BELMONT, Mass. — Six different prep schools participated in two scrimmages on Saturday at the annual Belmont Hill Jamboree on the school’s campus.
In addition to the hosts, Brunswick, St. Mark’s, Winchendon, Proctor and Upper Canada College took to the ice in front of a number of college coaches and NHL scouts at the Jordan Athletic Center. There were close to a dozen NHL scouts in attendance to watch the 2022 draft prospects, including Belmont Hill right wing James Fisher (Wilmington, Mass.) and St. Mark’s defenseman Michael Fisher (Westboro, Mass.), both of whom are on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List. Programs from Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey were represented by a number of assistant coaches.
Belmont Hill and Brunswick were far and away the most impressive teams at the jamboree. The two clubs met in the final scrimmage of the day with Belmont Hill coming away with a 3-1 win over the visitors. Both clubs will likely be in the mix for a spot in the NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament.
Belmont Hill was without one of its top scoring threats in '04 junior Ronan O’Donnell (Fairfield, Conn.) and '03 senior shutdown defenseman Will Killoran (Charlestown, Mass.). Under the leadership of first-year head coach Brian Phinney, Belmont Hill seems to be headed in the right direction. '04 James Fisher and '06 Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) both scored goals against Brunswick and received strong goaltending from '05 Sam Scopa (Lexington, Mass.).
Brunswick was the deepest team at the jamboree. Mike Kennedy’s team has a good goaltending tandem in '04 Brendan Holahan (New Canaan, Conn.) and '05 Will Baker (Norwalk, Conn.). The team put up a seven-spot against Winchendon before hitting a little bit of a power outage against Belmont Hill. The Bruins were without '05 defenseman and Harvard commit Lucas St. Louis (Riverside, Conn.), who was playing in the USHL with Dubuque. Center Eli Friedman, a Yale recruit, is the only other committed player, but that will change in short order.
St. Mark’s dressed a ton of players as head coach Carl Corazzini hasn’t cut down his roster yet. That certainly made for less than optimal viewing, but the Lions showed some flashes. In the second game, I liked the line that was put together early: '03 senior left wing Dom Murphy (Worcester, Mass.), '07 freshman center Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) and '05 sophomore right wing Andrew Gibbons (Wakefield, R.I.). Gallant is certainly one of the more talented players in his birth year. He’ll be one of the youngest players in prep hockey this winter, but he has the skillset to make some noise. The other notable forward for St. Mark’s is a junior center and captain James Lyver (Grafton, Mass.). '04 senior Michael Fisher will anchor the blue line. Corazzini’s team doesn’t have the depth, especially on the blue line, but there is enough talent to hang around and win some games in 2021-22.
Winchendon, coached by Brian Troy, played hard in the first game but was overmatched in the tilt against Brunswick. The team’s top prospect is '05 sophomore defenseman Jake Freelove, a righty from Tyngsboro, Mass.
It could be a long winter for Proctor and longtime head coach Mike Walsh. The Hornets didn’t appear to have the horses to compete against the top teams in the Lakes Region. One interesting element of the Proctor roster was the influx of players from the southeast portion of the United States. There were five players from either North Carolina or Georgia, not something you see every day on a prep roster.
Upper Canada College replaced St. Andrew’s College, as the latter was down here in the region last weekend at the Prep Hockey Conference showcase at Mount Saint Charles. Upper Canada College is an all-boys school located in Toronto, Ontario. It had some good teams a decade or so ago, but hasn’t been as strong lately. One of its alumni is UMass graduate student Matt Baker, a center who played as an undergrad at Dartmouth. This year’s team didn’t have a ton of talent, but Daniel Noble’s squad brought it physically.
Top 2022 NHL draft prospect
James Fisher
Belmont Hill, 4/28/04, RW, right shot, 6-3/180
NCAA commit: Northeastern
I thought this was a really good viewing for Fisher. There was a lot of good and only one shift that I felt was mediocre. He scored a nice goal, snapping a wrist shot off that snuck in right below the crossbar. Fisher did a good job of using his size and strength to bring a physical element. Even when he didn’t have the puck, he made an impact with a couple of big hits that disrupted the opposition. He hunted pucks and was around the puck a lot. As a north-south power forward, Fisher was impressive. He played to his identity, which is key. He displayed the skating and shot that could get him to the NHL someday. His size is another positive attribute. If really nitpicking, I’d say his hockey sense is one area that could use improvement. But, with his style of play and willingness to shoot from anywhere, he’s never going to be a true playmaker. All of the NHL teams in the rink, including at least one organization with two scouts, had to have liked what they saw in the Northeastern recruit.
Top 13 uncommitted prospects
Teddy Stiga
Belmont Hill, 4/5/06, LW, left shot, 5-8/143
Stiga is a lock for making the 2022-23 NTDP U-17 team. He showed why on Saturday. Despite being young for prep hockey, he scored a goal and had the puck a good amount. His skating is certainly his best asset, but he has the stick skills to be dangerous. Stiga is still under-developed physically and I expect him to keep getting better. His vision and hockey sense away from the puck are areas for him to work on as he continues to mature as a player. Stiga is one of the most coveted recruits in the region, but he isn’t eligible to commit until August 1, 2023.
Hank Cleaves
Brunswick, 12/25/03, LW, left shot, 6-4/180
Cleaves has come a long way in the past year. He’s a big power forward who skates well. The Riverside, Conn., native made a lot of plays in the two games. He has the length and agility for a big guy to protect pucks with his hip. Cleaves drove the net and had some very nice passes. He has some serious interest and offers from ECAC Hockey schools. There should be plenty of interest from all Ivy League schools in Cleaves, who is certainly trending upward.
Richard Gallant
St. Mark’s, 6/12/07, C, left shot, 5-7/140
As I mentioned above, Gallant will probably be the youngest player in prep hockey this winter. The only other '07 I know of is Teddy Mutryn, who is at St. Sebastian’s but was born four months earlier. Gallant played well enough in the morning game to be moved up to a top-six line. Gallant skates well and has skill. His vision, offensive instincts, and poise for a youngster all shined through. He definitely has plenty of confidence with the puck on his stick, which is a good thing.
Drew DellaSalla
Brunswick, 5/8/06, RW, left shot, 5-11/150
DellaSalla obviously isn’t as young as Gallant, but he’s still two to three years younger than most players he went up against on Saturday. He had a goal and an assist and has plenty of stick skill and his skating has that quick twitch. From Rye, N.Y., he’s one of the more skilled `06 forwards in the country. Consistency and being harder to play against are two areas of his game that could use improvement, in order for him to make the most of his physical tools.
Sam Scopa
Belmont Hill, 1/10/05, G, catches left, 5-11/173
Scopa allowed just one goal in his team’s 3-1 win over Brunswick. He skates and moves well. He did a good job of tracking pucks and controlling rebounds. He was quiet and composed in the crease. If he was an inch or two taller, his stock would be much higher. Regardless, I think he’s going to be a very good goaltender at the prep level and likely will be a starter in Division 1 someday.
Brendan Holahan
Brunswick, 6/15/04, G, catches left, 6-3/180
Holahan played in the lopsided win over Winchendon. He wasn’t tested much, but he certainly looks the part. He has good size, squares up to shooters, and takes up a lot of the net. He has better size than Scopa, but his skating might be a little behind. I think he’s the best NHL draft prospect in the region at his position. Brunswick plays a strong schedule and he’ll have plenty of chances to showcase his ability against good competition.
Jake Freelove
Winchendon, 1/4/05, D, right shot, 6-1/165
Freelove scored a nice goal in his team’s first game. He’s got the size, vision and length to make positive plays on both sides of the puck. With his reach and tight gaps, he can defend the rush. When he has the puck on his stick, he can make a solid breakout pass and has the skill to score. The second game was a tough viewing for all Winchendon players, but one positive I thought was that he didn’t over-handle the puck, which he sometimes has a tendency to do. Freelove is at his best when he’s showing confidence and making quick, smart decisions while using his first instinct.
James Lyver
St. Mark’s, 2/12/05, C, right shot, 6-0/175
Lyver had a goal early in the game against Upper Canada College. He’s big, strong, and physically mature. He plays a strong north-south game and shoots it hard. I like how he bullied his way to the scoring areas and played to his identity. If I were Holy Cross, Brown or Princeton, I’d offer Lyver right away.
James Shannon
Brunswick, 8/12/04, C, right shot, 5-10/175
Shannon plays hard, hunts pucks and uses his skating and strength to win races and battles for loose pucks. A perfect example was on a goal Saturday when he won a battle below the goal line and sent out a perfect pass to Hunter Spiess for an easy score. Shannon is another player who should be recruited by strong academic schools at the Division 1 level.Â
It should be noted that Spiess, from Old Greenwich, Conn., had a productive day and would be noted in this space, if not for the fact he’s committed to play lacrosse at Princeton.
Sean Gibbons
Brunswick, 8/21/05, RW, right shot, 5-7/155
Gibbons had himself a nice day with a pair of goals. He was sometimes overshadowed on the very good Mid Fairfield '05 team. The Fairfield, Conn., native showed more dynamic skating ability and poise with the puck in Saturday’s viewing.
Brendan Giles
Brunswick, 2/18/05, LW, right shot, 5-9/155
Giles is a playmaker who made a couple of nice plays while playing his off-wing on Saturday. He’s still a little on the smaller side, but he’s growing. I think his game is also trending up, as he showed at national camp this past July.
Sloan Farmer
Brunswick, 6/2/05, D, left shot, 5-11/165
Today wasn’t the best viewing for Farmer, a player who has taken big strides over the past year. He had a big national camp and a solid fall. Here, he still did a lot of good things. He exudes athleticism, is smooth, and can sidestep oncoming forecheckers. The Old Greenwich, Conn., native projects as a Division 1 college player, but his hockey sense wasn’t up to par on Saturday.
Austin Borggard
St. Mark’s, 1/15/05, LW, left shot, 5-10/155
Borggard scored a goal on a penalty shot and showed some positive signs here. He has that explosive stride and ability to play a power game. It needs to be on display on a more consistent basis, but keep an eye on the Charlton, Mass., native.
