Each of the six New England states produces players at varying degrees. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have a leg up when it comes to famous NHL alums and current stars skating at the game’s highest level.
While not up to the same bar, Vermont can boast John LeClair, Maine lays claim to Brian Dumoulin, and New Hampshire produced Ben Lovejoy. And all six states have their own significance when it comes to the history and future of the game of hockey in New England.
Over the coming weeks, New England Hockey Journal will unveil the best player from each of the region’s six states, broken down by birth year. To kick things off, we’ll take a dive into the 2001 birth year. From NHL rookies to junior hockey age-outs, here are the top players from each of the New England states.
MORE 'BEST OF NEW ENGLAND' BY STATE: '02s | '03s | '04s | '05s | '06s
Connecticut
Spencer Knight
Florida Panthers, 4/19/01, G, catches left, 6-3/192
Knight has seen his ups and downs in his first full season in the NHL. It’s not unexpected for a young goaltender making a big leap in his development. The former Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers is 18-9-3 with a .905 save percentage in 31 appearances with the parent club in Florida. Like Boldy, the Darien, Conn., native spent two years at USA Hockey’s NTDP before heading to Boston College. The future is bright for Knight, as he looks to eventually take over the full-time starting role with the Panthers.
Maine
Reese Farrell
Maine Nordiques, 2/21/01, RW, right shot, 6-0/185
NCAA commit: Army
Farrell’s junior hockey career is over after the Nordiques fell just short of qualifying for the NAHL playoffs. The Auburn, Maine, native picked up 10 goals and 31 assists in 56 games this season. His point production increased by 23 from his rookie campaign in the NAHL in 2020-21. Farrell, who will play college hockey at Army, spent time with the Maine Moose and North Yarmouth Academy before playing prep hockey at Northfield Mount Hermon. Farrell’s blue collar, lunch pail mentality will translate well into Army coach Brian Riley’s system.
Massachusetts
Matt Boldy
Minnesota Wild, 4/5/01, LW, left shot, 6-2/187
Boldy wasn’t always the best '01 in Massachusetts. Some Hockey East schools used to question his footwork. The Millis, Mass., winger continued to develop and improve his skating and his hockey sense shined through as he transitioned from Dexter Southfield to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Boldy started off mildly in his first semester at Boston College, but improved immensely en route to a huge sophomore season. After scoring at a point-per-game clip in the AHL, Boldy is now succeeding in the NHL with the Wild. In his first 44 games, he had 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points. A big power forward, Boldy’s brain is what truly sets him apart from the rest of the field.
New Hampshire
Jake Dunlap
Madison Capitols, 12/5/01, LW, left shot, 5-9/159
NCAA commit: New Hampshire
Dunlap will head to his home state university in the fall after three seasons of junior hockey. The Windham, N.H., native spent time with the Northern Cyclones, Junior Monarchs and New Hampton before jumping to the NAHL and USHL. In 57 regular season games this season with the USHL’s Madison Capitols, he potted 24 goals and added 22 assists. Originally committed to UMass, he’ll be a solid addition for Mike Souza’s Wildcats.
Rhode Island
Jayden Struble
Northeastern, 8/9/01, D, left shot, 6-0/175
NHL: Montreal Canadiens (2019, 2nd Rd, No. 46 overall)
Struble had an interesting path to college hockey as the super athletic blue liner from Cumberland, R.I., went straight from prep to Hockey East. He spent time at Nobles and St. Sebastian’s on the way to St. Botolph Street. In 34 games for Northeastern in 2021-22, he scored three goals and had 11 assists. He needs to reel it in at times and avoid costly penalties, but his physical tools allow him to be an intriguing, puck-moving defenseman. There was some thought he’d bolt for the Canadiens’ organization, but as of now, he remains at Northeastern.
Vermont
Nicholas Niemo
Lone Star Brahmas, 3/28/01, C/RW, right shot, 5-9/165
NCAA commit: Bentley
Niemo, from Middlebury, Vt., has long had to endure the stigma that he was too small to succeed in hockey. He’s proven people wrong each step along the way. He’ll head to Bentley in the fall after three consecutive seasons of junior hockey in which he put up over a point per game. He started with the Islanders Hockey Club in the USPHL NCDC before transitioning to the NAHL for the past two campaigns. In the 2021-22 regular season, Niemo scored 38 goals and 36 assists in 60 games. He’s a key contributor for a Lone Star team looking to make a run in the NAHL’s Robertson Cup Playoffs.
