Governor’s Academy defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald has announced his commitment to play college hockey at the University of New Hampshire. The North Reading, Mass., native is an ’03 left shot who is going to be a junior on Brian McGuirk’s team at Governor’s. In 32 games during the 2019-20 prep season, Fitzgerald posted seven goals and...
Governor’s Academy defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald has announced his commitment to play college hockey at the University of New Hampshire.
The North Reading, Mass., native is an ’03 left shot who is going to be a junior on Brian McGuirk’s team at Governor’s. In 32 games during the 2019-20 prep season, Fitzgerald posted seven goals and 25 assists.
Fitzgerald spent last fall playing for the Boston Junior Eagles 16-U. He's expected to play split season for the Boston Imperials 18-U this fall. Prior to his time at Governor’s, Fitzgerald played for Islanders Hockey Club 16-U and Malden Catholic.
Fitzgerald is an offensive defenseman who looks to push the pace. He has a good shot from the point and can make plays in transition with breakout passes. The jam he plays with when defending, especially on the rush, is notable. He does a good job using his stick and forcing turnovers and keeping the play to the outside with tight gaps.
A concern some of the bigger schools had was his skating. While it’s an area he can work on, it won’t hurt him at the college level. He has battled a few injuries over the past couple of years, which could have been a factor as well.
Saturday was the first day rising juniors, including Fitzgerald, could be offered a commitment to play college hockey. According to sources, the Wildcats beat out a couple of other Hockey East schools that were interested in securing Fitzgerald’s services.
Brendan’s father, Tom, played at Providence before a lengthy NHL career. He is now the general manager of the New Jersey Devils. Brendan’s older brothers, Ryan and Casey, played at Boston College and are now in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and Rochester Americans, respectively.
UNH head coach Mike Souza and his staff, associate head coach Glenn Stewart and assistant coach Jeff Giuliano, have done a good job on the recruiting trail with the ’02 and ’03 birth years. Fitzgerald represents the third solid ’03 to commit to the Wildcats, joining Avon Old Farms center J.P. Turner and Boston Advantage 18-U center Nick Ring. Berkshire goaltender Jed Baliotti, Lawrence Academy defenseman Damien Carfagna and West Kelowna Warriors winger Johnny Evans are three solid ’02s for the future in Durham.
