Andrew Will got an unexpected phone call this past April.
The Salisbury coach was surprised to hear Liam Kilfoil’s parents on the other end of the phone telling him they were looking for a new opportunity for their son and that Salisbury, the school that had just won its seventh Elite 8 title since 2006, was a desired destination.
Kilfoil was fresh off tearing up the competition for the Mount Saint Charles 14U team. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound forward posted 49 goals and 133 points in 62 games for Mount, cementing himself as one of the top ‘07s in North America.
And now he wanted to come to Salisbury.
“Mount does a fantastic job and has a terrific program,” Will said. “But I think the family was looking for an opportunity for Liam developmentally to be in a situation where he’s going to be competing against older kids, not just kids his own age, to try and push him out of this comfort zone…I know Liam and his family had a great experience last year.”
Still, even though Kilfoil’s family reached out to Salisbury, it didn’t mean Will was their only phone call.
"So even though they make that call,” Will said, “you still have to make sure they feel comfortable and confident that we are the right place and the same on our end.”
It didn’t take long to figure out this would be a mutually beneficial fit. Kilfoil had a specific goal in mind when choosing Salisbury.
“I think the main thing was my goal is to play junior hockey at the age of 16,” Kilfoil said. “I think playing in a league like New England prep at a place like Salisbury against older kids is really going to help me develop as a player, being able to play against those older kids, more physical, faster hockey.”
Kilfoil’s offensive prowess is well known to those around the hockey circuit. The center has no trouble putting up points.
But Will sees more potential in Kilfoil.
“For me, looking at his ability to think the game and be a step ahead is so impressive,” Will said. “The mental side of his game and his IQ is really elite. And then you couple that with a kid who really tries to play the game the right way, he’s not a kid who cheats offensively or takes shortcuts so that he can be on the offensive side of the puck or have those offensive opportunities.
“He’s a very responsible player and I know it’s cliche to say 200-foot player, but he really is in all senses of the word.”
The way in which he plays matches up with the NHL talent he’s looked up to as he’s grown up.
“When I was younger, I watched a lot of Sidney Crosby, how responsible he is. He’s a 200-foot center,” Kilfoil said. “Obviously he produces good offense but is very responsible as well. But more recently, a guy like Auston Matthews who’s obviously a tremendous offensive player, but he’s really improved his 200-foot and defensive game these past couple years and in my mind, is one of the most complete players in the NHL today. So more recently it’s been Matthews.”
There’s no doubt Kilfoil will be thrust into a large role for Salisbury once the season begins. The biggest question will revolve around how Kilfoil’s complete game translates to the prep hockey level where opponents are bigger, stronger and older.
Will and his staff are getting an early answer.
Salisbury players often compete in fall hockey with the Buffalo Regals. Kilfoil is no different, except the 15-year-old is playing up on the 16U squad.
“This kid is one of the best kids you’re ever going to have,” Regals head coach Kyle Quick said.
There wasn’t much of an adjustment to older hockey for Kilfoil. After roughly two games, the Quispamsis, New Brunswick, native was aligning to the physicality.
“Game three he started popping and scoring, what people were imagining what he was and he is that, but you’ve got to understand he’s more of the whole package versus him just going on breakaways and scoring goals,” Quick said. “He can do that — there’s just more to him, which I like.”
Since then, Kilfoil has been averaging well over a point per game at the 16U level. One of his best performances came earlier in the fall when the Regals took on HoneyBaked. Kilfoil went toe-to-toe with Teddy Spitznagel — a 6-foot-1 center who’s an ‘06 committed to Michigan.
“Liam, as an ‘07, matched up against him,” Quick said. “People are like ‘wow, this kid is the real deal’.”
A lot of those people have college logos on their winter coats. While schools can’t directly talk to Kilfoil, that doesn’t mean they aren’t watching.
Kilfoil has schools from Hockey East, Big Ten and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference watching his every stride.
“The interest is all over,” Quick said.
College hockey is a definite option for Kilfoil, but it’s not the only one he’s considering.
“Right now I’m really just trying to evaluate my options in seeing which route is better for me,” Kilfoil said. “Kind of just waiting to see how this year goes. Off to a good start, which is nice, so we’ll see how this year goes and what opportunities present themselves. Definitely the NCAA is a very intriguing option, as well as the QMJHL. So yeah — excited to see what both routes bring.”
Even though Kilfoil hasn’t yet skated in a game for Will, the coach sees stark similarities to a former Salisbury star who is now finding success at Harvard.
“A guy who he does remind me of — reminds us a little bit of — both as a player and as a person is Matt Coronato,” Will said. “I think there’s some elements to his game that are slightly different but also the way that they play, think and anticipate, not to mention just their drive and their motor.
“There are some early similarities there between Matt and Liam, which is pretty darn exciting when you think about it.”
The comparisons don’t stop there. Quick compares him to Ohio State commit and ‘02 center Sam Deckhut in terms of defensive reliability. For his shot, he compares him to Merrimack forward Alex Jefferies (Framingham, Mass.) — an ‘01 who posted 33 goals and 69 points in 32 games for The Gunnery in 2019-20.
“His shot is elite,” Quick said of Kilfoil. “The best shot I’ve seen out of prep school was probably Jefferies just because of the pull and release he had coming over the line. I think Liam’s just at a younger age so you don’t see the pop of it, but it’s an elite shot too.”
And then there’s the comparison from Quick’s neck of the woods.
“We grew up in Buffalo,” Quick said. “My brother was an ‘88, so [Patrick] Kane’s birth year. [Kilfoil’s] brain is as elite as it comes. His brain is as elite as Pat at these ages. He’s smart with the puck. Pat’s on a different level in terms of his hands, but Liam’s brain and what he does to create space is there.”
So Matt Coronato, Sam Deckhut, Alex Jefferies and Patrick Kane.
“He’s got different comparisons for different things you’re looking for,” Quick said. “But he’s got a lot of good comparisons.”
