New England Hockey Journal’s RinkWise

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.
 

NEPSAC girls hockey tournament: Brackets, favorites, predictions

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

MIAA Hockey Tourney Favorites and Sleepers

Evan Marinofsky and Patrick Donnelly focus on Massachusetts postseason hockey. They review MIAA boys Division 1 seeding (Catholic Memorial No. 1, Xaverian No. 2, St. John’s Prep No. 3, Arlington No. 4) and discuss potential sleepers including Reading, Wachusett, Framingham, Marshfield, Weymouth and a deep Pope Francis run, with Evan picking CM over Pope Francis in the final. They then break down MIAA girls Division 1 depth and Pat’s bracket picks (Bishop Fenwick over NDA; Methuen/Tewksbury reaching the final quadrant), plus Division 2 picks highlighting Westwood, Milton, Duxbury and King Philip with Pat selecting Milton to win. The show shifts to boys prep, citing Salisbury’s dominant win over Avon and changes in the Elite 8 picture, plus Avon’s six-game skid. Girls prep rankings change significantly, with Nobles rising to No. 1, Loomis to No. 2, Dexter moving up, and St. Paul’s surging after beating Exeter. In "Overtime," they discuss potential future Russian Olympic participation, the impact of the U.S. women’s gold on women’s hockey and the PWHL, and where the men’s win ranks historically (both place it behind 1980).
Topics02:15 MIAA Boys D-1 Bracket04:27 Boys D-1 Sleepers Picks08:00 Why CM Wins D-111:10 Girls D-1 Wide Open13:35 Girls D-1 Predictions19:41 Girls D-2 Bracket Picks26:09 Bracket Challenge Idea26:46 Boys Prep Salisbury Surge29:36 Avon Old Farms Slump31:49 Avon Slump Concerns33:12 Elite 8 Projections35:14 Bubble Teams Watch List39:12 Girls Rankings Shakeup39:44 Nobles New No. 143:21 Loomis Surge Analysis45:25 Dexter And St. Pauls48:41 Top Ten Newcomers50:43 Elite 8 Seeding Outlook53:26 "Overtime" Olympic Questions56:41 Women's Gold Impact59:33 Men's Gold Memories01:05:01 Wrap And Signoff