Berkshire Jamboree: Locals among 15 uncommitted standouts

Kent will count on Patrick Walsh of Bernardsville, N.J., for offense this season. (Dave Arnold/NYHJ)

SHEFFIELD, Mass. – The annual Berkshire Jamboree took place Monday at the Jackman Stewart Athletic Center on the campus of the iconic mountainside prep school.

In addition to the host, Berkshire, seven other prep schools participated in the jamboree. Salisbury, Kent, Frederick Gunn, Hotchkiss, Canterbury, Northwood and Trinity-Pawling also were there. Each team played two games that consisted of two 30-minute halves with running time.

Approximately two dozen college coaches, NHL scouts and agents attended the Berkshire Jamboree. The main attraction was Salisbury, the two-time defending NEPSAC Elite 8 champion. Andrew Will’s team looks a lot different from last year’s rendition, but even early on and in scrimmages, the Crimson Knights showed well. As usual, Salisbury appears to be ready and willing to play the game the right way and in a disciplined system. Salisbury is strong down the middle and on defense.

The NHL scouts that were there undoubtedly noticed Salisbury junior defenseman Hudson Gorski, an ’05 from Scotch Plains, N.J. The big righty skated well for his size and showed poise and smoothness. He played the top on the power play and was strong and effective at both ends of the ice. Gorski, a Cornell commit, was the only player in the jamboree who could be considered a legitimate 2023 NHL draft prospect.

Below is a look at 15 uncommitted players — including four from New York and New Jersey — who showed well on Monday. It is not meant as a comprehensive list based on future potential, but a few players do project well. This list is made up of players who haven’t been written up previously this fall.

Nicholas Petrut
Salisbury, 12/14/06, RW, right shot, 5-7/141

Petrut was the star of the day on Monday. The late ’06 from Kingston, Ontario, is on the lighter side, but he showed skill and playmaking ability while jumping into a top-six role. He scored a power-play goal on a rebound, picking up loose change on the goalmouth. Petrut also picked up an assist. He had good vision and showed tremendous poise on a zone entry play. An eighth-round pick of the Peterborough Petes in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, he looks to be a late bloomer who could really pop in the coming years.

Seamus Latta
Salisbury, 4/8/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/185

Latta looks poised for a breakout season if Monday is any indication. He had a goal and an assist while skating well and being heavy on pucks. He used his speed and acceleration to beat defenders wide, including on one play where he drew a penalty as a result. He showed patience with the puck and made a number of plays throughout the two games. From St. Paul, Minn., he had just six points a year ago. Look for a jump in production this winter.

Jared Rothman
Salisbury, 9/21/06, C, right shot, 5-10/154

Rothman has been on my radar for a few years now, dating back to his bantam days with the New York Saints. He’s always had a good shot and a knack for scoring goals by being in the right place at the right time. Centering one of Salisbury’s lines on Monday, his skating was better than I expected. He showed hockey sense and generated a couple of scoring chances.

Ritter Coombs
Northwood, 11/3/06, LW, left shot, 6-1/174

Coombs, from Dubuque, Iowa, is a throwback. He plays hard. He hits hard and shows no mercy in battles along the wall. He also made a couple of plays that showed he might have more skill than originally thought. He’s scored more than a few goals for Northwood this year. His father, Joe Coombs, is the head coach of the NAHL’s El Paso Rhinos.

Patrick Walsh
Kent, 9/16/05, LW, right shot, 5-11/175

While Kent scored just one goal on Monday, Walsh generated the most chances of any forward on the Lions. He’s got a good stick and created on the rush. A junior from Bernardsville, N.J., he’ll be counted on to contribute more offensively this winter after Kent graduated much of its top production from 2021-22.

Harrison Fogel
Kent, 10/20/04, G, catches left, 5-10/180

Fogel, who wears the captain’s ‘C’ for Dale Reinhardt’s team, was tremendous in his team’s scoreless tie against Northwood in the morning game. He’s on the smaller side and sometimes unheralded, due to that. However, the Sandy Springs, Ga., native can steal a game when he’s on like he was Monday morning.

James Mackey
Hotchkiss, 10/15/05, D, left shot, 6-5/216

Mackey scored the team’s first goal in the win over Berkshire by jumping into the play. The Villanova, Pa., native needs to work on his skating, but he brings a nice element to the Bearcats’ blue line. He makes some plays and caught my eye a few times. Mackey and senior Michael Gallary made up the team’s first defensive pair and worked well together. His dad, by the same name, played for Yale from 1990-1994.

Brennan Cail
Hotchkiss, 5/11/05, C, right shot, 6-2/170

Cail, from Cheshire, Conn., had the puck a lot and picked up an assist on the team’s first goal against Berkshire. His skating has improved. He’s still heavy on pucks and has a good shot. He and fellow junior Nate Harrison are two players NESCAC coaches should have on their radar as they approach graduation in 2024.

Tanner Duncan
Trinity-Pawling, 7/17/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/155

Duncan is a newcomer to Bobby Ferraris’ program. The Ridgefield, Conn., native spent the previous two years with Boston Hockey Academy. Duncan has some length and skill, as he showed a few flashes on Monday. Trinity-Pawling struggled to score on Monday, but Duncan should help in that department as the season moves along. The return to the lineup of seniors Jackson Graber and Tobias Iantorno will also make a difference.

Lucas Buchanan
Trinity-Pawling, 3/11/04, C/RW, right shot, 5-9/175

Buchanan has been a familiar player for a few years, having skated for the North Jersey Avalanche before coming to prep. He was around the puck a lot on Monday. The Sparta, N.J., native has a low center of gravity, shoots the puck with some zip, and could help a Division 3 program in the coming years.

Jake Kloss
Canterbury, 1/12/04, C, right shot, 5-10/165

Kloss centered the top line with left wing Jed Brazo, who I’ve talked about a few times already this fall during the split season. Kloss, from Hershey, Pa., is a senior who should be on the radar of Division 3 coaches everywhere. He made some plays Monday and showed an ability to be a cerebral center. He rang the post on a power play attempt and was noticeable a number of times throughout the day.

Sam Ciappa
Canterbury, 12/9/05, LW/RW, right shot, 5-7/135

Ciappa had an assist on a Brazo goal on Monday. The Baldwinsville, N.Y., native is one of a few newcomers to Canterbury who could help the Saints in time. He made a couple of nice plays, including on the assist. Young defensemen Cole Dickson, Logan Goodman and Logan Martel also showed well in their prep debuts. Quick kudos to late ’08 goaltender Cody Hew, who stood on his head against Salisbury while filling in admirably for starting goaltender Mason Stenger, who was out with an illness.

Mike Pizzo
Frederick Gunn, 7/19/04, LW, left shot, 5-8/150

Pizzo, from Redding, Conn., is on the smaller side, but he was around the play a lot Monday. He was physical and tenacious on the forecheck. He scored a goal in the second game against Kent.

Will Welburn
Frederick Gunn, 5/26/04, D, right shot, 6-9/240

Welburn has worked his way up from the junior varsity squad. From Rye, N.Y., his height isn’t a typo. He’s big and was fun to watch on Monday. He covers a lot of ground with his size and reach. He’ll be part of an older, veteran-laden blue line for Craig Badger’s squad.

Josh Williams
Berkshire, 7/31/06, D, right shot, 6-0/160

The Bears didn’t score a goal in either scrimmage Monday, so there weren’t a lot of bright spots. Williams is an athlete who skates well and has upside. From Boxford, Mass., Williams is a repeat sophomore for Dan Driscoll’s team after spending two years at Austin Prep.