It's fun to look back on last season's New England boys prep coaches survey to see what they thought would happen this season.
Rivers forward Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) was picked as a candidate to be the best player this past winter. Boy, were the coaches right on that one. Others mentioned were Nobles forward Kyle O'Leary (Medford, Mass.), Dexter Southfield forward Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) and Avon Old Farms forward Indiana Grossbard (Darien, Conn.).
Right, right and right.
As for the best teams, along with the usual suspects of Salisbury, Cushing, Avon Old Farms and Kimball Unions getting votes, Nobles and Belmont Hill were popular answers. Nobles finished in the Elite 8 and Belmont Hill was the top seed in the Large School.
Tilton was a team that got votes for a surprising contender, and the Rams went 19-9-2, finishing as the No. 4 seed in the Small School field.
So, what do the coaches think for next season?
In Part 1, we focused on this past season. Part 2 is all about next season. Here are the questions covered.
- Who will be the best player?
- Who will be the best team?
- Who will be a surprising contending team?
Let's dive in.
Who will be the best player next season?
For starters, Brunswick forward Joe Salandra and Chudzinski both received votes. Neither are slated to be in prep next season, as Chudzinski signed with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats and Salandra signed with the OHL's Barrie Colts.
Had either stayed in prep, they would've been picked as candidates to be the best players.
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This was a big hold-up for coaches: will these players even be in prep come the winter?
"Tricky one," a coach said. "Still need to figure out who is sticking around."
"Tough to say with the potential of kids leaving early for the CHL or USHL," a coach added.
Belmont Hill forward David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) unsurprisingly received votes. He led the Sextants with 18 goals and 47 points in 32 games as a sophomore '08. He increased his point total by 10 from his freshman year. His plans next season aren't set in stone.
"If he returns to Belmont Hill, he's an incredible 200-foot center who is an all-around talent," a coach said.
Another popular answer was Nobles forward Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.), who ranked fourth in the region in points this past winter with 61. He is currently slated to return to the Bulldogs for his senior year.
"He had an unbelievable year," a coach said. "He will follow it up. He works all over the ice and has a great offensive mind."
Tabor forward Ethan Travis (Narrangansett, R.I.) broke out in his first year as a sophomore with 19 goals and 39 points. One coach expects that to continue.
"He is a special player," that coach said. "Extremely high hockey IQ, great goalscoring ability, great vision and very competitive."
Others receiving votes were St. Mark's forwards Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) and Will Manchuso (Concord, Mass.), Dexter Southfield defenseman Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) and Cushing forward Joe Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.).
Who will be the best team next season?
Despite falling one goal short in the Elite 8 title game in March, Dexter Southfield is the popular candidate to be the best team next season.
"Dexter will have a strong team returning with key players," a coach said.
"Very deep," another coach added.
Right behind them in votes was Cushing, who won the Elite 8.
"Won the Elite 8 and landed all their recruits," a coach said. "Winning and good financial aid is a key recipe for success."
PART 1: Best players, goalies and teams from this past season
"Their recruiting class is insane," one coach said.
While their recruiting class is unknown, what can be counted on is teams like Cushing, Avon Old Farms, Salisbury and Kimball Union to always be looked at highly prior to the season. That was no different in this round of votes.
Salisbury in particular is an interesting case.
"They are hungry to get back on top," a coach said.
St. Mark's got a vote. The Lions finished as the No. 2 team in the Elite 8 and won't lose too much from this past season's roster. Belmont Hill also secured a vote for similar reasons — they project to bring much of the same roster back.
"They have a good coach, a lot of good players returning and some good new players coming in," another coach said.
Who will be a surprising contender next season?
There was an overwhelming favorite in the clubhouse for this question: Winchendon.
"They have a very strong incoming class and return some talent," a coach said.
In the second year under head coach Mike Busconi, Winchendon went 15-15-1 and pushed for a playoff spot.
"I think Winchendon will make a nice step," another coach added. "Not sure if they are a contender, but they have some nice pieces coming in."
Governor's Academy was another team that received a good number of votes. The Govs finished as the No. 4 seed in the Large School Tournament.
"They aren't going to lose a ton [of talent]," one coach said. "The kids coming back are impactful."
Due to the breakout performance of Vinnie D'Urso (Andover, Mass.) in net, Tabor was a team that coaches think will be in the postseason mix.
"They are fast and strong," a coach said.
An interesting team that got some love was Williston Northampton. The Wildcats have a new head coach in Brandon Borges, who enters highly regarded.
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"The new coach will do a nice job and is well-connected in the 2009-11 birth years," a coach said. "I've heard Williston strongly supports hockey."
Northfield Mount Hermon, Westminster and St. Mark's were other teams garnering votes.
