Recruiting Notebook: Meehan pacing USHL defensemen

Former Dexter star Ben Meehan is the leading goal scorer among defensemen in the USHL (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

UMass Lowell commit Ben Meehan is off to a hot start with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

The Walpole, Mass., native is in his first season of playing junior hockey after a successful prep school career at Dexter Southfield.

Meehan, an ’01, leads the junior league in goals by a defenseman with six and also has two assists in just eight games for the RoughRiders. In Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Omaha Lancers, Meehan had a hat trick and added a helper.

Meehan has always been a tough defenseman with good hockey sense and a good stick, but the offensive production wasn’t always there at Dexter. He should garner some NHL draft attention in his second year of eligibility.