The landscape of New England hockey might soon be making room for a new addition.
Masters Academy International, or MAI, is attempting to bring a sports-centric academy to Massachusetts. In a story from the Boston Globe, the school revealed its plans to break ground on an 82-acre campus in Stow and open in fall 2026. MAI is clear with its goals: to create a multi-sport powerhouse in the vein of Florida's IMG Academy, with an athletic focus that supercedes any other school in New England.
“We’re trying to create the IMG Academy of the North,” Peter Masters, the founder of MAI, told the Globe. “New England has the best private school market in the world and so many students that are heading to private schools are just looking for better athletics than their public schools can offer, but all the schools are still doing the same training that they’ve been doing for the last 80 years — three sports, three-month seasons, shorter schedules, history teachers and admissions directors as coaches and they don’t have full-time professional people."
There's still a lot to unpack and learn about as MAI establishes itself. But the school's presence could have a ripple effect on the region's hockey hierarchy. We got Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky and writer Patrick Donnelly's reactions to the news.
1. First impressions for hockey when you hear the 'IMG Academy of the North' could come to Massachusetts?
Marinofsky: The boys hockey scene already has similar kinds of places. In Massachusetts, Lovell Academy comes to mind. There are various hockey academies like Mount St. Charles, Seacoast Performance Academy, Boston Hockey Academy, Bishop Kearney Selects and the Long Island Gulls, just to name a few. To me, those kinds of places will be MAI's main competition. How do their facilities stack up against other academies? Where will they play their games? Who are they playing?
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Donnelly: It’s interesting to see hockey as a focus for MAI. Obviously, there’s the Jr. Bruins connection (the MAI developers also own the Jr. Bruins), but programs like IMG, Montverde Academy and Utah Prep have done well churning out prospects in big sports like football, basketball and so on, while hockey hasn’t been part of the equation. So, is there an appetite for this in hockey? I’m curious to see how it will differ and/or be similar to full-season programs and academies that are already in place, such as the Lovell Academies, BK Selects, NAHAs, or Shattuck-St. Mary’s of the ecosystem.
Also, where will the hockey programs be based? I read that a basketball pavilion, turf fieldhouse, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, lacrosse fields and a pool will be built, but no rink. Since there is the Jr. Bruins connection, will the hockey programs be based at the New England Sports Center too? Will not having those facilities on campus be a deterrent for certain families and student-athletes? Most prep schools (i.e. Tabor, Williston Northampton, Loomis Chaffee, Dexter Southfield, etc.) and academies like Lovell have rinks right on campus.
2. What level of athletes do you foresee attending the IMG of the North? And do you expect many kids would leave prep/NEPSAC schools for it?
Marinofsky: This is all speculation and my own opinion. MAI will fight hard to get its version of James Hagens at Mount St. Charles. They will compete for some high-end 14 and 15-year-old players looking to go the academy route.
For their 16U and 18U levels, MAI will face the same challenge preps and other academies face: junior hockey. The absolute best 16, 17 and 18-year-olds are likely still picking juniors over MAI. The 18U teams at academies now are full of a few late-blooming Division 1 prospects and many likely Division 3 players. That will likely be the case at MAI.
Would prospects leave prep for it? Maybe. Some always do. But those families likely chose prep in large part due to the education element of it. To draw in prep prospects, MAI will have to show it has high-end academics.
Donnelly: I would imagine it would attract athletes who are looking for the full-season model, or at least more hockey than the traditional NEPSAC route offers. The same athletes that find Lovell Academy, NAHA, Winchendon, Shattuck, etc., more appealing than, for example, Nobles. Especially if the off-ice pieces, scheduling and competitiveness are on similar levels as those other full-season options.
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Now, would student-athletes leave the NEPSAC for it? I’m not sure. One thing we harp on a lot, especially on our podcast, is there are enough good players to go around, and there are enough good options for players and their families to choose from. It boils down to what a player and their family are looking for. What do they feel is best? I think there will still be plenty of kids and families who may want the more traditional academic and social experience, schedule, ability to play another sport or two, etc. If the academics turn out to be on a similar level or even better, I think it would be an even bigger draw. We’ll obviously continue to learn more, especially once MAI opens its doors, but it still feels like there are separate lanes for the traditional prep route and the full-season academy route.
3. Let's say you are a NEPSAC head coach or administrator: What changes do you think you need to make to your league's rules/policies to compete with an IMG of the North?
Marinofsky: The NEPSAC's biggest challenge is still, by far, junior hockey. The change it must make is to allow the boys hockey season to begin earlier and end later. Is that October to April? Is it November to late March? Whatever it is, it needs to get longer than December to late February/early March. That's largely because of junior hockey, but it would help them compete with MAI.
Donnelly: As youth sports continue to grow, especially hockey, it feels like there is a constant push and pull of wanting more versus finding balance. Some folks want more games and longer seasons. Others see value in playing multiple sports, for example, and maintaining that academic standard that many prep schools pride themselves on. It’s a balancing act. Sometimes it feels like there’s no right or wrong answer.
But I do wonder: if MAI is a big hit right away in hockey or if enough athletes opt for that path instead, does it force a hand when it comes to the length of the season? Do prep schools feel they need to start the season earlier and/or have a longer season? Or, can club hockey fit into this equation? Would some girls programs start to explore going the way that Cushing and Kimball Union did on the boys side? Cushing plays out of its own rink as the Central Mass. Penguins in the fall, while Kimball Union travels the autumn circuit as the NEFPHL Wildcats. Both of those teams play other fall club teams. They also play under different coaches to adhere to NEPSAC rules.
Fall club hockey was a topic that came up in responses to our recent girls prep coaches survey. One coach said, anonymously: “There needs to be a better way to provide exposure while allowing kids to stay on campus and play at a high level." One other coach mentioned a longer season as a potential change they would like to see. But do all coaches or administrators feel that way?
Back to the phrasing of the question, I would be hesitant to say anything would need to change. The prep model has proven itself for a long time.
It ultimately boils down to what each individual wants to get out of their experience. There will be enough players that want more hockey and filter into the MAI, Lovell and NAHA lanes, and there will be enough players that want the prep school experience and filter into the NEPSAC lane.
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One thing I do believe: having more options, and different options at that, is a good thing. For one, it offers players and their families more opportunities. It also forces other institutions to keep evaluating what is working well and what needs to change. That way, things keep improving.
