SALEM, N.H. — The Rhode Island Saint M's at Mount St. Charles won the 2022 True Hockey Prep Cup at the Icenter on Jan. 9. New England Hockey Journal covered the first impressions and three key takeaways from the final game between the Saints and Northwood School Huskies, but now it is time to reflect on strong performances of note over multiple days of action and live viewings.
The event itself was able to be played to completion, even with ongoing coronavirus disruptions and delays, even forcing one of the participating teams out of the final Sunday of competition, with St. Andrew’s College in Ontario giving way to Governor’s Academy in the consolation rounds.
Mount St. Charles forward Cam O’Neill continues to distinguish himself in New England, consistently producing offense against quality competition. He’s a lock for all-tournament recognition, but who else joins him on the roster of top performers as we wrap up our coverage of the event?
All-True Hockey Prep Cup Teams
1st team
Micah Berger
Mount St. Charles, 6/29/04, LW, left shot, 5-11/175
NCAA commit: Miami-Ohio
The RedHawks recruit consistently makes plays and comes up large in big moments. He is proof positive that you don’t need the flashiest package or elite attributes to be a consistent scorer at this level.
Luke Devlin
St. Andrew’s College, 3/12/04, C, left shot, 6-3/185
NCAA commit: Cornell
The Saints’ captain and future Big Red pivot plays big, skates well and plays an honest two-way game. He was ranked 202nd on Central Scouting’s mid-term list released this week, but he’s a better prospect than that in our view. Whatever he might lack in the puck skills to be a consistent scorer, he brings a high floor with his mobility and length. As long as he goes to the net and keeps playing a strong 200-foot game, NHL teams will be intrigued at his long-term potential to be a bottom-six forward.
Cam O’Neill
Mount St. Charles, 1/24/04, RW, right shot, 6-1/195
NCAA commit: UMass
Just a gamer. O’Neill got off to a strong start here, but he saved his absolute best for last in the championship game against Northwood, as observed in the True Prep Cup takeaways. He’s scoring 2 points per game for the Saint Ms 18 team, and he’s always doing something whether scoring or finishing a hit. He’s going to score a lot of goals for the Minutemen when all is said and done, because his release is elite, shot heavy and he has a natural knack for finishing. NHL Central Scouting ranked him 102nd at mid-term after not listing him in their preliminary rankings.
Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.)
Dexter Southfield, 11/4/04, D, left shot, 6-3/170
NCAA commit: Harvard
He’s been a regular in our coverage and analysis, but with his size/reach, mobility and hockey sense to go with a strong work ethic, there’s not much he can’t do. While he isn’t going to be a big point producer, he has a sneaky-good puck game and has, at times, opened it up a bit in space and shown that he can get up the ice to support the rush well. Not eligible for the NHL draft until 2023, there is time for him to develop more of an offensive dimension to go with defensive acumen.
Conner Chalmers (Windham, N.H.)
KUA, 8/30/03, D, right shot, 5-10/185
Was highly impactful in the viewings with his feet, quick puck movement, and scoring touch. What he also did well was break up rushes and play a solid positional game. The senior was impressive at the Flood-Marr tournament last month, and he built on that success at the Icenter.
Jan Korec
Northwood, 9/28/04, G, catches left, 6-1/185
The championship game was a tough outing for Korec, but even in the defeat, he showed off much of what has him tracking to be a legitimate NHL prospect (2023 draft). He’s controlled in his movements, employing a less is more approach, tracks pucks so well and makes things tough on opposing offenses. The final game was less about him playing poorly and more about Mount St. Charles, elevating their performance at a key moment.
2nd team
Colin Kessler
Culver, 6/7/04, LW/C, left shot, 5-11/170
The Alaska native has been a scoring machine for Culver and landed on Central Scouting’s rankings at 161st. He’s a bit of an upright skater at times but was around the puck a lot for a team that went 0-3 on the weekend. Despite that, he competed and made some plays offensively in the final game against KUA, an overtime loss.
Julian Facchinelli
Frederick Gunn, 7/4/04, RW, right shot, 6-0/174
Canadian is drawing college interest with his industrious game, and he was strong here. He’s not a dynamic skater but thinks the game well, has nimble hands and a natural nose for the net. Although not tall, he’s strong on his feet and goes to the dirty areas. Smart, engaged player who showed well here.
Joey Muldowney
Nichols, 6/5/04, RW, right shot, 5-11/154
NCAA commit: UConn
Only O’Neill’s MVP performance in the championship game kept Muldowney from being the top RW at the event. He was dynamic and electric, always creating and scoring in every game. He can beat you any which way (he even scored on a penalty shot against Gov’s) and is the offensive catalyst for his team. He will likely play in the USHL for Des Moines next season and then will head to UConn, but he put on quite a show with a lot of eyes on him.
Francesco Dell’elce
St. Andrew’s College, 6/23/05, D, 6-0/155
NCAA commit: UMass
Noticeable at the Prep Hockey Conference event in Woonsocket, he was more assertive and active in all zones this time around with more ice time. Outstanding on his edges, he can elude forechecking pressure and gets pucks north quickly and without much hesitation. He employed a pretty active stick and was willing to stick his nose in to break up plays or handle traffic in front of his net. He’s a real boon to the transition game with his ability to counterattack.
Seth Constance
Mount St. Charles, 10/26/04, D, right shot, 6-2/175
Big, mobile and showed real promise as a prospect trending up for 2023 NHL draft consideration. He is at his best when playing a simple, poised positional game and using his size and reach to keep opponents away from the front of his net. As he progresses and gets more experience, he will likely get a lot better- plenty of room for growth in his game.
Peter Sterling
Mount St. Charles, 11/16/04, 6-5/180, catches left, 6-5/180
The Virginian went 2-0 on the weekend. He didn’t stop every shot he faced, but he stood in and made one more save than required in the championship game. You can’t teach his size, and as he continues to develop, he’ll look to refine the mechanics, sharpen focus and avoid letting pucks through him. When he plays calm and composed, he’s effective.
Unsung hero
Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.)
KUA, 5/4/03, RW, right shot, 6-2/190
NCAA commit: UMass Lowell
Senior captain got lost in the noise a bit because KUA did not have team success over the weekend, but he competes hard, plays the right way and always seems to find a way to score when he’s around the net. He announced his commitment to the RiverHawks this week, and that team will be a very good fit for his style of play.
Honorable Mentions
Will Lawrence, RW Mount St. Charles, 5-10/170
Matt Fusco, D Dexter Southfield, 6-0/185 (Westwood, Mass.)
Tyler Wishart, LW KUA, 5-9/175
Kiernan Gately, D Frederick Gunn, 6-1/175 (St. Lawrence)
Connor Sutherland, F Dexter Southfield, 5-11/154 (West Roxbury, Mass.)
Billy Batten, LW Northwood
Zach Aben, C Mount St. Charles, 5-10/185
Alex Mickanin, G Dexter Southfield, 6-1/190 (Hopkinton, Mass.)
Matt Lewis, C Mount St. Charles, 5-10/175 (Pembroke, Mass.)
Matthew Maltais, LW KUA, 6-2/175 (Nebraska-Omaha)
Dylan Shane, D Mount St. Charles, 5-11/180 (Niagara)
Max Lacroix, G Governor’s, 6-0/170
Sam Christiano, Nichols, 5-10/165
Young Guns- top ’06 standouts
Liam O’Keeffe, Dexter Southfield, 6-0/161 (Beacon Hill, Mass.)
Bill Zonnon, Northwood, 6-1/170
Nate Porter, Dexter Southfield, 5-10/161 (Hingham, Mass.)
Matthew Virgilio, St. Andrew’s College, 5-11/184
Teddy MacAusland, Dexter Southfield, 5-8/150 (Westwood, Mass.)
