There are a few big time stars among the new forwards in prep school hockey, headlined by Harvard commit John Farinacci. While traditional Hockey East power Boston College has a commit in these rankings, it’s UConn, a newcomer to the league, with three recruits in the top 10.
Without further ado, here are the top 12 incoming forwards in prep school hockey, followed by other new forwards to keep an eye on as the season progresses:
1. John Farinacci
#9 Dexter, 2/14/01, Jr., Shoots Right, 5-11/165 (Harvard)
The Chatham, N.J., native is an elite offensive player who came up just short of making the U.S. NTDP. Farinacci is a great skater who can cut in and out of traffic to penetrate the scoring areas. There are few players in the region who can create offense the way he can.
2. Matt Beniers
#10 Milton, 11/5/02, Fr., Shoots Left, 5-11/155
The Hingham, Mass., native is the most sought after uncommitted player in the region. Beniers combines elite skating ability with a high level of compete. He has good vision and can make plays. He’s been offered by BC, BU, Harvard, Northeastern and Providence.
3. Jason Siedem
#10 Avon Old Farms, 10/17/02, Fr., Shoots Right, 5-10/150 (Boston College)
The Madison, N.J., native was a late addition to the Winged Beavers. As a late ’02, he was originally going to stay in his home state and play for the North Jersey Avalanche this winter. His older brother and fellow Eagle commit, Ryan, played for AOF last winter before joining the U.S. NTDP. The younger Siedem is a tall, lanky forward with the ability to create offense from anywhere. He has a second burst of speed and good hands.
4. Nick Capone
#17 Salisbury, 12/17/01, Soph., Shoots Left, 6-2/190 (Maine)
A native of East Haven, Conn., Capone is a fun player to watch. He’s a wrecking ball out there with his size, strength and overall physicality. He protects the puck well in the attacking zone and disrupts the opposition’s breakouts while on the forecheck. His hands and offensive skill set aren’t that of the top three on this list, but he can still score by other means.
5. Ilya Usau
#20 Salisbury, 8/3/01, Soph., Shoots Left, 6-0/175 (UConn)
From Belarus originally, Usau played for the Colorado Evolution last season. He’s a player with an elite skill set who could put up big numbers with his edgework and ability to drive the net.
6. Arseni Smekhnov
#23 Salisbury, 1/28/01, Soph., Shoots Left, 6-1/174 (UConn)
The big Russian center came to the Crimson Knights by way of the Colorado Evolution program. He’s a player who is capable of putting up big offensive numbers, especially with his size in prep.
7. Ryan Kirwan
#27 Avon Old Farms, 2/27/02, Soph., Shoots Left, 6-1/185 (Penn State)
Kirwan played for the Syracuse Nationals last season and joins his older brother, Matt, at AOF this winter. He has pro upside with his ability to dominate down low and along the walls. He’s a big frame who protects pucks. When he’s at the top of his game, he can be a huge factor.
8. Jakub Teply
#19 Taft, 6/19/02, Soph., Shoots Left, 6-0/175
Teply is a two-way center who is very cerebral. While he might not impact the offensive side of the puck as much as the guys listed above, he projects as a very reliable middle six center at the collegiate level. He has above average IQ, skates well, and plays in all situations.
9. Anthony Cipollone
#12 Loomis Chaffee, 5/14/02, Soph., Shoots Left, 5-7/155 (UVM)
The Purchase, N.Y., native joins the Pelicans this season after being a standout previously with the Westchester Express. He’s a good skater with an above average offensive skill set. He picked up his game this fall.
10. Ignat Belov
#91 Westminster, 1/10/01, Soph., 1/10/02, 6-2/195 (UConn)
Another Husky commit from Europe, Belov comes to Westy from Belarus via the Colorado Evolution. He’s a big winger who can rip pucks. He spent the fall playing for Mid-Fairfield.
11. Alex Krause
#22 Loomis Chaffee, 7/22/01, Soph., Shoots Left, 5-9/140
The California native spent last season at Okanagen Hockey Academy before coming East. He’s a small forward whose feet are always moving. He’s gritty and can make plays with his compete level.
12. Aidan Cobb
#10 Kent, 5/3/02, Soph., Shoots Left, 5-8/160
Cobb is a talented ’02 that will take some time to adjust to prep hockey. However, down the road, he should be an exciting offensive talent at this level, and possibly beyond.
Honorable Mentions
Avon Old Farms: ’00 Stefan Miklakos, ’98 Max Sauve, ’00 Zach Rehbaum (Brown), ’02 John Louder, ’01 Tim Heinke
Brunswick: ’03 Ryan St. Louis, ’03 Matt McGroarty, ’03 Paul Davey
Cushing: ’02 Jake Hewitt
Dexter: ’01 Aidan Connolly
Exeter: ’99 Ted Aiken, ’01 Danny Colon, ’00 Andrew Seaman, ‘02 Joe Schubert
Gunnery: ’00 Artjoms Lapiks, ’01 Aiden Edwards
Hotchkiss: ’01 Gavin Puskar
Kimball Union: ’00 Drew Bennett, ’99 Matt Egan, ’02 Paul Dore, ’00 Sullivan Mack, ’01 Zach Whitehead, ’00 Tomas Mazura
Millbrook: ’00 Jason Ruszkowski
Milton: ’02 Max Andrade, ’00 Emmott Powell
Nobles: ’01 Casey Severo
Phillips Andover: ’02 Matt Veneri
Pomfret: ’00 Kyle Tomaso
Salisbury: ’00 Michael Fairfax
Taft: ’02 Zach Tonelli, ’02 Bobby Barrasso
Thayer: ’02 Sasha Teleguine
Trinity-Pawling: ’02 Stephen Willey, ’02 CJ Zezima
Westminster: ’00 Jordie McKenna, ’00 Sean Clarke
