Season Preview: New Era For Boys Hockey Begins

The Nantucket boys hockey team has enjoyed plenty of success in recent years including three consecutive appearances in the Div. 4 state quarterfinal and one berth in the semifinal. This year, the program turns the page and begins a new era with many of their core players graduating last June such as goalie Griffin Starr, forwards Ryan Davis, Colby O’Keefe, Braden Knapp, and defensemen Mike Culkins and Hunter Strojny.

But the team still has some returning faces including Jeremy Jenkinson, who will be the team’s captain this winter as a junior forward, junior forward Canton Jenkinson, and assistant captain/junior defenseman Soren Edwardes.

“We are seeing a lot of good stuff actually," head coach Jack Moran, who is entering his third season as head coach, said. "We are very happy with the new kids especially. Then the kids returning from last year are bigger and stronger, which is nice. For the first few practices that we've had, it's been a good feeling to watch the kids play because they're all interacting well and there is a lot of talent. Now we just kind of have to fine tune everything to make it work as far as the lines go, how we set up everything, and that's going to be a work in progress.”

There will also be some new names to keep an eye on for the Whalers who figure to play key roles. The notable player will be Nantucket’s only senior – Miles Beaudette – who went to school off island in recent years but returned to the island this fall. He is expected to help anchor Nantucket’s defense core alongside Edwardes.

"Miles Beaudette is going to be a key addition to the team this year,” Moran said. “He is a hard worker, he skates really well, he handles the puck well, and he is a big kid. He has a great shot. I expect a lot of good things to come from him.”

Several returning players are also expected to make some big leaps and contribute heavily on the ice such as juniors Ben Freeman, Gordon Raimo, Ronald Del Rosario Gomez, and Andrew Lavin. Sophomores Tommy Schroeder and Paxton Fitch are also expected to get plenty of ice time.

"You lose the six players like we lost, and I think every coach would say to themselves, 'Okay, this is going to be interesting,’” Moran said. “But with that being said, I'm kind of welcoming the challenge. I think we have the necessary pieces to keep going. I really do. A lot of new faces to me. I'm watching them play and I'm like, 'Man, how did I not know who this player was,’ because they're all standouts. They really are. It's been really, really fun to watch them interact with the older guys.”

A staple of Nantucket’s program since Moran took over has been the dry land training they do with Moran’s wife, Stacey, and Jack Moran said that the work ethic shown in recent years has not changed with the new players coming up.

"It is the same thing," Jack Moran said. "They have been itching to do it for a long time. Soren was on me back in October asking when we can start. They were doing stuff on their own through the Health Club. They were able to get a program set up with them through Nantucket Cycling & Fitness to start working out one month early for the kids that weren't participating in any fall sports or those that were done. They've been rocking it since the beginning of November roughly. So it's been good. They're in good shape.”

The Whalers starting goalie entering the season was supposed to be junior CJ Clarke, however he suffered an injury during football season and his status moving forward is unknown. In the meantime, the Whalers will turn to junior Nick Yates in net.

Nantucket will begin their regular season at home on Saturday, December 14^th at 2 p.m. when they welcome Martha’s Vineyard to the island. You can view their full schedule here.