College hockey recruiting has become increasingly competitive over the years. Prospects are committing younger and younger as securing elite talent has become the life blood of Division 1 programs.
Hockey East coaches spend countless hours on the road and in rinks far and wide, hoping to bring their respective schools championship-caliber players. The best team to get off the bus doesn’t always win, but it certainly gives a leg up over the course of a 60-minute game.
This year’s crop of freshmen in Hockey East boasts three first-round draft picks from the 2018 NHL Draft. Boston College forward Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.), Boston University forward Joel Farabee (Cicero, N.Y.), and Providence forward Jay O’Brien (Hingham, Mass.) were selected 11th, 14th and 19th, respectively, in Dallas.
While BU has recently procured the most NHL talent to campus, Providence and UConn hold down the top spots for 2018 with four draft picks each set to play for Nate Leaman and Mike Cavanaugh.
As has been proven by UMass Lowell’s dominance of the Hockey East Tournament since the arrival of head coach Norm Bazin, draft picks don’t always guarantee wins or trophies.
Despite that admission, Providence College has the top recruiting class in Hockey East for the 2018-19 season. It’s a class that was compiled largely by Friars associate head coach Kris Mayotte and former assistant Scott Borek, who has since taken the head job at Merrimack. While head coaches don’t spend as much time on the road, few work as hard on recruiting as Leaman. The 2015 NCAA championship served as a springboard for this year’s freshman class.
The following rankings are based largely on viewings by this observer. Every U.S. born player and a few international players who were viewed at various USHL games and the 2017 OJHL Showcase have been viewed.
1. Providence
The Friars’ class is talented and fills holes from players who have left the program.
Flyers' first-round pick Jay O’Brien of Thayer Academy should slide into the first-line center role, in place of Brian Pinho who's now in the Washington Capitals' organization. Hockey East fans will be impressed with O'Brien's high compete level and versatility. A late ’99, he's a good skater who has a good shot and can make effective passes, but his 200-foot game stands out most.
Rochester, N.Y., native Jack Dugan, a ’98 forward, was the third leading scorer in the USHL last season. A 2017 fifth-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, the former Northwood School star continues to make great strides in his game as an offensive threat.
’98 Mikael Hakkareinen was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round of this summer’s draft in his final year of draft eligibility. The Helsinki, Finland, native had worked his way up from the Brookings Blizzard in the NAHL to the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Hakkareinen does a great job of winning battles below the dots and using his size to create time and space for his teammates.
’99 forward Tyce Thompson is the younger brother of former UConn star Tage Thompson. After playing two seasons with Salisbury School, he spent the 2017-18 season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints.
The fourth and final newcomer to come in with his rights owned by a NHL team is ’99 defenseman Michael Callahan (Franklin, Mass.). The Arizona Coyotes' prospect and former Roxbury Latin star spent 2017 in the USHL with Central Illinois and Youngstown. He’s a big, shutdown defender who can skate.
Two other defensemen, ‘99 Calle Ehrnberg and ’97 Luke Perunovich, will add depth to the blue line.
Former Westminster forward, ’97 John McDermott, will be eligible after transferring in from Boston University.
2. Connecticut
Mike Cavanaugh’s freshman class is the best in program history. It’s a large group that will help the Huskies compete for a playoff spot as Hockey East transitions to an eight-team tournament.
The headliner of this year’s rookies is ’00 Russian left wing Ruslan Iskhakov, a second-round pick of the New York Islanders last summer. He’s an undersized, competitive and speedy winger who impressed NHL scouts at the U18 World Championship this past spring.
Late ’99 Jachym Kondelik is a Czech Republic native who played last season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. At 6-foot-6, he uses his size and strength to protect pucks and dominate below the dots.
The other drafted forward is ’97 Kale Howarth, a fifth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017. The 6-foot-5 native of Red Deer, Alberta is a power forward who brings size and strength to the top six.
The final drafted player is ’99 goaltender Tomas Vomacka, who played the past two seasons in North America after hailing from Czech Republic. A Nashville Predators' prospect, he could play for his country at the 2019 World Junior Championship. Vomacka should push junior Adam Huska between the pipes.
Two defensemen out of the USHL, ’99 Corson Green and ’98 Roman Kinal, should bolster the UConn blue line. Up front, ’98 Carter Turnbull and ’97 Jonny Evans both come to Storrs after putting up over a point per game in the BCHL. ’98 Jordan Timmons is an under-the-radar prospect who had a good year playing for Cedar Rapids in the USHL.
’97 defenseman Ryan Wheeler, ’99 forward Marc Gatcomb (Woburn, Mass.) and ’98 John Wojciechowski bring depth to the program.
There are several reasons to like UConn’s freshman class besides the talent. It’s older and most players, outside of Iskhakov, will likely stick around beyond a season or two.
3. Boston College
The Eagles only lost a graduate student and an underclassman who went back to junior hockey. Therefore, Jerry York’s staff didn’t have to bring in a big class.
U.S. NTDP U18 right wing Oliver Wahlstrom, a ’00, could score 20-plus goals in Hockey East this winter. The 11th overall pick of the New York Islanders is a power forward who can unleash his hard shot from anywhere.
’00 Jack McBain comes to BC by way of the Toronto Jr. Canadians in the OJHL. A third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild, he’s a two-way center with good size.
’99 Marc McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) had a good, albeit injury-shortened, final season in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The former Cushing star is another two-way center who will be heavy on pucks and play hard, all while chipping in offensively.
Two more NTDP products, ’00 forward Patrick Giles and ’00 defenseman Adam Samuelsson round out the Eagles’ freshman class. BC fans will remember the Samuelsson name, for he’s the younger brother of former defenseman Phillip Samuelsson and the son of former NHL defenseman Ulf Samuelsson.
The biggest area of concern for BC regarding this class is the oldest player is a ’99. There will be a learning curve, but York’s team will be older across the board in 2018-19.
4. Boston University
New head coach Albie O’Connell has separated himself on the recruiting trail, and this year’s class is once again stellar. However, it lacks BU's trademark elite talent of the past few years.
Still, ’00 right wing Joel Farabee, the 14th overall pick of the Philadelphia Flyers out of the NTDP, is a high-end player. He’s a great skater who can get to pucks quickly and make plays on the rush.
NTDP teammate, ’00 Jake Wise of North Andover, Mass., is a third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. A former Central Catholic star, Wise was once considered a lock to go in the first round. He’s on the smaller side, but is a two-way center who can skate, shoot and make plays. He was riddled with injuries, but had a big second half last season.
Another NTDP alum, ’00 Jack DeBoer, will be a solid bottom-six center. He lacks offensive upside, but he’s a solid defensive center who brings size and muscle. He’s the son of San Jose Sharks coach Pete DeBoer.
The latest addition to the freshman class could be one its best forwards. ’99 Mark Cheremeta has developed his game a great deal over the course of the past two years with the Islanders Hockey Club in the USPHL NCDC. He was committed to Vermont for 2019, but a big Main Camp with Sioux Falls in the USHL helped his stock soar.
The other newcomer up front is ’99 forward Matt Quercia of Andover, Mass. He spent the past two seasons with Sioux Falls in the USHL.
On defense, ’98 Hugo Blixt is a mobile, two-way defenseman who should have an impact after excelling in the USHL. ’99 Dominick Vidoli out of Culver Military Academy has upside, but he might take a while to fully develop.
5. Northeastern
No coaching staff nationwide works harder on the recruiting trail than head coach Jim Madigan, associate head coach Jerry Keefe and assistant coach Jason Smith. They get to a ton of games and showcases.
It has paid off, and will continue to do so over the coming years. This year’s class is solid, but the next few years should be even better. The only potential issue with this year’s class is the top rookie is coming in straight from prep instead of spending a year in juniors.
That top player is ’00 Jordan Harris, a defenseman out of Kimball Union who was recently selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round. A two-time prep champion, his offensive production hasn’t been off the charts, but he’s a terrific skater with high-end hockey sense. His ability to retrieve pucks, break pucks out of his own zone and transition from defense to offense are all exceptional.
Two other defenders, ’99 Julian Kislin and ’98 A.J. Villella come in with USHL experience.
The top newcomer up front is ’99 Tyler Madden, a third-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks. A speedster, he comes in from Tri-City in the USHL after playing prep at Avon Old Farms. He’s the son of former NHL journeyman John Madden, now the head coach of AHL side Lake Erie.
’98 forward Matt Thomson (Reading, Mass.) could blossom into a productive goalscorer after playing last year in the USHL.
6. UMass Lowell
Per usual, Norm Bazin and his staff have scoured the hockey world far and wide to bring in a solid freshman class. There’s only one New England native, ’99 goaltender Eric Green (Easton, Conn.) from Northfield Mount Hermon, among this year’s freshmen.
The prized possession of this recruiting class is Seth Barton, a right-shot defender from Trail in the BCHL. Detroit’s third-round pick should play a major role right away on the River Hawks’ blue line.
’98 Jon McDonald is a solid, reliable defenseman who wore a letter for USHL Clark Cup Champion Fargo Force last winter.
’99 Chase Blackmun is a puck-moving, swift-skating defender out of Cedar Rapids in the USHL. ’98 Cale List is another offensive defenseman who finished his junior career in the AJHL after time with Dubuque in the USHL. ’97 defensemen, Dominick Procopio and Nolan Sawchuk, put up good numbers with Shreveport and Minot, respectively, in the NAHL.
The top forward among this year’s freshmen is ‘97 Reid Stefanson out of Sioux Falls in the USHL. Another ’97, Lucas Condotta, put up gaudy numbers with the Markham Royals in the OJHL.
Bazin’s staff went to more obscure spots to find two freshmen forwards: ’98 Sam Knoblauch out of Carlton Place in the CCHL and ’97 Michael Dill from Weeks Crushers in the Maritime Junior Hockey League. ’98 Austin O’Rourke is a depth forward who comes from the NAHL.
7. New Hampshire
In Mike Souza’s first year at the helm of the Wildcats, he’ll have two NHL draft picks among his rookie class.
The most important piece to the puzzle is ’99 goaltender Ty Taylor from the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. The seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning is a big goaltender who put up great numbers in the defensively-challenged league. He could start right away, which will help bolster a UNH team that has recently struggled at the goaltending position.
’99 forward Angus Crookshank, a fifth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, is a skilled forward who should play top-six minutes. ’99 Jackson Pierson, from Culver Military Academy, could develop into a 200-foot, middle-six forward. To do so will take time, because he should have played a year of juniors.
Forwards ‘99 Filip Engaras from Sweden, ’97 Joey Cipollone and Eric Esposito (West Haven, Conn.) out of Youngstown in the USHL will provide added depth.
’00 Will MacKinnon, a former NTDP member who played last season with Des Moines in the USHL, and Reading, Mass., native Ryan Verrier, a ’98 who played in Green Bay, will be nice additions to the blue line.
While this recruiting class doesn’t boast big names, the players coming in will improve the defense and goaltending. Both areas needed help.
8. Massachusetts
While this year’s class lacks a top-five NHL Draft pick like now-sophomore Cale Makar – or even a draft pick at all – several players will play a large role in the continued revitalization of UMass hockey.
The top two freshmen are brothers from Basking Ridge, N.J., both of whom played for Muskegon in the USHL. ’98 Anthony Del Gaizo was the USHL Forward of the Year and late ’99 defenseman Marc Del Gaizo was one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. Marc has more upside with his ability to walk the blue line, get shots through and make solid passes in transition. However, Anthony’s development has taken off and his game is trending upward.
’98 defenseman Ty Farmer is a puck-moving, offensive defenseman who played for USHL Clark Cup Champion Fargo last season. ’99 Colin Felix, formerly at St. George’s, is a mean and tough defender who racked up 166 penalty minutes in Madison of the USHL last season.
’99 Bobby Trivigno is a smaller, playmaking forward out of Waterloo in the USHL and ’97 Bobby Kaiser should provide depth after playing for Muskegon.
’99 goaltender Filip Lindberg comes to Amherst from Finland, where he’s expected to challenge for a roster spot at World Juniors. UMass hopes Lindberg can further solidify the Minutemen’s goaltending alongside sophomore Matt Murray.
Jacob Pritchard is transferring in from St. Lawrence to play for head coach Greg Carvel. He recruited the forward to play for the Saints before taking the head coaching job at UMass.
9. Maine
The Black Bears are starting to improve their recruiting efforts, thanks to assistants Ben Guite and Alfie Michaud making a concerted effort to have success north of the border and in Europe.
This year’s prized freshman is ’99 Adam Dawe, a Gander, Newfoundland, native who was an offensive dynamo for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. Also coming in is ’98 Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, who played for Denmark at the 2018 World Junior Championship. He averaged over a point per game for Fargo en route to a Clark Cup title.
Journeyman USHL defenseman Simon Butala, a ’98 who finished his junior career with Central Illinois, will bring a physical presence to the blue line. ’97 Edward Lindelow from Sweden will add depth to the forward crop after playing junior with the Minnesota Wilderness in the NAHL.
10. Merrimack
The Warriors were left in the unenviable situation of replacing a head coach and one of its assistant coaches following the abrupt firing of Mark Dennehy. Associate head coach Curtis Carr did a great job in keeping together most of the class.
Merrimack lost Edmonton Oilers' draft pick Michael Kesselring (now committed to Northeastern) and a few others.
’99 forward Jordan Seyfert and ’98 Chase Gresock, both out of the USHL, are the two prized possessions of this year’s freshman class. Seyfert and Gresock are both on the smaller side, but they have skill and play the game with an edge.
’97 forward Chase Olsen put up good numbers to finish out his junior career with the Spruce Grove Saints in the AJHL. ‘98 Logan Drevitch joins his older brother, sophomore Tyler Drevitch, with the Warriors. He was a once-promising recruit who played with the Boston Bandits in the USPHL NCDC after trying his hand in the USHL.
’99 Ethan DeStefani has pro upside if his skating can improve. A power forward from Bedford, N.H., he finished out his junior career with the NAHL’s Minnesota Magicians after injuries derailed his time in the USHL.
Late ’98 defenseman Tyler Heidt was a late addition. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native only played in nine games last season due to an injury. Two ’97 forwards, Christian Simeone (Milton, Mass.) and August Von Ungern-Sternberg, should provide depth.
11. Vermont
During the summer, the Catamounts lost several recruits committed for future years when associate head coach Kyle Wallack left the program to become the head coach of Division 3 Albertus Magnus. However, this year’s class stayed largely intact.
Kevin Sneddon’s program welcomes the addition of six players, highlighted by ’98 forward John DeRoche and ’97 forward Dallas Comeau.
DeRoche, a Lynnfield, Mass., native, was the second leading scorer in the USPHL NCDC and was tied for the league lead in assists while playing for the Connecticut Jr. Rangers. A former Quinnipiac commit, DeRoche has USHL experience with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
Comeau comes to Burlington by way of the Grand Prairie Storm in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), where he finished the 2017-18 season with the second most assists.
Three former prep players – ’99 forward Joey Cipollone (Loomis Chaffee), ’98 defenseman Carter Long (Selects Academy at South Kent), and ’97 forward Nic Hamre (Kimball Union) – are part of the class.
Cipollone, Long, and ’98 defenseman Andrew Petrillo all arrive from the USHL.
