EXETER, N.H. – The annual Exeter Invitational is always one of the best early events on the prep school hockey calendar.
The 2022 edition was no different as nine prep school teams took part in the eight-game, two-day event on the campus of Phillips Exeter. In addition to the hosts, Kimball Union, Kent, Brunswick, Frederick Gunn, New Hampton, Rivers, Hebron and Hoosac hit the frozen pond inside Love Gymnasium. The Exeter Invitational plays three 20-minute periods and are spaced apart enough in order to catch a good amount of all the games at the two-sheet facility.
I took in the games on Sunday, including the marquee contest of the day between Kimball Union and Kent. Two preseason top 10 teams engaged in a highly entertaining, intense game played in front of a number of college coaches and NHL scouts.
RPI commit Jackson Kyrkostas (Windham, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the other in KUA’s 2-1 win over Kent. Vermont recruit and second-year KUA goaltender Daniel Heroux was terrific in net, earning a hard-fought win.
Below is a rundown of the teams and standout players from Sunday’s action at the Exeter Invitational:
Kimball Union
Tim Whitehead’s team was talented, deep and well-coached. The Wildcats eked out a 2-1 win over a very good Kent squad.
This is a younger team than Whitehead has typically had during his tenure in Meriden. I’ve now seen all the top contenders, except for Avon Old Farms. Youth could hurt KUA down the stretch, but goaltending will certainly help. There are a handful of key players on this team with exceptional hockey sense, including defenseman Andrew O’Sullivan and left wing and UNH commit Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.).
Daniel Heroux
1/14/05, G, catches left, 6-2/190 (Vermont)
Heroux made a few game-changing saves in a second period that felt like KUA was on the penalty kill for more than half of the 20 minutes. The Montreal, Quebec, native showed off a good glove and squared up to shooters. He’s undoubtedly one of the top five goaltenders in prep school hockey.
Jackson Kyrkostas
8/19/04, C, left shot, right shot, 5-10/170 (RPI)
Kyrkostas is the leader offensively. He had an assist on a power play tally that got KUA on the board then buried the game-winner midway through the third period. He’s a good skater and has a good stick. His assist was on a zone entry where he dished it off to newcomer Malcolm Baar. On the goal, he won an offensive zone draw, but the puck quickly came back to him. He wasted no time snapping a shot along the ice and past the goaltender. In college, he’s likely a power play and even strength skater. In prep, he plays in all situations and had a tremendous impact on the game.
Andrew O’Sullivan
8/15/06, D, right shot, 5-10/175
O’Sullivan, originally from Mission Viejo, Calif., is a two-way defenseman with terrific hockey sense. A couple of plays Sunday exemplified that. One was a cross-ice dump that he lobbed into the zone perfectly for the F1 to recover the puck in the second period. The next was in the third period. He showed toughness and smarts retrieving a puck. A quick shoulder check led to a slip pass to a forward for an easy breakout. He’s not flashy, but he had a nice rush up the right wing in the first period. There isn’t a Hockey East school that shouldn’t be recruiting O’Sullivan.
Malcolm Baar
4/10/06, RW, left shot, 5-10/185
Baar scored a big-time power play goal in the second period. Crossing the blue line with Kyrkostas, he unleashed a one-timer into the upper portion of the net without breaking stride. A good skater, he played in all situations for Whitehead’s team. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, his family now resides in Washington, D.C. He’s a player who can play in Hockey East or ECAC Hockey.
Kyle Murray-Smith
1/18/05, LW, left shot, 6-5/245
Murray-Smith catches your attention quickly because of his size. He’s a prospect who is still raw, but there’s upside. One positive yesterday was how he came off the wall with explosiveness and showed an ability to protect pucks with his huge frame. The South Stafford, Vt., native is a player to watch during the 2022-23 prep season.
Kimball Union Lines
Sadowski - Kyrkostas - LeDrew
Murray-Smith - Sullo - Baar
Paul - Simmers - Thurston
Kettwig - Noel - Tokariwski
Ramsay - Clarner
McMinn - O’Sullivan
Valentin-Lagarde - Svoboda
Heroux
Kent
This was the third game I’ve seen Kent play already this year, including two exhibition games at the Berkshire Jamboree. Losing as much offense to graduation as the Lions did, it’s no surprise the team has struggled to score goals against top competition.
Dale Reinhardt’s team skates well and has a solid blue line, led by Providence commit Alex Bales and fellow '06 Jacob Ingstrup. Denver Damphousse, Teddy Mallgrave, Braden Pohlman and Nathan DiChiara provide some size on the defensive corp. Sunday’s only goal came off the stick of Bales on a five-on-three power play in the second period. He snapped it off quickly and it sailed just under the crossbar.
Alex Bales
7/6/06, D, left shot, 5-10/180 (Providence)
There’s not much more that needs to be said about Bales. While he’s a little undersized for 2024 NHL draft hype, he’s a solid, two-way defenseman. He’s tough on retrievals and has confidence and poise with the puck on his stick. His offensive game is starting to take off, as he scored in each game at the Exeter Invitational. The East Amherst, N.Y., native looks ready to step into the USHL in 2023-24.
Jacob Ingstrup
11/9/06, D, left shot, 5-11/195
Ingstrup had a good performance in this event last year. The late '06 from Lombard, Ill., has five assists already on the season. He had three all of last year as a freshman. Ingstrup skates well and has jam to his game. He picked up the primary assist on Bales’ goal.
Gio DiGiulian
9/25/05, C, right shot, 6-0/160
DiGiulian had an assist on Bales’ power play strike. From South Burlington, Mass., he skates well and has a 200-foot game. He plays in all situations for the Lions and has stepped up into his role as a first line center. Projecting out to college, he’s a bottom-six forward who will skate, play hard, and be reliable.
Harrison Fogel
10/20/04, G, catches left, 5-11/180
Fogel didn’t make quite as many Grade ‘A’ saves as his counterpart, Heroux, did, but he was good once again. He’s given up just two goals in games I’ve watched so far this winter, including his shutout in a scoreless tie against Northwood. The Sandy Springs, Ga., native is a smaller goaltender, but he’s good when he’s on his game. NESCAC schools should be all over him, as there are plenty of undersized goaltenders who’ve been good in that league, including current Colby star Andy Beran, a St. Paul’s alum.
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Patrick Walsh
9/16/05, LW, right shot, 5-11/175
I mentioned Walsh after his play at the Berkshire Jamboree, but he deserves recognition again. The Bernardsville, N.J., native has speed and can create on the rush. One of his bursts through the neutral zone and into the attacking zone drew a penalty. He’s got a good shot and has scored twice on the young season, albeit not on Sunday.
Kent lines
Roberts-DiGiulian-Mahar
Walsh-Bugliosi-Pietrantonio
Pfefferle-Kirkiles-Skoglund
Bales-Mallgrave
Ingstrup-Pohlman
Damphousse-DiChiara
Fogel
Brunswick
Drew DellaSalla
5/8/06, RW, left shot, 6-0/165 (Harvard)
DellaSalla, from Rye, N.Y., made more plays than anyone else in all of Sunday’s action. He only had one assist, but his playmaking ability was dynamic throughout the game. He made a number of good looks to set up teammates for scoring chances. He also had two breakaways that he earned through his offensive instincts and elite skating ability. He had a five-point game on Saturday against Exeter. This was the first time I’ve seen him play his off wing. DellaSalla’s skating and skill will make him one of the more coveted 2024 NHL draft prospects.
Ryan Wachtel
4/25/06, C, right shot, 5-8/145
Wachtel has intrigued me for a couple of years now, dating back to when I first saw him with Mid Fairfield. He skates well and centered the team’s third line. He had two noteworthy primary assists while showing his patience and vision. The first was a primary assist on the first goal of the game. He waited until just the right time to slide a centering feed over to Tucker Spiess for a goal. The Rumson, N.J., native made the pass to Sloan Farmer for a power play tally on the second goal. He’s got that quick twitch and he hit the post on a near-miss later in the game.
Will Baker
3/2/05, G, catches left, 5-10/150
Baker made the most of his first start of the season on Sunday, stopping all 27 shots he faced. The Norwalk, Conn., native is an undersized goaltender, but he’s quick, competitive and smart. He did a good job of eating pucks and preventing second chances. He moves well and made a couple of key saves, especially during a second period shorthanded sequence.
Tucker Spiess
1/5/07, LW, right shot, 6-1/180
Spiess had a goal and an assist on Sunday. He’s a tall, lanky winger with athleticism. He connected on a one-timer to start the scoring. The Old Greenwich, Conn., native had a secondary assist on the team’s third goal, coming on the power play. His skating is a little bit of a work in progress, but he’s got the potential to play Division 1 hockey, likely at an Ivy. He’s the younger brother of defenseman Hunter Spiess, a Princeton lacrosse commit.
Sloan Farmer
6/2/05, D, left shot, 5-11/165
Farmer, from Old Greenwich, Conn., had a goal and an assist against New Hampton. His seeing-eye wrister found the back of the net on the power play in the second period to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. He dished out a helper on the team’s fifth goal in the third period. He’s got some physical tools and has progressed quite a bit over the last 24 months. He’s a no-brainer for Ivy League programs, outside of maybe Cornell and Harvard.
Brunswick lines
Minella-Shannon-DellaSalla
Giles-Drury-Gibbons
T. Spiess-Wachtel-Vincent
Hu-Choy-Crosby
Cadoret-H. Spiess
Farmer-Hall
Cleaves-Grimes
Baker
New Hampton
There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The Exeter Invitational was a tough weekend for New Hampton. The Huskies lost, 5-0, to Brunswick on Sunday a day after getting crushed, 11-2, by Frederick Gunn.
Head coach Connor Gorman does a good job and will help this team get better as the winter progresses. He’s got a first-line center and top-pair defenseman who are both talented '07s, so there is some youth to help build for the future.
Cam Caron
6/21/07, C, left shot, 6-2/182
Caron was good at centering the Huskies’ top line. The Dracut, Mass., native played on the power play and impacted the game below the dots. He made a couple of nifty passes from below the goal line. He won wall battles and threw his weight around a couple of times. He rang the post while skating four-on-four. He plays to his identity as a north-south power forward who goes in straight lines. His skating needs to improve in order to get up and down the sheet quicker, but he’s a legitimate Hockey East prospect.
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Marco Senerchia
7/4/07, D, left shot, 5-5/125
Senerchia is on the smaller side, but he’s a puck-moving, offensive-minded defenseman who will keep getting better throughout his prep career. The Greenville, R.I., native made a couple of good breakout passes and is shifty enough to evade oncoming forecheckers and spin away from trouble along the boards.
Dylan Podergois
7/27/07, RW, right shot, 5-5/125
Podergois, from Redondo Beach, Calif., didn’t generate much in the way of offense, but his speed was notable a few times. He almost beat out a few icings and hunted pucks. Once he gets bigger, he should be a good prep player, based on his skating.
Scott Lagos
12/4/03, RW, right shot, 5-10/165
Lagos is a hard-working winger who brings a blue collar mentality to each shift and game. The Braintree, Mass., native is a player who should be recruited heavily by Division 3 programs as a bottom six forward who will compete hard, bring energy, and help kill penalties. A year of junior hockey in the NCDC or EHL would help before he gets to that level.
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New Hampton lines
Moalusi-Caron-Day
Babineau-McDougall-Lagos
Brandon-Pierson-Podgergois
Gingras-Tucker-Taylor
Senerchia-Sacco
Novitsky-Helledy
Weglarz-McNamara
Zerrenner
Frederick Gunn
I might have underestimated Craig Badger’s team in the preseason. Frederick Gunn is 3-0 and has outscored its opponents 20-4 through three games, including Sunday’s 5-1 win over Exeter.
Perhaps most impressively, Frederick Gunn is getting it done without a true superstar or even a bonafide Division 1 prospect. That’s not to say there aren’t players on this roster who could get to the top collegiate level, but there aren’t any slam dunks. Badger rolls four lines and three defensive pairs and all are capable of scoring and helping keep the puck out of their own net. It’s an older team, which certainly is beneficial to winning games at this level.
Jacob Rothman
4/22/05, C, right shot, 5-10/160
Rothman has often been lost in the shadows of his more heralded younger brother, late `06 Jared, who is at Salisbury. He scored a hat trick in Saturday’s 11-2 win over New Hampton and picked up a goal on Sunday against Exeter. The Westchester, N.Y., has a good shot and is around the puck a lot.
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Ryan Crowshaw
2/28/04, G, catches left, 5-11/155
Crowshaw, from West Hartford, Conn., has allowed just one goal in each of his two starts this season, including Sunday against Exeter. He’s not the biggest goaltender in the prep hockey circuit, but he’s solid and has plenty of experience. Look for him to be a key to the future success of Badger’s team in 2022-23.
Alex LoGuercio
12/6/04, LW, left shot, 5-11/175
LoGuercio didn’t get on the score sheet Sunday, but I noticed him a number of times. He looks much improved from when he previously played at Phillips Andover. A transfer from Monroe, Conn., he’s one of a handful of older players that helps provide secondary scoring and depth.
Tollet-Markowski-Goich
Unger-Donahue-Smyth
LoGuercio-Rothman-Ma. Pizzo
Mi. Pizzo-Thorn-Ferguson
Wood-Calabria
Fritz-Ryan
Stant-Orr
Crowshaw
Phillips Exeter
It was a tough weekend for the host team, as Exeter lost by three and four goals, respectively, in each of the two games. '05 right wing Beau Elson (Hadley, Mass.) scored the team’s lone goal against Frederick Gunn. He was assisted by '05 center Christian Maro (Stamford, Conn.).
Through five regular season games, the top seven scorers, including Elson and Maro, are juniors and sophomores. That bodes well for the future of Tim Mitropoulos’ team. The Big Red will have to replace senior goaltender Mike Salvatore (Newburyport, Mass.). The undersized, unorthodox goaltender does a good job in net and could be a Division 3 candidate after a year of junior hockey.
Jennings - Maro - Elson
Pendergrass - Guthrie - Dervish
Masopust - x - Ehrgott
Durkin - Shapiro
Johannson - Gordon
Schilcher - Fedele
