ready for the [NTDP] and that style of hockey, especially for myself," Beecher said. "I was able to live away from home for a whole year before going out to Michigan and being away from my family. That was tremendous for me just to be able to hit the ground running when I got out there. In prep, you're playing bigger and older guys if you're a freshman or sophomore. At the end of the day, I think prep hockey is a great route."
Long before Grzelcyk and Beecher cut their teeth in prep, Kevin Shattenkirk was a high-end, right-shot defenseman at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., who also played for New Jersey Devils Youth.
In 2003, Shattenkirk was looking to make the move to prep school when John Riley (Malden, Mass.) got the head coaching job at Brunswick. Riley had coached Shattenkirk in youth hockey, so that made it an easy decision for the star defenseman.
Shattenkirk spent two seasons at Brunswick before moving onto the NTDP. Even though it's been 19 years since Shattenkirk played a prep game, he still feels strongly about the route.
"There's a lot of options and a lot of different ways you can go," Shattenkirk said. "I think the prep school route, whether you're living away from home or not, it forces you to grow up and accept more responsibility in your life, become a better student and become a better person. Be able to deal with the hard things that come along with life."
One development Shattenkirk hasn't liked is players becoming specialized into just hockey so early in their careers. That's a sentiment shared by Grzelcyk. In his three years at Belmont Hill, he played baseball, ran cross country and also was on the rowing team.
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"I think you have to play multiple sports," Grzelcyk said. "I don't know the right time to cut it off. But I'm a big believer in certain skills that you need to get from other sports. I feel like in tennis, you're working on your hand-eye and it's not very strenuous on your body. I think those things help. Even just to give you a break from the rink.
"I found that growing up, we always had a few kids who did tournaments every weekend and yeah maybe they were the best when they were 10 or 12 years old. But by the time we got to college, they're kind of falling behind because you can't be around hockey that much. I think it benefits you to play other sports and I think it helps you be more athletic."
