When analyzing the top 2002-born players in each of the New England states, there are some interesting tidbits beyond just who took home best-of honors.
Two are late birthdays, as defined by the NHL draft criteria, and two more were born in August or September. The stories of late bloomers are fun to tell, but in this birth year, most of the best players as 14-year-olds remained as the best players as 20-year-olds. That’s not to say there weren’t players in this birth year who got significantly better. There were others who peaked in bantam hockey, after looking like can’t-miss Division 1 prospects at one time.
Every path is different. Players in this birth year, including Matt Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) have already played games in the NHL. Others are still chugging along in junior hockey. Here’s a look at the six players who represent the best of the best in each of the New England states.
MORE 'BEST OF NEW ENGLAND' BY STATE: '01s | '03s | '04s | '05s | '06s
Connecticut
Scott Morrow
UMass, 11/1/02, D, right shot, 6-2/194
NHL: Carolina Hurricanes (2021, Rd. 2, No. 40 overall)
Morrow was a player who made it to USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp and has been on the radar for a long time. The Darien, Conn., native has gotten better over the years as his skating has continued to improve. He’s a skilled, puck-moving, offensive defenseman with stops at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Fargo in the USHL before arriving at UMass. His hockey path almost kept him out of his home region. Originally committed to North Dakota, he switched to the Minutemen late in the process. It paid off as the Hurricanes prospect scored 13 goals and had 20 assists in 37 games as a freshman for Greg Carvel’s squad.
Maine
Jack Williams
Muskegon Lumberjacks, 3/2/02, RW, right shot, 5-11/174
NCAA commit: Northeastern
Williams is a great example of a player who has always had the talent to be ranked among the best, but pushed through adversity. The Biddeford, Maine, native committed to Northeastern after the summer of his freshman year at Berwick, a lesser-known prep school in his home state. He was always a player who put up big numbers in showcases and national camps, but he struggled as a youngster in the USHL. In his third full season, he’s finally starting to see the fruits of his labor. In 2021-22, he had 19 goals and 42 assists in 60 games. He’ll be joining the Huskies in the fall.
Massachusetts
Matt Beniers
Seattle Kraken, 11/5/02, C, left shot, 6-2/174
Beniers was always a good player, but in an interesting nugget that exemplifies why stats in national camps don’t always mean much, there were 100 players who scored more points than him at the 2017 USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp. In a number of articles from the 2017-18 season while skating for Milton and the Cape Cod Whalers, I had him pegged as a lock to make the NTDP, but I certainly never envisioned him being a second overall pick in the NHL draft. Beniers and his family deserve a ton of credit, as his play on the ice exemplifies the type of character he is on and off it. His skating, motor, and hockey sense are all major reasons for why he has success. His compete level and ability to hunt pucks makes him a big-time threat to score each shift. In his first eight games with the Kraken, he had three goals and four assists. That’s on top of a 43-point sophomore campaign at Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the Frozen Four.
New Hampshire
Alex Gagne
New Hampshire, 8/12/02, D, left shot, 6-3/207
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning (2021, Rd. 6, No. 192 overall)
This selection was difficult as I was torn between Gagne and Omaha Lancers defenseman Nate Benoit (Bow, N.H.). Both have improved immensely over the years and earned commits to well-known Division 1 schools after not being on the radar as younger players. I went with Gagne as he’s already proven he can have success in Hockey East. Gagne, from Bedford, N.H., never made a national camp until his age-17 year. He burst onto the scene and earned an invitation to play for the U.S. at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He transitioned straight from low-level midget minor to the USHL with Cedar Rapids. His second season in the USHL with Muskegon was when he took another big step in his development. He scored three goals and had 23 assists in 53 regular season games, which caught the attention of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 33 games this winter as a freshman at UNH, Gagne had a goal and seven assists. He’s always going to be more of a two-way defender, more known for his length and reach on the defensive side.
Rhode Island
Brett Berard
Providence, 9/9/02, LW, left shot, 5-9/154
NHL: New York Rangers (2020, Rd. 5, No. 134 overall)
Berard is a player who has gotten the most out of his ability by playing hard, going to the greasy areas, and never letting his smaller stature hold him back. From East Greenwich, R.I., he headed to the NTDP Evaluation Camp on the bubble, but earned his way into the field of 13 forwards in 2018. The former Bishop Hendricken star kept proving doubters wrong while skating for two seasons at the NTDP. He gets better every year and the stats bear that out. After a 10-point freshman campaign at Providence, he scored 18 goals and had 20 assists in 36 games this winter as a sophomore. Expect another jump in production and overall play as a junior for the New York Rangers prospect.
Vermont
Cooper Rice
Steinbach Pistons, 3/4/02, RW, right shot, 6-2/194
There weren’t a lot of players to choose from in this birth year among Vermont natives. Rice, who played prep school at Proctor, took the unusual path of heading to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League after graduating. In his first year of junior hockey in 2021-22, the Rutland, Vt., native scored 16 goals and had 28 assists in 50 regular season games for the Steinbach Pistons.
