Division 3 hockey is back.
After a season that saw two of the region’s players – forward Ryan Black of Babson and goalie Conor O’Brien of Endicott – share the Concannon Award as Division 3’s best player, there’s a new crop of stars ready to take the ice starting this weekend.
Black is playing at Division 1 UNH as a grad transfer and O’Brien signed a pro contract this week with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be special standouts on the ice this winter.
Here is a look at 10 players to watch, who either play for one of New England's D-3 teams or are from the region.
Read more: New England Hockey Journal's Preseason Division 3 Top 10.
Myles Abbate (Norwell, Mass.)
Plymouth State | Senior | Forward
No player in New England racked up more points than Abbate (17-23-40) last season. The challenge for him will be continuing to produce on the Panthers’ top line without graduated partners in crime JR Barone and Mike McPherson. On the left wing, he’s great at pressuring defensemen and boasts a strong two-way game.
Drennen Atherton
Norwich | Senior | Goalie
Only 10 teams in Division 3 allowed fewer goals per game than the Cadets, and Atherton was a big part of that. The Florida native finished eighth in the nation in save percentage (.936) and will need to keep playing at a high level in a league that annually features some of D-3’s most explosive offensive teams.
Chris Brown (Worcester, Mass.)
Bowdoin | Senior | Forward
Former UMaine star and coach Ben Guite takes over a Bowdoin team that returns 100 percent of its goal-scoring from a team that went 8-10-4 a year ago. That includes Brown, the former Salisbury School standout whose point total (11-10-21) was nearly twice as high as any other player on the Polar Bears.
Jayson Dobay (Weymouth, Mass.)
Utica | Junior | Defenseman
The former BC High (Mass.) and Thayer Academy standout became the first sophomore All-American in Utica program history last season, racking up seven goals and a whopping 28 assists for an NCAA tournament team. He’s one reason Utica opens the season ranked No. 3 in the nation
Timmy Kent
Curry | Senior | Forward
The 5-foot-6 dynamo from Florida produced a full quarter of his team’s goals last season, one reason the Colonels were able to stay in the Commonwealth Coast title race as long as they did, eventually finishing fourth with a 16-9-2 overall record. His 21-12-33 scoring line ranked him first in the CCC in goals and fourth in points.
Thomas Kramer (Bridgewater, Mass.)
Babson | Junior | Forward
With Black (Pomfret, Conn.) finishing his career at New Hampshire and Mike Egan (Billerica, Mass.) at Niagara, the BC High product is the holdover from last year’s explosive top line. He tallied 11 goals and 13 assists for the NEHC champs.
Alex LaPlante (Londonderry, N.H.)
New England College | Senior | Forward
LaPlante scored 18 goals in 23 games last season, and is averaging about a point a game over his 60-game career. Scoring goals wasn’t a problem for the Pilgrims a year ago (3.56 per game) and LaPlante is a key guy to ensure that continues.
Devin Lowe
Suffolk | Senior | Forward
There’s a buzz around the Suffolk program with Shawn McEachern (Waltham, Mass.) taking over as coach. After years as a second-division team, it won’t be easy for the Rams to push into the top four in the CCC. But Lowe, a South Shore Kings product who led the team in scoring last year (7-13-20), could be one of the guys who helps build a bridge to future success.
Evan Ruschil
Williams | Senior | Goalie
In the NESCAC, no team goes anywhere without a strong goaltender, and the Ephs boast a guy who’s as good as any of them. He finished last season with a 1,79 GAA and .938 save percentage (fifth-best in Division 3); his 7-6 record reflected the struggle it was for his team to score goals at the other end.
Jack Sullivan
Colby | Junior | Defenseman
The 5-foot-11 Illinois native was one of last season’s breakout stars on one of last season’s breakout teams. More steady than flashy, the left-handed shooting Sullivan led the Mules in goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) from the blueline, while helping protect standout goalie Andy Beran.
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