ROCHESTER, Mich. — The USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals are taking place here for the 16-U and 18-U divisions this week, and the Boston Jr. Eagles 16-U squad is an intriguing title contender after winning the Massachusetts district championship in November.
Though the split-season team has not really played much together since beating the North Suburban Wings in Marlboro to culminate a strong run of fall hockey, there is enough talent with this group of ’05 and ’06 players, which includes two prospects who recently were in Plymouth, Mich., to participate in the U.S. National Team Development Program’s annual selection camp. The 2006-born forward Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) and defenseman Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) acquitted themselves well, and now are back in Detroit to try and help lead the Eagles to victory against stiff competition.
The team was coached in the fall by former player agent Kent Hughes before he was hired by the Montreal Canadiens to replace Marc Bergevin as general manager. Hughes is now here to scout the event. He will resume his duties behind the bench with Paul Cannata. They have a balanced team that can score and keep other teams off the scoreboard, but face some real challenges against other nationally-ranked 16-U teams who have played the full season together in the top Tier 1 AAA midget hockey circuit.
Forwards have the skill, balance to score
With three skilled and dangerous lines that bring a little bit of everything to the table, the Jr. Eagles have the ability to prevail in lower-scoring contests.
Stiga is the total package of speed, hockey sense, skill and a natural scoring knack. He played well for the Eagles in the fall, but took his game to another level during the prep season at Belmont Hill, where he was a point-per-game player in his first year and provided Brian Phinney’s team with a dangerous dimension offensively. He has been reportedly offered a spot at the NTDP with the 2022-23 under-17 team, and will be one of the top ’06 prospects to watch going forward as he develops on Team USA.
Often skating with fellow Belmont Hill forward Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy’s Daniel Markevych during fall play, this trio has the potential to turn heads at this event.
“The team looks great,” Markevych told New England Hockey Journal before departing for Michigan. “After playing against older players during the prep league, it has many benefits coming back to the (16-U) level.”
Markevych, a native of Toronto, led the Spartans in scoring after missing the 2020-21 hockey season in Ontario when the provincial government shut down all athletic competition as a result of the pandemic. He made the adjustment to prep hockey quickly, earning a big role thanks to his offensive skills, creativity and lethal one-timer.
“The Lawrence season was very beneficial to me because I got lots of playing time, opportunities and got to play my game, as it was a very free-flowing system that allowed me to do so,” he said.
Forwards Cullen Emery and Ethan Gardula, both '05 standouts at Dexter Southfield and Cushing Academy, respectively, have the talent and experience to take the team on a run. Another ’06, Arlington High star Jack Sadowski, has a natural nose for the net that makes him a prospect to watch for high-level juniors and college hockey. Whatever he might lack in a dynamic skating element, he more than compensates with the vision, anticipation and ability to put the puck in the back of the net when it is on his stick in the high danger areas.
Will Cannata (Milton, Mass.), Isaac Mitchell (Harvard, Mass.), Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) and Brian Hall (Sudbury, Mass.) round out the forward group.
Talent, experience on back end
With the exception of Keefe, all other Eagles defenders from the fall roster are '05s.
Jonathan Lanza (Westwood, Mass.) was a sophomore at Dexter, and is looking to get off to a strong start here with his mobility and skills as a puck transporter. Along with Keefe, who led Malden Catholic in scoring from the blue line as one of the younger players on the Lancers, this is a pairing that will be counted on to play a lot of minutes in key situations.
Tabor Academy’s Jason Zaccari and Shawn Leary (Dorchester, Mass.), who skated with Markevych at Lawrence, provide the mobility to get back on pucks quickly and transition them north to kick-start the attack.
A pair of St. Sebastian’s Arrows in Aiden Connors (Westboro, Mass.) and Jack Harney (Needham, Mass.) bolster the blue line with their experience and chemistry. Connors had a productive year, finishing behind Jr. Eagles 18-U defenseman Nolan Joyce (Dedham, Mass.) in defensemen scoring on the team as a sophomore. Harney’s size and length make him a defensive counterbalance to neutralize opposing rushes.
Eagles strong in net
Lexington, Mass., native Sam Scopa gives the Eagles an important element as they match up against the best 16-U teams here.
He received all-NEPSAC recognition as an ’05 at Belmont Hill, and plays the position with poise and concentration.
“I have to say my confidence definitely skyrocketed playing (16-U) this year,” Scopa said recently. “Last year, I was playing up, so it was kind of tough for me to get in the groove. But, this year, my confidence went really high. I was the only goalie for my Eagles team, so that really helped me and gave me a lot of time before Belmont Hill.”
Scopa also credited his Belmont Hill goalie partner Aaron Matthews (Newton, Mass.) for pushing him in practice and making some quality starts that helped him be his best as the Sextants reached the Elite 8 championship game.
He is excited for the chance to build on what he and his Eagles team accomplished in the fall.
“I haven’t been to nationals before because it was canceled during my (14-U) year and last year, Massachusetts didn’t send out a team,” he said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to play and to have the exposure going out there.”
One of Scopa’s best attributes is the mental game, as he doesn’t dwell on goals he gives up. Some of his best hockey has come off of tough losses, where he showed he can bounce back with a quality start to help get his team back on track.
Outlook
The Eagles will have their hands full as a team that hasn’t played much together since November.
They recently traveled to Woonsocket, R.I., to play a tune-up game against the Mount Saint Charles 16 team, which is also in Michigan competing after earning an at-large bid. The Eagles lost, 4-3, but it provided them an important opportunity to get a game in against a top competitor before nationals.
Full season teams like Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Chicago Mission and the Long Island Gulls have a built-in advantage in terms of their chemistry and familiarity. The Massachusetts entry will have to come together quickly after not a lot of practice time. However, with their talent and balance in a format like this, anything is possible.
