The NEPSAC hockey tournaments were an opportunity for players to showcase their talents. In the case of four individuals, their standout performances led to college commitments shortly thereafter.
Kimball Union Academy first-line center Andranik Armstrong parlayed his strong play all season long into a commitment with UMass Lowell. The Alexandria, Va., native received interest from several Hockey East and ECAC Hockey powerhouses but ended up choosing the River Hawks.
The undersized forward plays a gritty game. He goes into the dirty areas and fights for pucks with bigger opposing defensemen. He compares similarly to former UMass Lowell star Joe Gambardella, who is now playing pro hockey in the Edmonton Oilers organization.
Armstrong might not be the best pro prospect on the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 tournament champion Wildcats, but he was definitely the straw that stirred the drink.
A familiar name to hockey fans in New England firmed up his commitment just a few days after the prep finals. Tyler Young, who scored a goal in Lawrence Academy’s 5-4 overtime win over New Hampton in the Piatelli/Simmons small-school tournament, will play his college hockey at Providence College.
Young, an ’01 right wing, has seen his game take off over the past year. He’s always been a good player, but he gets better each game. He’s the son of current Pittsburgh Penguins director of player development Scott Young, who played college hockey at BU before playing 1,322 games in the NHL. The older Young also was an assistant coach at BU and coached at St. Mark’s previously.
Salisbury senior left wing Matt Holmes and New Hampton junior center Joe Dunlap committed to Merrimack and Holy Cross, respectively, in the weeks following the prep finals. Both players appeared at Saint Anselm for their teams in losing efforts.
There are now more than 120 players who competed in prep school hockey this past winter who are committed to playing Division 1 or Division 3 hockey at the collegiate level.
THE NOTEBOOK
Two prep stars earn invites to NTDP
Both Massachusetts natives who appeared at the recently completed USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp received offers to play the 2018-19 season on the U.S. U-17 Team.
Milton Academy freshman center Matt Beniers and St. Sebastian’s sophomore goaltender Drew Commesso were clear standouts at the five-day event at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.
Beniers is an elite two-way center who competes hard and has a skill-set to match. The Hingham, Mass., native is one of the top uncommitted prospects in the entire country, regardless of age. Boston College, Boston University and Harvard are considered the front-runners to land the services of Beniers, but Providence and Northeastern also are in the hunt.
Commesso was the only goaltender offered a spot following the camp. The Norwell, Mass., native has long been considered the top goaltender in his age group. He moves extremely well in the crease and has strong fundamentals. His one weakness is his tendency to go down too early.
Prep players impress in USHL
Several prep school players had the chance to compete in the United States Hockey League during their spring breaks.
Following his team’s back-to-back championship at the prep level, Kimball Union senior defenseman Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) made the move out to play five games with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. The Northeastern recruit who is projected to be selected in the second or third round of the NHL draft had one assist during that time, but his ability to retrieve pucks, break pucks out and transition quickly from defense to offense were notable, according to several scouts who saw him play.
New Hampton defenseman Michael Kesselring, St. Sebastian’s right wing Riley Hughes and Salisbury forwards Ilya Usau and Nick Capone were among others to try their hand at USHL action.
Coaching movement
There are several vacancies in the prep hockey coaching circuit following the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. The Governor’s Academy, Kents Hill School and North Yarmouth Academy are all looking for new coaches.
