FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Pro-Am Junior Chowder Cup concluded at the beginning of the month and New England Hockey Journal covered many of the 2005 division’s standout players.
The 2006 division was also highly competitive, with numerous players from the region and outside of New England showing well in the annual event. The Northstar Elite Minnesota team defeated Top Shelf Gold to capture the 2021 title. We previously published a look at some players who shined during the preliminary round, but this is a deeper dive into the 2006 players who took it to another level in the Sunday playoff games.
As summer hockey winds down, we will continue to use these viewings as opportunities to develop comprehensive watch lists leading into the 2021-22 season for ’06 players in all manner of leagues, as they embark on this critical year for them leading to the U.S. National Team Selection Camp and USHL phase 1/futures draft later in the spring.
Forwards
21 Daniel Berehowsky, All-American Prospects White
9/29/06, shoots right, 5-9/170
Dual Canadian-U.S. citizen was born in Arizona but raised in Canada as the son of former NHL defenseman Drake Berehowsky. He impressed with his pace, intelligence and unselfish playing style. A deft passer, he got up and down the ice quickly and made some excellent seam passes that resulted in goals. Berehowsky is leaving the Florida Alliance AAA program for the defending national champion Detroit Honeybaked 15O team.
3 Brent Beswick, Coaches Choice Elite Red
10/1/06, shoots left, 5-6/145
New Jersey native played at breakneck pace and was a constant disruptive presence at both ends of the ice. Although under the radar as a member of the NY Saints AAA program. He’s an agitator who hounds pucks relentlessly but also showed some nifty skill to pop a goal in tight in playoff action against Roc City Futures Red. While he may not have the higher-end potential of other forwards on this list, he brought some intriguing energy, jam and scoring upside here.
14 Kevin Delay, Boston Jr. Blues
4/4/06, shoots left, 5-10/170
Size and talent runs in the family, as Tim Delay’s younger brother is noticeable for his physical tools and ability to generate speed and get pucks to the net. He made some excellent passes and did a good job of getting to the net, rewarded with a goal in the playoff round win over Boston Hockey Club Black. As he develops, consistency and the ability to impact the game on every shift will be key areas of emphasis.
12 James Hagens, Boston Hockey Club Black
11/3/06, shoots left, 5-7/135
New York native and Mount Saint Charles Academy 14-U standout from a season ago showed some real offensive flair throughout the tournament. He gets up to speed quickly and effortlessly carries the puck through traffic. On the PP, he’s a constant threat, and against the Jr. Blues, he spun off a defender, found quiet ice and buried a one-timer before the PKers could react. On the younger side of the ’06 birth year, he’s not the biggest or strongest at present, but the NTDP candidate's speed/skill/hockey sense package is one of the best of any player seen here.
19 Quinn McNamara, All-American Prospects White
1/24/06, shoots left, 6-1/185
Big, rangy Canadian from the Lambton Jr. Sting who will play for the LA Jr. Kings in 2021-22. He played with speed and an attacking mindset, going north-south effectively and picking up pucks in high danger areas, finishing off a lot of plays for his team. He and Berehowsky showed some nice chemistry and if USHL teams didn’t know who he was before, they will soon enough. With 5 goals and 8 points in three games, he tore it up here and will be interesting to see how he produces on the AAA circuit this year.
19 Ben Nakata, Boston Jr. Blues
8/30/06, shoots left, 5-9/165
Some players just catch your eye because they are effective in all zones and do things right, and that was Nakata on the weekend. The extremely smart, engaged forward with size who appears to be one of those prospects who will just keep getting better, he had several effective net drives and a nifty goal in his team’s playoff upset of a Boston Hockey Club team that was better on paper. A possession machine who was constantly around the puck, the Boston Advantage forward from West Barnstable, Mass. has a high ceiling as a legitimate D-1 prospect.
8 Jack Sadowski, Boston Hockey Club Black
7/29/06, shoots left, 5-8/140
High-pace player with open-ice separation speed and skill absolutely drilled a top-shelf shot high blocker after he slipped in behind the Jr. Blues defense, showing some advanced scoring chops. From Arlington, Mass., the Boston Jr. Eagles product who played at Arlington HS last season has a lot of upside as a natural offensive play driver.
13 Kolin Sisson, Boston Hockey Club Black
9/30/06, shoots right, 5-4/115
A real New England Hockey Journal favorite because he flies around the ice, has a nonstop motor and is such a crafty, smart forward. When you talk about a player who is “more than the sum of his parts,” the Providence, R.I. native and Mount Saint Charles standout is a prime example: he’s always moving his feet, communicating, and has the pure speed and skills needed to impact the game as one of the smallest players on the ice. His heart and desire jump out right away- winning hockey player.
10 Teddy Stiga, Boston Hockey Club Black
4/5/06, shoots left, 5-9/145
Another of the top area (Sudbury, Mass.) players from the ’06 birth year, the Boston Jr. Eagle did not disappoint. His talent manifests itself from start to finish: he can skate, has high-end hockey sense/creativity and also has an impressive dog-on-a-bone mentality with the puck. He won a lot of draws, made some terrific passes through a maze of sticks and bodies and showed patience to not just throw pucks away; willing to give and take hits to make the play. He’s a top prospect and even in a summer hockey event lacking in structure, it’s not hard to see why with his ability and advanced habits.
11 Niko Tournas, Top Shelf Gold
2/1/06, shoots right, 5-11/150
We noticed this pure shooter from Redding, Conn. at the New England Districts back in June, and he did not disappoint here, leading all Junior Chowder players in scoring (7-6-13 in 3 preliminary games). With good size, he’s able to pinball his way through the offensive zone, keeping his feet on contact and then firing pucks from all over. He has a hard, heavy and accurate drive, and you can’t teach his shoot-first mindset. Goal scorers are always coveted, and Tournas is one.
HM: 68 Drew Carr, All-American Prospects White
3/29/06, shoots right, 5-8/140
Former Minuteman Jr. Flame stood out for his small area play/burst and ability to skate pucks up the ice and play with pace. He made some plays and was effective off the rush. From Medway, Mass. he is slated to play at St. Mark’s this season.
Defensemen
7 Rowan Aggarwal, Boston Jr. Blues
1/1/06, shoots right, 5-8/135
Moses Brown standout from Barrington, R.I. has the skating and puck skills to be an effective defenseman at the higher levels. Noticeable for his range and ability to get up the ice quickly or recover and maintain his gaps/contain outside speed well. Did a good job of angling the more dangerous forwards away from his net. At times tried to force passes that weren’t there; turnovers are something he'll need to limit going forward.
6 Deke Davidson, Coaches Choice Elite Black
6/4/06, shoots left, 5-8/140
Looks and plays bigger than his listed size. Smart defense-first blue liner isn’t flashy but manages the puck very well and plays the right way even in unstructured environments. Impressed with his ability to get back in retrievals and wheel pucks up and out efficiently. Gap control is advanced and he doesn’t get caught out of position or trying to do too much. Like Tournas, the Newmarket, N.H. native and Seacoast Performance Academy product impressed at NED in Nashua, N.H. earlier this summer and just a guy you win with.
3 Will Felicio, Boston Hockey Club Black
5/19/06, shoots left, 5-9/150
One of the very best ’06 defenders in the country, and the Chowder Cup looked easy for him. At times, that might have led to him playing down against the competition instead of taking it to another level. He does everything well, and the puck is on his stick like a magnet- he can skate it out himself or move it quickly with any range of pass. Loves to lead the rush and backs defenders up with his speed and shifty elusiveness. Felicio reads/reacts well and gets himself in position to defend, but at times, will lose the 1-on-1 physical matchups. As he gets stronger and more experienced, that will change, because he’s so smart and wily. The National Team Development Program is no doubt all over the Holden, Mass. native and Mount Saint Charles star.
6 Liam O’Keeffe, Boston Hockey Club Black
1/31/06, shoots left, 6-0/160
Big, physical defensive defenseman isn’t flashy but just gets the job done. He’s not exceptionally skilled in any one area, but when it comes to his reads and discipline in not trying to be something he’s not, he excelled here. Has a big, powerful shot. As he gets more experienced and stronger, he’ll be able to refine the mechanics and improve his release. His gaps were tight and he ended plays along the walls. Every team needs defenders who can log a lot of minutes and Boston native O’Keeffe gives you that.
Goaltenders
30 Kyle Bolduc, Top Shelf Gold
1/1/06, catches left, 5-10/140
Another NED standout who turned that into a trip to Select 15 Player Development Camp in Amherst, N.Y., Bolduc was solid here in a format that often hangs the men in net out to dry. He tracks well and is a blocking-style goalie who absorbs shots into his midsection or directs pucks away from high danger areas. He has room to improve his hands and puck touches, but he did a good job of getting his club to the championship game.
35 Josh Middleton, NorthStar Elite Minnesota
3/1/06, catches left, 6-0/170
St. Louis Park HS goalie is the complete package of size, athleticism, skill and intangibles. He moves well laterally, tracks pucks and doesn’t give up on the play. When his team needs a big save, he always seems to come up with it. He played 12 games as a high school freshman facing tough competition in the Twin Cities, so he’s on track to only get better. Watch for him at the NTDP National Selection Camp in March, he looked and acted the part here.
30 Evan Zhang, Boston Jr. Blues
2/2/06, catches left, 5-11/141
This battler from Sherborn, Mass. was a difference maker in the shootout upset win over Boston Hockey Club Black, as he stood on his head in the OT period, making a lot of tough saves in a wild 3-on-3 affair. He was good in the other viewings as well, but the Roxbury Latin netminder has a poise and calmness about him that permeates to his teammates. They believed in him, and though he gave up goals on his first two shots faced in the shootout, he slammed the door the rest of the way to secure the win.
HM: Cole Pouliot-Porter, Coaches Choice Elite Black
7/24/06, catches left, 5-10/146
This small but highly athletic netminder was fun to watch. He plays a throwback, acrobatic style, doing splits to snatch pucks out of the air and showed outstanding reflexes and recovery skills. The Wrentham, mass. Mount Saint Charles and Neponset Valley River Rats product has a high motor and compete, but we’re honestly not sure about the listed height- he looked smaller than that, but did a great job to shut everything down from a talented Boston Jr. Blues team to secure a 4-1 win.
