With prep hockey on hold last season, Salisbury is still the defending NEPSAC Elite 8 Champions from their victory in March of 2020 before the coronavirus derailed much of the sporting world.
It’s tough to pick against Andrew Will’s team in 2021-22. The Crimson Knights have established themselves as the preeminent program in prep school hockey, having won five NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament titles and appearing in the last three finals.
Kimball Union, winners in 2018 and 2019, is also a bonafide superpower in the world of prep school hockey. Former Maine and UMass Lowell head coach Tim Whitehead once again has a talented group that should fight to be there in the end.
While the top of the mountain appears to be loaded with the usual suspects, the bottom half of the Elite 8 bracket should be wide open. Is there a Berkshire or a Hotchkiss waiting to surprise the masses and earn a bid into the Elite 8 as those two schools did in 2020? While it’s not likely to be the Bears or Bearcats, there are a couple of teams who haven’t been as familiar entrants in recent years who could crash the party.
Here are my preseason rankings of the top 10 teams in prep school hockey:
1. Salisbury
There’s no doubt in my mind that Salisbury is the prohibitive favorite to win the Elite 8 Tournament come March. The Crimson Knights are loaded with talent at all positions. Salisbury is strong down the middle with junior Ben Poitras (Northeastern) and senior Ryan Walsh (Brown) occupying the first two center spots on the line chart. Junior Dylan Hryckowian (Northeastern) is a gifted winger. The blue line doesn’t necessarily have a star, but it is a deep group with solid prep school defenders. In net, Austin McNicholas has his flaws, but he’s a perfectly adequate goaltender for this level.
2. Kimball Union
While Kimball Union is a slight notch below Salisbury in my mind, the Wildcats are the second-best team in prep hockey entering the 2021-22 season. Saugus, Mass., native and senior captain Jaiden Moriello will lead a potent offense that also includes Nebraska-Omaha commit Matthew Maltais and Jackson Kyrkostas (Windham, N.H.). Senior captain and Vermont commit Duncan Ramsay is the undisputed top defenseman in prep hockey. Another Catamount commit, Dan Heroux, comes to KUA from Montreal where he was considered the top goaltending prospect in the Quebec province in his '05 birth year.
3. Dexter Southfield
Dexter Southfield is primed to make a deep run in the Elite 8. It would be shocking if Danny Donato’s squad didn’t earn home ice in the tournament. Dexter Southfield’s five college commits ranks first in prep hockey. Up front, the team should score plenty of goals with Grayson Badger (Hyde Park, Mass./Northeastern), Will Hughes (Andover, Mass./Harvard), Bobby Landry (Hingham, Mass./Harvard) and Cully Wilson (Hingham, Mass.) leading the way. Harvard commits Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.) and Matthew Fusco (Westwood, Mass.) will anchor the blue line while Mick Frechette (Weston, Mass.), Jonathan Lanza (Winthrop, Mass.), Liam O’Keeffe (Boston, Mass.) and Jake Mullahy (Scituate, Mass.) adding solid depth. Senior Alex Mickanin is the presumed starting goaltender.
4. Avon Old Farms
The Winged Beavers are the fourth and final team that I expect will earn a home ice spot in the Elite 8 quarterfinals. John Gardner’s team has key pieces in place at all positions, including Conor Callaghan who came back for a postgraduate year to tend the net. On defense, Jordin Palmer (Auburn, N.H.) and UNH commit Sam Court are the top blue liners. A trio of newcomers from outside of the region will bolster the offense. Notre Dame commit Brennan Ali, Penn State commit Matthew DiMarsico and Charlie Gollob should lead the way in that regard. Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) is one of the most talented '05s in prep hockey.
5. Cushing
The Penguins advanced to the final of the Large School Tournament in 2020, but bowed out to Loomis Chaffee. Former Holy Cross head coach and Boston University and Harvard assistant Paul Pearl is the new bench boss in Ashburnham. Ethan Gardula and Boston College commit Billy Norcross (Lynn, Mass.) will lead the forward group. After that, there’s a solid four or five forwards who can help make noise offensively. The defense could be a weakness for the Penguins, but senior goaltender Jackson Irving (Newbury, Mass.) should be able to steal some wins.
6. Belmont Hill
Another team with a first year head coach is Belmont Hill. Brian Phinney has taken over for Jeremiah McCarthy. The Sextants have a couple of big time goal scorers in Northeastern commit James Fisher (Wilmington, Mass.) and Ronan O’Donnell (Fairfield, Conn.). There won’t be a better '06 in prep hockey than Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.). The defense will be led by senior Will Killoran (Charlestown, Mass.) and Harvard commit Matthew Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.). Sam Scopa (Lexington, Mass.) is one of the top goaltenders in the country at his birth year and will be a key component for Phinney’s team.
7. Brunswick
Brunswick should find its way into the Elite 8 Tournament, due to a ton of talent. The offense has two very solid lines, led by senior Hank Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.), Yale commit Eli Friedman, James Shannon, Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.), Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.) and Drew DellaSalla. On defense, Lucas St. Louis (Old Greenwich, Conn.) is a mobile, puck moving defenseman who can make a huge difference. Brendan Holahan (New Canaan, Conn.) is one of the best goaltenders in prep hockey and backup Will Baker is more than up to the task. Mike Kennedy’s team takes on all challengers and will be fun to watch.
8. Nobles
Nobles, coached by Brian Day, could be looking at a spot in the Elite 8, but it will have to rely on young goaltending. Freshman Thatcher Bernstein is the top goaltender on the depth chart, but sophomore Tyler Bloomfield is right waiting in the wings. A lot of eyes will be on Nobles all season as NHL scouts flock to watch Harvard commit Ben MacDonald (Weston, Mass.). There’s actually a decent amount of depth up front, including seniors Drew Haxton (Wakefield, R.I.), Roman Tacelli (Needham, Mass.) and Colin Norton (Pembroke, Mass.). There are also some good young forwards in Ben Nakata (West Barnstable, Mass.) and Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.). On the blue line, it feels as if senior Aidan Lyons (Brookline, Mass.) has been around forever. He’s mobile and can activate into the offense. Brian Grant (Mansfield, Mass.) has Division 1 aspirations and John Logan, Matt Tully and Joe Mense add depth.
9. Frederick Gunn
Formerly known as The Gunnery, Craig Badger’s school has been renamed. The 2021-22 hockey team will have to do a rebranding of its own. A lot of talent has departed, but there are still some necessary parts to make the engine go. Joey Lovullo should be a solid goaltender and Kiernan Gately, Sal Cerrato, Luke Calabria, Jason Fritz, Christian Wood and Gus Hinckley make up a solid top six on the blue line. I like the forwards as there is a blend of small and fast along with big and heavy. Ryan Novo, Nathan Stachowiak and UConn commit Michael Murtagh can all skate. Sean Bradley and Evan Raines will bring the grit and sandpaper.
10. Kent
Kent has plenty of talent on the roster, but Dale Reinhardt’s team is young, especially in key positions. There’s a ton of talent on the blue line, led by Alex Bales and Jacob Ingstrup, but outside of Joey Sciabarra, the entire defensive corp is made up of '05s and '06s. Goaltending is also young with Harrison Fogel and Aidan Hopewell splitting the duties. Jake Kraft, Geno McEnery, Max Resnick, Dante Palombo and Cole Watson are the names to remember up front, where there is more experience. I’m taking the talent to prevail, but the youth scares me a little.
Honorable mention: St. Mark’s, St. Sebastian’s, St. George’s
