The 2020-21 junior hockey season has started across the country with the North American Hockey League and United States Premier Hockey League commencing regular-season games and the United States Hockey League forging ahead with preseason games.
While playing games brings back a sense of normalcy, there are still a myriad of factors that are making this junior hockey season anything but normal. Fans are limited or prohibited in some venues. Division 1 college coaches aren’t allowed in the buildings due to the NCAA recruiting dead period associated with the coronavirus. There is growing uncertainty in terms of available spots on college rosters for the next few years with current collegians being granted an extra year of eligibility.
The 2020-21 season might be the worst in history to be a junior hockey age-out. There’s less exposure and less guarantee of spots the following year on college rosters. That being said, there are some ’00s and ’01s off to notably hot starts to their junior hockey seasons. Here’s a look at a few of them and why I believe they’ll end up playing Division 1 hockey in the future.
Tyler Gaulin
Maine Nordiques, 11/9/01, C/LW, left shot, 6-0/161
NCAA commit: Maine
When I started doing legwork for this article on Monday morning, Gaulin was uncommitted. Later that day, he announced his commitment to play college hockey at Maine. In four games, he has two goals and five assists for seven points, good for second in the NAHL in scoring. He’s a hard-nosed player out of Berwick Academy. The Kingston, N.H., native is partly a late bloomer and partly just a kid who flew under the radar. Looking ahead to college, he projects as a versatile forward who can slide up and down the lineup for the Black Bears. A few other schools started to show interest in recent weeks, but Red Gendron and his staff sealed the deal.
Hunter McCoy
Maryland Black Bears, 8/1/00, C/LW, left shot, 6-0/190
I’ve liked McCoy for a while, dating back to his days at Phillips Exeter. The Newburyport, Mass., native has bounced around since then. He spent two seasons with the Islanders Hockey Club in the USPHL NCDC before embarking on a journey across two teams in the BCHL last year. This year, he’s off to a solid start with the Maryland Black Bears in the NAHL. In four games, he has two goals and an assist. My biggest concern with McCoy is that he needs to accept his identity and play to his strengths. He’s a winger who should be going north-south, winning battles, playing hard, and making plays that way. A few colleges in Hockey East and ECAC Hockey have shown interest over the years. McCoy has to be willing to take that role as a third-liner who can chip in offensively from time to time. If he can do that, I think there is a spot for him on a Hockey East roster.
Kevin MacKay
Aberdeen Wings, 4/25/01, D, left shot, 6-1/190
MacKay played prep school hockey at Dexter Southfield, graduating in 2019. He started last season in the USPHL NCDC with South Shore before moving on to play a game with Cedar Rapids in the USHL and finishing the year in the NAHL with Aberdeen. This year, the Franklin, Mass., native has three assists in four games with Aberdeen. I like that MacKay left the NCDC and decided to challenge himself. He checks boxes for size, skating and strength. His hockey sense is lacking somewhat, but he has the speed to recover. I believe a Division 1 coach will eventually give him an opportunity with the thought that his hockey IQ can be coached up.
Franky Ireland
Junior Bruins, 2/6/01, LW, left shot, 5-10/181
Ireland has been with the Junior Bruins organization, whether it be Midget or junior, since the 2016-17 season. From Longmeadow, Mass., Ireland isn’t the most skilled player and he is undersized. However, his skating is above average and he plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. This is his third season in the USPHL NCDC. Over the first six games, he has five goals and three assists. He finished 2019-20 with 15 goals and 22 assists in 48 games. That marked a 19-point increase from the year before. Ireland isn’t a home run, but he’s better than a couple of ’01s from the region who have college commits. It’s concerning that he’s never tried to make a USHL or NAHL team, choosing to stay in his comfort zone. Still, I think Ireland ends up being a recruited walk-on at an ECAC Hockey or Atlantic Hockey program.
Reese Farrell
Maine Nordiques, 2/21/01, RW, right shot, 6-0/185
Farrell, from Auburn, Maine, has four goals and two assists in his first four junior games with the Nordiques in the NAHL. He spent four years in prep hockey, split evenly between North Yarmouth Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon. When Farrell is playing to his strengths, he can be an effective energy forward. He has the ability to win battles along the wall and down low, hunt pucks, and get them to open teammates. He had 26 assists in 28 games last season at NMH. I’ve gone back and forth over the years when debating if Farrell is a Division 1 player. He’s either a very good NESCAC candidate or he could squeak his way onto the roster at a place like Holy Cross.
