Ted Donato and his coaching staff received welcome news Wednesday afternoon when USA Hockey NTDP U-18 center Matt Beniers informed them of his commitment to play college hockey at Harvard.
The Hingham, Mass., native was the top uncommitted player in the entire country, regardless of age. Beniers played a season of prep school hockey at Milton Academy before heading to Plymouth, Mich., to play for the NTDP.
After a strong start to the 2018-19 season with the NTDP U-17 team, Beniers was called up to the U-18 team for the conclusion of the year, which included his participation in the IIHF U-18 World Championship.
A late ’02, Beniers is not eligible for the NHL Draft until 2021. He is projected to be a high first round pick. Beniers is a 200-foot center with high hockey sense and strong skating ability. He hunts pucks and competes in all three zones.
Beniers, who grew up just outside of Boston, had always expressed interest in playing for a Beanpot school. The other finalist was Boston College.
Academics are important to Beniers and his family. Both his parents went to Cornell. His father, Bob Beniers, played football for the Big Red. His sister, Gianna Beniers, went to Cornell and his brother, Bobby Beniers, plays hockey for Williams in the NESCAC.
Carroll commits to Warriors
After a strong start to the midget fall hockey season, North Jersey Avalanche 18-U left wing Chris Carroll committed to Merrimack, it was announced Wednesday.
An ’01 from Islip, N.Y., Carroll isn’t necessarily a goal scorer, but he’s a hard working forward who will compete for loose pucks and make plays due to his motor.
“Carroll has quickly become a favorite of mine after watching North Jersey here and at the River Rats Jamboree. He skates well enough, but his compete on the forecheck and being heavy on pucks are the attributes that really stand out,” I wrote following the ECC Labor Day Cup in my recap of the 18-U Red Division.
Look for Carroll to play two years of junior hockey before matriculating to Merrimack for the start of the 2022-23 season.
Huskies lose top freshman
Connecticut’s 2019-20 freshman class took a hit on Wednesday when it was announced forward Matej Blumel had left the program to sign a professional contract in his native Czech Republic.
Blumel was the 100th overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers during the 2019 NHL Draft after a strong season in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks.
It's the second year in a row a Hockey East program has lost a NHL draft pick after the start of the season. In 2018-19, Providence lost the services of Mikael Hakkareinen, who opted to finish out the season in the USHL with Muskegon before signing a pro contract with Chicago.
