The Final 40 list is out. From 76 players at the Boys Festival, the field has been cut to 40 — 22 forwards, 14 defensemen, and 4 goalies. These 40 players will compete May 16-17 for a spot on the USA Boys National 16 Team.
Twenty-six are Massachusetts prep players tracked by State of Hockey. That's 26 of the 30 prep players who were at Festival — an 88% advancement rate. The Massachusetts prep hockey pipeline didn't just show up at Festival. It dominated the cut.
Massachusetts Prep Players — Final 40
| Pos | Player | Town | School / Club | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOR | Michael Barrett | Lynnfield | Phillips Andover / River Rats | ★ | Rd 10 → Madison |
| FOR | Jamie Calla | Lynnfield | Governors Academy / Islanders HC | ★ | Rd 15 → Sioux Falls |
| FOR | Liam Carlin | Andover | Winchendon / Islanders HC | — | — |
| FOR | Robert Dekleine | Westborough | Belmont Hill / Flames | ★ | Rd 7 → Sioux City |
| FOR | Brayden Erickson | East Longmeadow | St. George's / Flames | ★ | — |
| FOR | Carter Felt | Natick | Rivers School / River Rats | ★ | Rd 4 → Cedar Rapids |
| FOR | Owen Frick | Holden | Cushing Academy / Flames | ★ | Rd 4 → Omaha |
| FOR | Drew Gallucci | Danvers | Pingree / Islanders HC | — | — |
| FOR | James Hamlin | Wellesley | Roxbury Latin / Islanders HC | — | — |
| FOR | Owen Lundin | Marlborough | Lawrence Academy / Flames | ★ | Rd 8 → Omaha |
| FOR | Ethan Machado | Wayland | Cushing Academy / Flames | ★ | Rd 11 → Dubuque |
| FOR | Zach Mohamed | Needham | Nobles / Militia HC | — | — |
| FOR | Jameson Needham | Woburn | St. Sebastian's / River Rats | — | Rd 4 → Waterloo |
| FOR | TJ Petropoulos | Bridgewater | Milton Academy / Militia HC | — | Rd 11 → Cedar Rapids |
| FOR | Drew Short | Lunenburg | Winchendon / River Rats | — | — |
| FOR | Austin Wu | Dedham | Dexter Southfield / Flames | ★ | Rd 4 → Tri-City |
| Pos | Player | Town | School / Club | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEF | Brodie Anderson | Wayland | Cushing Academy / Flames | ★ | Rd 9 → Dubuque |
| DEF | Logan Cotter | Marlborough | St. Marks / Militia HC | ★ | Tendered → Green Bay |
| DEF | Sam Fishbone | Needham | St. Sebastian's / Flames | — | Rd 5 → Sioux Falls |
| DEF | Alexander Guo | Weston | Belmont Hill / Flames | ★ | — |
| DEF | Brendan Martin | Dedham | St. Sebastian's / River Rats | ★ | Rd 11 → Sioux City |
| DEF | Jordan Marzi | Hopkinton | Rivers / Flames | — | — |
| DEF | Ryan Porter | Hanover | Dexter Southfield / Flames | — | Rd 7 → Sioux Falls |
| DEF | Tyler Poti | Sandwich | Winchendon / Islanders HC | — | Rd 15 → Cedar Rapids |
| DEF | Nicholas Ware | South Weymouth | Belmont Hill / River Rats | ★ | Rd 8 → Omaha |
| Pos | Player | Town | School / Club | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOA | Will Torres | Framingham | Rivers School | — | Rd 15 → Sioux City |
| Pos | Player | Town | School | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FWD | Brayden Dickie | Canton | Canton HS | — | — |
| FWD | Jake Guerriero | Braintree | Archbishop Williams / River Rats | — | — |
| FWD | Ronan Rolston | Franklin | Catholic Memorial | — | — |
| FWD | Nicholas Tulipano | Burlington | St. John's Prep | — | — |
| FWD | Colin Walsh | Framingham | Framingham Flyers / River Rats | — | Rd 4 → Chicago |
| FWD | Blake Ward | Melrose | St. John's Prep | — | — |
| Pos | Player | Town | School / Club | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEF | Benjamin Beaudry | Sturbridge | Mid Fairfield HC | — | — |
| DEF | Sean Callanan | Waltham | — | — | |
| DEF | Colin Dunlap | Plymouth | Xaverian / River Rats | — | — |
| DEF | Shaun Farrell | Hanson | Catholic Memorial / River Rats | ★ | — |
| DEF | Conor Gieselman | Weston | Dexter Southfield (JV) / Cape Cod Whalers | — | — |
| Pos | Player | Town | School / Club | Nat'l 15 | USHL (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Jesse Bernardinelli | Wakefield | St. John's Prep | — | — |
| G | Jaxson Fleming | Waltham | Catholic Memorial / Flames | — | — |
| G | Kennedy Keung | Burlington | — | — |
The Storylines
Every returning National 15 (2025) forward advanced. All seven — Calla, Dekleine, Felt, Barrett, Lundin, Wu, and Machado — are in. The returning forward core held.
On defense, five of the six returning National 15 (2025) defensemen are prep players — Cotter, Ware, Anderson, Martin, and Guo all advanced. The sixth, Shaun Farrell, also advanced — Farrell is a Catholic Memorial player who competes in the MIAA rather than prep, but his National 15 (2025) pedigree and River Rats club experience earned him a spot alongside the prep players he's been competing with at the national level. All six returning National defensemen are moving on.
The newcomers broke through in force. Prep players who were NOT on the 2025 National 15 Team and made the Final 40 include Carlin, Gallucci, Hamlin, Mohamed, Needham, Petropoulos, and Short on the forward side, plus Fishbone, Marzi, Porter, and Poti on defense, and Torres in goal. The 2025-2026 prep season and USHL Draft reshaped the landscape.
St. John's Prep produced three Final 40 selections — forwards Tulipano and Ward, plus goalie Bernardinelli — from the MIAA side. Catholic Memorial's Rolston and Fleming also advanced. Canton's Dickie turned heads at Festival. Archbishop Williams' Guerriero — headed to prep in the fall — is in. On defense, Beaudry, Callanan, and Dunlap all advanced and may be exploring prep school options for December. If any of these players announce prep commitments this summer, they'll be added to State of Hockey's tracking.
What's next: The Final 40 compete May 16-17. From 40, the USA Boys National 16 Team roster will be selected. State of Hockey will be tracking every Massachusetts player through the final cut.