Let the madness begin.
Come December, the MIAA boys slate will kick off. It’s a lot of the usual suspects in the top 10, but I believe any of the top four teams in this ranking could have had a reason to be No. 1. I wouldn’t be shocked if any of them rotate into that spot throughout the season. That’s not the case every year.
I also wouldn’t be shocked if teams from No. 5 and on vie for No. 1, too.
A lot of talent left these schools before graduation, but the MIAA still will be a watchable, exciting product this winter.
In previous years, this ranking was only Division 1. But teams from other divisions will be considered this winter.
Let’s dive in.
1. Catholic Memorial
The champs remain atop our preseason power rankings, and that has nothing to do with the Knights winning it all last March. Even with losing four defensemen to prep schools, CM has the best goalie in the state with freshman Jaxson Fleming. The 2010-born netminder has been a stalwart for the Minuteman Flames 15O squad this fall.
In front of Fleming, senior James Baker returns as one of the best defenders in prep, along with junior Liam McKinney. Forwards Christian Hinckle, Jack McCourt and AJ Ankstitus will be expected to carry the load offensively.
2. St. John’s Prep
Losing goalie AJ Farese hurts, but head coach Kristian Hanson is fortunate to have a strong defensive core in seniors JR Goldstein, who enters as one of the top defenders in the state, and Kevin Correa, as well as Sefton Paradis. Up front, senior Brandon Ward will lead a group that also includes junior Chase Brown and sophomore Gavin Anderson. Expect the Eagles to be in it until the end.
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3. Pope Francis
Pope Francis entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed last season and came within a goal of making it to TD Garden. The Cardinals, however, should be back in the running for the top spot.
One rival MIAA coach said of Pope, “They don’t rebuild. They reload.” They return a stacked group of senior forwards led by Matt Regan, Liam Dolan and Wolfgang Zinger. On defense, seniors Jack Goggin and Mason Gautreau lead the way, while junior George Ramsay should get the most reps in net after Nick Ritchie graduated.
4. St. John’s Shrewsbury
St. John’s Shrewsbury was everyone’s favorite story last March: the No. 14 seed that came within a goal of winning the state title. Head coach Michael Mead’s team graduated Daniel Menyalkin, who arguably was the most dominant player in Division 1 last season. Graduating Dominic Reidy also won’t help the team’s cause.
That said, the Pioneers return a lot. Junior Colin McCarthy is back in net after his heroic run last spring. Senior Conor Secrist will lead an experienced defensive core that features seniors Ashton Smith and Kevin Bisson, as well as high-end junior Ryder Bisson. Up front, seniors Brady Chenvert and Tyler Bergman, and junior Jaydon Wrzosek, will be key. This should be a much more consistent team throughout the season.
5. Hingham
The Harbormen are always near the top of the public school charts. This year shouldn’t be any different. Senior captain Cam McKenna is back after putting up 24 goals last season. He projects to be one of the best goal scorers in the state this winter. Sophomore Nick Bigelow should also take the next step after tallying 19 points last season.
On defense, senior captain Colman Donohue and Sean Carroll will be the core players in front of senior James Whitmore, a new starter for Hingham. The ’07 finally has the net.
6. Arlington
The Spy Ponders lost top forward JP Messuri and top defenseman Kurt Beck to Dexter Southfield, which will hurt. But forward Nolan Russell is back for his senior year, as well as senior Cam Petrillo, who is 6-foot-2. Arlington is notoriously a low-scoring, structured team, so expect more of the same this winter as it fights to get back to TD Garden.
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7. Xaverian
The Hawks don’t have one or two stars. The key to their success this season will be their depth, according to head coach Dave Spinale. Xaverian should be able to roll four lines. Joe Von Handorf will lead the way up front, and there is confidence in junior goalie Connor Kotwicki.
8. Reading
Reading suffered a stunning upset in the first round last season, falling in double overtime to Barnstable. The Rockets are back for revenge this season with a forward core led by Jack Melly and a defender core led by Nate Vittarisi. The Middlesex League is always a gauntlet, but expect Reading to be in the top 10 mix all season.
9. BC High
BC High isn’t a super-experienced team this season. The forward core will be led by Nolan O’Sullivan. He will be relied upon quite a bit. Losing star goalie Drew Karlovits to Dexter Southfield hurts, but this team will go as far as the unproven guys take them. Head coach John Flaherty has a handful of players moving up in the lineup and some more coming up from junior varsity. Senior forwards Max Ryan, Tommy Misilo and Landon Littlewood will be counted on for goals. Junior Cal LaPointe projects as the top defenseman, with seniors Brendan Sprague, Mike Lynch and Jamie Tierney pitching in.
The common theme among all these players? They have something to prove.
PREP: 32 breakout forward candidates | 24 breakout defensemen candidates |13 breakout goalie candidates
10. Canton
I’ve never included a Division 2 team in my top 10, but it’s impossible to ignore how good Canton should be. The Bulldogs lost their first game of the season last December and then never lost again until the state final. A lot of last season’s team is back.
Up front, senior Joey Ryan, who had 49 points last year, will be huge. So will be junior Ryan Elrick, who had 41. Seniors Andrew Gillis and Shane Kelleher, as well as junior Cameron Guerschuny, also return. Seniors Teddy Schuman and Graidy Carr will lead the defensive core in front of senior starter Matt Wright.
In the running: Winchester, Tewksbury, Arlington Catholic, Marshfield, Archbishop Williams, Braintree, St. Mary’s of Lynn, Billerica, Milton
