Entering last season, Phillips Andover was 64-71-4 since 2017. There were three seasons slightly above .500 and two that were under it.
For a school like Andover, that will not cut it.
Head coach Paul Tortorella's squad responded with its best campaign in seven seasons, going 17-11-2 and getting the No. 7 seed in the Large School Tournament.
Once in the tournament, the Big Blue upset Lawrence Academy, 6-2, in the quarterfinals before falling to Dexter Southfield in the semis. It was still a big step in the right direction.
"[Our players] all want to play at the highest levels," Tortorella said. "We just try to show them through our own experiences and observations and discussions with college coaches, junior coaches and professional coaches whatever it takes. It goes back to giving them the opportunity, the space and time where they can make choices."
That will be a big theme of this season — taking advantage of opportunities. Many new players must learn that lesson.
It starts with Grayden Robertson-Palmer
While Andover lost three of its top four scorers from last season to graduation, the Big Blue are set with a No. 1 center.
Robertson-Palmer committed to Dartmouth last summer and was an eighth-round pick by Dubuque in the USHL Phase 1 Draft earlier this year. Last season, he posted 17 goals and 37 points in 30 games for Andover.
"He's got speed, he's got strength," Tortorella said. "He's got a high Hockey IQ. There isn't just one part of his game that stands out more than the others, and that's why I like him. He does a lot of different things at a very high level, including positional play when he doesn't have the puck."
Robertson-Palmer's 200-foot prowess is a big reason why he projects to be one of the best players in prep this winter.
It's also why he could receive recognition from NHL Central Scouting as a prospect to watch throughout the fall, winter and spring. As an August birthday in 2007, he's eligible to be taken next June.
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Along with Robertson-Palmer, seniors Peyton Militello and Rui Han will be relied upon to fill the net. Militello had nine goals and 24 points in 30 games last season, while Han had 21 points.
Where things get even more interesting is with the '08s.
There's returning left wing Alex Theodore, who ranked fourth on the team in goals last year with 11. But there are also a plethora of newcomers.
Kieran McIntosh is one. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound forward was with Ontario Hockey Academy last season. Nathan Kreppner is another. Last season, he was with the Toronto Titans' U16 team.
While those two are from Canada, Andover also has Russell Louie entering from Mountain View, Calif. The 5-foot-7, 154-pound forward played for Dublin High in California last season along with the 15O San Jose Jr. Sharks. All three of them are playing with the East Coast Militia's 16U squad this fall.
Another player with that Militia team is Patrick Benson. The '09 was a standout with Dover-Sherborn/Weston High last season.
"We expect them to play and help us win," Tortorella said.
A solid returning group on defense
Tortorella believes one of the big strengths of his team this season will be on defense in large part due to the returning cast.
Zachary Skowronek leads the way. An '06 senior, he had eight goals and 18 points in 30 games last season.
"He's a big, strong defenseman who's an excellent skater," Tortorella said.
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Also returning is senior Chas Sabre, junior Louis-Felix Beaulieu and sophomore Matt Pitrowski, an '08.
"He was a freshman last year who played regular minutes," Tortorella said of Pitrowski. "As the season heated up, he was one of our key defensemen."
Just like up front, there will also be new faces on defense. Andover added Liam TenHarmsel, an '07 from Michigan. He played for Grand Rapids Catholic Central High last season, along with Little Caesars' 16U team. The Big Blue also brought in Zachary Fedele, an '07 from Quebec. For the last three seasons, he played for College Bourget.
The plan in net
Chase Anderson (Marblehead, Mass.) has been with Andover since 2021-22. His workload has increased ever since, culminating in him splitting time with then-senior Ben Skowronek last season.
Anderson posted a 2.64 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage as a junior last winter. While Skowronek is gone, Tortorella brought in Edouard Lord, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound goalie from Quebec. He will be a junior.
"They're two different goalies, but they both have good size and good fundamentals," Tortorella said.
The question will be how Tortorella manages the net. The plan changed multiple times last season.
"We didn't even tell the guys last year they were going to alternate," Tortorella said. "We alternated until it didn't work. Then we stopped alternating. We alternated the two of them for the first third of the year, and then Chase had the net. In the end, it was Skowronek. It turned out to be a pretty even split, but that was not by design."
The plan this season is more of the same — taking it game by game.
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"We have to make sure that these kids are moving in the right direction," the bench boss said. "We've got Game 1 against Pomfret, and that's the one we're focused on. My sense is we'll be watching at practice. We've got two weeks of practice, and we'll kind of go game to game."
Many head coaches at all levels pass off managing the goaltenders to assistants who are better at understanding goalies or were ones themselves. But Tortorella was a goalie, so he feels confident in evaluating them.
"It's a competition," he said. "I know that guys need to know where they stand."
