Corwith Simmers’ time to shine at Kimball Union has arrived.
While Simmers had a major impact on the Wildcats’ Elite Eight championship run last winter and returns as the team’s leading scorer after putting 25 goals and 54 points to his name, the top line will have a new look without Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) and Sam LeDrew on his wings.
Both Division 1 prospects, Sadowski is soon bound for Hockey East program New Hampshire and LeDrew for St. Lawrence, but playing with such talented linemates who combined for 79 goals and 162 points helped Simmers become ready for the leading role.
“It was extremely beneficial,” Simmers, who grew up in Norwich, Vt., before moving to Idaho with his family in 2019.
“The year before I definitely gained confidence throughout the year, but I wasn’t at the level where I was like, ‘OK, I can be an impact player in this league.’ Last year did that for me,” he added. “As the season went on, every game, I put more confidence in myself holding the puck and playing in different situations.”
Coach Tim Whitehead admits that the top of his lineup will look different this season without the dynamic trio returning, but agrees that Simmers is armed with a strong all-around game as he prepares to shoulder a greater load.
“I don’t know if we’ll have that kind of ‘knockout punch.’ That’s pretty unusual to have every year, but we should have a very strong team and Corwith will obviously be a big part,” Whitehead said. “The thing with Corwith is that he does everything well. There are no deficiencies with his game — he’s a great face-off guy, he’s good defensively, he scores goals, he sees the ice well.”
Simmers believed that the Wildcats had something special coming together long before beating top-seeded Cushing and raising the championship trophy for the fourth time in program history last March.
He is excited to help lead the way and continue an exciting tradition for the Meriden, N.H., program, which also claimed three consecutive New England championships between 2017 and 2019 under Whitehead.
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“We’re a family here,” Simmers said. “It’s great to have, hopefully, the respect of my coaches and teammates. It’s a little nerve-racking with the new kids coming in looking up to you as one of the go-to guys, but it means a lot and shows how I’ve improved my character and hockey-wise. I’m looking forward to stepping up to be the best leader I can be both on and off the ice.”
With the stars of recent seasons departed, Whitehead envisions Simmers joining forces with a pair of fellow seniors — Merrimack commit CJ Watroba (West Springfield, Mass.) and Iain Olsen (Vergennes, Vt.) — to form the team’s new top-line throughout the season.
The trio showed promise together during the fall, and Whitehead sees the trio sticking. Watroba arrived at Kimball Union from Massachusetts high school power Pope Francis before last fall and netted 15 goals, while Olsen had nine while seeing more limited time due to a concussion.
Regardless of how the lineup shakes out, Simmers has noticed another deep, talented group forming for the season ahead.
“Similar to last year, I think this team is going to be super deep,” he said. “Every line can score, every line can play defense, every line will play like it’s their last game. That’s what I’ve seen through the fall both in practices [which Simmers and Watroba have run] and our games we’ve played [in the New England Fall Prep League]. It really seems like everyone is there to win, to work hard and to get better.”
The rest of the lineup may feature some moving parts that settle as time goes on, but as newcomers start to emerge and fit into various roles, Whitehead knows who they can count on as an example.
“I think the big thing Corwith translates to the guys this year is attention to detail,” Whitehead said. “All I have to say is ‘watch Corwith’ to the new guys. If someone asks a question, ‘Hey, where should I be on the breakouts?’ or ‘How do I work on a quick release?’ I’m just like, ‘Watch Corwith.’ … He has so much detail to his game. He’s a very smart, intelligent player.”
Whitehead knows about helping a player down the path to college hockey as well as any prep coach in New England, having 17 years of Division 1 head coaching experience at UMass Lowell and Maine — and eight previous as a college assistant — before taking over at Kimball Union in 2013-14.
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That experience has already helped Simmers, who has generated strong Division 1 interest and made several campus visits.
“An exceptional student,” Whitehead said, Simmers will perhaps look towards achieving the Ivy League dreams that he shaped while attending games at Dartmouth as a kid. He has connections to other Ivies as well, as his father and uncle played lacrosse at Yale and Princeton, respectively.
“I’ve talked to more East Coast schools [so far] because I’d love to go down that Ivy League road if the opportunity presents itself,” Simmers said.
With another big season, dreams could soon come true.
