The 2003 birth year across the country is somewhat of a down year, especially when compared to the '01s and '04s that surround it. There are certainly some good players hailing from the six New England states among '03s, but it’s not as deep nor filled with high-end talent.
When evaluating the '03s from New England, it’s interesting to take note of the dozen or so players who were once considered to be in the top 10 in the region who are no longer in that category. For a myriad of reasons, from peaking physically, to a lack of compete and drive, to others surpassing them, a handful of bantam and midget-minor standouts are no longer at the top of the list.
That’s not meant as a negative on certain players. It’s said more to point out that the best players at 14 or 15 aren’t always the best when it comes time to enter college. For those younger players now, keep pushing to be the best or there will be others working harder to complete the marathon that is hockey development.
With that out of the way, here are the top 2003-born players from each of the six New England states, as it stands now.
MORE 'BEST OF NEW ENGLAND' BY STATE: '01s | '02s | '04s | '05s | '06s
Connecticut
Matt McGroarty
Madison Capitols, 1/30/03, C, right shot, 6-0/165
NCAA commit: Quinnipiac
Connecticut was the toughest decision. I gave the nod to McGroarty over Ryan St. Louis and Paul Davey, in part due to recency bias, but also because he's trending in the right direction. In 62 regular season games, the Westport, Conn., native scored nine goals and had 10 assists. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, it’s the little things that McGroarty can do that help his team. He’s an honest, complete player, whose style of play will fit in well at Quinnipiac. McGroarty skated for Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers and Brunswick prior to making the jump to the USHL.
Maine
Nick McSorley
Berwick, 1/3/03, LW, left shot, 5-10/150
McSorley wore a letter as an alternate captain at Berwick this past winter. The senior from Biddeford, Maine, saved his best prep season for last. In 25 games, he scored 10 goals and added seven assists. The left wing spent three years at Berwick following two at Biddeford High.
Massachusetts
Jack Hughes
Northeastern, 11/2/03, C, left shot, 6-0/165
Hughes came up through the Junior Eagles system with quite a few other talented '03s. However, the Westwood, Mass., native has continued to soar after leaving the Junior Eagles and has separated himself from some former teammates. A two-year player at USA Hockey’s NTDP, Hughes played the 2021-22 season as the youngest player in college hockey. In 39 games for Northeastern, Hughes scored seven goals and had nine assists. A likely mid to late first-round pick in the NHL draft this July, Hughes has the skill, skating and vision to stand out. However, I was impressed with his ability to play harder than expected for such a young player in Hockey East. He’s the younger brother of Northeastern alternate captain Riley Hughes and the son of former sports agent and current Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes.
New Hampshire
Cooper Flinton
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, 8/16/03, LW, left shot, 6-2/203
NCAA commit: Dartmouth
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning (2021, 7th Rd., #211 overall)
Flinton was somewhat of a late bloomer, but also stayed under the radar, due to not playing on marquee teams. A product of St. Paul’s and the Northern Cyclones split season team, Flinton heard his name called in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL draft. Upon graduating from St. Paul’s last spring, he made the decision to challenge himself in the USHL for 2021-22. In 59 games with Cedar Rapids, the Auburn, N.H., native scored 11 goals and had 10 assists. Flinton’s feet, especially his first two steps, are a work in progress. However, his north-south, power forward ability and heavy shot are areas of his game that should translate well in the ECAC with Dartmouth. An additional interesting Granite State tidbit is Brian Putnam, the Lightning amateur scout that vouched for Flinton’s selection, was college teammates with his father, Eric Flinton, at the University of New Hampshire.
Rhode Island
Drew Haxton
Nobles, 1/12/03, RW, right shot, 5-9/165
Haxton, from Wakefield, R.I., catches the attention of some scouts and college coaches with his skating ability. Haxton spent three seasons at Nobles after starting his high school career at Bishop Hendricken in Rhode Island. The speedy winger had 11 goals and six assists in 26 games this winter for Brian Day’s Bulldogs. The one area of his game that Haxton will have to improve is his hockey sense. He’ll have the opportunity to do so in 2022-23 while playing for the Cowichan Valley Capitals in the BCHL.
Vermont
Jack Kurrle
Maine Nordiques, 1/28/03, LW, left shot, 6-1/179
NCAA commit: Vermont
Kurrle, from Middlesex, Vt., has had an interesting path to this point in his career. He started out with the Vermont Flames before transitioning to South Kent Selects Academy. From there, he was off to the Florida Alliance. In 2020-21, he split time between the Maine Nordiques 18-U team and the NAHL club. Kurrle played in 48 games this winter, scoring four goals and notching 10 assists while racking up 82 penalty minutes in his first full season of junior hockey.
