IL ID Experience Takeaways: 2029 Bruins Who Moved the Needle

Often taking place on the third Sunday in October, the IL ID Experience went down once again at Troy Park in Elkridge, Md., and our Prep Lacrosse scouts plopped down separately on each field to take in the action. Earlier this week, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/six-uncommitted-2028-standouts-from-ils-id-experience/">Mike Campanile put the spotlight on six uncommitted '28s</a>, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/notes-from-field-1-seven-2029s-who-stood-out-at-il-id-experience/">then followed that up with seven '29 evals from Field 1 in Wednesday's piece</a>. This time around, the Bruins' roster was rather stacked in the 2029 division, and several more players, in addition to the five written up in long form below, are deserving of shoutouts.   On top of stellar performances by [player_tooltip player_id='216243' first='Eli' last='Waldeck'], [player_tooltip player_id='216255' first='Conor' last='Cortina'], and [player_tooltip player_id='143088' first='Jax' last='Kumin'], Bronx Lacrosse product and new Avon Old Farms (Conn.) attackman [player_tooltip player_id='179043' first='Albert' last='Soto-Diaz'] did a lot of things well. A top performer at Maverik Showtime with the '29s before bumping back to the 2030 class, he's one to watch going forward. Elsewhere on the attack, Landon (Md.) and Next Level's [player_tooltip player_id='216328' first='Luke' last='Campbell'] racked up several points on individual efforts, and was responsible for the game-winning assist in the Bruins' second game of the day. At midfield, [player_tooltip player_id='216325' first='Holden' last='Hughes'] of Greenwich Country Day (Conn.) and 4Leaf showed off his athleticism but played well despite being relatively quiet in terms of production. Face-off prospect [player_tooltip player_id='202459' first='Keegan' last='Jacob'], a product of Pittsford (N.Y.) and Sweetlax, proved why he's heralded as an early name to watch in the '29 class, and will almost certainly receive a more in-depth evaluation in the weeks to come in a club setting. For now, here's a closer look at five of the top performers for the Bruins:    Given how consistently dominant he was, calling Waldeck's Sunday campaign a revelation would be borderline disrespectful to the 40-point freshman season he put together for one of the nation's best programs in what's widely considered a top-three league. At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds — with room to grow — he already has the frame to handle contact, to go along with exceptional two-handedness and poise.   Waldeck helped his squad establish an early lead by scoring three of its first four goals, finishing with two goals in each half. Wildly skilled and as smooth as they come, he plays with a fearless mindset and impeccable touch as both a passer and scorer. It felt like Waldeck was involved in virtually every scoring play, whether he showed up on the stat sheet, helped set up a goal with a hockey assist, or put in work on the ride. I loved what I saw from Waldeck on live streams last spring, but watching him from the sidelines only reinforced my enthusiasm for what he brings to the table, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in a club setting.     Already a known commodity for good reason, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/01/young-guns-class-of-2029-attackmen-to-know/">Kumin was highlighted in January</a> before putting together a memorable freshman season with 34 goals and 19 assists. Among his many highlights at IDX, the proficient lefty goal-scorer was on the receiving end of the play of the day. It started with a pretty behind-the-back pass from 2030 standout [player_tooltip player_id='179043' first='Albert' last='Soto-Diaz'] on the hockey assist, followed by a no-look, cross-crease feed from Waldeck that Kumin caught in mid-air. He threw in a nifty fake before finishing stickside high on a beauty of a highlight that's since made the rounds on Instagram.   Kumin continued to be every bit as good as advertised, particularly within five to eight yards of the cage, where he showed off impeccable chemistry with his fellow ISL young gun. An outstanding shooter from the wing, he consistently found ways to impact the game both on and off the ball. He's more of a natural off-ball scorer than a primary dodger, but his poise and confidence stand out regardless. Kumin has the skill set to take risks and make flashy plays, yet he rarely forces the issue, consistently playing within himself and making the right decision.     Cortina's skills are off the charts, and after hearing rave reviews about his performance during the practice and drills portion, he backed that up in the two Bruins games I saw, then posted 1G/1A on Field 1 to end the day. A slick lefty who did a nice job playing off Kumin and Waldeck, he showed an advanced feel for working alongside talented teammates while flashing his high-end ability on several occasions. On tape, he's assertive with the ball in his stick and can win matchups from behind the cage or zip precise passes to cutting teammates. Cortina can get up the hash and finish or score from the wing, and he's got a full bag of tricks to free his hands and beat goalies in tight. He's already building an impressive résumé, earning Second Team All-Conference honors as a freshman and representing Team USA at the U-17 level this offseason. I love his stick skills, hands, and creativity, and I'm excited to follow his development moving forward.     Like the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2028, Valora hails from Cape Cod. He transferred from Nauset Regional to Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, where he's playing under former Dartmouth head coach Brendan Callahan and is preparing for his first fall with 4Leaf. This past weekend, he popped onto Prep Lacrosse's radar in a major way, passing the eye test with his size and flashes of athleticism. Valora is far more than a big body, though, communicating and rotating at a high level when he wasn't excelling on-ball. There's always so much to be said about a defender who jumps into a showcase setting and helps get his unit organized, and Valora seemed to embrace that role. He's still growing into his body and polishing his footwork, but he's already taken a step forward since I saw him for a bit back at NILLY late in the summer. Either way, there's a lot to like, and I think he could become a formidable prospect now that he's a 2029 recruit.     As has been written several times before, being a goalie at a showcase can often be unforgiving. That being said, Goodwin was more than up to the task, standing on his head and making some flat-out absurd stops in close. A fiery lefty stopper, he was reactive but calm in between the pipes, showing off an explosive top hand and exceptional athleticism. He made more than one beautiful doorstep save on a 2v1, and a handful of pretty kick saves, making stops by any means necessary. There's a track record of excellent goalies coming out of the Centennial State for more than a few decades now — including Duke's Buck Cunningham, a fellow Valor Christian guy — and Goodwin seems to be next in line. In all likelihood, I'll be seeing more of him this weekend, but this time in his home state of Colorado as opposed to my backyard.

Often taking place on the third Sunday in October, the IL ID Experience went down once again at Troy Park in Elkridge, Md., and our Prep Lacrosse scouts plopped down separately on each field to take in the action. Earlier this week, Mike Campanile put the spotlight on six uncommitted '28s, then followed that up with seven '29 evals from Field 1 in Wednesday's piece.

This time around, the Bruins' roster was rather stacked in the 2029 division, and several more players, in addition to the five written up in long form below, are deserving of shoutouts.

On top of stellar performances by Eli Waldeck Eli Waldeck 6'2" | 190 lbs | A | Left Hand Belmont Hill | 2029 MA , Conor Cortina Conor Cortina 5'10" | 160 lbs | A/M | Left Hand Kent Denver | 2029 CO , and Jax Kumin Jax Kumin 6'1" | 155 lbs | A/M | Left Hand Noble and Greenough | 2029 MA , Bronx Lacrosse product and new Avon Old Farms (Conn.) attackman Albert Soto-Diaz Albert Soto-Diaz 6'2" | A Avon Old Farms | 2030 CT did a lot of things well. A top performer at Maverik Showtime with the '29s before bumping back to the 2030 class, he's one to watch going forward. Elsewhere on the attack, Landon (Md.) and Next Level's Luke Campbell Luke Campbell A | Right Hand Landon School | 2029 MD racked up several points on individual efforts, and was responsible for the game-winning assist in the Bruins' second game of the day. At midfield, Holden Hughes Holden Hughes 6'1" | M/A Greenwich Country Day | 2029 CT of Greenwich Country Day (Conn.) and 4Leaf showed off his athleticism but played well despite being relatively quiet in terms of production. Face-off prospect Keegan Jacob Keegan Jacob 5'6" | FO | Right Hand Pittsford | 2029 NY , a product of Pittsford (N.Y.) and Sweetlax, proved why he's heralded as an early name to watch in the '29 class, and will almost certainly receive a more in-depth evaluation in the weeks to come in a club setting.

For now, here's a closer look at five of the top performers for the Bruins:

Eli Waldeck

HEIGHT 6'2"

WEIGHT 190

POS A

CLASS 2029

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Eli Waldeck

State: Massachusetts

School: Belmont Hill

Club: 3d New England, Hilltop

Given how consistently dominant he was, calling Waldeck's Sunday campaign a revelation would be borderline disrespectful to the 40-point freshman season he put together for one of the nation's best programs in what's widely considered a top-three league. At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds — with room to grow — he already has the frame to handle contact, to go along with exceptional two-handedness and poise.

Waldeck helped his squad establish an early lead by scoring three of its first four goals, finishing with two goals in each half. Wildly skilled and as smooth as they come, he plays with a fearless mindset and impeccable touch as both a passer and scorer. It felt like Waldeck was involved in virtually every scoring play, whether he showed up on the stat sheet, helped set up a goal with a hockey assist, or put in work on the ride. I loved what I saw from Waldeck on live streams last spring, but watching him from the sidelines only reinforced my enthusiasm for what he brings to the table, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in a club setting.

Jax Kumin

HEIGHT 6'1"

WEIGHT 155

POS A/M

CLASS 2029

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Jax Kumin

State: Massachusetts

School: Noble and Greenough

Club: 3d New England

Already a known commodity for good reason, Kumin was highlighted in January before putting together a memorable freshman season with 34 goals and 19 assists. Among his many highlights at IDX, the proficient lefty goal-scorer was on the receiving end of the play of the day. It started with a pretty behind-the-back pass from 2030 standout Albert Soto-Diaz Albert Soto-Diaz 6'2" | A Avon Old Farms | 2030 CT on the hockey assist, followed by a no-look, cross-crease feed from Waldeck that Kumin caught in mid-air. He threw in a nifty fake before finishing stickside high on a beauty of a highlight that's since made the rounds on Instagram.

Kumin continued to be every bit as good as advertised, particularly within five to eight yards of the cage, where he showed off impeccable chemistry with his fellow ISL young gun. An outstanding shooter from the wing, he consistently found ways to impact the game both on and off the ball. He's more of a natural off-ball scorer than a primary dodger, but his poise and confidence stand out regardless. Kumin has the skill set to take risks and make flashy plays, yet he rarely forces the issue, consistently playing within himself and making the right decision.

Highlights

Conor Cortina

HEIGHT 5'10"

WEIGHT 160

POS A/M

CLASS 2029

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Conor Cortina

State: Colorado

School: Kent Denver

Club: Team 91 Colorado

Cortina's skills are off the charts, and after hearing rave reviews about his performance during the practice and drills portion, he backed that up in the two Bruins games I saw, then posted 1G/1A on Field 1 to end the day. A slick lefty who did a nice job playing off Kumin and Waldeck, he showed an advanced feel for working alongside talented teammates while flashing his high-end ability on several occasions. On tape, he's assertive with the ball in his stick and can win matchups from behind the cage or zip precise passes to cutting teammates. Cortina can get up the hash and finish or score from the wing, and he's got a full bag of tricks to free his hands and beat goalies in tight. He's already building an impressive résumé, earning Second Team All-Conference honors as a freshman and representing Team USA at the U-17 level this offseason. I love his stick skills, hands, and creativity, and I'm excited to follow his development moving forward.

Highlights

Chris Valora

HEIGHT 6'2"

WEIGHT 190

POS D

CLASS 2029

View Player

Chris Valora

State: New Hampshire

School: Proctor Academy

Club: 4 Leaf

Like the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2028, Valora hails from Cape Cod. He transferred from Nauset Regional to Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, where he's playing under former Dartmouth head coach Brendan Callahan and is preparing for his first fall with 4Leaf. This past weekend, he popped onto Prep Lacrosse's radar in a major way, passing the eye test with his size and flashes of athleticism. Valora is far more than a big body, though, communicating and rotating at a high level when he wasn't excelling on-ball. There's always so much to be said about a defender who jumps into a showcase setting and helps get his unit organized, and Valora seemed to embrace that role.
He's still growing into his body and polishing his footwork, but he's already taken a step forward since I saw him for a bit back at NILLY late in the summer. Either way, there's a lot to like, and I think he could become a formidable prospect now that he's a 2029 recruit.