PLYMOUTH, Mich. — New England Hockey Journal attended the USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals 15 Only division games at USA Hockey Arena here Friday and saw a strong representation of talent from the 2006 birth year.
Mount Saint Charles, ranked No. 1 nationally for nearly the entire season, went 3-0, beating Team Alaska on the third day to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. The team, coached by Scott Gainey and Jim Creamer, is talented and deep at all positions. Led by elite center James Hagens, who is expected to join the 2022-23 U.S. National Team Development Program under-17 team, and a top ’06 prospect, the Rhode Island Saints have no shortage of other play drivers who have bright futures ahead of them at the higher levels of the sport.
Jerry Buckley’s Minuteman Flames squad fell to the North Jersey Avalanche, 7-2, and went 0-3 to end their impressive run. They beat the Neponset Valley River Rats in November’s Tier 1 Mass. state championship, also knocking off the favored Cape Cod Whalers in the semifinal, but the challenges of being a split season team going up against a majority of clubs together the full year proved too much for the Bay State entry. Nobles standout Dennis Davidson and several others on the Flames acquitted themselves well in a game that was a one-goal affair in the second period before the Avs blew it open.
In addition to the New England entries, we’ll break down several other games and top performers we witnessed on the final day of round robin play.
Mount St. Charles backs up top regular season ranking
Hagens is arguably the best player in the country in his peer group, and he continues to show off his tremendous upside. Dynamic in all facets of the game, with a genius-level hockey IQ on top of it and a willingness to do the little things, he reminds me of 2019 first overall NHL pick Jack Hughes at the same age. While not going so far to say he will enjoy the same success that the New Jersey Devils superstar is having, Hagens has the same kind of game-breaking ability and appears to be headed for stardom. His older brother, Michael, is a member of the MSC 16-U team and committed to Harvard, so things appear to be lining up for the younger Hagens to be in Cambridge at some point.
Beyond Hagens, there is such a strong supporting cast up front. Sasha Boisvert was the USHL’s first tender, signing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks several months ago, and with his 6-foot-1 frame, high-end skating and offensive package, he is another pro prospect who can make any range of plays and has a high ceiling. Slovak import Theo Kiss has been a top offensive producer all season, but he was particularly impressive in this one, demonstrating his outstanding vision and offensive instincts to find teammates with pinpoint passes. He’s a top-tier playmaking winger who will be a top USHL draft pick next month if a team doesn’t decide to try and tender him first.
When it comes to rising players on the scene, no ’06 has been more impressive than J.J. Monteiro. I liked the Hudson, Mass., native’s play in the early portion of the season, but he’s far more assertive and productive at this point. He has a natural flair around the net and brings that killer instinct to finish off plays that you need on any winning team. Monteiro is a sure USHL draft pick next month and his wait should not be a long one with his power game and character sure to be in demand.
On defense, Will Felicio was not invited to NTDP selection camp, which many, including me, felt was an oversight on Team USA’s part. The Holden, Mass., product didn’t break stride, however, signing a USHL tender to play for Tommy Upton and the Madison Capitols next season. He’s such a strong two-way defender and while he may not have the flashy tools of other players in his birth group, Felicio is going to be successful because he has such a strong foundation for effective play on the back end.
Goaltender Jack Parsons of Courtland, N.Y., is another top talent who is rumored to have been offered a spot on the NTDP. One of the major factors to this team holding its No. 1 ranking all year is having a shutdown goalie like Parsons. Even if you can evade their ferocious forecheck and get through a mobile, layered defense, Parsons is so big and athletic. He tracks pucks well, moves so fluidly and has a calm between the pipes that allows his team to attack opponents with a relentless offensive drive.
Flames unable to turn up the heat
With a mixture of prep and MIAA players, the Flames rode a wave of energy and disciplined two-way play to knock off some more talented teams on paper in the fall. But they came up short here.
Davidson (Newton, Mass.) had an impressive freshman year in prep hockey, and joined several other ’06 standouts in defenseman Joe Mense and Ben Nakata (West Barnstable, Mass.) as the core of a solid nucleus. He scored in the loss to New Jersey, and brings speed, energy and effort with an underrated offensive skill set to the mix. Although undersized, he’s willing to get to the greasy areas of the rink and plays the right way. Another prep star in the making who played well in defeat is Medway, Mass., forward Drew Carr. The St. Mark’s freshman is one of the more unheralded players in the ’06 birth year as a two-way forward who provided some sneaky secondary scoring for the Lions, but has been a standout for the Flames in fall play. He plays hard, is around the puck a lot and is trending up. St. George’s freshman Danny Buckley (Warwick, R.I.) has a lot going for him in terms of his skating and skills. As he continues to develop and gain experience, he has the potential to be a top producer in prep. Westwood’s Brendan Keaveney also made an impression in the game.
On defense, Nipmuc High’s Nate Walsh (Mendon, Mass.) showcased his skating and puck-moving skills. With his quick feet and agile mind, he will be an interesting player in the coming years.
In the final game of the week against North Jersey, the Avs got production from forwards Benjamin Wilmott (2 goals) and leading scorer/Bergen (N.J.) Catholic High star John Mustard. But defenseman and Montclair, N.J., native Julian Brown had a notable performance on the back end. He's got great size at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, but is highly athletic and fluid in his movements. Looking to play prep hockey next season, Brown is raw and rangy with tremendous growth potential.
All in all, it was a disappointing end to a fun ride for this group, and the players no doubt benefited from the opportunity to compete against top teams like Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Chicago Mission, and the Avs, though they were outscored 25-6.
Mission knocks off Shattuck
The Faribault, Minn.-based prep and full season Tier 1 power scored right away to take a 1-0 lead over the Chicago Mission, and it appeared that the Sabres might run away with it. However, Mission goaltender Nicholas Kempf had other ideas, and made some superb saves to keep it a 0-1 deficit until his team stabilized and built positive momentum back in a decisive 6-3 win over a fast, energetic and highly skilled Shattuck group. Kempf has size, fluid movements, and is rumored to be in play for selection to the NTDP.
Mission forward Charles Pardue, another expected NTDP player for next season, had a relatively quiet game on the scoresheet, but impressed with his skating and puckhandling skills. He beat a defender wide on one sequence in the first period, skating in alone and ripping a hard shot off the crossbar. There is some major upside here if he can ratchet up the intensity a notch. Teammate Jake Merens is a smaller, soft-skill forward who is shifty, elusive and can push the pace. He scored several goals to break the game open for Chicago and help them to be 3-0 in pool play along with Mount St. Charles.
Defenseman Ryan Kroll had a strong defensive game and chipped in with a goal and helper for the winning side. The left-shot is strong, with a thick build and plays hard. He looks to have a future at the higher levels.
For Shattuck, top defender John Whipple looked strong with his all-around size/skating/skills combo, adding several helpers. He’s a power-play weapon and will bring his two-way game to Michigan and Team USA next year.
Other key performances from Friday
The BK Selects/Rochester Saints dropped a close 2-1 game to the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. A trio of Pens defenders stood out in this one. Tristen Trevino is big, rangy and has potential, but is going to take time to develop. Canada import Owen Phillips moves well and gets on pucks quickly, moving them up the ice and showing impressive athleticism. Quentin Bourne is small, but can wheel and competed well, using his stick effectively and playing a smart defensive game.
Jack Edwards is Pittsburgh's top player, scoring the game-winning goal when he pounced on a puck that leaked behind BK goalie Jackson Silverberg, sweeping it into the net.
It wasn't the best day for Chris Collins' team, but they had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals and faced a hot goaltender in Empire Stater Tanner McKiven from Canastota, N.Y.
The Cleveland Barons upset Detroit Little Caesars in a 5-4 overtime win, getting some top saves from goaltender Gino Texter to steal one. Little Caesars has some real talent. Eexpect them to get back on track after the setback cost them a chance to go 3-0 in round-robin play. Lucas Van Vliet scored and added an assist. He’s big and can move, with a nifty shot/release. I thought the NTDP candidate spent more time on the perimeter rather than consistently using his size to get to the dirty areas and crash the net. Defenseman Evan Sofikitis was also noticeable, and his playing style reminds of the Bruins' Matt Grzelcyk.
The AAA L.A. Kings fell to the St. Louis Blues by a 4-2 score, but I felt that Kyle Calder’s California team was the better of the two. Forward Tyler Chiovetti netted both Kings goals and is a puck wizard with natural knack for finding the back of the net. The top prospect on that Kings team is captain Ethan Weber. The right-shot defenseman can skate, move pucks and has the raw potential to be something at the next levels. I liked him in the fall when the Kings 15 team came out to Canton to play on Columbus Day weekend and had even more time for him, even in the loss.
