ROCKLAND, Mass. — The next step is USA Hockey Select Camps. And those are a pretty big deal.
The Mass. Hockey boys festival is over after two straight weekends of action at New England Sports Center and, most recently, Lovell Arena.
On the first weekend, roughly 80 players from each of the 2008, 2009, and 2010 birth years took to the ice. Then, the evaluators whittled it down to 40 players in each age group, who made up the Final 40 this past weekend.
Players hope to be selected to move on to Amherst, N.Y. The '08s will play at Select 17 Camp, the '09s at Select 16 Camp and the '10s at Select 15 Camp.
So, who gets selected?
Before we get into my picks, I'm using the numbers selected for each camp last season. They don't typically change much from year to year.
- Select 17: Nine forwards, five defensemen, one goalie
- Select 16: Nine forwards, five defensemen, one goalie
- Select 15: 10 forwards, five defensemen, two goalies
I don't decide who moves on to Select Camp. I can't say it enough: these views don't reflect those of USA Hockey or Mass. Hockey. This is just my opinion. Nevertheless, it's a fun exercise. These players below are listed on how I would rank them based on these past two weekends.
The official picks are slated to be released later this week.
Let's dive in.
2008s
Forwards:Â
- Will Manchuso
- Noah Survilas
- David Bosco
- Michael Federico
- Tommy Wilkinson
- Ty Hymovitz
- Matthew Krayer
- Spencer Thornborough
- Owen McHale
Defensemen:Â
- Brian McFadden
- Gavin Callahan
- Gavin Holland
- David O'Brien
- Phin Howard
Goalie:Â
- Parker Stockseth
Rationale:Â Manchuso may have had his stock rise the most throughout the festival, which we'll touch on in a separate story. Survilas and Bosco still played like top forwards in their age group. Federico continued to shine, and Wilkinson and Hymovitz have been two of the most improved players I've seen over the last year. As for the final three spots, the toughest omission was Ben Short (Lunenburg, Mass.). I also felt that way about James Curtatone (Somerville, Mass.) and JP Messuri (Arlington, Mass.).
READ MORE: 13 standout ’08s from the first weekend of the Mass. Hockey Festival
The first two picks on defense were easy. McFadden is a force at his size and contributes well offensively, while Callahan is a creative puck-mover. The last three were hard. Holland had a great game on Sunday, scoring on a wicked shot from the top of the circle. His two-way game got him on this list. O'Brien is a phenomenal puck-moving defenseman, while Howard's skating and stability rounded out the group. The hardest omission was Kaiden Donia (Townsend, Mass.). Others considered were Matt Hines (Hingham, Mass.), Tayvin Frongello (Hull, Mass.) and Brady Sloper (North Andover, Mass.).
Stockseth remained the No. 1 goalie in his age group from Massachusetts.
2009s
Forwards:Â
- Paulo Gualberto Jr.
- Caiden Pellegrino
- Owen Kailher
- Chase Warsofsky
- Troy Hamelin
- Joseph Covelluzzi
- Isaac Davis
- Gavin O'Toole
- Stephen Pinette
Defensemen:Â
- Jacoby Palmer
- Preston Abbott
- Kurt Beck
- Easton Anello
- Colin Yandle
Goalie:Â
- Justin Lee
Rationale:Â The first seven forwards were players I expected to make Select 16 Camp. I'm not sure there's a definite No. 1, but putting Gualberto and Pellegrino at the top feels right. Kailher looks poised for a big season with Mount St. Charles' 16U team next season, and I liked that Warsofsky didn't shy away from physicality playing against the '08s on Sunday. Hamelin has grown into an all-around center, Covelluzzi has worked his way into the top of his class and Davis' skating is fantastic. But, entering this weekend, I wasn't familiar with O'Toole and Pinette. Both outworked others in their age group to make it. The hardest omission was Liam Guilderson (Belmont, Mass.), followed by Ryan Elrick (Canton, Mass.) and Daniel Patch (Pingree, Mass.).
READ MORE: 13 standout ’09s from the first weekend of the Mass. Hockey Festival
Palmer is still the No. 1 defenseman among the '09s, but Abbott was impossible to miss through the last two weekends. Beck played a reliable, two-way game, while Anello was a calm and poised puck-mover. The last spot went to Yandle, who was also a two-way force throughout the festival. The hardest defender to leave off was Colin O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.).
The goalie spot came down to Alex Zihang Wang (Concord, Mass.) versus Lee. It's razor-thin, but I went with Lee. I'd be stunned if Wang doesn't get an at-large bid if he didn't make it.
2010s
Forwards:Â
- Jack Queally
- Blake Wilichoski
- Austin Wu
- Robert Dekleine
- Carter Felt
- Owen Lundin
- Nico Santella
- Colin Walsh
- Sam Lee
- Drew Short
Defensemen:Â
- Logan Cotter
- Alexander Guo
- Nicholas Ware
- Brendan Martin
- Shaun Farrell
Goalies:Â
- Ethan Lazdowsky
- Will Torres
Rationale:Â Ah, the 2010s. Who are these kids again? There shouldn't be much of a doubt about Queally at No. 1. Wilichoski was phenomenal this weekend. Wu plays with so much power, while Dekleine and Felt were impossible to miss. Lundin has outstanding hands, Santella is a fantastic skater and Walsh always finds routes for scoring chances. The last two spots were hard, but I went with Lee and Short. The two toughest omissions were Jamie Calla (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Jake Jaffe (Newton, Mass.).
MOVING TO COLLEGE: How many players from the Mass. Hockey Festival eventually play college hockey? Â
The '10 defense group was hard to put together because I don't think there is a clear No. 1. Cotter's offensive game and Guo's puck-moving put them at Nos. 1 and 2. Ware was a force, and Martin had a terrific weekend. The last spot went to Farrell, but it could've also gone to Jorden Marzi (Hopkinton, Mass.) or Sam Fishbone (Needham, Mass.).
Goalies aren't easy to judge in events like these, but Lazdowsky showed a nice blend of poise and athleticism, while Torres had a good weekend.
