And here we go.
Since Jan. 1, college hockey teams have been able to contact then-sophomores in high schools. That will all pay off on Tuesday, Aug. 1 when colleges can begin offering scholarships to those same players, who are now entering their junior year of high school.
Last year, a handful of local talent committed when Aug. 1 rolled around.
Defenseman Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) pledged to BU on Day 1. Defenseman Tory Pitner and forward Matthew Frost, who both played at South Kent, committed to schools on Day 1, too, with Pitner choosing UMass and Frost opting for Boston College.
Kent's Alex Bales announced Providence College was his destination on Aug. 1. Cam Russo (Middleton, Mass.), a forward at Governor's Academy, chose Brown, while Dexter's Jonathan Lanza (Winthrop, Mass.) selected Yale. Westminster's Ryan Shaw (East Longmeadow, Mass.) gave his commitment to RPI.
Some top talent opt to wait until later in August, while others take their time to decide. Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.), a projected top-three pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, waited until September of last year to announce his commitment to the University of Minnesota. Most wait even longer.
Still, a good number of players announce early in August. Here are nine prospects to watch when the recruiting window opens. Many more players from around the region may commit throughout August and some on this list may opt to wait.
It's an ever-changing process, but I find these nine particularly interesting. They're listed alphabetically.
Everett Baldwin
St. George's, 1/15/2007, D, right shot, 5-11/165
Hometown: Rumford, R.I.Â
Baldwin put together a strong season for St. George's in 2022-23, posting two goals and 16 points in 28 games. He was rewarded by being selected in the fourth round (59th overall) by Cedar Rapids in the USHL Futures Draft in May. The Rumford, R.I., native was at USA Hockey's Select 15 Camp last year and Select 16 Camp this year. Baldwin boasts a strong two-way game and is receiving interest from Hockey East and Ivy League schools. He could commit early in August or wait to make a decision.
Thatcher Bernstein
Nobles, 7/17/2006, G, catches left, 6-3/209
Hometown: Boston, Mass.Â
Most goalies tend to wait a bit to commit, but Bernstein has proven he's not "most" goalies. The 6-foot-3 netminder is poised in the net and one of the top goalies in his birth year. In 2022, he was invited to the USNTDP Evaluation Camp. He followed that up by being selected by Dubuque in the fifth round (72nd overall) of the 2022 USHL Futures Draft. He posted a 2.24 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage for Nobles this past winter. Most recently, he was one of five locals to make the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup team. The feeling is Bernstein will commit sometime in August. One school to keep an eye on is Harvard. He will join Dubuque for the 2023-24 season.
Richard Gallant
St. Mark's/USNTDP U17, 6/12/2007, F, left shot, 5-7.5/165
Hometown: Concord, Mass.Â
Even though Gallant battled injuries during the 2022-23 season, he still averaged almost two points per game for St. Mark's, scoring 12 goals and adding 21 assists in 17 games. Gallant was invited to the U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in March and eventually made the 2023-24 NTDP U17 team. He's a small forward with good skill, a high hockey IQ and a very high compete level. The Concord, Mass., native has his choice of top college hockey programs in both New England and the Midwest. Expect a decision early in August.
James Hagens
USNTDP 17U, 11/3/2006, C, left shot, 5-10/152Â
Hometown: Hauppauge, N.Y.Â
While Hagens isn't technically from New England, he's a Mount St. Charles alum and New York is close enough. Hagens is one of the biggest catches of this college recruiting class after posting 26 goals and 66 points in 43 games for the USNTDP's U17 team this past winter. Prior to that, he notched 54 goals and 115 points in 54 games for Mount St. Charles' 15U team in 2021-22. Per sources, Hagens won't be committing on Aug. 1 and could take his time. As for schools with interest? While the favorites are Harvard and BC, according to sources, colleges from the Midwest have lots of interest as well. An interesting note is that Harvard has Hagens' older brother Michael committed.
Michael Munroe
Avon Old Farms, 7/6/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/165
Hometown: Hanover, Mass.Â
Munroe had a strong showing in Year No. 1 at Avon Old Farms. He was a strong secondary scoring option for the Elite 8 champs, posting seven goals and 14 points in 28 games. He plays with a high compete, has a wicked shot and is a good skater. At Select 16s this summer, he scored three goals and added three helpers in five games.
Teddy Mutryn
St. Sebastian's, 2/16/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/190
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.Â
After trying out and not making the NTDP's U17 team, Mutryn is slated to return to St. Sebastian's, which is a huge retention for head coach Sean McCann and the Arrows. Since then, he competed at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp and made the Five Nations Team. His stock is high as a player with a ton of size, skill and speed. His father, Scott, was at Boston College from 1994-1998 as a quarterback and is the school's radio color commentator for football games, so BC would be the popular prediction. However, I do know that at least one other Hockey East school was still making a push for him last week. Mutryn is in Czechia for Five Nations, so the earliest a decision comes in is when that tournament is over.
PREVIOUS COLLEGE HOCKEY COMMITS DATABASES: 2004 | 2005 | 2006
Nate Porter
Dexter Southfield, 3/10/2006, F, right shot, 5-10/174
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.Â
Porter raised his stock a lot last fall when he averaged a point per game with the Boston Jr. Eagles' 16U team, posting 34 points in 34 games. Among those 34 points were 22 lamplighters. When the Dexter schedule began, he scored 10 goals and added 17 points in 32 games. Porter will head to the USHL's Omaha Lancers for 2023-24. The Lancers selected Porter in the seventh round (99th overall) in the 2022 USHL Futures Draft. Porter is a good skater with a great shot and has interest from Hockey East, ECAC and Big Ten schools. While offers could come in on Aug. 1, a decision may come later as the Boston Jr. Eagles product has no issue with taking his time to find the right fit and best future role at a college.
Tyler Russo
Cushing, 3/19/2007, D, left shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: South Hamilton, Mass.Â
Russo posted a nice season on a strong Cushing team in 2022-23, notching 18 assists in 30 games. When the season concluded, he was taken in the third round (33rd overall) by Cedar Rapids in the USHL Futures Draft. He was at both the Select 15 Camp last year and Select 16s this year. His two-way game is strong — he has the size to shut opponents down in his own zone along with the puck-moving abilities to be effective in transition and in the offensive zone. He has interest from Hockey East schools and will have options when the calendar flips to August but may wait a bit. Still, he's a prospect to keep an eye on.
HARVARD COLLEGE HOCKEY EXPERIENCE: 13 standout forwards | 8 standout defensemen and goalies
Kolin Sisson
Mount St. Charles 16U, 10/30/2006, F, right shot, 5-9/154Â
Hometown: Lincoln, R.I.
If this story was written three months ago, Sisson's name probably wouldn't have been on it. But the shifty, skilled forward has played his way into the spotlight. Last month, he led the New England District to win USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp. In the process, he scored a tournament-high six goals and posted nine points, which was tied for second at the camp. That opened the door to an invitation to Hlinka Gretzky Cup Camp. While he didn't make the Hlinka Gretzky team, his impact was felt in interest from colleges. He has interest from Hockey East and ECAC schools.
