The 2026-27 season begins today. The Beast Launch runs August 30 through September 1 across Walpole, Foxboro, Canton and Thayer, and it is the first time this year that Massachusetts 2010s are on the ice for something that counts.
Thirty Massachusetts 2010 prep players are here — nineteen at 16U, eleven at 18U. That includes the entire top eight forwards in the class, twelve of the fifteen ranked forwards, and six of the ten ranked defensemen.
- F1 through F15 — his place on the 2010 Forward Rankings. F1 is the top-ranked forward in the class.
- D1 through D10 — his place on the 2010 Defense Top 10. D1 is the top-ranked defenseman.
- A dash means he is not on either board. That is not a verdict — several of these players had no prep varsity season to rank, and this fall is where that changes.
Remember the calendar. The club half season runs September through November, ending with the Massachusetts state tournament. These same players report to their prep schools in December. Two teams, one winter.
16U — Nineteen Players
Two clubs carry almost all of it. The Neponset Valley River Rats bring eleven, including the top two forwards in the class and the second-ranked defenseman. The Islanders bring seven, four of them ranked inside the top ten forwards. Cape Cod brings one.
| Board | POS | Player | School 26-27 | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | D | Nicholas Ware | Belmont Hill | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| D6 | D | Brendan Martin | St. Sebastian's | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| D8 | D | Jorden Marzi | Rivers School | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| D10 | D | Ryan Guden | Roxbury Latin | Islanders HC |
| — | D | Colin Dunlap | Tabor Academy | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| — | D | Charlie Vernazza | Thayer Academy | Cape Cod Whalers |
| — | D | Patrick Viano | Milton Academy | Islanders HC |
| F1 | F | Carter Felt | Rivers School | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| F2 | F | Colin Walsh | Rivers School | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| F3 | F | Jamie Calla | Governor's Academy | Islanders HC |
| F4 | F | Tommy Egan | Austin Prep | Islanders HC |
| F5 | F | Drew Short | Belmont Hill | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| F6 | F | Michael Barrett | Phillips Andover | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| F7 | F | Drew Gallucci | Holderness | Islanders HC |
| F8 | F | Robert Dekleine | Belmont Hill | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| F14 | F | James Hamlin | Belmont Hill | Islanders HC |
| F15 | F | Brayden Erickson | St. George's | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| — | F | Jake Guerriero | St. George's | Neponset Valley River Rats |
| — | F | Jake Jaffe | Belmont Hill | Islanders HC |
18U — Eleven Players
The 18U group is where the class plays up. Four clubs, no concentration, and the only committed player in the field — Tyler Poti, Quinnipiac, our third-ranked defenseman, skating a full age group above his birth year.
| Board | POS | Player | School 26-27 | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D3 | D | Tyler Poti | Winchendon | Islanders HC 18U East |
| D5 | D | Ryan Porter | Dexter Southfield | Brookline Whalers 18U |
| — | D | Conor Gieselman | Dexter Southfield | Brookline Whalers 18U |
| — | D | Liam Shanks | Austin Prep | Islanders HC 18U Austin Prep |
| F10 | F | Liam Carlin | Winchendon | Islanders HC 18U East |
| F11 | F | Austin Wu | Dexter Southfield | Brookline Whalers 18U |
| — | F | Richie Caraviello | Austin Prep | Islanders HC 18U Austin Prep |
| — | F | Luke Gaudette | Holderness | Islanders HC 18U West |
| — | F | Jackson Gouveia | Brewster | Cyclones Prep 18U |
| — | F | Dennis Klimashov | Austin Prep | Islanders HC 18U Austin Prep |
| — | F | Julian Larrabee | Brewster Academy | Cyclones Prep 18U |
Who Isn't Here
Four programs that carry Massachusetts 2010s did not bring a team: the Minutemen Flames, the Boston Jr. Eagles, East Coast Militia and the South Shore Kings. That is a long list of names — Sam Fishbone, the top-ranked defenseman in the class, along with Brodie Anderson, Alex Guo, Jameson Needham, Owen Frick, Tiger Tang and better than thirty others.
Their season opens next, at the Eastern Alliance Kickoff on September 4. We will have that group in a companion piece.