Mount Up

Is Mount St. Charles The Team To Beat Among ’06s?

They describe a hockey player’s experience in their program as “epic” on the Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy’s website – and it’s hard to argue that you would experience anything otherwise.

The storied organization continually captures titles and advances players to higher levels of hockey, and their 15U squad seems poised to continue the trend. The 2006 birth-year group has been nearly unstoppable so far this season, and we don’t see any reason for them to slow down.

Ranked No. 1 in the latest edition of the world rankings, Mount has a 22-1-1 record, and they already have some hardware to show off. The M’s won the USHL Fall Classic in their age group, showing off in front of scouts galore in one of the biggest early-season events on the hockey calendar. There, they recorded wins over No. 7 Windy City Storm (7-2); Compuware (6-5 in a shootout); Team Minnesota (6-1); Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (1-0) in the semifinals; and No. 3 Little Caesars (5-2) in the final.

To find their only loss, you have to go all the way back to Sept. 12, where they squared off the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite squad and lost 3-1 on home ice. That loss wasn’t anything to be disappointed about, however, as the Penguins are ranked No. 6 in the country. Mount has already evened things up in the season series with the black and gold, as they knocked Pittsburgh off 4-3 on Oct. 17.

The M’s lone tie has also been to an elite opponent. They played the Bishop Kearney Selects — ranked just behind them at No. 2 in the country — to a 3-3 tie in a neutral-site game on Oct. 16. The first time those two teams met, however, it was all Mount, as they beat BK 7-3 on Sept. 10. Expect more fireworks when these two eventually meet again, as they are the two top teams in the Northeast Pack league.

With this type of early season success, it should come as no surprise that the roster is loaded for Mount St. Charles. In between the pipes, California native and dual citizen Justin Bayers has joined a goaltender depth chart that features incumbents Dillon Hanna and John Parsons. In front of the goaltenders is a loaded blue line group; Will Felicio is one to watch.

The forwards are a dangerous group for opposing netminders, as the M’s have outscored the opposition 121-44 this season. James Hagens, a November birthday New York native, is certainly a name to know. The younger brother of Harvard commit and Mount St. Charles 16U standout Michael Hagens, James is establishing his own hype – started by scoring 19 points in seven games at the World Select Invite in 2019. Last year, he led the M’s in scoring – 57 points in the 27 games reported on Elite Prospects.

What’s next for this Mount St. Charles team? Follow World Hockey Hub on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news regarding the top teams in youth hockey.