Each September, hundreds of hockey players from across New England begin the grind of another junior hockey season. Some do it with college commitments in hand while others begin the journey with hopes of being able to add a college logo next to their name on the line chart.
Five players from New England, all born in 2002, have parlayed strong starts to the 2021-22 junior hockey season into Division 1 college commitments. Three of those players — Jake Black (Pomfret, Conn.), Thomas Messineo (Westwood, Mass.) and Jake Percival (Avon, Conn.) — have chosen to play college hockey at UConn.
It’s not unusual for there to be a lot of activity on the recruiting trail over the first few months of the season as college coaches get out to various junior hockey showcases. The NAHL, USHL and BCHL hosted showcases in September that were widely attended by every college hockey program in the country.
Black, a right wing skating for the NAHL’s Johnstown Tomahawks, is best known for his speed and ability to create offense on the rush. Through the first 15 games of the season, the Winchendon alum has scored 12 goals. He’s been near the top of the leaderboard when it comes to goals and points in the NAHL.
Black will have to transform his game when he gets to the college level. He likely won’t see time on the top two lines, certainly not right away for Mike Cavanaugh’s Huskies. However, his speed and skating ability will translate well when it comes to being the first guy in on the forecheck and killing penalties.
Messineo was a four-year performer at St. Sebastian’s, a prep school with a loaded roster featuring more than a dozen Division 1 commits during his time there. He sat out the 2020-21 season, in part due to the coronavirus shutting down hockey north of the border. This season, he’s gotten off to a hot start in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs. A lefty, he skates well and has an above-average stick. He’s averaging more than a half point per game from the blue line.
Percival’s rising stock started last season when he was one of the top-producing scorers on the Rochester Coalition team that won USA Hockey 18-U Nationals just outside of St. Louis. The Millbrook alum is quick, competes hard, and keeps his feet moving. He can make plays with his tenaciousness. The left wing has been a pleasant surprise on a Cedar Rapids RoughRiders squad that has exceeded expectations through the first month of the USHL season.
Two local prep school alums from the USHL’s Omaha Lancers also have earned college commitments based on their play through the first month or so of the season. 2002 goaltender Mason Kucenski, always a talented goaltender in the birth year, seemingly had fallen through the cracks for a while. He tendered with the Lone Star Brahmas but made the Lancers and hadn’t lost a game through his first five starts. The Gill, Mass., native was receiving some interest from Hockey East, NCHC and Big Ten programs, but St. Lawrence came in with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Nolan Hayes, a former puck-moving offensive defenseman from Thayer and Cushing, went out to Omaha with a commitment to Sacred Heart. However, he decommitted from the Pioneers and swiftly was swarmed with Hockey East interest. The ’02 from Milton, Mass., ended up choosing Northeastern, the school his dad, Adam, played at in the 1990s.
Earning a scholarship or roster spot in Division 1 isn’t the only reason players from New England pursue junior hockey. Others do it to continue developing between prep school and college.
Several local players with a commitment in hand are rising up the scoring charts. Northfield Mount Hermon alum Joe Solimine (Middleton, Mass.) has been hovering around the top of the scoring race in the NCDC.
Solimine is averaging more than a point per game while pacing at nearly an assist per game in his first full season of junior hockey. Solimine, who played at Austin Prep before his time at NMH, always has been knocked for his lack of size. While the NCDC isn’t at the same level of competition as the USHL or NAHL, he’s proven that he isn’t afraid to go into the dirty areas to make plays. The ’02 had committed to Holy Cross over the summer, thanks to some promising performances at various showcases. This fall in the NCDC he’s kept alive his upward trajectory that will make him a good player someday for Bill Riga’s Crusaders.
Yale commit Phil Tresca (Newton, Mass.) has taken a step in his second season in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He’s well on pace to clip his scoring marks from his rookie season. In a quarter of the games, he’s got seven points after scoring just nine in 2020-21. The Rivers alum is wearing an ‘A’ for the Lumberjacks.
In the NAHL, Nicky Niemo is producing at more than a point per game for the third consecutive season. After scoring 20 goals and 30 assists in 48 games with the Islanders Hockey Club in the NCDC during the 2019-20 season, he moved onto the NAHL. Now in his second season with Lone Star, he’s again at more than a point per game. Similarly to Solimine, the Middlebury, Vt., native always was doubted for his small stature. He’s proven that he can impact the offense even without the size many college coaches deemed a necessity. The ’01 should be a big part of Bentley’s offense for years to come.
New Hampshire commit Cy LeClerc, an ’02 from Brentwood, N.H., is averaging more than a point per game with the NAHL’s Janesville Jets. He’s doing it on the heels of back-to-back solid campaigns with Tim Kyrkostas’ Islanders Hockey Club squad. He plays a heavy game and has a good shot, which helps in an older, hard league like the NAHL.
A number of local players head to the junior hockey ranks each season with the hopes of landing a coveted college commitment. Tim Heinke, an Avon Old Farms alum, is one of the leading goal scorers in the NCDC as he embarks on his first rodeo in junior hockey. The late ’01 from Kensington, Conn., is in search of a walk-on spot at a handful of local Division 1 colleges.
Heinke always caught the eye of college coaches and scouts due to his size and physical tools, but he never truly took the necessary step while at the prep level. Outside of the shortened prep season in 2020-21, he hasn’t scored more than a point per game since before Bantam hockey. In his first year with the NCDC, Heinke is starting to use his skating and size to protect pucks, drive the net and score goals with regularity.
Another ’01 and former prep school player, Kevin MacKay, is enjoying a successful third season of junior hockey. The Dexter Southfield alum is a good-sized, athletic defender who skates well. His hockey sense has been questioned, but his skating and ability to recover are notable assets. The Franklin, Mass., native likely will find a home in Division 1 as a depth player, especially due to his status as a junior hockey veteran.
