Vote for the Greatest South Shore High School Boys Hockey Player Ever

Massachusetts is hockey country. The list of South Shore legends is long.

In light of the country's 250th birthday, let's look back into the local scene's history to highlight the best players to ever play high school hockey here (and perhaps to go on to light up the collegiate and pro levels, too). After exhaustive research, our staff narrowed it down to what we consider to be the South Shore's top 10 high school boys hockey players ever.

Among all of the jaw-dropping talent, who can rightfully be called the best of the best? Cast a vote for your favorite candidate. Voting is unlimited.

Here is our list of 10 worthy candidates, listed alphabetically.

The poll

The candidates

Tony Amonte, Thayer Academy via Hingham

Amonte totaled 198 total points in his sophomore, junior and senior years of high school while leading Thayer to two New England Championships. The 1989 graduate was drafted in the fourth round (68th overall) by the New York Rangers after his junior year of high school. Amonte went on to play two seasons at Boston University before turning pro in 1991-92, and becoming a five-time NHL All-Star and two-time Olympian in 16 years in the league with stops in Chicago, New York (Rangers), Calgary, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

Jim Carey, BC High/Catholic Memorial via Weymouth

Carey posted a combined 45-2 record across three high school seasons -- one season at BC High (12-0) and two at Catholic Memorial (33-2) from 1989-92. He was selected by Washington in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft before playing two collegiate seasons at Wisconsin. Carey's junior and senior years in high school were the start of CM winning 12 of 15 Division 1A Super 8s. He won the Vezina Trophy, which highlights the NHL's top goaltender, as a second-year player with the Capitals, and played five pro seasons in total (which includes tenures with the Bruins and Blues).

Charlie Coyle of Weymouth.

Charlie Coyle, Thayer Academy/Weymouth

The Weymouth High grad played two seasons at Thayer Academy in Braintree before being a first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2010. He had a 48-point season at Thayer and a 63-point season with the South Shore Kings in high school. At Boston University, Coyle was named New England and Hockey East Rookie of the Year. He amassed over 1,000 career games in the NHL in 14 seasons with tenures in Minnesota, Boston, Colorado and Columbus.

Ralph Cox, Archbishop Williams via Braintree

The 1975 graduate went on to become the all-time points leader (243) at the University of New Hampshire and was the last player cut from the famous 'Miracle on Ice' squad that claimed gold in the 1980 Olympics. In 2005, Cox was named to the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame for leading Archbishop Williams to a pair of state final appearances. He was drafted by the Bruins with the 122nd overall selection in the seventh round of the 1977 NHL Draft.

Jim Craig, Oliver Ames

Craig manned Team USA's net in the 'Miracle on Ice' victory in 1980, swatting aside 36 shots in the 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union just five years after graduating high school. He is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Boston University Hall of Fame and Massasoit Community College Hall of Fame. Craig owned a 54-2 career record in net at OA, and went on to go 55-10-3 in three years at BU (where he won a national championship) before playing 30 games in the NHL as a fourth-round pick by Atlanta.

Rod Langway, Randolph

Langway led Randolph High to state final appearances as a sophomore in 1973 and as a senior in 1975. The Hockey Hall of Famer won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's most outstanding defenseman twice (1983-84) and was six games shy of the 1,000 career games across tenures in Montreal and Washington. He played two years at the University of New Hampshire and was a second-round pick in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. The six-time All-Star retired after 15 seasons with 329 total points.

Marty McInnis, Milton Academy via Hingham

McInnis scored a combined 91 points in his final two years at Milton Academy from 1986-1988 before being selected by the Islanders in the eighth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. At Boston College, McInnis racked up 142 points in three seasons. He played for the 1992 Olympic team and played 12 pro seasons with the New York, Calgary, Anaheim and Boston. He retired in 2003 with 420 career points – 170 goals, 250 assists – in 796 regular season games.

Jeremy Roenick, Thayer Academy via Marshfield

Roenick led Thayer Academy to a pair of New England championships before blossoming into a 20-year NHL veteran and 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. The eighth overall selection by Chicago in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Roenick concluded his career with 1,216 points across 1,363 games played with Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose. He retired in 2009 as a nine-time NHL All-Star.

Kevin Stevens, Silver Lake

After the Brockton native and former Pembroke resident graduated from Silver Lake in 1983, Stevens went on to become a Boston College Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The three-time NHL All-Star played 15 pro seasons with stops in Pittsburgh, Boston, Los Angeles, New York (Rangers) and Philadelphia, finishing with 726 career points across 874 games. Stevens was a sixth-round selection by the LA Kings in the 1983 Entry Draft, but was dealt to Pittsburgh before debuting at 22 years old.

Tim Sweeney, Weymouth

Sweeney had an 88-point senior season (32 goals, 56 assists) at Weymouth North in 1984-85, and went on to star at Boston College for four years before logging eight pro seasons in the NHL. A sixth-round choice by Calgary in the 1985 Entry Draft, Sweeney played 291 games in the pros with additional stops in Boston, Anaheim and New York (Rangers). As a senior at BC, Sweeney boasted a team-high 73 points as the Eagles advanced to the NCAA championship quarterfinals. He is enshrined in the college's Hall of Fame.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Vote for greatest South Shore boys hockey player of all time