The 2021-22 prep hockey season got back on track last week after coronavirus disruptions with a robust slate of games, highlighting strong showings across the circuit.
St. Sebastian’s went 3-0 to further establish their bona fides at 10-2-1 this season, getting tremendous production up front from power winger Jayden Grier (Needham, Mass.) and Nolan Joyce (Dedham, Mass.) from the back end.
Also of note in recent action is postgrad forward Jonathan Surrette (Woburn, Mass.) making a difference at Phillips Andover. He has a strong offensive game and solid details going back to the Flood-Marr holiday tournament, providing the kind of play that is attracting notice from colleges.
St. George’s had an impressive week, getting scoring from a deep, talented forward group, but also benefiting from strong play in net. In fact, goaltending across the various leagues and divisions has been a strength this year.
Grier, Joyce surging for Arrows
St. Sebastian’s went 3-0 last week, erupting for 17 goals. Late ’03 prospect Grier tallied seven of them and has been on fire of late. He’s scoring in a variety of ways, including a hat trick and pair of shorthanded strikes in his team’s 8-4 win over Andover on Wednesday.
The senior left winger has always had a big frame to impose his will on games at this level. What has been more impressive in recent viewings is how well he’s reading and anticipating the play, jumping on turnovers and pulling away from defenders to score off the rush. Before that, it seemed like most of his offensive dimension came from the cycle and strong net drives. Now, he’s scoring any which way on the Arrows’ top line with Brendan Gorman (Arlington, Mass.) and Michael Callow (South Boston, Mass.). The trio has accounted for more than 60 points in 13 games for the ISL Keller division power. He and Princeton recruit Gorman have excellent chemistry and with future Harvard standout Callow riding shotgun on the right side, that line creates matchup nightmares.
Grier has the size and talent to be an impact player at the next levels. He’s one of the best uncommitted ’03 players in the circuit, though probably not for much longer.
Boston College recruit Joyce is another late ’03 who has played a lot of hockey in his team’s solid run this season. Sean McCann gets the most out of his speedy, poised defenseman who logs ironman minutes in every game and runs the Arrows’ lethal power play. He’s putting up a lot of points this season and has a superb one-timer that he’s used to good effect, especially on the man advantage. With his wheels and active stick, he does a good job of breaking up rushes and is able to counterattack quickly.
Between Joyce and Grier, the duo has been a consistent threat and earned their coach’s trust with pure ability and quantifiable scoring.
Jonathan Surrette making a name for himself on Big Blue
Surrette, the postgrad ’03 forward from Woburn, Mass., is quietly posting a big season for Paul Tortorella’s 9-6 Andover squad.
He pops for his pace and is around the puck a lot, doing little things that add up to the offense. Where other players try things that are higher risk, Surrette does a good job of chipping pucks off the wall and not trying to stickhandle or pass it through opponents. His strong wall play has been noticeable in our viewings, and with his effort and creativity, he’s making the players around him better. He plays bigger than his listed 5-foot-11, 185-pound frame, grinding plays out and taking and giving hits to create separation.
Consistency is key for any player to keep moving to the next levels, and for our money, Surrette rarely disappoints. It is time to recognize it and start projecting him as having a shot to land with a D-1 school that values a versatile, gritty depth forward with some upside.
St. George’s getting balanced scoring
The first thing you notice about Jeff Dwyer’s Dragons team is that they are deep up front and come at opponents in waves.
A trio of committed forwards in future Holy Cross Crusader Matt Kursonis (Worcester, Mass.), along with Donovan and Julian Frias (Yale) have combined with ’05 Ben Buckley (Warwick, R.I.) to form a balanced attack that can break games open quickly. Factor in a couple of younger ’06 forwards in Troy Hayes (Windham, N.H.) and Danny Buckley (Warwick, R.I.), and there is a lot of size, skill and smarts that can beat you in a variety of ways.
Kursonis is a forward who has been steadily elevating his play since summer and has a wicked release on his shot. A natural scorer who just finds a way to gain time and space with the puck on his stick, he’s one of a group of very good recruits first-year head coach Bill Riga has brought into the fold. He’s leading the Dragons in scoring, and with a quality supporting cast on the ice, the team is getting the offense they need from all corners of the roster.
After thrashing BB&N in Cambridge on Wednesday, 8-0, the Dragons then went to Southboro to beat a very good St. Mark’s team on Saturday. Between the forward group and a solid defensive core led by captains Ryan Buckley (Holy Cross) and Rocco Pace (Needham, Mass.), the goaltending is also very good with ’06 Ryder Shea (Framingham, Mass.) and Matthew DellaRusso (Darien, Conn.) providing athleticism and focus between the pipes.
BB&N lacked the talent to match the firepower, but forwards Lefty Markonidis (Hudson, Mass.), Will Rice (Cambridge, Mass.) and Danny McNeill (Wakefield, Mass.) were noticeable for their play with and away from the puck. The Knights went 1-2 (overtime win over Roxbury Latin, loss to Rivers) on the week.
Young goalie elevates profile
Nobles rookie Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) has attracted a lot of notice as an impact ’06 in prep with his superb play this fall, but another of his peers is quietly attracting some interested eyeballs.
St. George’s sophomore Ryder Shea is another total package of good size, instincts and quick reflexes. He’s earned the bulk of the starts with his team and is getting the job done, most recently posting a win over St. Mark’s. Shea had a strong fall with the Little Bruins 16 squad and is growing in confidence. He shows real poise in net despite being so young, and while he’s not played as many minutes as Bernstein, is likely attracting notice from the U.S. National Team Development Program as another area option for consideration. The NTDP convenes its annual national team selection camp in March, bringing in the top 2006-born players from around the USA. Shea has put himself into the discussion and that’s a credit to him and his solid performance this season.
Bernstein, Shea and Mount St. Charles 15 goaltender Jack Parsons all have the size and potential to be in play for selection to the USA under-17 team.
Yale adds power forward
Belmont Hill winger Ronan O’Donnell announced his commitment to Yale over the weekend, and he’s a good get for the Bulldogs. The native of Fairfield, Conn., has size and a wicked shot, that he has used to very good effect with the EC Wizards 18 team in fall play and early in the prep season. He missed the first few games with an injury but immediately got back into the groove upon his return, leading the Sextants in scoring and providing a tough-to-contain threat when he goes hard to the net.
He will need to improve his small area quickness and footspeed but has a powerful stride and a fine feel for finding soft spots in the defensive zone. He’ll be a very good fit for Yale and their playing style.
Final call
Lawrence Academy ’05 center Daniel Markevych continued his superb offensive play this season with a hat trick in a big 6-4 win over Nobles Friday. With the Spartans icing an undermanned roster, the import from Canada continued to show his natural knack for the net and pinpoint shot/release. With a big three-game stretch looming against Governor’s, Tabor and Dexter, it won’t get any easier for LA, but their leading scorer’s continued ability to create and generate scoring chances with his skill/intelligence combo gives them a shot at being competitive.
