As of Aug. 9, there have been 123 players born in 2004 who have committed to a Division 1 college hockey program.
Forty of the 59 Division 1 college hockey programs have committed an `04. Harvard leads the way in terms of most `04s committed with 12. Nine other New England programs, including Boston College and Boston University, have more than one `04 committed. American International, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart are the only programs in New England to be without an `04 commit.
Taking a broader look at the `04 commitments, most of the top classes in this birth year reside in the Big Ten and NCHC. That’s not to say schools in Hockey East and ECAC Hockey don’t have strong classes, but Michigan, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota have all done strong jobs in attracting top `04s to commit to their respective programs.
Below is a look at 12 notable classes so far in the `04 birth year, followed by a look at all 123 players in the age group to have committed as of publication of this list.
1. Michigan
Michigan has four `04s committed and they’re all big time players. Three are from the NTDP: forward Frank Nazar and defensemen Seamus Casey and Hunter Brzustewicz. Nazar is a speedy, skilled offensive threat while Casey exudes athleticism, mobility and skill from the backend. Brzustewicz is the least flashy of the three, but he’s still a big time player for the college game.
The other commit, Chicago Steel forward Andon Cerbone is a local product. The Stamford, Conn., native played for Mid Fairfield and Brunswick before making his way out to the USHL.
As evidenced by the six first round NHL picks on the 2021-22 roster, the Wolverines rarely struggle on the recruiting front. The `04 class looks to be heading in a similar direction with a lot of high end players slated to arrive in Ann Arbor.
2. Minnesota
The Golden Gophers have just three `04s committed to date, but all will be coming to the Twin Cities from the NTDP. In typical Minnesota fashion, all three hail from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Cruz Lucius is a skilled playmaker while Jimmy Snuggerud is a big power forward who can score goals from in close. Ryan Chesley is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman. This is the start of a dynamite class for Bob Motzko’s staff.
3. North Dakota
The Fighting Hawks have another star-studded class heading to Grand Forks. Three of the players committed are local products, including Cole Spicer, who is a complete hockey player skating for the NTDP. Jaksen Panzer and Trey Ausmus are names familiar to longtime North Dakota fans. Chicago Steel defenseman Jake Livanavage and Okotoks center Bowden Singleton are the other two highly touted players in the `04 class.
4. Minnesota Duluth
Under head coach Scott Sandelin, UMD has won three national championships and become one of the most successful programs in college hockey. It should come as no surprise that the Bulldogs have a terrific start to the `04 class.
NTDP center Isaac Howard is a big time player who skates well and is a puck hound. Hermantown High School’s Zam Plante is a slick, skilled offensive threat who can finish and make plays. Chicago Steel defenseman Aiden Dubinsky is a smart, efficient defenseman.
5. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish have an impressive `04 class headed to South Bend, led by four players from the NTDP. Forwards Logan Cooley, Maddox Fleming, and Rutger McGroarty all bring a different skill set to Notre Dame. Cooley has speed, skill and vision to finish and make plays. McGroarty is a big time goal scorer with an elite shot. Fleming is more of a playmaker with similar traits to Cooley. Defenseman Tyler Duke is a smart, competitive defenseman with mobility.
The other three commits are Lincoln Stars forward Jack Larrigan and teammate Michael Mastrodomenico, a defenseman, and Des Moines blue liner Matthew Jovanovic.
6. Northeastern
Northeastern’s three `04 commits will all spend the 2021-22 season in the USHL. The headliner of this class so far is defenseman Vinny Borgesi, who is entering his second season with Tri-City, who he tendered with prior to 2020-21. The undersized blue liner has incredible hockey sense, skates well, and plays with jam.
The other three `04s committed to the Huskies are local products: right wing Grayson Badger (Hyde Park, Mass.), center Cameron Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) and defenseman Jackson Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.). Lund and Dorrington played at Cushing before making the jump to the Junior Bruins and now the USHL. Lund and Dorrington are two of the more highly touted 2022 NHL draft prospects from the region.
7. Boston University
All three of Boston University’s `04 recruits played in the USHL this past season and will again in 2021-22. Led by defenseman Lane Hutson of the NTDP, this is a good foundation for the `04 class. Hutson scored four goals and 15 assists from the backend in 2020-21. Joining him on the Terrier end of Commonwealth Ave. is NTDP teammate Devin Kaplan and Waterloo’s Michael La Starza, both forwards.
Kaplan and Hutson are products of the North Jersey Avalanche midget program while La Starza, a Canadian, played bantam and midget for Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
8. Boston College
Three of the four Eagles’ commits at this birth year play for the NTDP. Forward Cutter Gauthier and defensemen Seamus Powell and Charlie Leddy (Fairfield, Conn.) are expected to matriculate to The Heights for the 2022-23 season. Brunswick and Mid Fairfield center Connor Welsh (Greenwich, Conn.) is still probably a couple of years away.
While none of these players are truly elite in the age group, it’s a solid class to build around. Gauthier, hailing from Northville, Mich., is probably the prize possession of the group. In 44 games for the NTDP U-17 team, he posted 20 goals and 17 assists. He’s a power forward who can drive the net, protect pucks, and shoot it with zip.
9. Harvard
Ted Donato and his staff have by far the most recruits in the `04 birth year with 12 prospective players committed. Five of the dozen are from the Bay State, including Nobles center Ben MacDonald (Weston, Mass.) and Sioux Falls Stampede defenseman Ryan Healey (Hull, Mass.).
NTDP forward Marek Hejduk is a skilled, slippery playmaker. He’s the son of former Colorado Avalanche star Milan Hejduk. His twin brother, David, a defenseman, is also committed to the Crimson. Canadian forwards Nathan Morin and Cam Johnson and Russian winger Aydar Suniev are highly regarded.
10. Cornell
The Big Red have five `04 commits, including big center Luke Devlin, who recently played for USA Hockey at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. A smart, two-way pivot, he’ll spend another season at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., before heading to the USHL.
Omaha Lancers defenseman Ben Robertson, a Mount Saint Charles product, is the other top recruit for Mike Schafer and his staff. Youngstown Phantoms winger Tyler Catalano, Stanstead College defenseman Liam Steele and Kimball Union left wing Ty Wishart are the other `04s committed to playing at Cornell.
11. UMass
Since Greg Carvel took over in Amherst, the Minutemen have become accustomed to securing good players on the recruiting trail. That is still the case with the `04 birth year, but there is a more notable fact surrounding this class. Three of the six recruited `04s hail from the state of Massachusetts. There were only four Bay Staters on the 2020-21 roster and none of them appeared in the national championship game. It will be interesting to see if UMass continues to stray from its recruiting blueprint that made them successful.
Left wing Chris Delaney (Hopkinton, Mass.) and defensemen Shaun McEwen (South Hadley, Mass.) and Kazimier Sobieski (Deerfield, Mass.) are the three locals committed. Delaney, a Junior Bruins product, is an undersized forward who plays bigger and can make plays below the dots. McEwen is a big, strong defenseman who can bring a physical element while also jumping into the offense. Sobieski, who has been out at Shattuck the last few years, is a steady eddy with mobility and a good stick.
Patrick Czarnecki, a teammate of Sobieski with Shattuck, St. Andrew’s College center Harrison Ballard and North Jersey Avalanche winger Nathan Lewis are the other three `04s committed to the Minutemen.
12. Providence
This is an interesting group of four so far for the Friars. NTDP winger Brady Berard is an athletic player who is still coming into his own. Omaha’s Andrew Centrella is a mobile defenseman who can defend with his feet and make simple plays on the transition game. Those players are solid with bright futures. Lincoln winger Christian Kocsis and New Jersey Rockets forward Ryan Schelling are both hard workers who will probably require a lot of junior hockey seasoning before arriving to Providence as 21 year-old freshmen.
