Recruiting trail update: Where some top D-1 candidates might find a home

Lucas Mercuri is expected to play for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL in 2020-21. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

The NCAA is still in a dead period for recruiting, which means college hockey coaches can’t be on the road scouting or have any in-person contact.

It runs through at least July 31, but the dead period doesn’t prevent college coaches from contacting prospective recruits via phone calls, text messages, emails, direct messages and other forms of electronic communication.

There are several players with ties to the New England region who are being pursued vigorously at the moment. Rising juniors in high school have to wait until Aug. 1 for an offer, due to NCAA legislation passed last May, while older recruits already might have an offer on the table.

Here’s a look at a few of those players generating buzz on the recruiting trail and where they might end up.