Jack Queally wasn’t surprised when he scored in the first game at the U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in March.
“There was never really any doubt in my mind,” he said.
Queally was one of 45 players born in 2010 in Plymouth, Mich., that week competing for a spot on the NTDP’s Under-17 team. Scoring early let him settle into the moment — and into himself. That belief, he said, comes from his preparation.
The Milton, Mass., native cites Dan Panciocco, his head coach with the Neponset Valley River Rats 15U AAA team, as someone who’s helped him get to this point. For Panciocco, it was preparing him step by step, beginning at the 14U level.
“Myself and my two assistant coaches really focused on trying to make sure he was prepared to play at the prep level,” Panciocco said. “It was never anything more than that.”
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Panciocco and Queally spent hours watching film, trying to find small additions to his game that could pay dividends as he progressed from level to level. Queally was never satisfied.
“He would always come and ask questions after a game, like, ‘Hey, I saw something this way. Did you see it the same?’ He was always asking questions and always really committed to trying to better his game,” Panciocco said.
When Queally joined the River Rats at age 14, his goal was to play at St. Sebastian’s as a freshman. He made the team, but that first season wasn’t smooth sailing.
“It was super hard. I’ve never faced a struggle like that,” he said.
Circumstances pushed Queally to the top of St. Sebastian’s lineup. The team had graduated several key players, and Casey Mutryn had left for the NTDP.
Queally learned under fire.
“Just getting an opportunity for a really young player to not just play, but play in crucial situations and have crucial minutes — that helps them a lot,” St. Sebastian's head coach Sean McCann said. “There was a lot of teaching that went on, a lot of development from that standpoint.”
After that first prep season, Queally finally understood what that level of hockey really looks like. McCann said that played a major role in his success this past season.
As a sophomore at St. Sebastian’s, Queally led his team in scoring with 35 points and 14 goals in 27 games.
“He has a combination of a power forward mentality with a high skill set and high IQ,” McCann said. “That’s what I saw out of him, and I think that’s just going to get better and better as he goes along.”
Queally’s biggest strength, he’ll tell you, is his understanding of the game. His favorite player to watch is Jack Eichel, who is widely regarded as one of the smartest players in the NHL.
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“That’s something that I think I have an advantage over my peers,” Queally said.
While he might see his mind as his biggest strength, it’s not his only one. Queally prides himself on his 200-foot game — a mature aspect of any 15-year-old’s play. He’s already listed at 5-foot-11 and over 180 pounds. Since his first season at St. Sebastian’s, he’s added more than 25 pounds to his frame.
At his size, physicality is a big part of his game. He’s not afraid to muck it up in the corners, help out below the goal line, and he’s comfortable holding onto pucks in tight areas.
“He’s got a great feel for the game, where he is on the ice, where his teammates are, where the pressure is coming from, and he has the ability with and without the puck to try to create openings and opportunities for himself and for his teammates,” McCann said.
McCann knows what an NTDP-caliber player looks like. In his time at St. Sebastian’s, he’s seen elite players like Noah Hanifin, Drew Commesso, and Will Smith. All three progressed from St. Sebastian’s to the NTDP. So when Rod Braceful, general manager of the NTDP, shot Queally a text after the evaluation camp concluded to come to his office, it wasn’t a surprise that he made the team. Queally is one of two New England natives (along with Sam Lee) on the squad.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to represent the Red, White and Blue,” Queally said. “It’s a huge honor.”
Panciocco thinks Queally will be successful because he’s “super coachable.” He’s never had to ride Queally hard to get him to play the right way. McCann sees the same quality and said he expects Queally to be a leader at the NTDP, not so much by the way he speaks, but through his actions. Every player at the NTDP has previously been the best on their team, but McCann said the ones who stand out are the ones who show up and work.
Queally knows the transition to the NTDP will be difficult, as he’s never lived away from home before. But he’s confident that the transition will be successful, for the same reason he was confident he’d make the team in the first place.
“It’s the preparation throughout the summer,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a huge summer jumping into a new level, but being in the gym every day and working at my game every single day will definitely help.”
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It’s also his preparation that makes those around him confident that Queally can achieve anything he puts his mind to, which, in his words, is playing in college and the NHL.
“His ceiling is limitless,” Panciocco said.
