In 2023, Norwell played Sandwich in the MIAA Division 4 boys state title. Norwell eventually won, 4-3, in overtime.
Along with it being a really good game, I couldn't help but wonder what Norwell would look like if it had Teddy and Casey Mutryn on the roster. Both were (and still are) top players in their respective birth years. Both once called Norwell home.
Of course, the Mutryns weren't anywhere near Norwell High School. Then, the duo was at St. Sebastian's. Now, Teddy is with the USHL's Chicago Steel and Casey is with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
But it got me thinking bigger picture.
What if there was a world in which prep schools didn't exist? What if junior hockey wasn't a thing? What if academies like Mount St. Charles, South Kent and Seacoast Performance Academy weren't around?
College coaches would flock to MIAA games. NHL scouts would be headed to local towns all over Massachusetts to get a glimpse of potential draft picks.
Let's use last season as an example. Imagine Cole Eiserman, who owns the NTDP goal-scoring record, lighting it up for Newburyport High School, or Teddy Stiga, who was a second-round pick in the NHL Draft earlier this year, headlining Lincoln-Sudbury's lineup. There was a time not so long ago when there were no academies, local kids didn't play juniors and fewer players opted for the prep route.
I want to be clear about something: I'm not saying this all should happen. The landscape is the way it is. Less and less high-end talent is staying in the MIAA. Most don't even choose to play for their hometown.
But what if they did?
The atmosphere at MIAA games is already good. That wouldn't change. But I do wonder if some of these players put back at their hometown high schools would actually make them better. Many of these players are really good, but have a tough time differentiating themselves among other good players at prep schools, juniors or academies.
Some ground rules for this bizarro world exercise: Players born from Oct. 1, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2010, were eligible. Private schools such as St. John's Prep, Catholic Memorial and Xaverian were also not considered. While they're in the MIAA, it's impossible to put players at those schools since it's not based on where they're from. Players on those rosters were put in their hometown high school.
We'd be here a long time if we showed how every single lineup changed. Instead, let's look at the schools who would see the biggest improvements.
1. Good lord, Winchester
As the No. 11 seed, Winchester made an underdog run to the Division 1 state final last March. In this world, Winchester would be far from an underdog.
Up front, Carter Meyer, David Bosco and Sam Pandolfo would be the best line in the state. Bosco, an '08, was at NTDP Evaluation Camp earlier this year and is a USHL Phase 1 Draft third-round pick. He tallied 37 points as a freshman at Belmont Hill last season and probably would've won NEHJ Rookie of the Year...except Meyer exists.
Meyer, as an '09 eighth grader, scored 18 goals and led Rivers with 39 points last season. He is as close to a lock for the NTDP as there is. He's tied for third in the region in points this season with 22 in nine games.
Pandolfo, who plays on a line with Meyer at Rivers, is already 6-foot-2 and 174 pounds. He is extremely smart, protects pucks well and is an underrated playmaker. He had 25 points as an '09 eighth grader last year and has 15 in nine games this season.
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Winchester also scores a great top defensive pairing with Freddy Meyer and Myles Brosnan. Meyer, who is an '07 and Carter's older brother, recently switched to defense, is super physical and has an offensive touch. He's only getting better on defense as he becomes more comfortable. Brosnan proved to be a legitimate No. 1 defenseman for Dexter Southfield last season as a freshman '07. He was at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer and has eight points in seven games this season.
In net, the real Winchester team lost Aiden Emerick a year early to Lawrence Academy. For this exercise, Emerick stays and gets a super team for his senior year.
2. Dover/Sherborn-Weston becomes filthy
D/S-Weston should be a good bet to be a top seed in this format. Leading the way up front would be Will Bent. Bent had 51 goals and 93 points for Mount St. Charles' 15O team last season and currently has 36 points in 23 games with the 16O squad. He was invited to NTDP Evaluation Camp earlier this year and, at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, projects as an impact player at future levels.
Bent would likely play with Anthony Sergeyev, an '07 who had 16 goals and 37 points for Milton Academy last season. The skilled, crafty forward would boost D/S-Weston quite a bit. D/S-Weston would get some depth scoring from Luke Morin, an '07 who had eight points for Rivers last season, and Patrick Benson, an '09 at Phillips Andover.
On defense, the leader would be Grayson Cohen. A late '06, Cohen had 19 points for Belmont Hill last season and turned into a legitimate No. 1 defenseman in prep. Can you imagine what he'd become in the MIAA? As it stands now, Cohen is a Division 1 college hockey prospect with 10 points in 12 games this season. He would be aided by Eben Alden, an '09 who made an impact for Rivers last season and made the move to Nobles for this one, and Alex Munoz, an '08 from Nobles.
3. Concord-Carlisle turns into a favorite
In this world, Concord-Carlisle might be the fastest team in the state. It starts with getting Harvard commit Richard Gallant.
Gallant is with the NTDP U18 team this season, so imagining him going from playing against USHL and Division 1 college teams to MIAA squads is incredible. His U17 team with the program was hampered by injuries, but he's been great so far this season with 13 goals and 21 points in 31 games. At 5-foot-8 and 161 pounds, he's known for his ability to play anywhere in a lineup with a relentless compete.
In the MIAA, he would undoubtedly be the No. 1 center for Concord-Carlisle and his skill would shine. That's what he was at St. Mark's when he posted 43 points in 24 games as a freshman and 33 in 17 as a sophomore.
Another huge addition for Concord-Carlisle would be the Krayer brothers. Dylan Krayer is an '07 committed to Arizona State. He was a longtime standout for Mount St. Charles, starring for the 14U, 15O and 16U teams. He posted three goals and six points in six games at Select 17 Camp this past summer. He's with the BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors.
His younger brother, Matthew, is an '08 who scored 23 goals and posted 59 points in his first 35 games with Mount St. Charles' 16U team this season. He had 79 points in 56 games for the 15O squad last season. He stood out at both Select 15 and Select 16 Camps the last two summers. He is destined for a Division 1 commitment and recently left Mount St. Charles for the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs.
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Also at forward is Will Manchuso, who was with Concord-Carlisle last season. The '08 forward has six goals and 12 points in nine games for St. Mark's this season.
One of the biggest gets would be Groton's Alex Wang in net. At 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, the '09 was outstanding for the Neponset Valley River Rats in the fall. That came after being lights out at Select 15 Camp with a 0.50 GAA and a .979 save percentage in four games. He would compete with Rivers netminder Derrick Huang, an '07.
Along with those five, Concord-Carlisle would also get St. Sebastian's forward Ty Curry and Groton forward Lucas Wu.
4. Andover gets much deeper
It's not so much the high-end names that Andover would be getting. Instead, it would be the sheer number. I counted 13. My goodness.
The big get of the 13 would be Aiden MacIsaac, who has been a terrific shutdown defenseman for Lawrence Academy over the last handful of seasons. He would be a huge asset as a No. 1 on defense. Another big name would be Ivan Belikov. While the '10 is from Russia, his family lives in Andover. He was at Austin Prep, but is a star for Mount St. Charles' 14U team this season. At 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds, the 14-year-old would be a force in the MIAA. He posted 27 points in his first 35 games for Mount this season. Current Dexter Southfield defenseman Collin Rowe, an '07, would be a big add, too. Andover would also snag Austin Prep defensemen Luca Damian, Logan McGovern and Michael Vallarelli.
That's six (6!) new defensemen.
The big addition up front would be Griffin Bucci. The '06 has 29 points in 25 games for Brooks last season. Andover would also get Austin Prep forwards Luke Brezner and Shawnak Nadkarni, as well as Pingree's Sean Quinn.
Along with six defensemen and four forwards, Andover would get three new goalies. Luke Quinn is one. An '06, he posted a 3.19 GAA and .888 save percentage splitting time for Loomis Chaffee last season. Liam Burke would join the team. The '07 had a 3.30 GAA and an .899 save percentage for Austin Prep last season, while Brewster's Andrew Melly is also an '07.
Is this a high-end team? Probably not. But they would be deep.Â
5. Norwell gets the Mutryns
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise but a Norwell team boasting Teddy and Casey Mutryn on the first line would be dangerous. Teddy is an NHL Draft prospect for this June and has nine goals and 15 points in his first 23 games with the USHL's Chicago Steel. Casey has six goals and 18 points for the NTDP's U17 team.
Along with the Mutryns, Norwell would get Thayer goalie Quinn Devin who posted a 1.93 GAA and an .890 save percentage in roughly half the games last season. The '07 would give Norwell an advantage in net.
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On defense, Charlie O'Connell would be a senior. The '06 was with Proctor, but is now playing for the Boston Junior Eagles in the EHL, where he has five goals and 10 points in his first 25 games this season.
Other adds would be '07 forward Hayden Hildebrandt, who had 11 points last season for Tabor, and Cushing defenseman Jackson Logan, an '08.
6. Boston Latin gets an influx of talent
I assumed all players who lived in Boston would get into Boston Latin. Is that a big assumption? Yes. Would they all earn admission into the exam school? There’s no way for me to tell. But this is my simulation, so I’m making the rules.
Boston Latin, which won the Division 2 championship last season, would experience a big boost at forward, getting Patrick Woods of Belmont Hill, Owen McHale of Dexter Southfield and Stevie Rousell of Rivers. Woods, an '07, has 10 points in 12 games for the Sextants this season. McHale, an '08, has been impactful for Dexter so far with five points in seven games, while Rousell has three goals and an assist in nine games for Rivers. The forward group would also be deepened by '08 Luke Campanella, who is currently at Roxbury Latin.
On defense, Boston Latin gets Travis Gillen, a late '06 who is 6-foot-4 from Brewster Academy. Ben Dearden, an '07 from Roxbury Latin, would also deepen the defense.
7. Hingham gets even better
The Harbormen are our No. 2 team in the latest rankings — and there are still various players who would make them even better.
It starts in net, with Hingham getting Belmont Hill goalie Keagin Wilson, who has been one of the go-to guys in net for the Sextants over the last three seasons.
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Wilson would also get a plethora of new defensemen in front of him. The most notable would be George Lovell, who recently committed to Arizona State. The 5-foot-6 defender is an elite skater. Hingham also gets Dexter Southfield's Matt Hines, Governor's Academy's Cooper Schuhwerk and South Kent's Max Sullivan.
The big get on offense would be Nick Sumner of Brooks. Sumner leads Brooks in points this season with 13 and has long been a top player for the Boston Junior Eagles. Head coach Tony Messina's team also gets Milton Academy's Reed Enders and Roxbury Latin's TJ Thornton.
8. Needham boasts high-end talent
Needham doesn't get a ton, but it makes up for it in sheer talent.
Rian Chudzinski, who is one of the top players in prep hockey and just committed to Boston University, would become a Rocket. He leads Dexter in points with 11 in seven games after coming over from St. Sebastian's. Chudzinski also played in two games with the NTDP earlier this season, notching an assist. Imagine him in the MIAA?
Needham also adds Thayer's Ty Hymovitz and Milton Academy's Joe Feinberg. Hymovitz has two goals and three points in nine games for Thayer and is a terrific, two-way center. Feinberg was once with BC High, but has been at Milton Academy the past two seasons. He had 21 points in 27 games last season.
9. Two years after losing Will Smith, Lexington has the Callahans
In this world, Will Smith would've been a headliner for Lexington High, which is just absurd to think about. But as an '05, he's long gone.
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Instead, Lexington has the Callahan brothers, Colvin and Gavin. Colvin is an '07 forward who is in his first year with Tabor. He was a standout with Xaverian last season, before making the move to prep this year. He has three goals in seven games. Gavin is an '08 defenseman who has long been a standout puck-mover for Mount St. Charles. This season, he has 16 points in 32 games for the 16U squad.
Lexington also gets BB&N forward Zachary Kim and Middlesex forward Milo Conlin.
10. Hanover gets some strong forwards
Michael Munroe led Hanover to a Division 3 championship in 2022 with a staggering 39 points in 25 games as a freshman. In this world, he would return.
From 2022-24 he played for Avon Old Farms, winning an Elite 8 title in 2023 and committing to Maine. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward is feisty and led all Massachusetts players at Select 17 Camp this past summer with eight points. If he had 39 points as a freshman, what would he do as a senior at Hanover?
Joining Munroe is Thayer's Michael Federico. The '08 would be an immediate upgrade. He had 15 points in 28 games as a freshman last season and already has seven in nine this winter. Federico spent some time in the MIAA as well, playing for BC High in 2022-23. He's also a Division 1 prospect.
11. North Andover gets a steady pair of defensemen
Opposing forwards wouldn't have much fun playing North Andover, as the team gets Belmont Hill defenseman Brady Sloper and Governor's Academy defenseman Nolan Nassar.
Sloper is 6-foot-2, 198 pounds and has long been thought of as one of the top '08 shutdown defenders in the region. He has a great stick and hits hard. Nassar is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and is a strong two-way defender. Both have been on the Boston Junior Eagles for quite a long time.
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12. Final thoughts
Obviously, this is fantasyland stuff. It's fun, however, to picture what this would be like. There was a time when this wasn't crazy and it wasn't all that long ago. But the hockey landscape shifts yearly, monthly and daily. That shift has resulted in the high-end players not playing for their hometown high schools in the name of development — and that's OK.
Just imagine if they did.
