It's been a little over four months since the girls prep hockey season ended.
We surveyed coaches across the NEPSAC to get their thoughts on everything prep hockey. From the best players this season, to who they think the best teams will be next season, to where prep hockey is headed.
We hurled plenty of questions toward the coaches, and we greatly appreciate all who participated. All coaches were granted anonymity in their answers, too.
This story will be focused specifically on these big-picture topics on girls prep hockey:
- What is NEPSAC doing right?
- What could change?
- Does the future of girls prep hockey look good?
- Will we ever see a women's junior league?
- Will we see more postgrads?
In Part 1, we unpacked an array of questions looking back at this past season. Part 2 looked ahead to the upcoming winter.
Now, it's time for Part 3.
What is NEPSAC doing right?
Several coaches pointed toward the prep school experience as a whole, including the "multi-sport model and focus on student-athlete."
Whether it's the hockey, the educational aspect, the social element or allowing players to play other sports, the coaches feel that prep hockey offers the best of all worlds.
"If you are good enough to be a D1 (or D3) player, you are. Simple as that. More hockey (via academy) doesn't mean more growth or a better hockey IQ," one coach said. "Prep allows kids to develop their game at a high level without sacrificing all the other aspects of high school that make the experience so great and to be well-rounded in a way that sets them up to use their college years to propel them into their professional careers, rather than have the focus solely be on playing hockey in college."
One coach also noted how prep alums have been able to translate to college hockey.
"Our league is filled with outstanding players and our academic experiences are unparalleled. It has been amazing to see top NEPSAC talent find success at the collegiate level with Monique Lyons, Julia Pellerin and Sammy Taber to name a few," they said.
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Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) was NEHJ's women's college hockey Rookie of the Year, an honor Taber (Tewksbury, Mass.) took last season. After a dazzling career at Williston Northampton, Lyons led Brown with 14 goals and 24 points, earning a spot on the CAC All-Rookie team. Taber, a Cushing product, followed a 32-point, 13-goal freshman year at Boston College with a 36-point, 11-goal sophomore season.
Pellerin (Windham, N.H.), meanwhile, had 12 goals and 19 points as a freshman at BC two seasons ago. The New Hampton product had 20 goals and 34 points this past season.
Other coaches highlighted the collaboration among coaches and club programs, such as the NEGHL, which has organized events like the NEGHL/NEPSAC spring combine. The league website was also highlighted. It's been a key resource for girls prep, featuring stats, roster, schedules, commitments and more from current and previous seasons.
"Coaches are working together, doing what's best for their kids and programs, but also keeping our league's goals first," one coach said.
Other coaches looked to the on-ice product, with one noting the "competitive schedule, teams and players."
Another pointed to the playoff structure, saying, "The postseason system is excellent."
Last year, some coaches called for all three playoff fields to consist of eight teams. Previously, that was just the case in the Elite 8, while the Large and Small tournaments had six-team fields.
All three featured eight teams this past winter, and the playoffs produced compelling moments at every turn.
What are some changes you might like to see?
Like the above question, the coaches went down a few different paths with their answers.
One coach called for a "longer season." A handful talked about improving the exposure for players during and around the prep season.
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One coach mentioned the current split-season/club hockey model. Be it with the Boston Jr. Eagles, Assabet Valley, Mid Fairfield CT Stars or Massachusetts Spitfires, players usually have to travel away from their campuses to play club hockey in the fall. For some players at schools in New Hampshire, Connecticut and elsewhere, the travel may be challenging.
"There needs to be a better way to provide exposure while allowing kids to stay on campus and play at a high level," they said
Another coach had an interesting idea for the prep season. Typically, the NEPSAC championship day, as well as holiday tournaments, are the best opportunities to get multiple teams playing in the same place at the same time.
"More exposure for the girls," one said. "Colleges aren't coming to watch most games, especially on Wednesdays. They come to the tournaments and the playoffs. We need more multi-game, one-location, same-day events to make it easy and convenient for colleges to attend. Three games on a Saturday at Harvard, BU, or UConn, etc."
Another coach went down a similar path: "More of the best teams playing each other."
Two coaches referred to the NEPSAC's out-of-season coaching policy.
"Allowing NEPSAC coaches to be on the ice two times a week during the academic year," one coach said.
Currently under the NEPSGIHA by-laws, "Out of season coaches are allowed to work with up to three players at a time provided that the student-athlete initiated their desire to work on their skills and that this is not required, not a standing event and not more than once per week. The spirit of this rule is to allow kids the ability to improve their skills under some coaching, not for the coach to guide and dictate what is done. The mantra of “helping when asked” is appropriate here. This is not to be used as a recruiting tool."
One coach would like to see a change to the overtime format in prep.
"Love the idea of staying in line with college hockey... 3-on-3 overtime," the coach said.
Currently the NEPSAC plays under modified NCAA rules. In overtime, prep plays five minutes of sudden-death 5-on-5. In 2020, the NCAA adopted a standardized format of five minutes of sudden-death 3-on-3.
Does the future of girls prep hockey look good?
The answer to this question was a resounding "yes."
Many coaches pointed to the level of talent throughout the league, with players from across New England, the U.S. and even the world populating rosters.
"Look at the depth and talent coming in from all over the U.S. and Canada," one coach said. "Kids know what the prep game and club game can provide."
Other coaches pointed to the growth of girls hockey in general and the buy-in from coaches and organizers.
"People are invested in making this a great experience for the kids," one said.
Players these days have never had more options between NEPSAC hockey, academies, MIAA and the club circuit. In many cases, there's plenty of talent to go around.
"Hockey academies are still a threat, but not really for New England girls. The girls game has grown so much. There are so many great student-athletes who will continue to bring talent both on and off the ice," one coach said.
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Another coach said, "The prep hockey model allows our players to fully immerse themselves in the community at their school. We pride ourselves on a cornerstone built on belonging, and our girls deserve to be part of an environment that is going to support them throughout their hockey journey. Prep school gives players a space to excel in hockey, but also grow as people."
One coach pointed to how successful the prep route has been for an extended period.
"It's a strong, time-tested model that allows for the growth and development of players as both athletes and people," they said.
One other coach made an interesting comparison.
"Girls prep is where the boys were 10-15 years ago," they said. "It's the best hockey in the country for the age group."
Boys prep hockey has changed so much in the last decade-plus. It continues to get younger, especially with the rise in importance of junior hockey for collegiate prospects, whether in the USHL, BCHL or NAHL. The growing impact of the CHL ruling will only increase the factor junior hockey plays.
While there are plenty of options between high school hockey, full-season prep hockey or academies, the NEPSAC features a high concentration of talent playing in one league. Right now, girls hockey players typically make the jump straight to the collegiate level once their prep careers are over. Some players may play postgraduate seasons.
That hasn't been the case on the boys side for a long time.
Will we ever see a women's junior hockey league (i.e., USHL)?
Junior hockey plays a huge factor in boys hockey these days. Most players who are bound for the collegiate ranks play at least a season of juniors in the USHL, BCHL or NAHL.
One recent prep example is Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.). The St. Sebastian's product will head to BC this fall after playing a season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.), another Seb's kid, is headed to BU after a season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees. Both skipped their senior years at St. Sebastian's.
So, will we see the girls game go down the same road?
The majority of responses were "no."
One coach said, "I sure hope not!"
Another cited the success that prep alums have found quickly at the collegiate level. Players like Lyons, Taber and Pellerin are some examples. Abby Newhook, who was a star at Tabor, jumped right into a standout career at Boston College with a 17-goal, 32-point freshman season in 2021-22. Four productive seasons later, she was drafted by the Boston Fleet in the PWHL Draft.
"Prep model is doing too good of a job preparing kids for college," that coach said. "So many are finding immediate success [in college]."
Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.) was an elite goalscorer at St. Paul's and continued that at Yale as a freshman this past season with 21 points (12 goals) in 32 games. Former Nobles standout Emmy O'Leary (Southborough, Mass.) has had back-to-back seasons with 32 or more points at Princeton after an 11-point freshman year.
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The junior hockey path in boys hockey has only become more convoluted between the transfer portal and the CHL ruling.
"No, we've learned from the mess on the boys side," one coach said.
Other coaches felt we may eventually see a junior league on the girls side "at some point" and "not for a while." One said, "Most likely in the next few decades."
Another said, "Some sort of gap year opportunity seems logical."
Will we begin seeing more postgrads in prep as a trickle-down effect of the transfer portal?
This question falls in line with the previous question.
The high activity of the men's college hockey transfer portal (coupled with players formerly having a fifth year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic) created a logjam in junior hockey leagues like the USHL, keeping players in junior hockey longer. The CHL ruling could add to the complications.
The transfer portal has been a factor in women's college hockey, too, with players moving on to new programs and colleges adding more experienced players to their rosters. While there isn't a junior hockey equivalent beyond the prep and academy level on the girls side, will we (or do we already) see a similar trickle-down effect with more players playing postgraduate seasons before moving on to the collegiate ranks?
The coaches were split here.
Several said they "think so" or "probably." One coach said we're already seeing it.
An example from this past winter is Loomis Chaffee's Megan Duplantie. The former Kent standout played a postgraduate season with the Pelicans, putting up 22 points (14 goals) en route to an Elite 8 title. She'll head to Union this fall. Another example is goalie Campbell Krotee (Darien, Conn.), a Holy Cross commit, who will play a postgrad season at Williston Northampton this winter after guiding Deerfield to a Large School title in 2025.
Other coaches leaned more toward the middle with their takes.
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"Potentially, but with the five-year eligibility model, it's dependent on how many of the kids are not already reclassified," they said. "That ultimately limits the number of kids that are eligible to PG."
Another coach said, "Possibly, but those kids would most likely stay away from prep and look at more hockey academies for their extra year."
Other coaches don't believe a noticeable uptick in postgrads will happen. One also noted how many players already reclassify at some point in their prep/high school careers.
"Most girls are already reclassifying, so I don't think so," they said.
