USA Boys National 16 Team (2026): 15 Massachusetts Prep Selections

Anderson is part of the returning blueline core that USA Hockey has trusted since the 2025 cycle. His 2025-2026 prep season at Cushing wasn't about scoring — it was about being part of a team that ran the table. Cushing won the NEPSAC Large School Championship 7-0 over Brunswick, and Anderson was on that blueline through every step of the run. His selection back to the national group reflects the body of work, not the box score.

Anderson is on the move for 2026-27, transferring from Cushing to Masters International — the same destination as goaltender Will Torres. The pair forms a notable migration out of traditional prep and into the development-academy model.

Cotter finished the prep season as the third-highest scoring defenseman in our Massachusetts 2010 tracking. His 22 points at St. Mark's were the product of a steady, high-volume two-way game — quarterbacking the powerplay, jumping into the rush, and shutting down assignments at the other end. USHL Phase I selection by Militia HC underlined the projection. Of all the returnees on this roster, Cotter's case was perhaps the clearest of any defenseman — there was no Final 40 conversation about whether he'd be back.

Fishbone earned this in spades. Twenty-nine points from the blueline — the most of any defenseman in our Massachusetts 2010 tracking. Twenty-three assists, tied for the most among all defensemen in the class. The case wasn't built on hype; it was built on a full season of producing at the highest level of Massachusetts prep hockey, every weekend, week after week, alongside St. Sebastian's teammate Jameson Needham.

State of Hockey profiled Fishbone before the Final 40, framing him as a player whose resume was simply too strong to deny — a USHL Round 5 selection with the prep season's scoring crown at the position. Final 40 confirmed it. The National 16 selection cements it. Fishbone is exactly the kind of newcomer USA Hockey was looking for: a player who used the prep season as evidence, not a tryout.

Porter broke in on the strength of a steady, two-way prep season at Dexter Southfield and a USHL Phase I draft selection from the Minutemen Flames. Eleven points doesn't tell the full story — Porter's game is about positioning, reads, and a defensive foundation that translates well to the national stage. He'll be one of the newer faces in the blueline rotation, but the USA Hockey evaluators have clearly seen something worth investing in.

Poti won a NEPSAC championship at Winchendon, and he had an assist in the title game when Winchendon beat Holderness 5-2 to take the Small School crown. That's the kind of pedigree that doesn't show up in a points column but shows up in everything else USA Hockey looks for — composure in big moments, ability to elevate when the games matter most. Sixteen assists during the regular season made it clear he could move the puck; the championship run made it clear he could do it under pressure.

USHL Phase I selection by the Islanders HC layered another piece of validation on top. Of all the new defensemen on the roster, Poti's case may have the most upside in terms of what he's already proven about high-stakes hockey.

Barrett returns to the national group on the back of a 23-point season at Phillips Andover — a balanced 10-13 split that reflects the kind of two-way center USA Hockey likes to build around. The USHL Phase I draft validation made the case airtight. He returns as one of the more well-rounded forwards on the roster, with a year of national experience already in his pocket from the 2025 cycle.

Calla put together a goal-heavy 18-point campaign at Governor's Academy — eleven goals on a club where he was asked to be the finisher. USHL draft selection followed. With Governor's as the through-line from prep to national, Calla's path has been one of the more linear in the class: prep production, draft, national selection, repeat. He returns to the national group as a known quantity, with another national camp's worth of reps to add.

Carlin's path to the National 16 Team ran through Winchendon's championship run. In the NEPSAC Small School title game against Holderness, Carlin had an assist on the scoresheet alongside teammates Drew Short (goal) and Tyler Poti (assist) — the championship line of three Winchendon players who would all earn National 16 selections. That kind of shared experience under playoff pressure isn't a coincidence; it's a reflection of how Winchendon's program operated in 2025-2026 — competitive at the top level of small-school prep, with hockey IQ to match.

Fourteen assists on the season showed a playmaking lean. If Carlin's return to Winchendon for the fall holds, the school will carry two National 16 selections (Carlin and Poti) into next season.

Dekleine returns after a 20-point season at Belmont Hill — a balanced 9-11 split that mirrors the kind of complete game USA Hockey values. USHL Phase I selection further reinforced the projection. He's one of the steadier returnees on the roster, and his Belmont Hill connection now extends with Drew Short joining the program for 2026-27.

Felt led all Massachusetts 2010 prep forwards in goals with 20 — the only player in the tracked class to hit that number. Thirty-four points overall made him the second-highest scoring forward in Mass prep. At Rivers, he carried the offense; nationally, he returns as one of the proven finishers in the group.

The Rivers School story doesn't end with Felt. Colin Walsh joins him at Rivers for 2026-27 — meaning the program will carry two National 16 selections on the same forward unit next season. That's a significant pickup for Rivers and worth watching as the 2026-27 prep season unfolds.

Needham broke through after a 20-point season at St. Sebastian's — and the goal-heavy 12-8 split tells you everything you need to know about how he produces. He's a finisher. His Festival selection put him on the radar; Final 40 confirmed it; National 16 finished the climb. Pair him with St. Seb's teammate Sam Fishbone, and the program lands two on this roster — both newcomers, both earning the call on the strength of the prep season.

Short put together one of the more complete forward seasons in the class — 26 points at Winchendon, a NEPSAC Small School championship, and a goal in the title game against Holderness. The 8-18 split lean toward playmaking, but his ability to score in the biggest game of the year tells you he can do both.

Short transfers from Winchendon to Belmont Hill for 2026-27, where he'll join Robert Dekleine — giving Belmont Hill two National 16 forwards on the same roster. That's a major frontline pickup for one of the top programs in Massachusetts prep.

Walsh is the most distinctive case on this roster — and the one that most rewards looking past the prep stat columns. He wasn't in Mass prep hockey in 2025-2026. He played for Framingham HS and put up 54 points in 21 games for the Framingham Flyers, where his production was so consistent that the USHL Phase I draft committee took him in Round 4 anyway. That's the highest USHL round for any player on this Massachusetts roster.

State of Hockey profiled Walsh before the Final 40 — the case was that his body of work, even outside the prep ecosystem, was too strong to ignore. The Final 40 selection confirmed it; the National 16 nod finishes the argument. Walsh now joins Carter Felt at Rivers School for 2026-27, which means the team that already had the prep class's leading goal scorer just added one of the most highly drafted forwards in the cohort.

Wu returns to the national group after 14 points at Dexter Southfield — a season where the box score doesn't fully reflect the role. USA Hockey clearly saw enough in the 2025 cycle and saw enough through the 2026 Festival and Final 40 to bring him back. Dexter carries two selections on this roster (Wu and Ryan Porter), giving the program a strong national footprint heading into 2026-27.

Torres returns as Massachusetts' only goaltender on the 2026 National 16 roster — a clear sign that USA Hockey trusts what they saw from him at the National 15 level and through the 2026 selection process. He was the Rivers School varsity goalie in 2025-2026 and transfers to Masters International for 2026-27, a move that takes him out of the prep ecosystem and into a development-focused program. The decision reflects a player and family making a long-term investment in goaltending-specific training. He carries the only crease assignment from Massachusetts into the national group.