UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Snively

Elite forwards coming in over the next several years with pedigree is dynamic.

I'd be interested to hear which forwards you believe to have the pedigree, and what those pedigrees are.

I ask, because my view is that, other than Stutzle, UNH's approach is pointed less toward quality, and more for quantity (lower tier partial scholarship kids) who may develop, as most of the committed kids are projected to need to their 20 year old seasons before coming to UNH, and few are at the top of the usual indicators/pedigree that dot the rosters of BC/BU/Northeastern/Providence.

It may be that this is by choice, not necessity, and they view this as the preferred route. But in preparing my little doodle of potential lines, I was hard pressed to know that a kid could fill the upper line role. I mean, even Margel or Curran, their second most promising forward recruits, are far from a sure thing.


Also, am I correct that the impact forward you were alluding to committed to U.Mass yesterday?

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

And Matias Maccelli is out - he's heading back to Finland to play professional hockey. Paging Brendan Budy...

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

And Matias Maccelli is out - he's heading back to Finland to play professional hockey. Paging Brendan Budy...

Budy would probably not be eligible until 2020, much like James Miller when he left UNH after a semester. He came in as a true freshman, so probably can't finish a two year degree this summer. Unless its an overseas kid like Engaras, my bet was that UNH hoped for Kiefluk, who visited out east here after he decommitted from Michigan. Alas, if my guess is accurate, another sign that there is a new pecking order, and we could not compete with U.Mass. U.Mass is getting the kids with the "pedigree" that UNH1932 speaks of -- invited to USA camps, drafted high in the USHL draft, Ontario draft picks, etc.

[Dan]

Budy would probably not be eligible until 2020, much like James Miller when he left UNH after a semester. He came in as a true freshman, so probably can't finish a two year degree this summer. Unless its an overseas kid like Engaras, my bet was that UNH hoped for Kiefluk, who visited out east here after he decommitted from Michigan. Alas, if my guess is accurate, another sign that there is a new pecking order, and we could not compete with U.Mass. U.Mass is getting the kids with the "pedigree" that UNH1932 speaks of -- invited to USA camps, drafted high in the USHL draft, Ontario draft picks, etc.

Budy should be eligible second semester, No? Similar to Matt Barry transferring from Holy Cross to Miami and being eligible January of 2020. Budy only played in six games at Denver and left in December. It’s not ideal - but it would be a big boost in the second half for the bulk of the HE schedule.

Or are you implying there is a rule for hockey players who do not transfer directly from one school to another requiring a two-year degree completion before returning to an NCAA program?

---

I agree completely with your take on the recruiting class - I see far more wait and see than dynamic pedigree, though I think I’m higher on expectations for Margel and less so on Curran.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Budy should be eligible second semester, No? Similar to Matt Barry transferring from Holy Cross to Miami and being eligible January of 2020. Budy only played in six games at Denver and left in December. It’s not ideal - but it would be a big boost in the second half for the bulk of the HE schedule.

Or are you implying there is a rule for hockey players who do not transfer directly from one school to another requiring a two-year degree completion before returning to an NCAA program?

Have to be in residence at the new school for a year. The exception is the 4-2-4 transfer, where you transfer from a 4 year school to a 2 year school, get your degree, and then return to a four year school. In effect, transfer from a junior college, starting right away at the new school. Berry did a traditional transfer mid year so was at Miami starting January 2019. Budy obviously would not be at new school until September so a year from then.

So, from my understanding, the only way to get eligible right away (what guys who return to junior hockey do) would be the 4-2-4 route, but Budy, being a true freshman, probably had no other credits hanging around so only has the Denver credits, meaning can't do the "2" part of the 4-2-4 yet. I imagine he'll spend next year at Tri-City, just like James Miller spent another year at Penticton to get his 2 year degree.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Oh, you're right. I always think of the 4-2-4 transfer from a DII perspective - and its different from the DI rule. At the DII level recruits don't need to graduate from their junior college, they only need to pass full course loads for two semesters. I guess I never looked close enough at these transfers (a la Ben Finklestien transferring via the USHL as a So. not a Fr.) and always assumed hockey had a similar rule or a year in residence loop hole...

It would not be outside of the realm of possibility one could transfer to a junior college and take classes during the second semester, a summer semester and the following fall semester and graduate in December - but that would take a lot of work and (after your clarification) the fact that Budy is still not yet committed probably indicates he is not on that path...

---

So that leaves UNH in a bind for next season. Here are a few of the better options (not including Europe) left, bearing in mind that Kallionkieli is probably committed by now if he had designs on playing college hockey this coming season (perhaps at all). He would be the home-run swing and maybe the only long ball left...


Marcus Kallionkieli - https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...s-kallionkieli
* Helsinki, Finland (Holds Finnish AND Brazilian citizenship)
* Crazy potential - 29 as a 17 year old much of the season in USHL
* Projected top-3 round NHL pick this summer
* Exactly the type UNH should jump on earlier than others - give him an opp a year ahead of schedule (as their only real shot at this point)

Ethian Scardina - https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...ethan-scardina
* 15th leading goal scorer in BCHL (26) at 18
* Played at Delta Hockey Academy with Budy (which would give him two friends at UNH come 2020)

Levi Glassman - https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...5/levi-glasman
* Back-to-Back 20-goal seasons in the BCHL

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

A transfer option that would be available to UNH could be Brett Murray (formerly of Penn State) and a recent decommit from Miami (OH). Murray decommitted from the RedHawks last week - whether that was in the wake of a difficult season and a coaching change or in an attempt to bypass college hockey I have no idea. Assuming he is still looking to play college hockey, he will probably a be pretty coveted prospect in the coming weeks...

Murray only posted 1-6--7 in 39 career games (over 1.5 years) at Penn State, which he entered as a true freshman, but he scored 41 goals and totaled 76 points in 62 games for Youngstown (USHL) this season. He would be skipping out on one rebuild for another at UNH if he chose the Wildcats.

He'd be a great fit on the left-wing for Pierson and Kelleher, allowing Crookshank to move to line two and play with Blackburn and Grasso. At 6-4, 200+ he is a big bodied type...

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...2/brett-murray

[islander98]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Scardina is a good prospect. I know that he is on the radar of a few schools. He is likely in final discussions with at least one currently. Glasman is also a good prospect. He has also got a few schools kicking the tires. I like Scardina's overall vision and hustle a bit better. However, he can be a bit of a coaster on the way back to the D zone.

[Lemonade]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

A transfer option that would be available to UNH could be Brett Murray (formerly of Penn State) and a recent decommit from Miami (OH). Murray decommitted from the RedHawks last week - whether that was in the wake of a difficult season and a coaching change or in an attempt to bypass college hockey I have no idea. Assuming he is still looking to play college hockey, he will probably a be pretty coveted prospect in the coming weeks...

Murray only posted 1-6--7 in 39 career games (over 1.5 years) at Penn State, which he entered as a true freshman, but he scored 41 goals and totaled 76 points in 62 games for Youngstown (USHL) this season. He would be skipping out on one rebuild for another at UNH if he chose the Wildcats.

He'd be a great fit on the left-wing for Pierson and Kelleher, allowing Crookshank to move to line two and play with Blackburn and Grasso. At 6-4, 200+ he is a big bodied type...

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...2/brett-murray

Rumor I heard was Murray going to sign with the Sabres organization and will forego the NCAA.

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Robby Griffin 6’0, 180 lbs. right shot forward signs National Letter of Intent with UNH. Former Northeastern recruit plans to enroll this Fall. Neutral Zone rating is 4 out of 5 Stars. Excerpts from their scouting report at USA Hockey Selects17 Camp: “deceptive speed, strong edges, hi-level hockey IQ..skilled passer..rare ability to make plays both in open ice & in traffic..excelled on the power play and the penalty kill.”
https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...robert-griffin

[Dan]

Rumor I heard was Murray going to sign with the Sabres organization and will forego the NCAA.

That’s the expectation around Miami - and it makes sense because the moment Mataj Pekar was not immediately eligible for the RedHawks, the Sabers swooped in and signed him, sending him to the OHL.

It’s an interesting situation for Murray, because if he doubled down his breakout USHL season he could play the free agent game next summer when Buffalo’s rights run out and get a better deal/opportunity from the Sabers or someone else.

But it seems he’s going to capitalize on his big season and that UNH would be out of the mix now anyway...

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

So I was wrong in my guess about the additional forward they were trying to add. A nice pedigree. He's young, a true freshman, so may take a longer time to adjust, but I'd take the BVR/Griffin trade because it furthers an up tempo game, moreso with the 3 additional years. Griffin, like several of the UNH recruits (Jones, Curran, Devlin), is more of a playmaker than scorer, but with some stength can hopefully get to the scoring areas. I good third liner learning the ropes this year, with top line upside.

[Dan]

So I was wrong in my guess about the additional forward they were trying to add. A nice pedigree. He's young, a true freshman, so may take a longer time to adjust, but I'd take the BVR/Griffin trade because it furthers an up tempo game, moreso with the 3 additional years. Griffin, like several of the UNH recruits (Jones, Curran, Devlin), is more of a playmaker than scorer, but with some stength can hopefully get to the scoring areas. I good third liner learning the ropes this year, with top line upside.

They really need to start adding more pure goal scorers. Can guys who don’t score at younger levels grow into snipers at the college level? Most of UNH’s big time scorers were big time scorers prior to Durham. It’s easy to project Stutzle and Margel as goal scorers because they always have been. Can you really project anyone else in the pipeline as any sort of sure thing to score goals...?

This likely sets the roster for the coming season - agree on a BVR/Griffin trade but leaves the team fairly unbalanced with their wingers. Adding Griffin probably puts four of their five best offensive wingers on the right side. Similar to the left-leaning imbalance on the blue-line...

Do they (most likely, IMO) show more belief in their LW scoring than I have and/or plan for a balanced top-9...

Crookshank - Pierson - Kelleher
Stevenson - Blackburn - Grasso
Herrmann - Engaras - Griffin
Esposito - MacAdams - Fregona
Sato - Sacco - Cippolone

Or does someone play on the off-hand within the top-six (my preference) - leaving them with a dangerous top-six, a developing and depth third line and a strong match-up/checking line...

Crookshank - Pierson - Kelleher
Grasso - Blackburn - Fregona/Griffin
Stevenson - Engaras - Griffin/Fregona
Herrmann- MacAdams - Esposito
Sato - Sacco - Cippolone

Or do they fiddle with their centers and perhaps free up a top-six left-shot winger in Blackburn?

Crookshank - Kelleher - Grasso
Blackburn - Pierson - Fregona/Griffin
Stevenson - Engaras - Griffin/Fregona
Herrmann - MacAdams - Esposito
Sato - Sacco - Cippolone

[TheRevengeance]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

From having tracked Griffin for NU I don't think penciling him into the top/middle six is even remotely a guarantee. He was not a top 20 point scorer in the NCDC, didn't have a double-digit goal scoring season above the U16 level, wasn't a top five scorer on his own team, and never played a USHL game. There's a reason NU didn't have him coming in this summer, I'm not even convinced he would have come next summer. Whatever NHL draft hype he once had has long since faded.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

From having tracked Griffin for NU I don't think penciling him into the top/middle six is even remotely a guarantee. He was not a top 20 point scorer in the NCDC, didn't have a double-digit goal scoring season above the U16 level, wasn't a top five scorer on his own team, and never played a USHL game. There's a reason NU didn't have him coming in this summer, I'm not even convinced he would have come next summer. Whatever NHL draft hype he once had has long since faded.

There's a difference between middle six at NU and at UNH. At this late date, the kids who UNH viably could get frm other programs are going to have questions. We're not U.Mass able to snag a 40 point USHL scorer like Keifluk, but Griffin is good for what we are now.

Sort of like Will MacKinnon last year -- didn't produce enough for Denver standards, but a solid #4 dman at UNH. Griffin has a bit more upside, and his scoring for a HS senior was not bad. I think the Jackson twins pushed to get to NU this year, leapfrogging him, to our advantage. And that's why I think the BvR/Griffin trade is good for both teams. You get solid known production, we get to play the kids and hope they find themselves.