Prospect watch: 2020 Prep Cup

The Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers celebrate their 2020 Prep Cup title.

NORWALK, Conn. — The Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers won the 2020 Prep Cup that took place over the weekend at SoNo Ice House.

The event was scaled back somewhat due to coronavirus restrictions, but the eight-team showcase featured a couple of elite players and several more who prep coaches, junior scouts and college coaches will want to have on their radar.

The event, run by the Connecticut Junior Whalers this year, is predominantly for prep school coaches. In addition to a few prep coaches who watched the games, a few NHL agents were in the building to watch the action. Games were easy to watch and the rink did a good job to ensure the safety of all players, coaches and referees.

Mid Fairfield defeated the New Jersey Rockets in the semifinals and the Connecticut Junior Whalers in the final. The Whalers were a surprise finalist after upsetting top-seeded Rochester Americans in the semifinal.

The other four teams in the event were Minuteman Flames, Providence Hockey Club, CP Dynamo and Philadelphia Revolution.

I watched Sunday’s action at SoNo Ice House. Below are the players who stood out during my viewings:

Forwards

Zach Morin
Rochester Americans, 1/25/07, C, left shot, 6-0/160

Morin was the best player at the 2020 Prep Cup. He has great size, explosiveness and hands. Every time he climbed over the boards and onto the ice, there was a feeling that something good could happen for his team. He had the puck on his stick a lot, shot the puck hard and was hard to defend. He finished all his checks and was an intimidating physical presence. Morin hails from Montreal but moved down to the U.S. this fall to attend Bishop Kearney in Rochester, N.Y.

Nicholas Whitehead
Mid Fairfield, 2/11/07, C/RW, right shot, 5-8/125

Whitehead is a smart, playmaking forward who can play wing or center. He does a great job of setting up on the half-wall and finding open teammates at the back door. He executed that precision pass on multiple occasions. He skates well and likes to shoot the puck, too. From Florida originally, Whitehead’s family moved to New York to play for the Long Island Gulls last season.

Cooper Dennis
Rochester Americans, 5/7/07, C, right shot, 5-4/123

Dennis is a skilled, cerebral center who was impressive in Sunday’s game against the Connecticut Whalers. He skates well and makes an effort to play a complete game. He took some shifts with Morin but also was able to create offense without him a few times.

CJ Watroba
Minuteman Flames, 2/2/07, C, left shot, 5-8/130

Watroba is a solid prospect from Westfield, Mass. He has good size, skates well and has the puck on his stick a lot. He had a goal and an assist in the fifth-place game against Providence Hockey Club.

Jack Murtagh
CP Dynamo, 1/1/07, C, left shot, 5-8/135

Murtagh is a skilled forward who skates well and plays a mature game. From East Greenbush, N.Y., he’s the younger brother of Gunnery left wing and UConn commit Michael Murtagh.

Luke Dow
Connecticut Junior Whalers, 1/2/07, RW, right shot, 5-2/115

Dow was involved in the play a lot for the Whalers. He’s on the smaller side, but he skates well, hunts pucks and can finish. He kept his feet moving and was fun to watch.

Alex Donovan
Mid Fairfield, 1/1/07, C/RW, right shot

Donovan scored three goals during Sunday’s games. He has good size, skates well and shoots it hard. He projects as a north-south, goal-scoring power forward.

Tommy Coccaro
Mid Fairfield, 4/10/07, C/RW, right shot

Coccaro was injured in the semifinal and didn’t play in the final. However, he showed well in the game against the New Jersey Rockets. He’s a small, crafty forward who plays well in small areas with his hands and shiftiness.

Carter Balducci
Providence Hockey Club, 4/26/07, C, left shot, 5-0/100

Balducci scored a beauty of a goal against Minuteman Flames. From Franklin, Mass., Balducci skated well and was noticeable during just about every shift.

Cam Caron
Minuteman Flames, 6/21/07, C/LW, left shot, 5-9/141

Caron is a forward with good size and scored a goal in his team’s game Sunday.

Anthony DelCarmine
Connecticut Junior Whalers, 5/10/07, C/RW, right shot, 5-4/110

DelCarmine, from New Canaan, Conn., produced on Sunday while playing on his team’s top line. He set up a few scoring chances and showed well throughout the action.

Justin Vlassis
New Jersey Rockets, 5/11/07, C/LW, left shot, 5-10/140

Vlassis, from Ashburn, Va., was his team’s most dangerous offensive threat. A power forward with good size, he was hard to knock off pucks as he moved north-south.

Aidan Wilson
New Jersey Rockets, 2/18/07, LW/C, left shot, 5-10/136

Wilson, a Westfield, N.J., native, was the other player who I noticed the most on the New Jersey Rockets.

Aiden Ferreira
Providence Hockey Club, 1/17/07, RW, right shot, 5-6/125

Ferreira, from North Smitfield, R.I., shoots it hard and plays with a physical element.

Jake Assad
Providence Hockey Club, 7/24/07, LW, left shot, 5-4/140

Assad, a Franklin, Mass., native, was strong on the forecheck, played hard and was around the puck a lot.

Defensemen

Matthew Judge
Rochester Americans, 3/6/07, D, left shot, 5-9/157

Judge was the best defenseman I saw in Norwalk. He has good sizes, skates well and was tough to play against. The Pittsford, N.Y., native didn’t lose battles and quickly got pucks moving north after retrieving it. Judge jumped into the rush and had a good shot from the point.

Anthony Bongo
Mid Fairfield, 5/16/07, D, right shot

Bongo was the most impactful defenseman for Mid Fairfield. He skates well, got shots through from the point, and was smart with the puck. From Ridgefield, Conn., his older brother, Jake, is at Avon Old Farms and committed to Sacred Heart.

Tommy Bleyl
Mid Fairfield, 1/1/07, D, right shot

Bleyl is a smaller, offensive-minded defenseman who moves well. His mobility and skill with the puck on his stick were evident throughout the two games.

Rocco Marinucci
Mid Fairfield, 2/18/07, D, left shot

Marinucci is a physically mature, two-way defenseman who skates well. From Troy, N.Y., he was solid and steady.

Dominic Somma
Connecticut Junior Whalers, 7/16/07, D, right shot, 5-11/165

Somma had good size and was a force on the blue line for the Whalers. The Rye, N.Y., native defended well and looked to have some upside.

Sean Farrell
Providence Hockey Club, 8/7/07, D, left shot, 5-9/140

Farrell is a good-sized defenseman who scored one of the highlight-reel goals of the day on a rush up ice. From Burriville, R.I., his older brother is Bradey Farrell, who plays for the Junior Bruins in the USPHL NCDC.

Goaltenders

Stephen Luciano
Connecticut Junior Whalers, 3/1/07, G, catches left, 5-9/130

Luciano was solid in his team’s upset win over Rochester Americans. Despite being on the losing side in the final, the New Canaan, Conn., native stood on his head and kept his team in it. He has good size, quick reflexes and competed.

Ethan Phillips
Rochester Americans, 4/9/07, G, catches left, 5-8/140

Phillips didn’t face a lot of rubber and lost in the semifinal, but his size and technique were both notable. Phillips is from Greece, N.Y.