If experience is the greatest teacher, St. Sebastian's learned a lot through a challenging last season.
Jack Queally (Milton, Mass.) is one of the stars of a grown-up Arrows team that is 13-7-0 and in the thick of the Elite 8 hunt.
The outstanding two-way center was an immediate varsity contributor as a freshman, but he's kicked it up a notch as the team's leading scorer. Through 20 games, he's tied for the team lead in goals (11) and ranks No. 1 in points (23).
Queally, a '10, has turned himself into one of the top college hockey prospects in prep, and a legitimate candidate to try out for the U.S. National Team Development Program in March.
St. Sebastian's head coach Sean McCann broke down Queally's game.
Hockey IQ
“I think it’s hockey IQ (that is the biggest strength in his game). I think he understands the game really well. I think he has a good feel, and he sees the game really well. He’s a guy who’s got high-end skill, but he understands the game at a high level as well. And that’s allowing him to play the game at a faster pace and create more opportunities.”
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Offense
“He’s a good-sized kid. He protects the puck really well. I think he has very good edges, so he’s got an ability to lose defensemen. Whether it’s to cut off of them or tight turns to be able to go low to high in the offensive zone, I think he does that really well. I think he has a very quick stick, too, so he sees the ice well and his passes are not delayed. When the opportunity is there, and he feels it’s the right play, he’s going to make that right away. He’s got good speed coming up ice on the rush, so he puts defensemen on their heels and has great vision.”
Shot
“He's got a quick release, but it’s in tight. Whether it's a wrist shot or a snap shot, he kind of gets it off. He has it close to his feet. He's able to get that off quickly and up in a hurry, so I think that's deceptive for a lot of goalies.”
Aggressiveness
“He's been doing a great job going to the net in general (this season). He’s scored some of those rebound, second-chance, more gritty types of goals. I think a lot of goals are scored in that way, so adding that aspect to his game has been really helpful.”
Defense
“Everybody thinks of offense, just wanting to run and gun because the game is so open nowadays, but the center has to be more responsible defensively, and I think Jack has really developed in that aspect. He wants to become a full 200-foot player and really kind of tighten up his game.”
Competitiveness
“As a young player in the league, you’re playing against sometimes 19-year-olds, PG players, so this (comes with experience). His willingness to play in the hard areas, in the corners and protect that puck and going to the front of the net off rushes and standing there with point shots, like, that’s his game. That aspect of his game has really developed. He’s willing, and he’s done a better job of being able to fend off the physicality of the game and be able to handle it, and then even from a standpoint of initiating it.”
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Growth
“He had experience last year as a (freshmen), and now he’s back with us again, so you just see the comfort of the speed, of how quickly he has to make decisions. I always look at it when the game seems to slow down a little bit for you, that’s when you know you’ve reached that level. In other words, you can execute at that level and really start to create offensively. I think it’s done that for Jack. He can do it even faster now, and he’ll be able to continue to get better as he processes the game and executes plays at a faster level. I think he’s going to continue to get better as the year goes along.”
