The prep and high school seasons are behind us.
Soon enough, Mass. Hockey's Festival and the New England District tryouts will be center stage on the local hockey scene.
Before we get there, though, club hockey is the main focus for a lot of the region’s hockey players once again.
Some of the best teams in Massachusetts and New England will compete for a shot at glory during USA Hockey Nationals.
Among the local 16U Tier 1 teams, the Boston Americans qualified automatically after winning the Mass. state title over Lovell Academy last November. The Lions also qualified on an at-large basis, as did the East Coast Wizards. The Connecticut Polar Bears also automatically qualified after taking the New England District crown last fall.
Other stalwart programs like Shattuck-St. Mary's and the BK Selects also have prospects with local ties.
This year's 16U Tier 1 Nationals will be held from March 24-29 in Amherst, N.Y.
We broke down the region's 19U representation earlier this week. Now, here are the local 16Us to watch.
Boston Americans
The Americans are loaded with some of the brightest young stars in prep. Almost all of them will be on recruiting radars this summer, too.
Among the headliners is Nobles sophomore forward Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.), who had one of the best single-season performances in recent NEPSAC history. She led New England with 65 points and 39 assists. Also among the Bulldogs to watch are sophomore forward Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) and sophomore defender Reese Engel (Westwood, Mass.). McCool had 28 points (12 goals) this season and helped Team USA win gold at the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship. You also have Princeton commit Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.).
‘FOR DAVE’: Methuen/Tewksbury honors late coach with MIAA title
Another top prospect to watch is Thayer's Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.). The sophomore forward was among the top scorers in prep with 43 points (24 goals). There's also Phillips Andover sophomore goalie Marie Lee (Southboro, Mass.), who was fantastic in the Americans' title run in November.
Rivers has several youngsters to watch, too, including sophomore forward Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.), who had a career season with 25 points (18 goals). Sophomore defender Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.) is a critical piece as well. Keep an eye on freshman defender Joelle Burns (Winchester, Mass.).
Brooks also has a pair of players to watch on the Americans. Sophomore forward Isabel Previte (Andover, Mass.) is coming off a career season, while freshman goalie Maeve Phinney saw ample action.
Among others is Tabor sophomore Grace Hildebrandt (Norwell, Mass.), who was strong centering the Seawolves' top line this season. There's also Groton sophomore forward Zoe Smith (Bolton, Mass.), St. Mark's sophomore defender Abbey Deroeve (Charlestown, Mass.), Cushing sophomore defender Blake Metcalf (Scarborough, Maine) and Dexter Southfield sophomore forward Stella Walsh (Dorchester, Mass.).
Connecticut Polar Bears
The Polar Bears boast a stable of intriguing prospects from the NEPSAC.
Loomis Chaffee is well-represented with four sophomores. Forwards Sophie DiGioia (Milford, Conn.), Scarlett Robertson (Fairfield, Conn.) and Elyse Harris were all key depth contributors on the Pelicans' second straight title run. Harris' postseason was cut short due to injury. Defender Amaya McNeil (Fairfield, Conn.) is an impactful defender and promising puck-mover on the back end.
Another promising blue-liner to watch is Williston Northampton sophomore Keira Gould, a strong puck-mover in her own right. There's also Williston freshman defender Alexa O'Neill.
The Polar Bears also have a pair of intriguing youngsters out of Taft. Sophomore forward Selkie Brown had a strong second half after a productive freshman season at Greenwich Country Day. Sophomore goalie Anousheh Mohebbi was strong in a timeshare in net as well.
MIAA CHAMPS:Â Methuen/Tewksbury shuts out Archbishop Williams in D1Â |Â Milton outlasts King Philip in D2
Frederick Gunn goalie Moira Landsverk will be critical for the Polar Bears. The UNH commit was one of the busiest (and best) goalies in prep this season, posting a .945 save percentage.
Among younger prospects to watch is Deerfield freshman defender Emily Cumming. Forward Ella Stafford, a '10, is bound for Deerfield next season.
Choate freshman Victoire Devillers (Darien, Conn.) impressed with the Polar Bears in the fall, as well as in the NEPSAC Large School final.
Greenwich Academy sophomore Maggie Lyden (Stamford, Conn.) will be worth watching. She had 21 points (16 goals) in 12 games this season, following a near-point-per-game run as a freshman.
Keep an eye on a trio of Berkshire sophomore forwards in Mak Komanecky, Nadia Smith and Addie Lang (Avon, Conn.), too.
The Polar Bears' roster also includes Cornell commit Brooke Schlutter up front, although her prep season was cut short due to injury. She had 29 points (14 goals) in 22 games for Williston.
CHAMPS: Loomis Chaffee beats Deerfield in Elite 8 | Phillips Exeter beats Choate in Large School | Groton beats New Hampton in Small School
East Coast Wizards
The Wizards boast some of the top commits in the NEPSAC, as well as several top prospects to watch in upcoming recruiting cycles.
Among the Yale commits is Phillips Exeter's Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.), who was second in prep with 55 points while her 28 goals were tops. Her Exeter teammate, freshman forward Rylie Choi, had a solid debut prep season as well.
You've also got Yale commit Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.), who led Williston with 30 points (11 goals). On the blue line, Providence commit Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.) was a difference-maker for Tabor with her dynamic skillset. She's a former Lovell Academy standout. Tabor teammate Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) showed well as a sophomore after a good freshman season.
One of the top sophomores to watch will be Cushing's Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.). She led Cushing with 31 points (23 goals), following 43 points (25 goals) as a freshman.
GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: All-Elite 8 | All-Large School | All-Small School
There's a trio of Groton prospects to watch, including uncommitted junior goalie Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.), who just earned MVP in the Small School tournament after leading the Zebras to the title. Sophomore forward Charlotte Matusovich (New Gloucester, Maine) and sophomore defender Caroline Matusovich (New Gloucester, Maine) were both critical to the Zebras' run this season as well.
You've also got a pair of youngsters who were key to St. Paul's reaching the Elite 8. Forward Kelsey MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.) had 26 points (11 goals) in 20 games, keeping her production up after missing 10 games with injury. Sophomore defender Maddy Humber (Concord, Mass.) had a career season with 24 points (19 assists).
Among other defenders is Nobles sophomore Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.), Phillips Andover junior Sienna Glass and Deerfield junior Jillian Limb. Shea broke out for 29 points (20 assists) this season.
Keep an eye on Rivers sophomore forward Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.), who matched her career-high of 20 points this season. Middlesex sophomore goalie Taylor Tursi (Sudbury, Mass.) was strong when she saw action this season.
BOYS CHAMPS: Avon Old Farms upsets St. Mark’s in Elite 8 | Cushing beats Brunswick in Large School | Winchendon beats Holderness in Small School
Lovell Academy
The Lions boast some of the top prospects in the entire country.
Among the very top of the list are Minnesota commit Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) and Wisconsin commit Chyna Taylor. The '09s were key to USA Hockey's gold-medal run at the U18 Women's Worlds. Lovell, a forward, has 130 points (43 goals) in 65 games this season. Taylor, a defender, has 122 points (42 goals) in 58 games.
Among the other top commits to watch are Aubryn Monter (Penn State), Remi Karsh (Yale) and Sydney Stoughton (Minnesota).
As far as other committed locals go, Stonehill commit Madeline Carey (Braintree, Mass.) has 51 points (20 goals). Syracuse commit Caroline Clark (York, Maine) is over a point-per-game as well, with 83 (35 goals) in 70 games. Union commit Joely Wexler (Needham, Mass.) has 49 points (10 goals). Lindenwood commit Maddie Minucci (South Boston, Mass.) has 23 points (nine goals).
BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: All-Elite 8 | All-Large School | All-Small School
Sophomore defender Matti Sherman (Hanover, Mass.) and junior goalie Peyton Scott (Hanover, Mass.) are two uncommitted prospects to keep an eye on. Sherman has 16 points (three goals). Scott is 43-4-2 with a .978 save percentage.
Shattuck-St. Mary's
Shattuck boasts several prospects with local ties.
Rangy '10 defender Andie Hall (Greenwich, Conn.) has 40 points (35 assists) in 52 games. Her older sister, defender Kate Hall (Greenwich, Conn.), is a Cornell commit with Shattuck's prep squad. Meanwhile, former Connecticut Jr. Rangers forward Tommie Cinquino, a '12, has 30 points (10 goals) on the season.
Also, you've got forwards Eva Molnar (Trumbull, Conn.) and Dylan King (Darien, Conn.). Both are '11s.
BK Selects
Bishop Kearney also has several New England natives.
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There's '11 defender Clare Healy (South Burlington, Vt.). Her oldest sister, Megan, is a freshman defender at Princeton and a BK Selects product, and her older sister, Erin, is a Princeton-committed defender on BK's 19U squad.
You've also got forwards in '11 Genevieve Walsh (Fairfield, Conn.) and '10 Maize Wilner (Old Greenwich, Conn.). The blue line includes '10 Callie McCullough (Westport, Conn.) and '12 Bella Scanlan (Wilton, Conn.).
