The ISL Eberhart was represented twice in the Elite 8 last season.
The year before, St. George's got into the Elite 8. The cover of our magazine that just came out features St. Mark's, an ISL Eberhart team, on the cover. The Lions were in the Elite 8 last season, alongside Rivers.
It's an interesting division in New England boys prep hockey. Historically, there have been some easy opponents, but there have also been some very hard ones.
I expect some of the non-playoff teams in this division to make a push throughout this season. But there's no doubt the team to beat here is St. Mark's.
Here's a team-by-team breakdown of the eight squads in the ISL Eberhart.
BB&N
Coach: Cason HohmannÂ
2024-25 record: 5-22-1
Players to watch: Ben Romer, F; Alex Robbins, F; James Ferreira, F; Ryan Clay, D; Scott Crabtree, D; James Potter, GÂ
Outlook: BB&N is under new leadership with Hohmann becoming head coach and Ed Bourget, who was highly successful with the BB&N girls, becoming director of hockey operations for the school and jumping behind the bench as an assistant with the boys. It's a new era — one that BB&N hopes ushers in more wins. This group is expected to play with more speed, quick puck movement and strong defense.
Brooks
Coach: Dave RiesÂ
2024-25 record: 7-17-2Â
Players to watch: Andrew Martin, F; Nick Dias, F; Kai Bara, F; Cole Bradford, F; Hudson Wood, F; Jon Clark, F; Harry Jackson, D; Lachlan Fletcher, GÂ
Outlook: Brooks has multiple forwards who should pitch in offensively, but chief among them is Martin, whose stock rose a lot this offseason. Jackson is a legitimate No. 1 defenseman, and Ries likes the rest of the D core, too. "Our team will need to play a disciplined team game — and stay healthy — to be successful," he said. An X-factor for this team will be secondary scoring.
READ MORE: 32 breakout forwards to watch | 24 breakout defensemen to watch
Groton
Coach: Bill RileyÂ
2024-25 record: 16-13-0; lost to Berkshire in quarterfinals of Small School tournamentÂ
Players to watch: Nate Moons, F; Alejandro Hassan, F; Nolan Wilson, F; Owen Cronan, F; Kaiden Donia, D; Elliot Wood, D; Conner Wig, D; Wes DiModica, GÂ
Outlook: Groton was a gritty, hard-working team last season that got itself into the postseason for the second-straight year. Donia brings the high-end talent with this group, and the rest of the defensive core and DiModica should make Groton a stingy, hard-to-score-against team. Moons had 15 goals and 35 points in 27 games last season. He will be key to leading the offense.
Middlesex
Coach: Eddie PavliniÂ
2024-25 record: 10-13-4Â
Players to watch: Luke Sardone, F; Kota Shinozaki, F; Leo Packard, F; Charlie Brand, F; Matt Palmer, D; Giuseppe Moriello, DÂ
Outlook: In the first year with Pavlini as bench boss, Middlesex is young, with only three seniors. Sardone will be the offensive leader, as his game took major strides through the summer and into the fall with the Brookline Whalers. Pavlini believes that while young, his team is deeper than before and should compete for the playoffs.
Rivers
Coach: Freddy MeyerÂ
2024-25 record: 21-6-1; lost to Dexter Southfield in semifinals of Elite 8 tournamentÂ
Players to watch: Jonathan Rivard, F; Stephen Rousell, F; Carter Felt, F; Luke Morin, F; Evan Handler, D; Colin O'Leary, D; Will Pratt, D; Derrick Huang, G; Will Torres, GÂ
Outlook:Â Rivers lost its top seven point producers from last season, meaning the Red Wings will look very different this season. Instead of being the high-scoring, high-flying bunch from a year ago, they will likely rely heavily on defense and goaltending if they are to contend for the postseason. Felt, a 2010-born player, is going to have ample opportunity in his first prep season. He should have no problem making an impact.
Roxbury Latin
Coach: David CataruzoloÂ
2024-25 record: 13-11-2Â
Players to watch: Joe Meade, F; Luke Campanella, F; Nolan Cahill, F; Cam Cataruzolo, F; Will Archibald, D; Shane McGoldrick, D; Ryan Molloy, D; Lucas Dolan, G; John Devine, GÂ
Outlook:Â Roxbury Latin put together a strong campaign last winter with 13 wins and should be able to build on that. The nucleus of that group is back. Meade will be huge for that, as he had 24 points in 24 games last winter. The strength of this team, however, is on defense with five senior defensemen, led by Archibald. Cataruzolo thinks Molloy is poised for a breakout season on defense with his size (6-foot-5) and skill. Roxbury Latin should be in contention for the playoffs all season.
St. George's
Coach: Allie SkelleyÂ
2024-25 record: 16-12-2; lost to Kimball Union in semifinals of Small School TournamentÂ
Players to watch: Max Donatelli, F; Aiden Ferreira, F; Ryan Magaletta, F; Ethan Goodrich, F; Cam Daigle, F; Brayden Erickson, F; Payton Tracy, D; Jake Donatelli, D; Landon Famigletti, D; Joel Thompson, D; Alex Wang, GÂ
Outlook: The Dragons had a pretty good season last year. While that roster had more high-end talent, this one has more depth and will likely play better as a singular unit. Donatelli should be one of the top players in the region. Tracy has emerged as a No. 1 defenseman throughout the fall, and Wang should give St. George’s a boost in net.
READ MORE:Â Our preseason boys prep top 10Â |Â Ranking the next 15 teamsÂ
St. Mark's
Coach: Carl CorazziniÂ
2024-25 record: 23-5-2; lost to Rivers in quarterfinals of Elite 8 tournamentÂ
Players to watch:Evan Nee, F; Caiden Pellegrino, F; Will Manchuso, F; Cam MacPherson, F; Teddy Drury, F; Max Santos, F; Phin Howard, D; Blake Grislis, D; Jack Taylor, D
Outlook: The cover team. The little engine that could. The underdogs. Well, maybe not anymore. The Lions have too much talent to surprise anyone this winter. Nee, Pellegrino, Manchuso and MacPherson are four of the best forwards in prep. That core helped St. Mark’s finish as the No. 2 seed in the Elite 8 last season. The big question with this team will be in net after losing Justin BriseBois to graduation.
