New England Hockey Journal’s RinkWise

The biggest standouts, snubs at Mass. Hockey boys festival

van Marinofsky and Jason Cooke break down the 2026 Mass. Hockey boys festival. They run through the '09, '10 and '11 birth years, highlighting the top players, who rose their stock and who got snubbed from USA Hockey Select Camps.

Providence Coach Nate Leaman

Evan interviews Providence College men’s hockey head coach Nate Leaman about coaching, player development, recruiting, and shifting NCAA hockey pathways. Leaman recounts starting hockey at 13 in Ohio after soccer, crediting intensive skating instruction for later coaching and evaluation skills, and discusses key development windows (especially ages 10–14 for agility) plus the growing importance of hockey IQ after puberty, aided by game-like small-area games. He explains how juniors and adversity prepare players for college, why frequent team changes are recruiting red flags, and how the transfer portal often yields depth rather than “game breakers.” Leaman describes CHL players adjusting well to college culture but facing higher season intensity and more practice-based development. He anticipates later recruiting due to CHL/Europe eligibility and weighs proposed five-year eligibility rules, urging a 19-year-old start, while advocating for more Division I teams and possible structural changes beyond the NCAA.
 
Topics
00:34 Sports Dad Road Talk
02:31 Starting Hockey at 13
03:36 Skating Development Secrets
09:54 Hockey IQ and Small Area Games
13:28 Juniors and Handling Adversity
17:39 Transfer Portal Roster Building
21:57 CHL Players in College Hockey
25:59 Recruiting Shifts and D1 Expansion
36:25 Five Year Eligibility Debate
43:14 Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid
48:20 Wrap Up and Thanks

USHL Draft Takeaways, Prospects & Tenders

Evan Marinofsky and Patrick Donnelly discuss key USHL Phase 1 and Phase 2 draft takeaways for New England players. They argue the recent CHL eligibility ruling is driving USHL teams to tender more players to avoid losing them to the Q/O/WHL, noting 11 of 15 first-round Phase 1 picks were tenders. The "Overtime" segment features lighthearted “kindergarten hockey” questions.
Topics
00:39 Podcast Intro and USHL Talk
01:23 USHL Tenders Breakdown
05:40 Why Tenders Are Back
08:01 Phase 1 Overview
11:13 Colin Walsh Spotlight
14:17 Phase 1 Falls and Snubs
17:40 Phase 2 Early Picks
19:10 Glantz Draft Options
20:50 Prep vs. USHL Decisions
21:36 Late-Round Sleepers
25:04 Avon Prep Standouts
25:40 Najda Translation Talk
27:49 Kindergarten Hockey Overtime
35:28 Wrap-Up and Sign-Off

Best of NE Boys: Top 50

Evan and Pat discuss releasing New England Hockey Journal boys top-50 rankings for 2007–2009 birth years and a 2010 watch list, describing the late changes, depth differences by class, and challenges comparing prep/U18 players with juniors while excluding college players. They break down key 2007 debates and note recruiting trends shifting due to the CHL ruling and schools waiting longer to commit. The 2008 class is described as extremely deep; The 2009 class is framed as higher-end talent with strong NTDP top names, a high-ranked goalie, and many skilled uncommitted forwards. 
 
Topics
01:09 How the Top 50 Came Together
03:46 O7 Overview and Depth
04:57 O7 Top 10 Breakdown
09:51 O7 Ranks 11 to 20
11:52 O7 Ranks 21 to 50 and Recruiting Trends
16:05 O8 Class Is Loaded
16:49 O8 Top 10 and Rising Names
19:46 O8 Ranks 11 to 20 Bubble Cases
21:35 O8 Ranks 21 to 50 Sleepers and Goalies
25:32 O9 Depth vs Star Power
26:19 O9 Clear Number One Carter Meyer
28:10 Top Five Upside
28:52 Ranks Six to Ten
31:12 Deep Dive Eleven to Twenty
33:15 Skill Forwards Twenty One
34:28 MIAA Names Thirty Plus
35:21 2010 Watch List
38:06 MIAA Shoutouts Debate
39:44 Overtime Trivia Showdown
45:45 Results and Wrap Up

Best of NE: Girls Top 50

Evan and Pat discuss New England Hockey Journal’s “Best in New England” girls rankings: top 50 lists for 2007–2009 birth years and a 30-player 2010 watch list, noting how difficult and changeable the exercise is. Pat describes 2007s as top-heavy with many already in college and highlights key players and debates defenders and goalies. The 2009 group is called exceptionally deep and high-end. Overtime returns with NHL trivia.
 
Topics
00:43 Podcast Kickoff and Busy Week
01:12 Best in New England Rankings
02:02 Why Ranking Is So Hard
03:42 Girls Rankings Themes
05:39 07s Top 10 Breakdown
08:52 07s Picks 11 to 20
11:24 07s Surprises 21 to 50
15:00 08s Who’s Number One
17:33 08s Middle Tier Debates
21:00 08s Goalies and Uncommitted Targets
25:53 08s Underrated Names
26:57 09s Deepest Class Teaser
28:24 Top Pick Debate
30:29 Rounding Out Top 10
32:40 Defenders and First Goalie
34:12 Level Program Dominance
35:21 Underrated Names to Watch
37:25 Oh Nine Storylines
39:27 Spotlight on Tens
42:57 Tens Watch List Dilemma
45:30 Overtime Trivia Throwdown
53:26 Wrap Up and Sign Off

NEPSAC girls finals: What we learned

Pat Donnelly joins Evan Marinofsky to recap the girls NEPSAC championships. They review lessons learned among all three finals on Sunday.

NEPSAC boys finals: What we learned

Evan Marinofsky joins Pat Donnelly to recap the boys NEPSAC championships. They review lessons learned among all three finals on Sunday.

NEPSAC girls quarterfinals: Initial reactions

Patrick Donnelly joins Evan Marinofsky to discuss his reactions to the winners and losers in the quarterfinals of the girls NEPSAC hockey tournament on Wednesday, March 4.

NEPSAC boys quarterfinals: Initial reactions

Evan Marinofsky joins Patrick Donnelly to discuss his reactions to the winners and losers in the quarterfinals of the boys NEPSAC hockey tournament on Wednesday, March 4.

NEPSAC boys hockey tournament: Brackets, favorites, predictions

This episode features Evan Marinowski and Patrick Donnelly breaking down the brackets for the NEPSAC boys hockey tournament, specifically the Elite 8, Large School, and Small School divisions.