Barnburners: 15 Greater Taunton hockey players to watch this winter

TAUNTON— Another high school hockey season is upon us in the Greater Taunton area.

Last winter, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk (15-5-1) again was the top boys team in the area, advancing to the MIAA Division 3 Round of 16 before falling to eventual runner-up Scituate. Taunton (13-10) relied on a mix of experience and young talent to once again qualify for the Division III tournament before falling to the Falcon Warriors in the Round of 32. Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth (11-9-1) rallied together through tragedy, dedicating their season in memory of their fallen teammate and qualifying for the Division 3 tournament where it took two overtimes for eventual semi-finalists Watertown to overcome them in the Round of 32. Despite their record, Bridgewater-Raynham (1-17-2) battled hard all season against some of the toughest teams in the state.

Last year saw the addition of girls high school hockey to the Greater Taunton area, with Taunton, along with Attleboro, North Attleboro and Milford, joining the previous MOA Warriors co-op of Mansfield, Oliver Ames and Foxboro to form the Hockomock Stars (1-17) while Bridgewater-Raynham joined the up with the West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater Wild Vikings co-op (5-13-2).

This winter, the Tigers and Hawks will look to build on their progress and earned experience while DRS will look to make it back to the tournament and push further. The Trojans look set to have a much stronger season ]after having already matching last year's win total. The Hockomock Stars are no more, with Attleboro and North Attleboro linking up with Stoughton/Sharon, but Taunton remains part of the rebooted MOA Warriors while West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham will hope to continue to grow and improve into 2024.

A look back: Introducing the 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Hockey All-Scholastics

With the stage set for another action-packed season, here's 15 Greater Taunton area hockey players to keep an eye on this winter:

Travis Cashman, Taunton

The junior defenseman established himself as an assist machine for the Tigers last season, recording three against Attleboro and two against Foxboro, West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater and Apponequet. He also found the back of the net himself against both Stoughton/Brockton and Everett/Revere while continuing to play an important role on the back line. Already having recorded a pair of assists against Stoughton/Brockton in the season opener and a goal and assist against Foxboro, expect Cashman to continue to grow and improve as a key two-way defenseman this winter.

Conner Goranson, Taunton

The senior forward heads into his senior campaign as one of the best offensive weapons at the Tigers' disposal. Last winter, he had a pair of goals and an assist against both West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater and Everett/Revere as well as a goal and assist against Attleboro. He started off his season with a pair of assists against Stoughton/Brockton and had two goals and an assist against Foxboro, so expect him to continue to be a key figure in the Taunton offense.

Cam Tomaszycki, Taunton

The junior goaltender returns for a third season in the Tiger net and once again looks to be one of the top netminders in the area. Last winter, he recorded 51 saves against perennial powerhouse Canton while also stopping 49 shots against Oliver Ames and recording a 29 save shutout against North Attleboro, one of three shutouts he had in 2022-23. Possessing quick reflexes and strong blocking skills, Tomaszycki already has a 17 save shutout under his belt this year and should continue to be a brick wall for Taunton.

Hannah Albert, MOA Warriors

The junior defenseman is the lone Taunton representative on the MOA Warriors but should once again see some serious ice time as she did with the Hockomock Stars last season. Expect her to continue to grow and improve as a player this winter.

Will Foley, Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior forward is off to a hot start this season, recording a hat trick in the season debut against Newton South while also adding a goal and assist against Silver Lake and a goal against St. Mary's of Lynn. Quick and with a keen eye for goal, expect Foley to help lead the way for the Trojans this winter.

Anthony Mussari, Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior defenseman returns for the Trojans as another capable two-way player, already recording a goal against St. Mary's of Lynn and a pair of assists against Silver Lake. He also is one of the top defensive players at B-R's disposal and has shown his leadership skills from the back line. Expect him to continue to be a key figure for the Trojans this year.

Bobby Quill, Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior forward returns for his final campaign with the Trojans where he’ll once again be one of their top offensive weapons. He started off the season with a pair of goals against Newton South and had a goal and assist against Silver Lake. His most notable outing last year came against Dartmouth where he led the way for B-R with a hat trick and an assist. Expect for him to once again be one of the first names on the score sheet for the Trojans this winter.

Abby Gropman, West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham

The eighth grade forward has yet to enter B-R, but is in her second season with the Wild Vikings where she should once again be a key figure on offense. Last year, she recorded eight goals and recording seven assists for a total of 15 points, including a two goal performance against Nantucket. She scored a goal in the season opener against Stoughton/Sharon/Attleboro/North Attleboro. Expect her to continue to grow and improve as a player with plenty of years of varsity hockey ahead of her.

Grace Ogilvie, West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior forward from B-R looks set to wrap up her high school hockey career with another strong season for the Wild Vikings. Last year she led the co-op in assists with nine while also scoring five goals for a total of 14 points. She recorded a pair of assists against Sharon/Stoughton/Attleboro/North Attleboro. Expect her to once again help the Wild Vikings to find their best scoring chances, while knocking in a few of her own.

Kacey Brown, Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth

The senior defenseman from Southeastern looks set to lead the backline for the Hawks in his final high school campaign. While one of the co-op's strongest defensive players, he's also shown he can chip in offensively with four goals and 14 assists last year. Expect him to continue to be a leader on and off the ice for Southeastern/B-P this winter.

Nick Sturdevant, Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth

The senior forward from Southeastern returns to the Hawks as one of their biggest offensive weapons yet again. Quick and with a strong eye for goal, some of his most notable performances from last season include two goals and an assist against Stoughton/Brockton, two goals against South Shore Tech and a pair of goals against Bishop Stang. Expect him to once again be one of the first names on the score sheet this winter.

Cam Wilbur, Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth

The junior forward from B-P has emerged as another top scoring threat for the Hawks, and looks set to grow that prowess this winter. Last season, he recorded nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points, including two goal performances against both Blue Hills and Tri-County. Expect him to light the lamp plenty of times for the co-op this season.

Adam Bastis, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk

The sophomore forward from D-R continues to shine and looks set to fill older brother Noah's skates as the Falcon Warriors' top scorer. After recording a team-high 16 assists and 14 goals for a team second best 30 points last year, Bastis has three goals and three assists in two games, including the overtime winner against Old Rochester/Fairhaven. Quick and with a strong eye for goal, expect to see Bastis light the lamp plenty of times this winter.

Sam Bastis, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk

The senior goalie from D-R enters his final campaign for the Falcon Warriors as one of the area's best and most experienced netminders. A brick wall who's played a large part in the success of DRS the past few seasons, Bastis went 15-4-1 last winter with a 1.74 goals against average and a .936 save percentage while recording six shutouts, including back-to-back shutouts against Old Rochester/Fairhaven and Rogers/Middletown/Tiverton (R.I.). He kicked off this season with a 40 save performance against Medway and should continue to to anchor the defensive efforts of the Falcon Warriors all winter long.

Aidan Boothe, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk

The senior forward from Seekonk looks set to wrap up his high school hockey career as one of the Falcon Warriors' top scoring threats. Last winter, he had 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points and showed his clutch factor by scoring three game-winning goals. Some of his most notable performances included a hat trick against Ponaganset (R.I.), a pair of goals against Apponequet/Old Colony and the lone DRS goal to secure a tie against Bourne. He kicked off this winter with a two assist performance against Medford, and should continue to help propel the Falcon Warrior offense the rest of the way.

Honorable Mention

Cayden Clancy, Taunton

Owen Hathaway, Taunton

Nate Adduci, Bridgewater-Raynham

Sean Nasiff, Bridgewater-Raynham

Keira Sweeney, West Bridgewater/East Bridgewater/Bridgewater-Raynham

Andrew Flanagan, Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth

Thomas Leger, Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth

Brett Axon, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk

Brady Fitzpatrick, Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Watch out for these 15 Greater Taunton area high school hockey players