Eight players from New England have earned invitations to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp that will take place March 20-24 in Plymouth, Mich. In addition to the eight natives, four players skating on local teams will also make the trek to USA Hockey Arena with aspirations of making the final cut. Just under 50 2006-born...
Eight players from New England have earned invitations to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp that will take place March 20-24 in Plymouth, Mich. In addition to the eight natives, four players skating on local teams will also make the trek to USA Hockey Arena with aspirations of making the final cut.
Just under 50 2006-born players from across the country will take part in the five-day camp that will help determine who makes USA Hockey’s NTDP U17 team for the 2022-23 season. The eventual roster will likely be 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.
This year’s group of '06s from New England will look to join '05 forwards Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) at the prestigious USA Hockey program for next season. The trio of local '05s, all committed to Boston College, will be skating with the NTDP U18 team for the 2022-23 campaign.
Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep left wing Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.), Belmont Hill center Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), Thayer right wing Gavin Cornforth (Milton, Mass.), and Yale Junior Bulldogs right wing Niko Tournas (Redding, Conn.) are the four local forwards invited to the NTDP Evaluation Camp.
On defense, Malden Catholic’s Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) and Boston Advantage 15 Only’s Kiernan Poulin (Hingham, Mass.) will be vying for a spot on the blue line. A pair of goaltenders, Nobles’ Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) and St. George’s Ryder Shea (Framingham, Mass.) will also be in attendance.
Three non-local players from Mount Saint Charles, forwards James Hagens and Cal Hughes and goaltender Jack Parsons, and one each from South Kent Selects Academy, defenseman Tory Pitner, and Mid Fairfield right wing Drew DellaSalla, will be at the NTDP Evaluation Camp, for a total of five prospects who played their hockey in New England this season.
Of the locals and those with ties to the region, Eiserman, Stiga, and Hagens are the three locks for making the NTDP U17 team in 2022-23. All three have set themselves apart from the field in a forward group that isn’t as deep as the crop of defensemen in the birth year.
In terms of players not getting an invite, the biggest surprise from the region is Mount Saint Charles defenseman Will Felicio of Holden, Mass. Defensemen are the deepest group of the '06 birth year across the U.S., but I believe Felicio is one of the top 16 blue liners. Other mild surprises are Boston Advantage’s Andrew O’Sullivan and Kent’s Alex Bales.
