Hotchkiss left wing Gavin Puskar has been rewarded for his stellar senior season, it was revealed over the weekend.
The Westfield, N.J., native scored 18 goals and added 18 assists in 26 games as the Bearcats advanced to the NEPSAC Stuart/Corkery Elite 8. Puskar skates well and has some physical tools.
Puskar will enroll at UConn this fall. A year of junior hockey would have served him well, but he wanted to go straight into school and UConn had a spot open.
New Hampshire was the other school in the mix for Puskar’s services.
Providence adds grad transfer
Providence secured a commitment from goaltender Anton Martinson over the weekend. The Klippen, Sweden, native saw a steady progression during his three seasons playing for Alaska-Fairbanks.
Martinson had a .919 save percentage this season that was up from .910 and .889 during his junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. He did not see any game action as a freshman, which is why he’s able to play at Providence as a graduate student.
Because of the NCAA rules on grad transfers, Martinson will be eligible to play immediately. His addition causes a crowded crease at Schneider Arena. Looking ahead to 2020-21, the Friars look to have senior Gabe Mollot-Hill, junior Jake Kucharski, junior Jimmy Scannell and sophomore Jaxon Stauber, a transfer from Minnesota State who isn’t eligible until January.
Scannell is a walk-on and on the roster in case of an emergency situation. However, the other four all have aspirations of being the No. 1. Although it was believed Mollot-Hill might look to use his grad transfer opportunity, he plans on returning. As it stands, Kucharski, a Carolina Hurricanes prospect, will likely transfer.
Bentley commits USHL goaltender
Bentley continues to build on its strong 2020-21 recruiting class with the commitment of Green Bay Gamblers goaltender Nicholas Grabko.
The ’00 from Channahon, Ill., had a .917 save percentage in 27 games during his first USHL season. He previously played for Minot in the NAHL and with the Chicago Mission youth organization.
New England players going north of border
Quite a few New England prep players will be skating in the BCHL or AJHL when the puck is dropped for the 2020-21 season.
It’s an interesting trend as more players from New England and those from other parts of the world who played prep hockey here are looking to play Canadian Jr. A, as opposed to in the USPHL NCDC. In the distant past, many of those players would have chose to skate in the old EJHL. Not all, but a few of the players were good enough to play in the USHL, but opted for the BCHL instead.
Here’s a list of the prep players heading to the AJHL or BCHL for 2020-21, listed with former team, new team and college commit, where applicable:
Matt Connor, D, Lawrence, Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
Mark D’Agostino, RW, Gunnery, Langley Rivermen (BCHL) (UConn)
Tucker Hartmann, D, St. Mark's, Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)
Marcus Joughin, F, New Hampton, West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) (Sacred Heart)
Bennett Jung, G, Mount Saint Charles 18-U, Whitecourt Wolverines (AJHL)
Pat Lawn, D, Rivers, West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) (Bentley)
Ryan McGuire, C, Belmont Hill, Penticton Vees (BCHL)
Kennedy O’Connor, D, Loomis Chaffee, Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) (UMass)
Ethan Pearson, G, Mount Saint Charles, Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)
Jake Quillan, C, Salisbury, Penticton Vees (BCHL) (Quinnipiac)
Sasha Teleguine, C, Thayer, Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) (Northeastern)
Nick Traggio, D, Hotchkiss, Brooks Bandits (AJHL) (Brown)
