USA Hockey: Top 1992 Prospects from New England

McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has notes on the top 1992-born forwards from New England. These players all have Division I talent and some could be considered on a short list of potential 2010 NHL Draft lists.

Top Forwards

Bill Arnold (2010) F, Nobles

1992 DOB (May) .. good size (6-0, 200) .. centered Nobles top line with Andrew Glass and Matt Marshall and received lots of icetime .. in a game against BB&N, he scored off the faceoff when he walked around the center and snapped a quick shot five-hole .. played the point on the PP and has a lot of responsibility as a freshman .. throughout the year, his speed and skating seemed to get better and looks to have lost his baby fat as he grows .. his best asset is his quick hands, especially in tight and has tremendous vision .. also possesses a deadly accurate shot with a quick release .. wants the puck every shift and makes plays .. strong in the faceoff circle .. quick and dangerous around the net .. has great upside and rumor is he rejected an offer to play for the NTDP U-17 team .. had a tremendous freshman year with Nobles and I expect him to be at the top of the prep scoring .. had 36 points as a freshman (13 goals, 23 assists).

Connor Brickley (2010) F, Belmont Hill

1992 DOB (Feb) .. good size (6-0, 185) .. he got better and better with every viewing .. poise with the puck but over-handles the puck at times .. smart in the offensive zone .. every game he seems to create lots of offense and scoring chances .. strong defensively and helps out down low .. during the prep playoffs, Brandon McNally and Brickley (two of the youngest players) were two of the top performers .. against Avon, he led the charge to make a comeback and scored an impressive goal - rebound from McNally shot and he was all alone, used his quick hands and deked the goalie with shift to the backhand ..has quick few strides and is a strong skater but does not have explosive speed .. led Belmont Hill in scoring as a freshman .. invited to try-out for the NTDP U-17 .. similar to Arnold and McNally, I expect to see him at the top of the prep scoring .. led Belmont Hill in scoring with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists).

Brandon McNally (2010) F, Belmont Hill

1992 DOB (Feb) .. good size (6-0, 170) .. it is time to give this kid the respect he deserves .. very shocked he was not invited to tryout for the NTDP U-17 team and has been left off numerous top 1992 prospects lists .. McNally has a combination of heart, hockey sense, hands, and high upside .. have seen him play defense during the summer tournaments at times and looked comfortable, but really shines up front .. smart with the puck and moves the puck up ice well with strong passes .. one of his top assets is his ability to battle through checks and stick checks and protecting the puck .. vocal on the ice .. handles the physical play well .. has excellent hands in tight and can play in traffic .. during the summer, have seen him play against 1989s, 1990s and some 1991s as the youngest in the U-19 group and asserted himself physically and offensively .. goes to the net hard and sees the ice so well in the offensive zone .. the one concern is his skating, which is decent and he has made significant improvements throughout the year .. at the prep playoffs, he was excellent and really excelled on the big stage .. received PP/ PK time and proved his ability to battle with the top prep players on Avon .. relied upon offensive and called upon when his team had 5-on-3 advantage .. was second in scoring at Belmont behind fellow freshman Connor Brickley .. as he continues to improve, he should start to receive more recognition and I expect him to lead Belmont Hill next year to return to the prep playoffs .. had 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists).

Kevin Hayes (2010) F, Nobles

1992 DOB (May) .. good size (6-0, 160) .. a player that has been growing and adjusting to his size .. last summer, his game was inconsistent at best and flashes of offensive talent .. he looked lazy at times and not interested until the puck comes his way .. in the offensive zone, from the faceoff dot to the back boards, he was very good with the puck and has quick moves - looks like he wants to score every time but once the puck goes the other way, he is back to gliding around and doing circles in the neutral zone waiting for the puck .. fast-forward to today, he is playing a complete game and working hard in all zones .. his offensive skills have seemed to take off and really looking forward to watching him continue to grow and develop .. very good hands, especially in tight in traffic .. has got stronger and shows more toughness with the puck in protecting it .. his best asset is his goal-scoring ability and how dangerous he is around the net .. his skating has gotten better too and has a wide stride and extends them out .. expecting an increase in offensive production next year and bring a deadly offensive duo with Bill Arnold .. had 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists).

Quinn Smith (2010) F, Avon Old Farms

1992 DOB (Jan) .. lacks size (5-6, 165) .. another prospect who flew under the radar this past season and played behind a tremendous lineup at Avon and the fact that he played a regular shift speaks volumes about his talent and reliability .. has incredibly soft hands around the net and his vision and poise make him extremely dangerous with the puck .. what makes him standout the most is his speed with and without the puck .. he has that extra gear that not many players possess .. he has the talent that just when you think he is stuck without a play, he makes something happen .. a playmaker first, shoot-second-type player .. despite his size, he battles hard along the boards and is tough to contain with his speed and shiftiness .. very good in the faceoff circle, but his speed looks to be better suited on the wing .. proved to be reliable defensively, which allowed the Avon coaching staff to give him more icetime in close games .. at the prep playoffs, specifically in the championship game, he was flying and moving the puck extremely well .. with Avon's first line completely gone, Smith is going to be relied upon heavily to produce a lot of offense .. had four points (1 goal, 3 assists) .. expect him to take-off offensively next year.

Charles Bando (2010) F, Jr. Bruins (Empire)

1992 DOB (Jan) .. decent size (5-10, 145) .. skates very well with a good, strong stride but still waiting for him to standout more offensively .. last summer, he had some so-so games and others where he was effective and flying around with the puck .. good with the puck down low .. despite lack of size and weight, he plays the body and is aggressive on the puck .. goes to the net for rebounds .. his best asset is how smart with puck he is and he rarely gives it away .. overall, never been blown away by his performance, but a solid player .. believe he is listed for one more year at the Empire level and then to make the jump to the EJHL .. in 39 games, he had 17 points (10 goals, 7 assists).

Charlie Coyle (2010) RW, Thayer Academy

1992 DOB (Mar) .. early last summer, he was listed as 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, but recently at the Jr. Chowder Cup, he was listed as 6-foot-1, 185 .. he also went from a decent prospect to a standout .. he led a weak Thayer Academy team in scoring, bur they way he has played so far this summer, he could be a top scorer in the league .. he has adjusted to his size well and protects the puck so well around the net .. he had a tremendous week at the Select 16 festival and has followed it up with a strong weekend at the Jr. Chowder Cup (will have more notes on him from this past weekends Jr. Chowder Cup) .. had 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists).

Robbie Davis (2010) W, Canton HS (2008-09 South Shore Kings – EJHL)

1992 DOB (April) .. lacks size (5-9, 170) .. flew under the radar most of the season, as he played for his local Massachusetts High School .. his best asset is his skating - has a wide stride with good speed and flies with the puck up the wing .. when surrounded with talent, he really plays well and stands-out, but when he is the go-to guy, he can be quiet offensively and not very impressive .. good hands and moves the puck well .. his lack of size makes him easy to knock off the puck .. look forward to seeing how he adjusts to the EJHL next year .. also had a solid weekend at the Jr.Chowder Cup (more notes to come).

John Hotchkiss (2010) C, Eaglebrook Prep

1992 DOB (Aug) .. lacks size (5-9, 150) .. at the Eaglebrook tournament, he was one of the top players .. very good around the net and showed good hands in tight and is shifty .. has good instincts to get in the scoring areas and does it stealthily .. has a good shot but needs to hit the net more .. needs to be more physical on the forecheck .. decent speed but not explosive .. tries to be a little too fancy with puck and likes to take the puck himself through the neutral zone and really could use his linemates better .. would also like to see him play more in the traffic areas and be more physical despite his lack of size .. he has a lot to work on, but the talent is there and he should continue to develop next year at Eaglebrook before moving on to a top-end prep school.

Sean McLaughlin (2010) F, Jr. Bruins (Empire)

1992 DOB (Jan) .. decent size (5-10, 155) .. he is solid at everything, but does not excel at any one thing .. at times, he can get a little sloppy with the puck and throw it away .. goes hard to the net .. quick after the puck and shifty .. has decent hands .. skates low to the ice and has good speed but skates a bit hunched over .. plays hard at both ends of the ice and every shift he is consistent .. battles hard for loose pucks and works hard in front .. will need to produce more at the Empire level next year and move up to the EJHL and continue producing .. had 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 44 games.

Peter Michailidis (2010), C, Westminster

1992 DOB (Mar) .. lacks size (5-9, 170) .. did not see during the season at Westminster but have seen him play with his midget team Mid-Fairfield .. strong on faceoffs .. has a solid combination of speed and quick hands .. creative with the puck .. has a quick release .. moves the puck well in the offensive zone .. good vision .. smooth skater with a good stride .. at the New England Yankee Conference tournament, he was excellent .. had two goals in one game – first goal, he sniped when the defenseman gave him room to move in and fired it top-corner glove under the bar .. second goal was a tip-in from a point shot .. also had three assists .. showed so much poise at times and moves it quickly when necessary .. similar to Quinn Smith, I expect after getting his feet wet at the prep level, he will turn the corner this upcoming season and be one of the best players on his team .. had seven points (2 goals, 5 assists).

Alex Quinn (2010), F, BB&N

1992 DOB (June) .. Size (6-3 185) .. his size and strength make him difficult to contain, but did not have the best season for BB&N .. physical and finishes his checks, but not a punishing hitter .. gets in on forecheck and goes to the front of the net for tips/ screens .. he lunges too much when he checks and has questionable hockey smarts, as he chases the puck too much and gets himself out of position .. handles the puck well and showed a good outside move .. uses his body well to protect the puck .. very good around the net and hard to get the puck from .. has a long stride .. during one prep game, he barely ever touched the puck, which was not a good sign .. look forward to seeing him progress and becoming more of a complete player .. had five points (1 goal, 4 assists).

Gunnar Hughes (2011), F, Jr. Bruins (Empire)

1992 DOB (Sept) .. decent size (5-10, 170) .. would not have made this list as the few viewings have not been good, but he recently has seemed to turn the corner with his development .. early last summer, he looked very inconsistent in all aspects of his game, he would make a nice pass to create a 2-on-1 then next shift make an awful giveaway in the defensive zone .. his best asset was his touch around the net .. it was obvious he needed to get stronger .. fast-forward to recently (this summer), he was playing a smart, two-way game and working hard every shift .. was doing the little things well and was attacking the net with the puck .. his skating is still questionable but has also improved .. did well defensively along the boards and getting the puck out of the zone .. will be attending Salisbury Prep next year .. played 28 games for Jr. Bruins and had 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists).

Brian Ward (2010), F, Governor's Academy

1992 DOB (Feb) .. decent size (5-11, 170) .. played top line minutes with captain Herbie Kent and sophomore Cody Ferriero during the prep season .. in one prep game, he was flying and rang one off the crossbar when he showed good anticipation by picking off a pass .. played on both the PP and PK .. showed decent hands in tight but needs to keep his head up in traffic .. when his line was buzzing, he was creating numerous scoring chances for his linemates .. decent skater with not much power behind his strides and slows down a lot with the puck and seems to only have one speed .. in the offensive zone, he has a lot of talent and is smart with the puck .. his play away from the puck is questionable .. an interested prospect who will have to play better to keep up with the other top 1992 forwards .. had 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists).