On Aug. 7, Kent defenseman Ryan Poirier and Brunswick forward Joseph Salandra announced commitments to Harvard. Taft forward JT Rothstein followed suit the next day.
A lot has happened since then.
Two New England natives made commitments. There are still various local prospects on commitment watch over the next few weeks.
Certain local schools have also been extremely busy in the last two weeks, getting commitments from difference-makers.
Let's dive into the takeaways.
Merrimack picks up four commitments
When Merrimack hired Jimmy Mullin last season as an assistant coach, one of the added perks was his previous gig as an assistant with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Not only is Mullin good at developing talent, but recruits see that on his resume and think the same thing. Paired with associate head coach Dan Jewell and head coach Scott Borek, the staff is one prospects want to play for.
So it's no surprise that four players committed to the Warriors in the last two weeks.
It started on Aug. 9 when Merrimack picked up a commit from Los Angeles Jr. Kings forward Gavin Clark. The Newport Beach, Calif., native starred on the 15O team last season, scoring 36 goals and tallying 76 points in 59 games. He's slated to play for Pittsburgh Penguins Elite's 16U team this coming season.
The Warriors got another forward commitment days later on Aug. 16 with Philadelphia native Brady Logue, who was a standout with Philadelphia Flyers Elite's 16U team this past winter, as well as Princeton Day School. He's an '07.
Merrimack's big day was this past Saturday when forwards Justin Graf and Jacob Monks announced commitments to the school.
Graf, an '07 from Lincoln, Mass., was vital for a young Rivers team this past winter, scoring 13 goals and finishing with 35 points in 30 games. His older brother, Collin, was a star at Quinnipiac before signing with the San Jose Sharks earlier this year.
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Monks, an '08, is from Wyandotte, Mich. He was the third-leading point-getter on Little Caesars' 15O team with 87 (37 goals, 50 assists) in 64 games. At 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds, he scored three goals and totaled five points at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp earlier this summer.
If Merrimack is near the top of Hockey East at the beginning of the next decade, you can point to this two-week stretch in August as a big reason why.
Tommy Coccaro commits to Colgate
The other local to commit over the last two weeks was Coccaro, who picked Colgate.
The Fairfield, Conn., native has long been a standout with Mid Fairfield. An '07, he was at Westminster this past season as a sophomore. He potted seven goals and finished with 20 points in 25 games.
He's fresh off a strong performance at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp when he potted two goals and tallied five points.
Coccaro has long been one of my favorite forwards in the '07 group. At 5-foot-8 and 161 pounds, he plays a fierce game, never shying away from corners or high-danger areas. He plays with such a high compete.
That compete will be on full display as one of the prominent forwards with Westminster come December.
Providence picks up a pair of defensemen
The Friars joined in on the action over the last two weeks, getting commitments from '08 defensemen Mason Roy and Andrew Robinson. Both are from Ontario.
Roy, at 6-foot and 165 pounds, posted 28 points in 34 games for Halton Hurricanes' 16U team last season. Robinson, who stands at 6-foot and weighs 183 pounds, had a strong year for Vaughan Kings' 16U squad, tallying 14 goals and 48 points in 72 games.
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It's been a strong recruiting month for head coach Nate Leaman, associate head coach Ron Rolston, and assistants Joel Beal and Joe Palmer.
They picked up defenseman Marco Senerchia (Greenville, R.I.) prior to Aug. 1. The followed it up with forward Blake Zielinski and defenseman Zachary Roussy.
The big fish was Will Bent (Dover, Mass.). Bent has been a standout at Mount St. Charles the past two seasons. Most recently, he led Team USA to a gold medal at the Five Nations tournament with four goals and five points in four games.
Boston College gets a high-end goalie
On Aug. 16, Ryan Cameron announced his commitment to Boston College.
The Berwyn, Pa., native was a standout with the Long Island Gulls' 16U team this past winter, leading his squad to a national championship. Cameron posted a 31-save shutout in the championship game. He was sensational en route to the title, too, leading all goalies at the event in goals-against average (0.84) and save percentage (.967).
Most recently, he was Team USA's starting goalie at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, posting a 3.02 GAA and an .882 save percentage in four games.
Cameron stands at 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds.
Vermont gets commitments from two forwards
The Catamounts made their first two splashes of August, picking up two forwards: Tucker Lyndaker and Nick Snyder.
Lyndaker, from Watertown, N.Y., was a star for Nichols School's 16U team last winter, scoring 57 goals and tallying 93 points in 61 games. Since he's an '08, he played up on the 16U team. He led the team in both goals and points.
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Snyder is an '07 from Pittsburgh. He was a standout with Pittsburgh Penguins Elite's 16U team last winter, potting 28 goals and finishing with 66 points in 55 games. Recently, he scored one goal and tallied two assists at Select 17 Camp.
UMass adds an '08 defenseman
Speaking of Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, UMass got a commitment from Anthony Spadaro — an '08 defenseman on that same 16U team.
At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Spadaro is fresh off of scoring one goal and adding an assist at Select 16 Camp. He's from Scottsville, N.Y.
