In what has been a busy few days on the recruiting trail, Providence landed a commitment from Milton Academy defenseman Chris Romaine, as well as Canadian forward Luke Lavery.
Romaine was one of the top uncommitted '04 defensemen in New England prior to the player announcing his intention to play college hockey for the Friars. A righty from Braintree, Mass., Romaine is a breakout machine who skates well and makes clean, crisp outlet passes on first touch.
Romaine is in his fourth season playing for the Cape Cod Whalers. In 2020-21 with the organization’s 16-U team, Romaine scored two goals and 16 assists for 18 points in 34 games. He is off to a solid start with the South Shore Kings Prep 18-U team, a subsidiary of the Whalers. Romaine was one of the top players in his age division at the recently completed River Rats Jamboree.
Lavery, an '04 forward from Nanaimo, British Columbia, played in 20 games for his hometown team in the BCHL during the 2020-21 season. He registered three goals and eight assists in 11 games. He’ll be back with the Clippers for the 2021-22 campaign.
Romaine and Lavery are the sixth and seventh players in their birth year to commit to Nate Leaman’s program. They join forwards Brady Berard, Ryan Schelling, Christian Kocsis, and Will Elger, and defenseman Andrew Centrella.
Northeastern stays hot
Northeastern continued its recent hot streak on the recruiting trail with the commitment of Salisbury and Buffalo Regals 16-U center Ben Poitras. The '05 from Toronto, Ontario, is an extremely smart, cerebral two-way forward. His skating and skill are above average, but his hockey sense is what truly stands out. He was mentioned as one of the top uncommitted players in a recent article highlighting the 16-U division at the River Rats Jamboree.
In 2020-21, Poitras scored 13 goals and 14 assists in 23 games for the Rochester Coalition 16-U. Kyle Quick, a Brown alum, took most of the players from Roco over to the Buffalo Regals where Poitras is now. The fifth-round pick of the Sarnia Sting in the OHL Priority Selection previously played bantam and midget hockey for the Mississauga Rebels.
Mid Fairfield’s Friedman staying close to home
Mid Fairfield 16-U forward Eli Friedman will stay close to home for college hockey. The '05 from Rye, N.Y., committed to Yale, it was announced Saturday. Friedman is a good skater with a quick twitch who can make plays. He was a standout for Marty St. Louis’ team at the River Rats Jamboree.
Friedman becomes the seventh player from the Mid Fairfield '05 group to commit to a college program. He joins forwards Ryan Fine (Boston University), Sal Guzzo and Logan Renkowski (Harvard), and defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian (Boston College) and Lucas St. Louis (Harvard). Expect a few more players from that team to commit over the coming years. Forward Brian Nicholas and defensemen Sloan Farmer seem next in line.
Mount Saint Charles defender picks Harvard
Mount Saint Charles 16-U defenseman Michael Hagens has committed to Harvard. The converted forward from Hauppauge, N.Y., has played the position for less than a full year but has made progress.
A product of the Long Island Royals youth organization, Hagens is a mobile, puck-moving defender. In 25 games last season for Mount’s 15 Only squad, he had three goals and eight assists.
His younger brother, James Hagens, is one of the top '06 forwards in North America. The younger Hagens, who has a late birthday, currently projects as a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. If Harvard can sway him to Cambridge, it would be a major coup for Ted Donato and his staff. Committing the older brother seemingly would help the Crimson’s chances.
