On Monday November 22 Neutral Zone traveled to Needham to watch Belmont Hill take on St. Sebastian’s in a true one period scrimmage that featured shortened benches, no special teams and 6 NHL scouts in attendance. We’re not going to make too much out of the St. Sebastian’s vs Belmont Hill scrimmage, but we will give you a brief evaluation on some of the 2022 NHL Draft eligible players who separated themselves from their peers. On Wednesday November 24 Neutral attended the Nobles versus Rivers game. There were approximately 20 scouts representing NHL organizations watching as well. This game was also billed as a “scrimmage”, but they played three 18 minute periods and special teams were involved.
Each of these schools have a number of other draft eligible players on their rosters. They were either out of the line up or did not show enough to warrant write-up. We will review these players in future viewings and report on progress.
| Nolan Joyce | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | D | 6’1″ | 181 | Boston College | 2022 | Dedham, MA | 2003 | 2021-2022: C+ |
Joyce is a highly competitive late 2003 right shot defenseman who wants to win at everything he does. We loved that he did not get caught up in thinking he had to go end to end to get noticed, instead choosing to play the smart heady game that we’ve gotten used to. He showed a rocket shot and his passes always hit the tape. He naturally worked to maintain dot lanes in both offensive or defensive transition, and he moved well laterally to end line rushes well before his defensive blueline. After battling an upper body injury for most of the Fall, Joyce led the U18 Boston Jr. Eagles to the Massachusetts State Championship in early November.
| James Fisher | Belmont Hill | NE Prep | R | F | 6’2″ | 195 | Northeastern | 2023 | Wilmington, MA | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
Fisher is a power forward who is really just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding how his game will be most effective. He showed a nice combination of being able to protect the puck using his wide backside as well as being able to look off opposing defenders by having his eyes up scanning the ice. In all three zones he won physical battles showing the strength to throw opposing defenders to the side and he won races to loose pucks after linemates dumped it in. Fisher is Northeastern commit who is looking to continue building on a very strong Fall.
| Brendan Gorman | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | F | 5’11” | 150 | Princeton | 2022 | Arlington, MA | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Gorman centered St. Sebastian’s top line. The first things that literally jumped off the ice at you is his quickness, agility and top speed. Gorman can fly. It was obvious that Belmont Hill’s defensive core was intimidated by his speed and did not want to get burned so they gave him a ridiculous amount of space to make plays when coming the neutral zone or over the offensive blueline. The Princeton commit has a chance to put up serious numbers for St. Sebastian’s this year.
| Will Killoran | Belmont Hill | NE Prep | R | D | 6’2″ | 194 | Uncomm. | Charlestown, MA | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
After battling injuries for most of the Covid 2020-2021 season it was great for Neutral Zone to see Killoran healthy and moving well. We know from past years that he is a thick bodied no-nonsense defender who does not back down from physical confrontations, but against St. Sebastian’s he looked nimble and agile. His gaps were tight through the neutral zone. He quickly ended the cycle and sent a few bodies flying. Killoran is in his second year of NHL Draft eligibility.
| Mike Callow | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | F | 6’4″ | 187 | Harvard | 2022 | South Boston, MA | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
The towering right wing looked like he could do what he wanted to out there. When carrying the puck he quickly changed angles to expose open ice or passing seams, he used his massive frame to protect the puck showing the agility to spin off contact in tight quarters and showed powerful quick bursts when beating Belmont Hill defensemen to loose pucks. His snap shot is a rocket that hit the net and generated secondary scoring opportunities. There is no doubt that Callow will be watched very closely during every St. Sebastian’s game this year.
| Jayden Grier | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | L | F | 6’3″ | 216 | Needham, MA | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Grier is a 6’3″ 215 pound power forward who is not on many (if any) draft watch lists, but we feel his upward trajectory make him an incredibly interesting prospect. Physically he is as strong as anyone playing in prep hockey and when he decides he is going to hit someone he literally runs them over. Both his snap shot and one-timer are extremely heavy and they are the type of shot that opponents do not want to block. Grier is still growing into himself and finding his game, but the December 2003 is a player we are looking forward to watching this Winter.
| Bennet MacDonald | Nobles & Greenough | NE Prep | L | C | 6’0″ | 165 | Harvard | 2023 | Weston, MA | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
MacDonald is a left shot center who’s game made a huge jump during Covid. We don’t think the 9AM outing versus Rivers was his best start ever, but there were a few things that we took note of. First, he looked very smooth and comfortable running the Nobles power play from the right point and / or mid-wall. He showed a smooth first touch and did not need to stickhandle before making cross box passes. He also easily directed poor passes into his feet directly to his stick without fumbling or looking out of sorts. Second, MacDonald did not have the smoothest start to his game, but his third period was very impactful. It looked to us that during the first two periods he was content on using his speed to beat the Rivers defenders wide rather than penetrating the scoring area. For whatever reason this changed in the third period, where he scored a grimy rebound goal from the top of the crease and he became a threat to carry the puck through the royal road rather than free wheel behind the net. We also loved that he showed real emotion after Nobles’ goals, blocked shots and big hits. He did not “big time” the competition and act as though it was just a scrimmage. Instead he acted like a true leader showing that he cared and winning mattered to him. MacDonald demonstrated great leadership for six Nobles 2006 birth year teammates to look up to.
| Ollie Chessler | Rivers School | NE Prep | L | D | 5’11” | 165 | Union | 2024 | Watertown, MA | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Chessler is an offensively minded puck moving left shot defenseman who thrives in the transition game. As he retrieved dump-ins or soft chips Chessler showed he was able to maintain his stride frequency while looking over both of his shoulders to locate all three of the forecheckers. We liked how he wheeled the net as close to the net frame as possible so that when their F1 was on his back he was able to use the net as a pick to lose them. When he received a pass the puck stuck to his blade without bouncing or jumping. This allowed him to make quick decisions and smart reads in all three zones. Chessler’s willingness to stop on pucks and always face the play made him a very effective penalty killer. His stick was active and we loved how he maintained strong side dot and width so he did not expose the one-timer option in the middle of the box. Although he is not the biggest player on the ice Chessler really packed a pop when he stepped up in the defensive end when he ended the cycle. He may not be on many draft boards because of his slight frame, but we feel a poised puck moving defenseman will always draw attention.
| Brian Grant | Nobles & Greenough | NE Prep | R | D | 6’1″ | 180 | Uncomm. | Mansfield, MA | 2004 | Not yet rated |
Grant is a powerful skating right shot defender who is looking to build off of a solid summer where a great main camp with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede led to him making the All-Star Game. In the game versus Rivers we could see that he was battling an upper body injury (right shoulder / ribs?), but we give him full props for battling through the pain and putting in a hard nosed two-way effort in “scrimmage” where he easily could have taken the day off so he could heal.
2023 NHL Draft Eligible Player
| Brock Cummings | Belmont Hill | NE Prep | L | LW | 6’1″ | 170 | Uncomm. | Mississauga, ON | 2005 | Not yet rated |
Cummings is a big strong left winger who showed some real wiggle and elusiveness as he walked a defender in a 1 on 1 situation and then head faked the goalie right out of the crease for an empty net goal. We loved how he defended a mid-wall scissor play where he showed nice awareness by keeping his head on a swivel and pushed the opposing forward into the activating defenseman to stop the scissor dead in its tracks. It’s such a simple play, but we rarely see it. In the offensive zone Cummings was very good at finding the soft area in the high slot and his stick was always prepared to shoot.
2024 NHL Draft Eligible Players to keep an eye on
| Jack Harney | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | D | 6’6″ | 168 | Uncomm. | Needham, MA | 2005 |
Harney is a late November 2005 who as a 6’6″ right shot defenseman has the World in front of him. We feel he is not even close to being done growing into himself or developing true lower body power, but when he does we are confident Harney will be a player that separates himself from his peers. Offensively he showed a very easy first touch. The puck rarely bounced off his stick blade, his passes were easy to handle and he used his reach to change the angles of his passes or open up passing lanes. He is all legs right now and is still developing his stride and increasing stride frequency, but he skated backwards smoothly and moved laterally to pinch off line rushes as well as players who are half a foot shorter than him. The saying is big kids take longer… and Jack Harney has nothing but time on his side.
| Teddy Stiga | Belmont Hill | NE Prep | L | F | 5’9″ | 152 | Uncomm. | Sudbury, MA | 2006 |
Stiga played the entire game with his eyes up looking to generate transition and create offense. He won wall battles and consistently was the first man out of the scrum with the puck on his stick or the first man off of contact winning the race to the scoring area or open ice. As with all young players Stiga will need to continue developing his leg strength and power, but the lateral agility he showed with the puck on his stick is something that gets scouts on the edge of their seats.
A 2025 NHL Draft Eligible Player to keep an eye on
| Teddy Mutryn | St. Sebastian’s | NE Prep | R | C | 6’1″ | 181 | Norwell, MA | 2007 |
It’s hard to even write about him without feeling like we’re making stuff up, so we’re just going to say go watch Teddy Mutryn play and try to remember that he’s an 07.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images