MARLBORO, Mass. — The Boston Junior Eagles won the Massachusetts Hockey 14-U Tier II Championship over the weekend. The eight-team field took to the ice over the course of three days at the New England Sports Center.
Much of the attention was on the Tier I playoffs, but I spent some time watching the Tier II action. While there obviously wasn’t the high-end talent in the Tier II field, there were 30 players who caught my eye for play at this level.
The Junior Eagles were the class of the Tier II field, defeating the Middlesex Islanders by a score of 7-2 in Sunday evening’s final. The Junior Eagles and Islanders advanced out of the semifinals with wins over GBL Bruins and Boston Junior Terriers, respectively. By winning the tournament, the Junior Eagles will compete at the 2022 USA Hockey 14-U Tier II National Championship March 30-April 4 in Chicago.
Below is a look at 30 players who stood out at the Massachusetts Hockey 14-U Tier II State Championship. Unfortunately, some rosters were inaccurate or not filled out properly. Kudos to the Junior Eagles, Islanders, and Assabet Patriots for bringing completed rosters to the event. It’s a shame when organizations and coaches are lazy and don’t fill in numbers, positions, heights and weights. Some of the players evaluated have missing information, due to this. Kids like seeing their names in print and it makes it easier for prep coaches to find out valuable information. After all, the goal of these teams should be to move kids on to the next level.
Forwards
Cameron Kelley
Islanders, RW, right shot, 5-6/165
During my viewings, no one came close to producing as much as Kelley did here. He had seven points in just the action I watched. Kelley looks strong and has good vision. He scored a couple of big-time goals by going to the net and displaying a finishing touch. Nitpicking, his skating is the one part of his game that could use improvement in order for him to take that next step in his development. The Wilmington, Mass., native is a student at Belmont Hill.
Ben Levering
Junior Eagles, C, left shot, 5-9/135
Levering was long and appeared to be the top center for the Junior Eagles. I liked his size, length and upside. Levering looks like a good athlete who I suspect could be a good high school or prep player down the road at the very least. He’s an eighth-grader at Westwood Middle School.
Jared Hughes
Junior Eagles, LW, left shot, 5-10/140
Hughes is another player with the potential to blossom into a power forward. He scored on a slick move where he protected the puck coming down the left wing before finding the twine. He’s an eighth-grader at St. Sebastian’s.
Ben Short
Assabet Patriots, C, left shot, 5-9/135
Short’s team was comprised entirely of `08s playing up at the bantam major level. I liked his potential as he seemed to have skill, skating and hockey sense while playing down the middle. The Lunenburg, Mass., native is headed to Winchendon for the 2022-23 season.
Michael Tober
Junior Terriers, right shot
Tober, from Warwick, R.I., stood out during my limited viewings of the Junior Terriers. The team didn’t provide numbers and some players were entirely omitted from the roster so I did my best to figure it out. He was quick, hunted pucks, and was solid on the forecheck.
Grady Bishop
GBL Bruins, right shot
Bishop had a strong first period in Sunday morning’s semifinal against the Junior Eagles. The Ashland, Mass., native created chances on the rush.Â
Timothy Holton
GBL Bruins, left shot
Holton caught my attention on Saturday as he was shifty and had good hands. With his agility and stickhandling, he was able to protect pucks in small areas. From Dedham, Mass., Holton was the player I gave the most pluses to throughout the weekend for GBL Bruins.
Kevin Lentell
Islanders, C, right shot, 5-6/130
Lentell centered the team’s top line. The Reading High freshman had a couple of goals during my viewings. He did a good job of going to the scoring areas and using his quick release.
Drew Macaulay
Islanders, LW, left shot, 5-6/125
Macaulay didn’t find the score sheet during my viewings, but I liked his vision and overall hockey sense. He was good on the penalty kill, even getting a chance to score on one such opportunity. From Andover, Mass., he’s an eighth-grader at St. John’s Prep and is a good overall athlete.
Zach Boss
Bay State Breakers, C, right shot
Boss was the first-line center and jumped out at you right away. From Whitman, Mass., he had that quick twitch and shot it with authority and accuracy.
Nate Sanella
Bay State Breakers, RW, right shot
Sanella had the puck a lot and protected it well. The one thing the Scituate, Mass., native will have to work on is his ability to play at pace.
Aidan Finn
Junior Huskies, RW, right shot
Finn was listed as a defenseman on the roster but played right wing during my viewings. He had good size, had the puck a lot, and showed some potential as a power forward. The Braintree freshman is reportedly also a good baseball player.
Michael Boutiette
Islanders, RW, left shot, 5-10/165
Boutiette was a big winger playing on his off-side. He scored a few goals during my viewing while using his size and hard shot. A physically mature player, the Reading High freshman was heavy on pucks.
Nathan Mulvey
Islanders, C, right shot, 5-5/120
Mulvey, a freshman at Reading High School, was on the smaller side, but he had a good stick.
Thomas Stanton
GBL Bruins, right shot
I noted Stanton’s edges. The Walpole, Mass., native is slated to play at Roxbury Latin.
Christopher Alexander
GBL Bruins, left shot
Alexander was a big strong forward from Allston, Mass. His older brother, `04 Damon, plays for Dexter Southfield.
Matthew Morelli
Junior Huskies, C, right shot
Morelli was the first-line center for the Junior Huskies. He was around the puck a lot. A multisport athlete from Braintree, Mass., he’s a student at Xaverian.
Defensemen
Cameron Daley
Junior Eagles, right shot, 5-8/125
Daley caught my eye right away when the Eagles were warming up. That intrigue continued as I watched him play. He skates well, has mobility, and gets up ice. I liked how he activated and found holes in the opposition as he transitioned up ice. From Medfield, Mass., he’s a late ‘07 at Dexter Southfield’s middle school.
Nathan Caples
Islanders, left shot, 5-4/125
Caples was undersized, but he showed good mobility and puck-moving capability. He gapped well and had a good stick for poke checks while defending the rush. The Wilmington, Mass., native can get even better if he starts moving the puck quicker.
JR Goldstein
Islanders, left shot, 5-8/140
Goldstein showed mobility, smoothness and poise when retrieving pucks and transitioning from defense to offense. An eighth-grader at Lynnfield Middle School, he was solid and contributed to the offensive attack.
Jason Bedard
Walpole Express, right shot, 5-8/120
It was a tough weekend for the Walpole Express, but Bedard was the lone player to stand out in my viewings against Islanders and Bay State. The Medway High freshman skated with his head up, made plays on the breakout and read plays well defensively.
James McFarland
Junior Eagles, left shot, 5-11/130
McFarland, a tall, lanky blueliner, is solid at both ends of the ice. I like that he’s responsible and keeps things simple. He doesn’t force plays. There is some potential for the BC High freshman, who played on the JV team this winter.
Charlie Pelkey
Junior Eagles, left shot, 6-1/160
Pelkey caught my eye for his size, but he also made some good hockey plays. He showed range while defending. From Norton, Mass., he’s at King Philip.
Noah Meyers
Junior Eagles, left shot, 5-6/125
Meyers did a good job of transitioning from defense to offense with poise. He was smooth and made some good plays in transition.
Cooper Shea
Junior Terriers, left shot
Shea was on the first pair and got power-play time for his team. On the smaller side, he’s quick and skilled. Shea hails from Braintree, Mass.
Keegan Norton
Islanders, right shot, 5-9/140
Norton, a freshman at St. John’s Prep from Pelham, N.H., had a goal and an assist in Friday’s lopsided win over Walpole Express.
Chase Kaufman
Assabet Patriots, right shot, 5-3/120
From Wakefield, Mass., the `08 was small, but he moved well and got pucks up ice for his team.
Goaltenders
Louie Slesar
Junior Eagles, catches left, 5-4/130
Slesar, an `08 playing up, is on the smaller side, but he was athletic and had quick reflexes. In my viewings here, he flashed the leather and made a couple of nice saves. The Medfield, Mass., native is an eighth-grader at Thayer Academy.
Michael Bulkin
GBL Bruins, catches left
In limited viewings of Bulkin, he made a couple of good saves at the start of the game against the Junior Eagles. The Sherborn, Mass., native faced a lot of rubber but kept his team in it for a while.
Tucker Monroe
Junior Terriers, catches left
Monroe pulled double duty this weekend. He also played for Wellesley at the youth level in the town hockey portion of the state tournament. He had good size and was quiet in the crease.
