New Hampton junior forward Jake Dunlap, via Twitter, announced his commitment to UMass Amherst on Saturday afternoon. Dunlap is coming off a breakout performance at USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp, where he had five goals and three assists in five games. Those numbers placed him in a tie for first in goals and...
New Hampton junior forward Jake Dunlap, via Twitter, announced his commitment to UMass Amherst on Saturday afternoon.
Dunlap is coming off a breakout performance at USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp, where he had five goals and three assists in five games. Those numbers placed him in a tie for first in goals and a tie for second in points.
Dunlap's performance at national camp improved his stock tremendously, prompting heightened interest from a few Hockey East and ECAC Hockey programs. The Minutemen ultimately got Dunlap on campus to seal the deal, as head coach Greg Carvel continues to lock in better and better commits.
"I knew from the moment I visited campus that UMass was a place where I wanted to play college hockey," Dunlap said. "Their facilities and coaching staff are top notch, and it felt like home for me."
From Windham, N.H., Dunlap just finished his first season at New Hampton, a prep school that competes in the Lake Region Conference.
An '01, he had 12 goals and 10 assists in 37 games played this past winter. The Huskies had a successful season, falling just short of a NEPSAC Small School Championship, losing in overtime against Lawrence Academy in the final.
Dunlap is on the smaller side, but he's quick, and has good hands and hockey IQ. At national camp, he used use his speed and brain to avoid defenders and get into positions where he could produce.
"I'm a smaller forward who likes to play big," Dunlap said. "I like to hunt the puck and make plays with my speed."
Dunlap's older brother, Joe, committed to Holy Cross immediately following the conclusion of the prep season. Dunlap also becomes the fourth member of the 2017-18 New Hampton team to have a college commitment, joining Lynden Breen (Maine), Michael Kane (Holy Cross), and his brother, all forwards.
Michael Kesselring, a 2018 sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers draft pick, was committed to Merrimack, but he has re-opened his recruiting process following Mark Dennehy's dismissal as the Warriors' head coach. The defenseman will play for the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers in 2018-19.
