The past two years have been iconic in terms of freshmen in New England Division 1 men’s college hockey.
The region has featured grade-A talent Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), Gabe Perreault, Macklin Celebrini, James Hagens, Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.), Cole Hutson, Bradley Nadeau — and those are just a few.
I’m not sure the level of the past two seasons is hit this year, but there will be a plethora of high-end, freshmen talent making an impact. This story does not include transfers from other college hockey programs.
Let’s dive in.
Carter Amico
Boston University, 3/15/2007, D, right shot, 6-5/225
Hometown: Westbrook, Maine
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers
Amico went early on Day 2 in June’s NHL Draft, going 38th to the Flyers. The former Seacoast Performance Academy and Mount St. Charles product is now fully healthy after playing only 13 games last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 team. He missed a good chunk of his U-17 year with the NTDP, too. Amico will be counted on to shut down Hockey East’s top forwards — and should have no problem doing so.
Donny Bracco
Harvard, 7/26/2007, D, left shot, 5-10/161
Hometown: Locust Valley, N.Y.
Bracco was consistent through his two years with the NTDP, tallying 35 points on the U-17 team and then 32 with the U-18s last season. He’s extremely patient with pucks and is known as a puck-moving defenseman.
Jonathan Fauchon
Providence College, 1/13/2004, C, left shot, 5-11/176
Hometown: Ste-Claire-de-Bellechasse, Quebec
Fauchon is another recruit from the CHL, as he’s been in the QMJHL since 2020. He was with Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for the majority of that, and was then dealt to Rimouski Océanic midway through last season. He was extremely productive last season, notching 50 points in 31 games for Blainville-Boisbriand before notching 53 in 33 games with Rimouski.
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Conrad Fondrk
Boston University, 6/1/2007, C, left shot, 6-0/203
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn.
NHL: New Jersey Devils
Local hockey fans might remember Fondrk’s name from his time with Mount St. Charles when he had over 100 points in each of his 14-U and 15O seasons. He missed some time with the NTDP’s U-18 team last season, posting 13 goals and 27 points in 40 games. But he was fantastic as a U-17, posting 20 goals and 45 points in 54 games.
Jack Galanek
UMass, 6/4/2006, C, left shot, 6-0/176
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
Galanek grew up playing locally but moved to Shattuck St. Mary’s for his 14-U season in 2020. He spent the past two seasons with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, most recently tallying 22 goals and 50 points in 60 games.
Richard Gallant
Harvard, 6/12/2007, LW, left shot, 5-8/170
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
NHL: San Jose Sharks
Gallant led the NTDP’s U-18 team in goals last season with 29. The St. Mark’s product was taken late in June’s NHL Draft, going in the seventh round (210th overall). Gallant is undersized for sure, but his compete and fearlessness make up for it. He should be an impact scorer for Harvard this winter.
Caeden Herrington
Vermont, 1/26/2006, D, right shot, 6-2/205
Hometown: Manchester, Vt.
NHL: Los Angeles Kings
Herrington grew up wanting to go to Vermont, and now the time has come. The Holderness product greatly improved his stock last season with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, scoring 16 goals from the blue line and adding 18 assists in 56 games. He’s an offensive dynamo with size, which the Kings recognized in June when they nabbed him in the fourth round. He will be a difference-maker for the Catamounts.
Beau Jelsma
Providence College, 4/28/2004, F, left shot, 5-10/181
Hometown: London, Ontario
Providence clearly has been active picking players from the CHL (more on that in a bit). Jelsma had been with the OHL’s Barrie Colts since 2020, culminating in a 20-goal, 52-point season last winter.
Aidan Lane
Harvard, 2/4/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/192
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
NHL: Calgary Flames
Lane was a standout with St. Andrew’s College last winter, scoring 34 goals and putting up 86 points in 55 games. He finished the season by playing 13 games with the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads, posting seven goals and 13 points. The Flames took him in the sixth round (176th overall) of this year’s NHL Draft.
Matthew Lansing
Quinnipiac, 2/24/2007, F, left shot, 6-1/185
Hometown: Tonawanda, N.Y.
NHL: Vancouver Canucks
Lansing spent last season with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks and then the Fargo Force. He also played 13 games for the NTDP’s U-18 squad. His best stretch came with the Force, tallying 10 points in 14 games. Lansing is a two-way power forward in every sense of the word. He should make an impact no matter where he is in the lineup.
Quinn Mantei
Providence College, 4/23/2005, D, left shot, 6-0/187
Hometown: Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Mantei had been with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings since 2021. He tallied seven goals and 45 points in 64 games this past season with Brandon. He’s known for his quickness and his puck-moving abilities.
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Roger McQueen
Providence College, 10/2/2006, C, right shot, 6-6/198
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
NHL: Anaheim Ducks
The Friars shocked the hockey universe when they landed a commitment from McQueen over the summer. The big center was picked 10th in June’s NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks and comes with loads of hype. In a shortened season last winter due to a back injury, he tallied 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games. He has the upside of being a legitimate No. 1 center in the NHL.
Will Moore
Boston College, 3/24/2007, C, left shot, 6-3/181
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
NHL: Boston Bruins
Moore ranked second on last year’s U-18 NTDP squad with 59 points in 64 games. With his size and smarts, he can play in any situation at BC this fall. The Bruins noticed that, which is why they snagged him in the second round (51st overall) in this year’s NHL Draft.
Jack Murtagh
Boston University, 8/22/2007, F, left shot, 6-1/198
Hometown: East Greenbush, N.Y.
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers
Murtagh was a top performer for the NTDP’s U-18 squad last winter, tallying 22 goals and 53 points in 56 games. The BK Selects alum went early on Day 2 of June’s draft, going 40th overall to the Flyers. He has a high compete and a wicked wrist shot.
Vaclav Nestrasil
UMass, 4/6/2007, RW, right shot, 6-6/190
Hometown: Praha, Czechia
NHL: Chicago Blackhawks
Nestrasil is a huge get for UMass. The Czech forward was taken 25th overall in June by the Blackhawks. He notched 19 goals and 42 points in 61 USHL games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Nestrasil is known as a well-rounded right winger with size who plays with a very high compete.
Landon Nycz
UMass, 10/4/2007, D, left shot, 6-3/201
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
NHL: Eligible for 2026 NHL Draft
Nycz will begin the season as one of the youngest players in college hockey at 17. He split time between the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks and Sioux City Musketeers last season. It’s hard not to be intrigued by the Detroit native’s size.
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Jack Pechar
Northeastern, 3/20/2005, F, right shot, 6-1/198
Hometown: Niskayuna, N.Y.Â
Pechar lit it up last season for the USHL's Lincoln Stars, posting 27 goals and 61 points in 56 games. He was a standout for South Kent's 16U and 18U teams from 2021-23, and grew up playing for Clifton Park Dynamo. His size and ability to produce should make him impactful for Northeastern this season.
Ryder Ritchie
Boston University, 8/3/2006, RW, right shot, 6-1/185
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
NHL: Minnesota Wild
Ritchie is another prime example of a CHL player opting for the NCAA. Ritchie spent the past three seasons in the WHL — the first two with the Prince Albert Raiders and last winter with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Rather than going back to Medicine Hat, he’s going to BU. He scored 29 times and tallied 61 points in 53 games for Medicine Hat last season.
Heikki Ruohonen
Harvard, 6/19/2006, C, left shot, 6-2/205
Hometown: Helsinki, Finland
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers
Last season was Ruohonen’s first in the United States, as he played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL, scoring 16 goals and posting 39 points in 49 games. The Philadelphia Flyers snagged Ruohonen 107th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Julius Sumpf
Providence College, 1/11/2005, C, left shot, 6-2/198
Hometown: München, Germany
NHL: Chicago Blackhawks
Sumpf was taken out of the QMJHL by the Friars. The German forward was with the Moncton Wildcats for the past two seasons, posting 55 points in his first season and 65 last winter. The Chicago Blackhawks took him 98th overall in the NHL Draft earlier this year.
Charlie Trethewey
Boston University, 8/2/2007, D, right shot, 6-2/201
Hometown: Ellicott City, Md.
NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins
Trethewey slipped a bit in this year’s NHL Draft, falling to the third round (73rd overall) to the Pittsburgh Penguins. That doesn’t take away from his two-way abilities as a defenseman. With the NTDP last year, he had six goals and 20 points in 63 games. As a U-17, he notched 12 goals and 35 points in 52 games.
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Ethan Wyttenbach
Quinnipiac, 2/10/2007, F, right shot, 5-10/181
Hometown: Roslyn, N.Y.
NHL: Calgary Flames
I’ve always been a big fan of Wyttenbach’s game. After being a standout for the Long Island Gulls, he moved to the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede last season and dominated, scoring 24 goals and posting 51 points in 44 games. He was also the winner of the inaugural Gaudreau Award, given yearly to a USHL player who best embodies the legacy of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
