On our First and Second Housatonic teams, there's a lot of upside. There are also players with something to prove.
Six of the 12 selections are uncommitted. This winter will be pivotal to proving to college coaches that they deserve attention. All 12 of these players should be forces for their respective teams, too.
The other thing: The six players on the Second squad had legitimate cases to be on the first team. The Housatonic was one of the hardest Preseason All-Star teams to put together for that reason.
And, of course, many players not on here had cases.
Here are our First and Second All-Housatonic teams.
First team
Jack Broderick | Kent | F
Broderick was part of a Kent team that missed expectations last season. The Cornell commit still led his team with 17 goals and will be part of a group motivated to get back into the Elite 8 conversation. He will have talent around him, too, which should lead to even more production.
Greg Najda | Choate | F
Najda, at 6-foot-1, is a legit NHL Draft prospect in prep, getting on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary watchlist. The Yale commit tallied 23 points in 24 games last season and looks primed for a whole lot more as the leading producer on a revamped Choate team.
READ MORE:Â A team-by-team breakdown of the Housatonic
JT Rothstein | Taft | F
Rothstein had a strong junior year for Taft last season, scoring 13 goals and posting 30 points in 24 games. The Harvard commit is going to need to up his production again this winter, as Taft looks to get back into the playoff conversation. He should have no trouble doing so with his high-end skill and vision.
Zach Gill | Salisbury | D
The Crimson Knights are at their best when they have a No. 1 defensive stalwart. That should be Gill this winter. He’s already a shutdown presence in his own end. The next step will be adding more to his offensive game and putting up points from the blue line.
Ryan Hecker | Avon | D
Hecker recently committed to RPI and enters this winter as a leader for Avon on defense. He had five goals and 14 points in 27 games last season. Avon Old Farms always relies on its senior defenders, and Hecker looks to be next in line. He should take the next step.
Elliot Lennon | Deerfield | G
No question here. Lennon is arguably the top goalie in prep. His .926 save percentage and 2.03 goals-against average ranked in the upper echelon of goalies last winter, as the Brown commit led Deerfield to the No. 1 spot in the Elite 8. It wasn’t a surprise that he got put on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary watch list.
READ MORE:Â Our preseason boys top 10Â |Â Ranking the next 15 teams
Second team
Andrew Migliore | Trinity-Pawling | F
It was a hard call putting Migliore on the Second team and not the First. He notched a whopping 51 points in 26 games last season, playing mostly with then-seniors Liam Lefebvre and Nick Peragine. With Lefebvre and Peragine gone to graduation, it will be up to Migliore to drive offense for Trinity-Pawling.
Jacob Jett | Avon | F
Jett had a nice junior season last winter with 23 points in 26 games. Avon’s top two scorers are gone, so a lot of the onus will be on Jett to produce. With his playmaking abilities, he shouldn’t have much of a problem doing so. He remains uncommitted and deserves some college attention.
Will Schlechtweg | Kent | F
Schlechtweg had 17 points in 26 games last season in his first season of prep. He has a heavy shot that he can use to score from anywhere. One of the best things to help his stock: He made NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary Watch List. With a year at Kent under his belt, he looks poised to be a top producer this winter.
Tyler Roccas | Salisbury | D
Roccas missed all of last season due to injury. Since then, he transferred from Hotchkiss to Salisbury and committed to Quinnipiac. At 6-foot-2, Roccas has the chance to be one of the top two-way defenders in New England this winter. The Crimson Knights will also be a defensive-focused team with many new faces up front. Roccas projects to be a leader with Gill on the blue line.
Max Yakub | Avon | D
A whole lot of Avon in here. Yakub arrives at Avon Old Farms after being a top defenseman for Mount St. Charles ’09 squad that won two national championships. He’s a two-way defenseman who can run a power play just as easily as he can serve on a penalty kill.
READ MORE: 32 breakout forward candidates | 24 breakout defensemen candidates |13 breakout goalie candidates
Anthony Palmer | Avon | G
It comes down to this for Palmer. The senior ’07 has been one of the better goalies in prep for the past two winters. He posted a 1.60 GAA and a .939 save percentage, splitting the net as a sophomore. Last winter, he posted a 2.20 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He should have no trouble putting the Winged Beavers in Elite 8 position.
