The 2010-born boys prospects in New England have undergone a hectic year. The U.S. National Team Development Program watched them all winter to see which players would get invites to Evaluation Camp in March. USHL and QMJHL teams scouted their games in preparation for their respective drafts come the spring and early summer. Many of...
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The 2010-born boys prospects in New England have undergone a hectic year.
The U.S. National Team Development Program watched them all winter to see which players would get invites to Evaluation Camp in March. USHL and QMJHL teams scouted their games in preparation for their respective drafts come the spring and early summer.
Many of these players were sophomores in high school last year, meaning they're now rising juniors and can commit to NCAA Division 1 programs.
That's life for players going through their age-15 season. The '11s will come to know that well this fall and winter.
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As the '10s enter their 16U seasons, it's a good time to take stock and see where they rank for the first time.
One thing you will notice is that there are only four D1 commits right now. That's not because this is a weak birth year — it isn't. Actually, this is a fairly deep birth year. Many of these players would already be committed in past years. It's that recruiting has drastically changed and shifted older.
When we first unveiled our Top 50 series in April, we ranked the '07s, '08s and '09s, while doing a watch list for the '10s.
In these rankings, it's only New England natives and players suiting up for New England squads this coming season. For example, former Mount St. Charles standout forward Zaac Charbonneau was on the initial watch list. But the Quebec native is leaving Mount St. Charles for the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks this season, so he's now ineligible for this ranking.
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Let's dive in.
1. Jack Queally
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program U17
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/181
NCAA: Boston College
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
2. Sam Lee
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program U17
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
3. Logan Cotter
Team: Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Position: D
Height/weight: 5-11/174
NCAA: Northeastern
Hometown: Marlboro, Mass.
4. Blake Wilichoski
Team: Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.
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5. Jameson Needham
Team: St. Sebastian's (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 6-1/170
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
Team: Mount St. Charles 16U
Position: D
Height/weight: 5-10/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Stamford, Conn.
10. Joey St. Laurent
Team: Masters Academy International
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-10/170
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Greenland, N.H.
Top 10 notes:Â What's fun about the '10s is that there is a real battle between Nos. 1 and 2. Queally and Lee are both highly effective, yet very different, players. Queally is the dependable, two-way center, and Lee is the electrifying, skilled winger. I'm playing it safe in our first top 10, and giving Queally the edge due to that reliability and how it should translate in the USHL. Rounding out the top 5, Cotter, Wilichoski and Needham all have high-end upside. Cotter and Wilichoski will be testing that in the USHL this winter, while Needham is slated to return to St. Sebastian's and should be its No. 1 center.
Barrett's size and power forward style give him legitimate upside. If you had a do-or-die game, you'd pick Felt for your team, which is why he's No. 7. Like Barrett, Poti has major upside due to his size, and Stonacek is arguably the most complete '10 defenseman right now. St. Laurent's skill is high-end, and he's due for a huge season with Masters.
11. Sam Fishbone
Team: St. Sebastian's (prep)
Position: D
Height/weight: 5-7/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
12. Chris Sawyer
Team: Masters Academy International
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/174
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Pelham, N.H.
13. Brendan Martin
Team: St. Sebastian's (prep)
Position: D
Height/weight: 5-9/170
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
14. Robert DeKleine
Team: Belmont Hill (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Westboro, Mass.
Team: St. George's (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-7/150
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: East Greenwich, R.I.
11-20 notes: This is a stacked group outside the top 10, and it wouldn't shock me if some of these players snuck into the top 10 over the next year. Among New England defensemen, Fishbone might be the most dynamic in the birth year. So far, size hasn't been a problem, as he's an expert at avoiding oncoming contact and protecting himself. Sawyer's raw ability up front makes him one of the most effective forwards. DeKleine is in a similar category, and both are due for hugely productive winters. Martin showed as a stout, two-way defenseman last winter. His next step will be pitching in more offensively. Walsh's skill to slow the game down should serve him well as a top producer at Rivers this winter.
Calla is the player most likely to jump. He oozes skill, is due for a big season at Governor's Academy this winter and had a nice camp with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. His stock is high. From 17-19, it's three straight defensemen with Wohlers, Walsh and Donatelli. The order is highly debatable, but Wohlers and Walsh are known more for their shutdown abilities, while Donatelli is a top puck-mover. Anyone who has read New England Hockey Journal knows how bullish I am on Daigle.
21-30 notes:Â In this section, we have our first goalie. Given all of his experience at Catholic Memorial over the last two seasons and his size, Fleming is No. 1 for me right now. Kimura isn't far behind, as the athletic netminder is set to be the go-to guy at Andover this winter. Bernardinelli is moving from St. John's Prep to Milton Academy, where he should face plenty of rubber. His size is a big reason for his upside.
As for defensemen, Ware and Anderson are two of the most steady, reliable defenders in the class. As they grow and get stronger, their games will become even more stout. And Guo is a fantastic puck-mover who should get more reps with Belmont Hill this winter since Dartmouth commit Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.) graduated.
Rothstein has all the qualities of a great, two-way forward and produced well at Taft last season. Short and Mohamed were also legitimate contributors to Winchendon and Nobles last year. Both Rothstein and Short should thrive in their new destinations, while Mohamed should step up as a primary scorer for the Bulldogs. Wu is one of the biggest breakout candidates, as Dexter graduated numerous forwards ahead of him on the depth chart.
31. T.J. Petropoulos
Team: Milton Academy (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-7/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
32. Owen Lundin
Team: Masters Academy International
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-11/165
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Bolton, Mass.
33. Owen Frick
Team: Masters Academy International
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-10/172
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Holden, Mass.
34. Kai Scranton
Team: Avon Old Farms (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 5-9/145
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.
31-40 notes:Â When we look back on these rankings during and after the winter, I bet we'll look at this section as the breakout forwards. Petropoulos is one of the most electrifying, high-compete forwards among the '10s and should be a top player for Milton Academy. Lundin (Lawrence Academy), Frick and Machado (Cushing) were low on the depth charts at their prep schools last winter. That won't be the case at Masters. Scranton and Luedke have always been highly productive against their own age group. That should translate to prep. Pavlik's size should translate to more success, while Roe should rise into being one of Belmont Hill head coach Brian Phinney's go-to scorers.
Torres is one of the best '10 goalies in the region and can already handle high shot volumes. Porter should grow into a top-four stalwart for Dexter this winter, was at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp this summer and was taken relatively high in both the USHL (seventh round) and QMJHL (fifth round) drafts.
Team: Belmont Hill (prep)
Position: F
Height/weight: 6-0/161
NCAA: Uncommitted
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.
41-50 notes: Hekle was extremely productive for Mid Fairfield before posting a nice first season with Shattuck last winter. Beaudry is rangy and should continue developing as a tough, shutdown defenseman. Shook has good size and was productive for Seacoast Performance Academy over the last two seasons. Ward stood out with St. John's Prep last season and is now moving to St. George's, where he should be a top producer. Coccaro is a shifty, good-skating, mobile defenseman. He's long been one of the better '10 defensemen in the region. Kelly, who plays outside the region with Pittsburgh Pens Elite, is a similar kind of player. Carlin, Egan, Ghostlaw and Hamlin were all productive in prep last season. They should be due for more.
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8. Tyler Poti
14. Robert DeKleine
24. Dylan Rothstein
26. Austin Wu
27. Jesse Bernardinelli
