ROCKLAND, Mass. – Many of the top 2008-born players in the state came together over the course of the weekend to take part in the Mass. Hockey Festival Final 40 at Lovell Arena.
It was the first time the '08s were put in a setting like this, as it is the first year they can attempt to try out for the USA Hockey Player Development Camps. The 11 forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders chosen from the Massachusetts District will go to Amherst, N.Y., for the USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp this July.
A group of college coaches and NHL scouts were assigned to be evaluators by Cushing Academy head coach Paul Pearl, who is the Massachusetts Hockey Player Development Director.
After taking in Sunday’s game, I came up with 11 forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders who I would have selected had I been in charge of picking the group to represent the district at USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp.
Forwards
Casey Mutryn
St. Sebastian’s, 7/5/08, right shot, 5-10/150
Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) was the undisputed top prospect here. He’s already proven his ability to be a big-time player at the prep school level as a freshman this past season at St. Sebastian’s. A power forward, he was consistently noticeable throughout the day Sunday. He made a number of small area plays and is a dynamic skater with high-end athleticism.
Spencer Thornborough
Junior Eagles U14, 6/22/08, left shot, 5-10/170
Thornborough (Boxford, Mass.) is a power forward with a long reach. He does a good job of lowering his shoulder and driving the net with his powerful stride. Thornborough has good size and engages in all three zones. He made a noticeable backcheck to break up an empty net chance for the opposing team late in the game. He’ll be heading to play for Brian McGuirk at Governor’s Academy.
William Bent
Mount Saint Charles U14, 3/12/08, right shot, 5-10/150
Bent (Dover, Mass.) is a pure goal scorer who plays to his identity. He has good size and is a strong skater. He’s hard to knock off pucks and can penetrate the scoring areas before unleashing his heavy shot.
David Bosco
Junior Eagles U14, 2/8/08, right shot, 5-9/145
Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) isn’t yet a dynamic skater, but he might have been one of the smartest players on the ice Sunday. He made play after play, scoring a goal and adding an assist. He has excellent vision with the puck on his stick and made a couple of elite passes. Away from the puck, he did a good job of reading plays. He forced a couple of turnovers by being the third man high and moving into position to pick off passes from opposing players. While other players might project better long-term, it's tough to argue against Bosco being the best forward on the ice Sunday. Bosco will be at Belmont Hill in 2023-24.
Matthew Krayer
Mount Saint Charles U14, 10/22/08, left shot, 5-8/135
Krayer (Concord, Mass.) is one of my favorite forwards in this birth year, as he exudes hockey sense. He saw the ice well on Sunday and put himself into good positions to impact the game and create offense. A late birthday, Krayer has a high ceiling and projects as a Beanpot-caliber player at the Division 1 college level.
Stephen Rousell
Rivers, 3/31/08, right shot, 5-9/157
Rousell (Norwood, Mass.) was one of the best skaters at the event. He did a good job of creating on the rush. His edges are good and he was able to accelerate and gain separation from opposing defensemen. In 2023-24 he’ll be in his second year at Rivers under head coach Freddy Meyer.
Noah Survilas
Junior Eagles U14, 12/27/08, right shot, 5-7/155
Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) scored a goal and had a number of other positive plays throughout the game. A good skater, he showed an ability to be a playmaker. He’s five days away from being an '09, which bodes well for his future potential in this birth year. He’s heading to Dexter Southfield for the 2023-24 campaign.
Michael Federico
BC High, 7/1/08, left shot, 5-9/165
Federico (Hanover, Mass.) is able to slow the game down, make plays and get into scoring areas, despite not being the fastest player on the ice. His vision, heaviness and compete for loose pucks are all reasons he should get through to national camp. Federico will be back at BC High for his sophomore season.
Chase Field
Barnstable, 3/1/08, left shot, 5-8/130
Field (Barnstable, Mass.) is a goal scorer who played well along the wall and generated some chances. He skates well and is one of the more improved players in the region. Always a good player, he’s become more dynamic and impactful over the past 12 months. He’ll be back for a third season at Barnstable High in 2023-24.
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Miles Mireault
Junior Eagles U14, 6/2/08, right shot, 5-8/150
Mireault (Topsfield, Mass.) is an elite skater whose speed shines through on a consistent basis. He did just that on Sunday. He’s skilled and can make plays on the rush. The one area of his game that will need the most work is playing in the middle of the ice and becoming harder to play against. According to the program, he’ll be back at Masconomet Regional High School for his sophomore year.
Benjamin Short
Winchendon, 5/14/08, left shot, 5-9/150
I struggled with this last spot. It could have gone to John Paul Messuri (Arlington, Mass.) or Andrew Giguere (Georgetown, Mass.), but I chose Short (Lunenburg, Mass.) because he produced on the scoresheet on Sunday. He scored a goal and had a few pluses next to his name throughout the game. He’ll be back for a second season at Winchendon in the fall.
Defensemen
Gavin Callahan
Mount Saint Charles U14, 4/12/08, left shot, 5-10/150
Callahan (Medfield, Mass.) was one of the best players on the ice throughout the game on Sunday but had a particularly strong showing in the first half. He was excellent on breakouts. He was smooth, effective and played hard at times. He’s always been good in my past viewings, but this was the best I’ve seen him play. He’ll be back at Mount Saint Charles in the fall.
Kristofer Soja
River Rats U14, 3/11/08, left shot, 5-8/150
Soja (Ludlow, Mass.) is one of the most improved players in the birth year over the past year. His skating was good, but it has gotten even more dynamic. He was able to use his feet and mobility to make plays and skate past opposing defensemen throughout the day on Sunday. His gaps were good defensively and he showed poise and confidence.
Brady Sloper
Junior Eagles U14, 5/21/08, right shot, 6-0/175
Sloper (North Andover, Mass.) projects to be one of the better defensemen in this birth year in Massachusetts. He has size and physical tools to jump off the ice at you when watching him play. He was long, rangy and gapped well on Sunday. The one area of his game he’ll need to keep improving on to make the most of his ability is his hockey sense with the puck. He’ll be at Belmont Hill in the fall.
Thomas Broderick
River Rats U14, 1/21/08, left shot, 5-10/160
Broderick (Norwood, Mass.) was very good Sunday and projects well with his size, physicality and athletic ability. He had an assist and made a couple of nice plays while keeping it simple and efficient. This was one of the better viewings of Broderick to date. He’ll be heading to play for Danny Donato at Dexter Southfield in the fall.
Keegan Hunt
Central Catholic, 1/16/08, right shot, 5-8/145
Hunt (Lowell, Mass.) was exceptional as a mobile, puck-moving offensive defenseman. A little on the smaller side, he made plays with his feet and stick. He did a good job of getting shots through from the point. One of them was redirected home for a goal. His breakouts were good and he was able to evade oncoming forecheckers. The one area of his game he can clean up is not forcing plays and avoiding turnovers when trying to thread the needle. He’ll be back at Central Catholic in 2023-24.
SELECTIONS: Check out the full list of players who made it to USA Hockey Select Camps
Goaltenders
Parker Stockseth
MassConn United U14, 12/9/08, catches left, 6-0/165
I didn’t know much about Stockseth (Blandford, Mass.) prior to Sunday, but he was impressive. He was big, technically sound and stopped pucks. He’ll be joining Seacoast Performance Academy in Exeter, N.H. for the 2023-24 season.
Thomas Saulnier
Junior Eagles U14, 2/15/08, catches left, 5-9/130
In a setting like festival tryouts, it’s hard to keep an eye on goaltenders. Saulnier (Medfield, Mass.) was the best of the rest after Stockseth. He’ll be at St. Sebastian’s for the 2023-24 school year.
