Scout's Notebook: A look at the standout draft prospects from the Massachusetts prep circuit

The Beanpot is fast becoming one of my favourite events on the scouting calendar, and it's not just because of the high-stakes, single-elimination hockey that scouts and fans are treated to through both days of the tournament.

It's all the downtime in the week or so between games that really makes the trip worth it. Just think about it. You're stuck in Boston, surrounded on every side by NHL, AHL, NCAA, and American prep school hockey in the middle of their respective seasons. It's a veritable smorgasbord of high-level hockey.

It's the American prep school viewings that we're going to focus on for the sake of today's Scout's Notebook, though. The dearth of video for this circuit makes the live viewings I was able to take in during my week-long stay exceptionally valuable, even if the sample is small and the setting volatile. It beats missing out on these prospects because they can't otherwise land on our radar, right?

To wit, I couldn't actually find video footage for one of the games I attended, and the video that was available for the other one was of such low quality that it's a bit of a struggle to capture what I was seeing live that week. You're just going to have to take me at my word, for the most part.

Today's notebook focuses on four players in specific from the Massachusetts prep circuit: James Fisher of Belmont Hill, Michael Fisher from St. Mark's School, and Michael Callow and Nolan Joyce of St. Sebastian's school. It's a group that couldn't be more varied in their playing styles or profiles.

Each one of these players featured in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season ranking, and two of them have a legitimate chance to land on the Elite Prospects draft board at some point this season. You're just going to have to keep reading to find out which ones, though.