Every so often, I like to take the temperature of the college hockey recruiting landscape.
Now isn't the hottest time for it — that would be August and September. But November is still an interesting time for recruiting. College coaches have gotten their fill of fall split-season hockey. The prep season begins in less than a month. Full-season academy teams are getting into their groove.
And then there is junior hockey.
Juniors mostly start in late September, so college coaches have gotten a chance to watch prospects in those leagues for well over a month now. That comes into play with the first player mentioned in this story.
Either way, some new teams have been active since we last looked at the recruiting world.
Let's dive in.
Brady Kudrick commits to Boston College
Kudrick (Norwell, Mass.) took a massive leap when he left Thayer early for the Surrey Eagles in the BCHL. Although he's an '05, he wasn't someone I had circled to leave before his senior year. He was a breakout star for Thayer last year, posting 17 goals and 38 points in 28 games.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward took big steps last fall with the Cape Cod Whalers, which led into a great prep season. Typically, a player like Kudrick (at his size and uncommitted) might opt to stay for his senior year even at 19 years old.
So far, he has been proven very right.
Through 15 games, he has 10 goals and 17 points, ranking him 11th among all players in the BCHL in scoring. His strong start culminated in committing to Boston College this past weekend.
He's a great example of sometimes, taking a chance on yourself can actually work. And he's a bit of a late-bloomer, as it took him some time to find his groove at Thayer. Kudrick also has a lethal shot that he can get off from just about anywhere.
Kudrick joins Kristian Kostadinski and Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.) as BC's other '05s who have yet to step on campus.
One day after getting a commitment from Kudrick, the Eagles landed another from Noah Davidson, an '08. He's a 6-foot-2, 198-pound forward from Irvine, Calif., who has played up the last two seasons with Shattuck St. Mary's. He's with the 18U team this campaign.
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UMass Lowell continues to win
So far, UMass Lowell has been one of the biggest surprises in college hockey. At 5-1-0, the River Hawks were No. 17 in Monday's USCHO poll — a big jump from being No. 9 in the preseason Hockey East coaches poll.
The River Hawks have also made sizeable gains on the recruiting front.
On Sunday, Anthony Pedalino committed to UMass Lowell. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound defenseman is a puck-moving machine for the 16U Long Island Gulls. Through 31 games this season, he has four goals and 16 points. That's been in line with his offensive production over the last two years: 64 points in 79 games as a 15O; 58 in 65 as a 14U.
It's a great get for UMass Lowell — a potential difference-maker for the River Hawks when he eventually steps foot on campus, which is still a while away.
Pedalino was at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp this past summer and was taken in the 20th round (299th overall) by the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL Phase 1 Draft earlier this year.
Back in October, UMass Lowell got commitments from goalie Jack Solomon and forward Tristen Buckley.
Solomon is an '05 playing with the NAHL's Austin Bruins this season where he has a 2.56 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. He stands at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. Buckley is a late '07 who is 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds. He's in his first season of juniors, playing for the BCHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders with three goals and seven points in 15 games.
Brown receives three commitments
Brown has been active over the last month, securing three commitments in October.
It started with Benjamin Marcolini, an '08 forward with the New Jersey Rockets' 16U team. The Washington, N.J., native stands at 5-foot-11 and 159 pounds, and was a standout for the Rockets 15O team last season with 24 goals and 53 points in 67 games.
At the end of the month, Brown got a commitment from defenseman Owen Dyer, an '04 playing for the USHL's Des Moines Dyer comes in at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds and is in his fourth year of juniors after spending 2021-23 in the NAHL before making the move to Des Moines.
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But the interesting commitment for New England hockey fans was Archer Brown, who announced his choice of Brown midway through October. The New York City native spent four seasons playing for Taft and was instrumental in the Rhinos' Large School win in 2023. He was also a longtime member of the Yale Junior Bulldogs.
The New Hampshire kid chooses New Hampshire
On Sept. 26, Blake Cash committed to the University of New Hampshire. Go figure.
The Hampton Falls, N.H., native has long been a standout for Seacoast Performance Academy. He's on the 16U team this year and is lighting it up with 16 goals and 41 points in 24 games. He's gotten better each season with SPA and seems to be hitting his stride.
Cash is known for his outstanding, straight-ahead speed. He can fly and also has a great shot. The '08 isn't lacking in potential and is a strong get for his home state's flagship university.
UNH also got a commitment from Geno Carcone. While he's been with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers for the past two seasons, the '06 forward was a star for BK Selects.
Before heading to the USHL, he had 31 goals and 87 points in 56 games for BK's 16U team. As a 15O, he put up a whopper of a year: 44 goals and 114 points in 75 games. The Woodstock, Georgia native is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds.
A former Brunswick star picks Yale
From 2021-23, James Shannon (Greenwich, Conn.), an '04, was a stalwart for Brunswick. He posted 18 goals and 40 points as a junior before notching 13 and 30 as a senior.
He's in the middle of his second season with the BCHL's Coquitlam Express and committed to Yale midway through October. The 5-foot-10, 179-pound forward has nine goals and 17 points in 16 points this season.
Yale also got a commitment from Charlie Ashcroft, an intriguing '08 defenseman who plays for Upper Canada College. At 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, he posted a strong season for the North York Rangers' 16U team last season with 10 goals and 45 points. He's from Toronto.
Three more commits for Merrimack
In late September, Surrey Eagles forward Sam Elliott committed to Merrimack. The British Columbia native posted four goals and 12 points in 46 games for Surrey in the BCHL last season. An '05, he's 6-foot-1 and 161 pounds.
The Warriors also got a commitment from Brooks Bandits defenseman Ethan Beyer, an '04. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Philadelphia native has two goals and 13 points in 15 games for the BCHL's Brooks Bandits this season.
Head coach Scott Borek's staff also snagged an '08 off the board in Easton Daneault. The Red Deer, Alberta, native is the brother of Ty Daneault, who is in his second season with the Warriors. Easton has six goals and 15 points for the Drumheller Dragons in the AJHL this season.
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Boston Hockey Academy standout chooses Maine
Michal Marsalek made the move from playing in Czechia to Boston Hockey Academy ahead of last season. He posted a great season on defense for BHA's 16U team, scoring 24 goals and finishing with 65 points in 67 games.
That momentum continued into this season, as he has five goals and 26 points in 25 games for BHA's 16U squad.
All of this helped Marsalek pledge to attend Maine. Marsalek, from Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, is a 6-foot-2, 174-pound defender from the 2008 birth year.
