We're still essentially at the start of the offseason in girls prep hockey.  Sure, 2024-25 campaign feels like a distant thought, still months away. We're hardly two months from the end of last season, after all.  So, naturally, it's a perfect time to look ahead to next winter. We'll look at teams with strong cores of returners who could be primed to make some noise in 2024-25. If we did this last year, Williston Northampton, this year's Elite 8 runner-up, would have surely been in the mix, coming off back-to-back titles and returning one of the most productive forward groups in the ..read more

In February, Mike Pereira got a call that scratched an itch he didn't know he had. Mathieu Darche, the Tampa Bay Lightning's director of hockey operations, was a part of the search committee trying to find the next boys head coach at Choate. Darche pitched the idea to Pereira, who was a month away from completing his second season as an assistant coach at UConn. "He was the first guy I had in mind when [Choate] asked me to help them," Darche said. Pereira said he would take some time. It became apparent this was an opportunity he had to pursue. "As the season started to wind down a bit, it ju ..read more

Less than one month after Paul Pearl left Cushing to become the next Dexter Southfield athletic director, the Penguins have found their next boss. Ryan Bourque (Topsfield, Mass.) was announced as the next head coach of Cushing on Tuesday afternoon. Bourque has an extensive history at Cushing. The 5-foot-9, speedy winger played two seasons in Ashburnham, Mass., capping things off with a 50-point campaign in 2006-07 before heading to the U.S. National Team Development Program for two seasons. His older brother, Chris, played at Cushing before him. And yes — his father is Ray Bourque. The post R ..read more

Mike Pereira is back in New England prep hockey. After two seasons as an assistant coach at UConn, Pereira was hired as the next boys hockey head coach at Choate. He takes over for Jesse Minneman who began in 2021. Pereira has a background in prep. The New Haven, Conn., native played for South Kent from 2007-09 and then did one season at Avon Old Farms in 2009-10, scoring 28 goals and totaling 64 points in 29 games. Here's what the hire means for Choate. The post Ex-UConn assistant Mike Pereira hired as Choate boys head coach appeared first on New England Hockey Journal ..read more

Mass. Hockey is down to its girls Final 40 rosters for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 age groups.  A total of 230 of the state's top players descended on the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass., for Mass. Hockey's 2024 Girls Festival last weekend with 120 moving on to Final 40's this weekend.  The Final 40 camp will be held Friday and Saturday at the NESC. Friday will begin with the 2009's at 5:30 p.m., and Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. with two-hour sessions for each group.  After this weekend's camp, players are selected for USA Hockey’s National Development Camps in the ..read more

The 2024-25 New England prep hockey season is far away. Heck, the most recent season wrapped up just over a month ago. But it's always a fun exercise to look ahead. Even if the next season doesn't start for another seven months. We will be looking at teams with a strong batch of returning players. If we were doing this story this time last year, Kimball Union would've certainly been near the top with rising seniors like Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.), Sam LeDrew and Jack McMinn, as well as rising juniors like Andrew O'Sullivan (Boston, Mass.) and Corwith Simmers. Could we end up forecasting ..read more

The NHL Draft is just over two months away. It begins June 28 in Las Vegas. Most NHL scouts have seen almost all they need to see before the draft begins. The last things left are junior hockey playoffs. Those will wrap up soon, too. On Tuesday, NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for 2024, separating players into four categories: North American skaters, North American goalies, International skaters and International goalies. NHL Central Scouting provides a great service to NHL teams, giving them players to track through the winter. Thirteen locals made the final list, along with ..read more

The final NHL Central Scouting rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft are out. In all, 13 players from New England earned a spot on the list. Does a player making NHL Central Scouting's rankings guarantee getting their name called in June? No, it doesn't. The organization separates players into four categories: North American skaters, North American goalies, International skaters and International goalies. There are more players ranked than can be drafted, but that's OK. NHL Central Scouting serves as a strong point of reference for NHL teams when evaluating draft-eligible prospects during the seaso ..read more

It felt like their year. You know those years where everything just seems to go right? That's what this year felt like for Boston College — especially Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.). The local duo entered college hockey having been drafted inside the top 10 in last June's NHL Draft. Smith was picked No. 4 overall by the San Jose Sharks, while Leonard went at No. 8 to the Washington Capitals. Upon their arrival, they didn't just adjust well to college hockey — they dominated. Smith finished the season with 71 points, which was good for the most in the coun ..read more

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. Boston College’s storybook season came to a bitter conclusion on the national championship stage on Saturday night. The top-seeded Eagles were shut out for the first time all season, falling, 2-0, to Denver which captured its NCAA record-setting 10th national title and second in three years. Here are three takeaways from the game. The post 3 takeaways from Boston College’s national championship loss appeared first on New England Hockey Journal ..read more