Each year, New England prep schools and split-season Midget teams attract top talent from across the continent, including north of the border. The 2022-23 season will be no different as a number of talented players will be converging on New England for the prep and split-season circuit.
With split-season teams set to hit the ice for the beginning of the fall season next Monday at the River Rats Jamboree and players reporting to school soon after, now is a good time to start looking at newcomers who will attract attention from college coaches.
There are a trio of Canadian-born forwards who will garner significant interest from college recruiters. Two of them aren’t necessarily new to the region, but they are new to the NEPSAC and split-season hockey. It will be another star-studded year of prep school and split-season hockey in New England. To kick off our preview coverage, here is a look at three Canadian 2007 birth-year players who will have plenty of eyes on them during the fall and winter.
1. Liam Kilfoil
Salisbury/Buffalo Regals U-16, 3/21/07, C, left shot, 5-10/165
Kilfoil, from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, arguably will the best prospect in prep school hockey this winter. The lefty is a smart, two-way center with a boatload of upside. He’s joining Andrew Will’s program after a dominant season playing for Mount Saint Charles U-14. In 75 games for the Mounties, he tallied 59 goals and 95 assists. He’s a playmaker who can take over a game. It’s reasonable to expect that he’ll take his lumps in prep playing against much older competition. However, at the end of the day, he’ll be a big-time player for Kyle Quick’s U-16 Regals in the fall and will have a ton of NCAA teams calling him Jan. 1.
2. Landon Paul
Kimball Union/Yale Junior Bulldogs 15O, 2/21/07, F, right shot, 5-8/160
Paul will be a newcomer for Tim Whitehead’s program after splitting time last season with the Long Island Gulls and Cardigan Mountain School. The Bulls Creek, New Brunswick, native is a skilled forward who can play center or wing. He sees the ice well and should be a nice addition to the Wildcats while also playing for Steve Novodor and Jon Bellonio’s Yale Junior Bulldogs in the fall.
3. Stefano Pietrantonio
Kent/Yale Junior Bulldogs 15O, 1/15/07, RW, right shot, 5-8/130
Pietrantonio is the least-known prospect in terms of American viewings. I didn’t see him until he showed off his elite skill and craftiness at the Junior Chowder Cup in July. He’s on the smaller side, but he displayed the ability to be dynamic at his own age group. The Mont-Royal, Quebec, native will play for the Junior Bulldogs in the fall before skating for Dale Reinhardt’s Kent squad. Kudos to Reinhardt and assistant coach Jake Bennett for bringing in another highly talented youngster.
