Deerfield wasn't in my New England boys prep hockey preseason top 10 last season, and finished as the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8.
The Big Green either came out of nowhere, or my rankings were rubbish. (I think it was a little bit of both). They got to the semifinals, where they lost to Cushing, 4-1.
It will take some work for Deerfield to pick up where it left off.
Head coach Tim McVaugh's team lost its top four scorers from last season to graduation. They graduated five defensemen and were dealt a major blow recently when current senior Nate Watson, projected to be one of the better defenders this winter, broke his ankle and will likely be out for the season.
So, what's in store for Deerfield this winter? Can it make it back to the Elite 8?
Who is scoring?
Seniors having to step up is nothing new. That's how older teams in prep win — and that's what Deerfield will need this season.
Last year, Colgate commit Matteo Alvarez had 22 points in 27 games, while Lukas Machan had 19 in 25. The '07s will be focal points of the offense this winter.
"I expect them to put the puck in the net," McVaugh said.
Along with them, Colton Simas (Warwick, R.I.), an '09, is someone McVaugh will also rely on. Simas was buried for much of last season since he was a freshman on an extremely old team. But he broke out this fall with the Providence Capitals 16U team.
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"When you're coaching in prep school, there are some guys that come back pretty much exactly the same," McVaugh said. "Some guys come back in the fall and they've taken a big step. Colton just worked incredibly hard between March and now. I'm really pleased with his progress. I think last year he learned a lot. He's ready to show it more consistently on the ice."
Alvarez, Machan and Simas won't be alone. Former Pope Francis standout Michael McGrath (Wilbraham, Mass.) will be a postgrad up front. He knows what it takes to produce, especially as an older player. Lukas Royko, an '08 from Montreal, enters Deerfield after a productive career at Lower Canada College.
McVaugh expects other new '09s to make a big impact. Alex Strug (Westport, Conn.), who has been playing with Yale Junior Bulldogs 16U this fall, projects to produce. McVaugh is also excited about Owen Andrews, a forward from Bozeman, Mont., whom he calls a "steal."
"We'll have more sophomores and juniors in the lineup this year than we did last year," McVaugh said.
Strength in net
McVaugh looked forward to Watson leading a core of mostly new defensemen and players stepping into bigger roles.
"The kid is a trooper, a great leader," McVaugh said. "But we'll be lucky if he comes back at the end of February. More realistic is him coming back in March or April."
Deerfield has two returning defensemen in Billy Weller, who is one of the captains, and Nathan Caples (Winchester, Mass.). McVaugh also brought in former Brunswick defenseman Harry Holland (New Canaan, Conn.) and Ezra Jones, who has been a longtime member of the Carolina Junior Hurricanes.
"Last year, defensively, we were old, we were big and we were experienced. This year, we're none of those things," McVaugh said. "But I do think we'll play really well together. If we lean on the idea of defending with five, we can be equally effective."
McVaugh can breathe easier when mistakes do arise. His team boasts arguably the best goalie in prep: Elliot Lennon.
The 6-foot-6, 201-pound netminder made NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list and was given a 'W' rating as a sixth- or seventh-round candidate. He committed to Brown over the offseason. He broke out with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage last season.
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"He's as locked in as I've seen a goalie in a long time," McVaugh said. "Defensively, I think we've got to stop thinking about it as our defensemen and we've got to think of playing defense as a group of five plus a goalie."
Given the new and inexperienced defensive core that he's behind, a season as good as or better than last season should help get Lennon drafted by an NHL team next June.
Expectations
It's a difficult task to repeat as the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8. Cushing did it in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Ironically, the Penguins won the Elite 8 title last season, when they were the No. 6 seed. Prior to Cushing repeating as the No. 1 seed, Salisbury did it in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Given all they lost, expecting the Big Green to be No. 1 again is probably asking too much.
But the overall expectations? They're still high.
"We have high expectations for this group," McVaugh said. "We expect them to compete really hard and I think we expect them to build on the progress of last year."
That doesn't necessarily mean No. 1 again. But it does mean creating their own identity.
"People talk a lot about culture," McVaugh said. "I think culture is probably overrated in terms of at the high school level, the kids change so much. We can't just talk about last year and expect the fact that we were No. 1 last year to win us any games this year. It's a new chapter and a new culture."
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Deerfield wasn't a dominant No. 1 seed last season. It won its final 13 regular season games, but almost all of them were close throughout the matchup.
The margins are thin. They will be again this season.
"If we find ways to win those games, we'll be great. If we find ways to lose those games, we won't," McVaugh said. "Our ability to have success hinges on how well the guys come together and make plays in key moments of games."
