Prep Hockey Preview: Preseason Top 25

Kimball Union defeated Salisbury in the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament for the second consecutive season. (Dave Arnold/NYHJ)

The 2018-19 New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) hockey season is finally here.

It’s been nearly nine months since Kimball Union was crowned champion of the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Wildcats lost several key pieces from that team, including Montreal Canadiens draft pick Jordan Harris, who is now at Northeastern, and captain Andranik Armstrong, a UMass Lowell commit.

Salisbury, winners of three titles in a row from 2013 through 2015, is primed for another successful season. The Crimson Knights have 12 NCAA Division I commits on their roster, despite losing numerous committed players to graduation.

Led by Harvard commits and 2019 NHL Draft prospects John Farinacci and Derek Mullahy, another top contender is Dexter. Danny Donato’s team is certainly the team to beat among schools in the Bay State.

New England Hockey Journal’s Preseason Top 25

1. Salisbury

Andrew Will’s team lost a ton of talent to graduation or junior hockey, including Penn State commit Kevin Wall, UMass commit Alex DiPaolo, Brown commit Matty Holmes, UConn commit Arsenii Smekhnov, Jacques Bouquot and Brett Willits up front, and Vegas draft pick and Quinnipiac freshman Peter Diliberatore and Holy Cross commit Nick Hale on the blue line.

The top returners are forwards Nick Capone (Maine), Ilya Usau (UConn) and Matt DeBoer, and defenseman Luke Krys (Brown).

Top newcomers offensively include Matt Coronato (Harvard), Michael Cameron (Rensselaer), Lucas Mercuri (Vermont), Jacob Quillan (Quinnipiac), Justin Hryckowian (Northeastern), Cole Vallese (Providence), Tom Richter (Union) and Dean Bauchiero. On defense, Jarod Crespo (Penn State) and Bayard Hall (Brown) are key additions. Nicholas Haas was brought in to compete with Jared Levine for the goaltending duties.

Salisbury is loaded and there’s little reason to not have Will’s team in the top spot to start the season. The only issue is a few of the other top contenders have better goaltending.

2. Dexter

As mentioned above, Farinacci is the best player in prep school hockey. He has international and junior hockey experience and should produce at a high clip. Chase McInnis (Northeastern), Aidan Connolly, Ben Raymond, and Culin Wilson will provide secondary scoring.

The team will miss the scoring of Princeton commit Ian Murphy, now with Tri-City in the USHL, and Babson freshman Jack Nisbet.

No team in prep hockey has a better or deeper defense than Dexter. Ben Meehan (UMass Lowell), John Fusco (Harvard), Bobby Pearl (Bowdoin), Patrick Morrissey, Kevin McKay, Mikey Adamson and Matthew Fusco are all good prep school defenders. Morrissey comes over from Roxbury Latin, and Adamson by way of BC High.

Mullahy is the best last line of defense in prep this season. He’s a very good goaltender who would garner a lot more attention for draft consideration if he were a little taller.

3. Kimball Union

Tim Whitehead’s program is one that can reload instead of rebuild. As mentioned above, Harris and Armstrong are irreplaceable. UVM commit Logan Cash, Holy Cross freshman Bryce Dolan and goaltender Sean Dynan are also key players gone from 2017-18.

Ohio State commit Arlo Merritt and Cornell commit Kyle Penney will lead the offense. Boston University recruit Brian Carrabes, who comes by way of St. John’s Prep, and returnees Paul Dore and Tomas Mazura will also be key pieces up front.

On defense, Bentley commit Christian Felton and Devan Newhook are the top returners. Conner Chalmers is young, but he has a lot of talent and will be relied upon over the next few years.

Filling the skates of Dynan will be Zach Paputsakis, who comes to KUA from Ontario.

The Wildcats have talent, but inexperience on defense and in the crease will almost certainly keep them from a third straight championship.

4. Cushing

In his second season back in Ashburnham, Steve Jacobs continues to build the Penguins back into a legitimate contender. Cushing lost UNH commit Nolan McElhaney to the USHL and Bentley commits Matt Guerra and Vilho Saariluoma to the NAHL, and a few other players to graduation.

The most important returner is Union commit Joe Sharib, who will be one of the top goaltenders in prep school hockey. The defensemen in front of him will also be a solid and deep group.

Cody Seeley is a smooth, puck-moving defenseman back for a second year in prep. Patrick Keegan and Brad Zona are big defensemen with a few years of prep experience. A few newcomers are very talented. Providence commit Bryce Montgomery from Team Maryland and Lukas Gustafsson from Georgia are both very good, young blue liners. Jackson Dorrington is one of the more skilled ’04 goaltenders in the nation. Timmy Kippenberger also is a new player from the Boston Junior Bruins organization.

Top returners up front are Jake Hewitt, Patrick Borella and Billy Norcross while newcomers Nick Cafarelli, Anthony Cafarelli, and Jacob Banks.

5. Gunnery

Craig Badger’s team is one of the deepest and most talented teams in prep hockey. Forwards Alex Jefferies (Merrimack), Mark D’Agostino (UConn), Aden Hotchkiss (Sacred Heart), Robert Cronin and David Andreychuk will lead the quest to put the puck in the opposing net.

On defense, Cornell commit James Rayhill is back for his second season wearing a letter. Other blue liners to watch are Alex Coady, Hunter Sansbury, Niko Ioannou and Zander Lizotte.

JP Mella will be the starting goaltender, but Carmine Andronovich will get some playing time.

6. Lawrence

The Spartans underperformed during the regular season last year, but ended up winning the NEPSAC Small School Championship. Gone from that team are forwards Neil Shea (Northeastern) and Gunnar Fontaine (RPI) and defenseman Jack Cameron (Dartmouth).

Sam Colangelo, a Northeastern recruit, returns and should be one of the top offensive producers in prep school hockey. Also back is Providence commit Tyler Young and New Hampshire recruit Connor Sweeney. The Spartans have two of the best newcomers in prep hockey in centers Riley Duran (Providence) and David Sacco (New Hampshire). They come by way of Malden Catholic and St. John’s Prep, respectively.

On the blue line, Bentley recruit Drew Bavaro and Matt Connor will lead the way. Another transfer from Malden Catholic, Kyle Furey, will provide a nice puck-moving presence.

Returnee Ian Graiff will look to hold off newcomer Brandon Milberg for the starting job between the pipes.

7. Exeter

Dana Barbin’s teams are always good and older, which gives them an edge, especially early in the season. Junior Ryan Welch is back for a third season as the starting goaltender while Gray Betts, Reese Popkin, Paddy Mangan and PJ Garrett will be top four on the blue line.

Up front, Danny Colon, Garrett Foster, Andrew Seaman, Paddy Bogart and Michael Pitts will lead the way.

8. Westminster

The Martlets will be a defense-first team as they typically are under head coach Tim Joncas. Leading the way is 2019 NHL Draft prospect and UConn commit Malik Alishlalov. He’s the main attraction, but three smaller defensemen, Ned Blanchard, Wil Gilson and Ryan Pineault, are capable of moving the puck up ice and will be key parts to the game plan.

Ian Shane will get the majority of the starts, but freshman Greyson Pane is one of the top young goaltenders in the region and should get some playing time.

UConn commit Ignat Belov will be the catalyst offensively. Providing secondary scoring will be Jordy Nelson, Jordie McKenna, Sean Clarke and Jacob Monroe.

9. Loomis-Chaffee

The Pelicans have a really good team that could challenge for a spot in the Elite 8. Vermont commit Anthony Cipollone, Yale commit Reilly Connors, Dartmouth commits Cody Hoban and Alex Krause are the top forwards.

UMass commit Kennedy O’Connor and Dartmouth commit Ben Ritter will lead the way on the blue line. Holy Cross recruit Kyle Chauvette should solidify the goaltending position with senior Kohl Reddy ready to push for playing time.

10. Trinity-Pawling

Bobby Ferraris has done a terrific job at his alma mater, and this is his best team yet. Leading the way is Dartmouth commit Joey Musa, one of the more skilled offensive players in prep school. Other key returning forwards are Stephen Willey, C.J. Zezima, and Jackson Breton. Jack Musa, John Gelatt and Taylor Ewing are three good new forwards.

The strength of the team will be on defense with a big, physical blue line and a solid, veteran goaltender in Williams commit Evan Ruschil. Protecting Ruschil will be Vermont commit Phip Waugh, John Garvey, Gabe Blanchard, Cam Grillo and Steven Perez.

11. Avon Old Farms

The Winged Beavers lost a few committed players early and to graduation, but John Gardner’s team has quite a bit of young talent, including some elite newcomers.

Boston University commit Tyler Boucher and J.P. Turner, Penn State commit Drew Tsakounis and Connor Callaghan are all among the better ‘03s in the country at their respective positions. Timur Alishlalov, Patrick Neal and Tabor Heaslip are three other big time additions.

Defensively, St. Lawrence commit Moe Acee is the top returner. Up front, Jason Siedem and John Louder are the best returners. Providence commit Alex Aslanidis is one of the better goaltenders in prep hockey when he’s on his game.

12. Brunswick

The defending NEPSAC Large School Champion lost some key players, including defenseman Ryan Carmichael (Notre Dame) and forwards Tom Richter (Union) and Christian LeSeuer (Dartmouth).

Back for more offensively are Charles Shaffer, Paul Davey (Boston College) and Ryan St. Louis (Northeastern). On defense, Cooper Moore is one of the more coveted uncommitted prospects in New England. The goaltending will be strong with Dan Dachille and Alex Rohlf.

The Bruins don’t have the depth of some of the top teams, but they have the horses at the top and the goaltending to win some games.

13. Kent

The Lions return defenseman Ian Pierce and goaltender Alex Contey, who will be keys to success this season. The blue line lacks depth, but the top two lines offensively should be very good. Returnee Aidan Cobb has taken a huge step, and newcomers Dane Dowiak (Penn State), Alex Laferriere (Army) and Michael Posma (Air Force) will provide a huge boost.

14. Rivers

Shawn McEachern’s team will take a tumble this season due to the loss of goaltender Aidan Porter. His void will be impossible to fill. Yale commit Teddy Wooding is another huge hole to fill.

Yale commit Philip Tresca is the team’s top returning player offensively. Matt Cormier is another key returner up front.

The Red Wings will rely on a very solid defense to get the job done on most nights. Cade Webber, a BU commit and 2019 NHL Draft prospect, gets most of the press, but Brown commit Tony Andreozzi has steadily become a very good player at this level, and Bentley commit Pat Lawn is also solid. Ryan Bell and Ryan Rahbany are good depth players on the blue line.

15. St. Sebastian’s

The Arrows are loaded with talent up front and on the blue line, but goaltender Drew Commesso leaving after his sophomore season for the USA Hockey NTDP will be a hole that proves too hard to fill. Two other key losses include forward Riley Hughes, a Northeastern commit and New York Rangers draft pick, who opted to play his senior season in the BCHL, and Brown commit Wyatt Schlaht, who is spending his senior season with the Lincoln Stars in USHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick and BU commit Liam Gorman, Harvard commit Tommy Lyons, BU commit Liam Connors, UNH commit Liam Devlin are the top returners up front. Northeastern commit Jayden Struble, Brown commit James Davenport, and youngsters Ryan MacDermott and Thomas Messineo are a solid top four on the blue line.

Jack Hughes, a Northeastern commit, is the top newcomer in prep hockey. BC commit Tim Delay, Brendan Gorman, and Michael Cataldo are also really good ‘03s to join the program. On defense, Will Elias is one of the top ’03s at his position in the region.

Coming over from BC High is goaltender Luke Garrity.

16. Taft

The Rhinos have one of the top offensive defenseman in prep hockey in Harvard commit Christian Jimenez. His defensive partner, Billy Dobensky, is also solid. Up front, newcomer Tristan Fasig will provide a spark. Other top forwards are Zach Tonelli, Finn Walker, Ryan Colwell, Bobby Barrasso and Nikita Kovalev. Also keep an eye on a couple of older newcomers, forward Henry Molson, the son of Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, and defenseman Andrew Ebersol.

17. Thayer

The Tigers lost star Jay O’Brien to Providence College, and both of his linemates, Northeastern commit Aidan McDonough and Tristan Amonte, both playing in the USHL. Northeastern recruit Sasha Teleguine and Army commit Reilly Moran will lead the way offensively. Newcomers Michael Stenberg and Nick Roukounakis are two players to watch up front. Jake Flynn is the top returning defenseman and Gavin Fitzpatrick is back for his second season with the Tigers after competing for USA Hockey at this summer’s U-17 Five Nations Tournament.

18. Berkshire

Leading the way for Dan Driscoll’s Bears will be forward Briggs Gammill, a Yale commit, and defenseman Cade Alami, a Providence recruit. Alami is a 6-foot-6 blue liner who is garnering NHL Draft attention. Defenseman Aidan Metcalfe and forwards Jack Bavis, Hayden Riva, Brooks Gammill and Jack Marottolo will provide depth. Sophomore Jed Baliotti looks to be ready to take over the starting goaltending duties.

19. Milton

The Mustangs have to replace Matt Beniers, who left after his freshman season to play for the NTDP, as well as Dartmouth commit Tyler Campbell, Tiger Zhang, Velan Nandhakumaran and Ryan Wilson.

Paul Cannata always does a great job getting the most out of what he has. Forward Quinton Fox, defenseman Emmett Powell and goaltender Erik Voloshin will be the top players.

20. New Hampton

The Huskies lost forwards Lynden Breen (Maine) and Joe Dunlap (Holy Cross) and defenseman Michael Kesselring (Northeastern) to junior hockey. The team came up just short in the Small School championship game last March.

Leading the way among returners are forward Jake Dunlap (UMass) and goaltender Matt Sayles. The team’s top newcomers are forwards Isaac MacLeod and Marcus Joughin.

21. Millbrook

Vinnie Sorriento lost Dartmouth commit Greg Koutsomitis, but there are some talented players returning. Forwards Jason Ruszkowski and Jake Gagnon, defenseman Owen Nolan (Army), and goaltender Cam Fernandez are the top returners.

Keep an eye on newcomers Kyle Neudorf and Griffin Tominez to provide a boost to the offense. Ethan Abraham comes over after playing with Phillips Exeter last season.

22. Williston

Defenseman Tim Rego, a senior captain, will be the top player and leader for Derek Cunha’s Wildcats. PG Brendan Nehmer who comes over from MIAA power Pope Francis will be a nice offensive player in prep.

23. Belmont Hill

Jeremiah McCarthy’s team lost Connor Hopkins a year early. The Yale commit and the team’s three-year starter in net decided to play his senior season in the BCHL. The strength of this year’s team will be on the blue line. Brown commit Brett Bliss, James Perullo, Robert Radochia and Will Killoran are a solid nucleus on the blue line. Newcomers Tyler Rubin and Thomas Goguen are nice additions on defense. The top returning forwards are Ryan McGuire, Andrew Holland, and Luke Khozozian. The key recruit offensively is Drew Blackwell.

24. Nobles

Brian Day’s team will rely on forward Casey Severo, a Merrimack commit, who is one of the more underrated players in prep hockey. Ryan Stevens (Yale), Jack Cronin, Robert Lapsley, Will Zink and Will Canavan will chip in offensively.

The defense is led by Colby Bailey, Pierce Kenney and newcomer Aidan Lyons. In goal, Robbie Repenning comes over from BB&N to push returner Marc Smith.

25. Deerfield

The Doors have a solid nucleus returning, including forwards Sean McCoy and Michael Holland, defenseman Eamon Doheny, the team’s top prospect, and Dartmouth commit Thomas Gale in goal.