Despite uncertainty regarding its 2020-21 season, Harvard’s coaching staff continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail.
The latest star recruit to commit to the Crimson is Cameron Johnson out of the Langley Rivermen in the BCHL. The ’04 center from Vancouver is one of the more heralded prospects in western Canada among his birth year.
Johnson spent the past three seasons at St. George’s, a Vancouver-based prep school. During the 2019-20 season, he scored 29 goals and 49 assists for 78 points in 33 games with the school’s 16-U team. He had the most assists and points of any player in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.
Johnson joins a star-studded group of 2004-born players committed to Ted Donato’s program. Other ’04s committed to the Crimson are Boston Advantage defenseman Ryan Healy, Dexter Sotuhfield center Bobby Landry, St. Sebastian’s right wing Michael Callow, and St. Andrew’s College defenseman Matthew Morden.
Former Mount Saint Charles goaltender makes commit
Ethan Pearson, who was the starting goaltender for Mount Saint Charles 18-U last season, recently announced his commitment to play college hockey at Princeton.
The ’02 from Quebec City posted a .926 save percentage in 35 games with Matt Plante’s team last season. Pearson is spending the 2020-21 season with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL.
Pearson was a relatively unknown commodity, at least in terms of the college hockey recruiting world, before his breakout season at Mount Saint Charles. He earned several accolades during the season that included winning the New England District Championship and True Hockey Prep Cup.
Princeton has quite the New England connection when it comes to its goaltending. Senior Ryan Ferland (Franklin, Mass.) and sophomore Aidan Porter (Weston, Mass.) played prep hockey at St. Mark’s and Rivers, respectively. The team’s other goaltender, Jeremie Forget, played prep at Tabor.
Army adds two commits with New England ties
Army recently received two commitments with ties to the New England region. Right wing Stephen Willey and Trevor Smith both ’01s, pledged to play college hockey for Brian Riley’s Knights.
Willey, who played prep hockey at Trinity-Pawling, is in his first season of junior hockey. The Shelton, Conn., native has a goal and an assist in five games with the New Jersey Titans in the North American Hockey League. Willey had 15 goals and nine assists for Trinity-Pawling as a senior in 2019-20. He’s a big winger who plays a north-south game. I’ve always thought he had the potential to play Division 1 hockey, ranking him as the ninth uncommitted ’01 in New England in an article last May.
Smith, hailing from Raleigh, N.C., plays for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He’s been held off the scoresheet in two exhibition games this month. He had a goal and three assists in 22 games with the organization last season. Prior to that, he played for the NAHL’s Northeast Generals, the Skipjacks Hockey Club and the Jersey Hitmen.
Nearly three years ago in November 2017, Smith committed to playing college hockey at Vermont. In part due to the coaching change, Smith was no longer committed to the Catamounts.
Benson back on the market
Speaking of Vermont decommits, Lynnfield, Mass., native Jagger Benson is no longer on the team’s recruiting list. The Tilton alum is spending the 2019-20 season with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the BCHL. He’s a smooth-skating, offensive-minded defenseman. His hockey sense is an issue that could hurt his stock among Division 1 coaches. At the very least, he’d be a very skilled defenseman at the Division 3 level.
Dartmouth lands former Union commit
While Benson’s future remains up in the air, another Salmon Arm player’s college destination appears to be set. ’02 forward Nathan Morgan has committed to the Big Green. He was formerly a Union recruit. Morgan has a goal and an assist in two preseason games this month.
The Calgary native spent the past two seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 2019-20, he scored 14 goals and 16 assists in 60 games with the Grande Prairie Storm.
