UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

#UNHCommits on @NHLCentralScout November “Players to Watch” list #CarsenRichels @cRichels ‘B’ Prospect, Candidate for 2/3 Round, 2020 Draft. #DavidSacco @dsacco20 ‘C’ Prospect, 4/5/6 Round Candidate @UNHMHOCKEY @BHSBengalHockey @capecodwhalers @LAHOCKEYISL https://t.co/n9N5NGJ1Zg

— Mike Lowry (@UNHHockeyBlog) November 12, 2019

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

ACQUISITION: We are proud to announce the acquisition of 2001 forward William Margel from Madison of the USHL!

The @UNHMHOCKEY commit led the USPHL 18U champion Selects Academy in scoring last season.

Welcome to Coquitlam Will!#AllAboard pic.twitter.com/aazO6Zmqoo

— Coquitlam Express Jr. A Hockey Club (@BCHLExpress) November 9, 2019

2020
Margel- USHL 12-1-0-1
Sweeney- BCHL 24-1-5-6
Curran- BCHL 11-1-4-5
AJHL 7-0-2-2
Cafarelli- BCHL 21-10-11-21
Cronin - USHL 8-0-0-0
Devlin - USHL 13-1-1-2

2021
Bakos- USHL-9-2-1-3
Ardanaz- BCHL 23-1-4-5
J.Ring- NAHL 20-2-10-12

Forwards Carsen Richels (Blaine HS, MN) and David Sacco (Lawrence Academy) will be starting their senior seasons later this month. Each has the potential to be true freshmen at UNH next fall. The NHL Central Scouting Service currently lists Richels as a 'B' prospect (2nd/3rd round candidate) and Sacco as a 'C' (4th/5th/6th round candidate) for the NHL Draft this June. In his two years as head coach, Souza has added two true freshmen to the roster - Jackson Pierson last season and Robby Griffin this season.

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

View this post on Instagram

Super excited to sign my NLI and officially become a wildcat! Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way!

A post shared by Carsen Richels (@carsen_richels) on Nov 13, 2019 at 6:32pm PST

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

2020
Cafarelli- BCHL 23-12-12-24
Ringels- Minn High School
Sacco - Mass Prep
Margel- USHL 12-1-0-1
BCHL 2-0-1-1
Sweeney- BCHL 27-1-5-6

2021
Bakos- USHL-12-2-1-3
Curran- BCHL 11-1-4-5
AJHL 9-0-3-3
Devlin - USHL 14-1-1-2
Mass Prep
Cronin - USHL 10-0-0-0
J.Ring- NAHL 24-2-11-13

Defensemen
Ardanaz- BCHL 25-1-5-6
Gagne - USHL 10-0-4-4

getting a commitment from 17 year old https://bchl.ca/stats/player/5588/40/john-evans and his 3 goals, 10 points, would immediately put him as the #2 scorer in the pipeline.

2020-21
Jr.Crookshank---Jr.Pierson-------Sr.Kelleher
So.Stevenson----Jr.Engaras -----Sr.Grasso
Sr.Sato---------So.Griffin--------Fr.Cafarelli
Fr.Ringels------Jr.Esposito-------Sr.MacAdams
Fr.Margel------So.Herrmann-------Sr.Sacco
Fr.Sweeney----Jr.Cipollone------So.Hankinson

Sr.Maass------So.Eriksson
Jr.MacKinnon--Jr.Verrier
Fr.______-----Fr.________
So.McElhaney----Jr.Hickey

2021-22
Sr.Crookshank--Sr.Pierson--------Sr.Engaras
So.Richels-------Jr.Griffin------So.Cafarelli
Sr.Esposito-----Jr.Stevenson-------Fr.D.Sacco
So.Margel------Jr.Herrmann---Fr.Cronin
So.Sweeney----Fr.Devlin-------Fr.Curran
Sr.Cipollone----Fr.J.Ring-------Jr.Hankinson

Jr.Eriksson---------Fr.Ardanaz
Sr.MacKinnon-----Sr.Verrier
So.______--------Fr.Gagne
Jr.McElhaney-----So.________
Sr.Hickey

2022-23
Sr.Stevenson---Sr.Griffin--------Jr.Cafarelli
Jr.Richels-------Fr.Turner--------So.D.Sacco
Sr.Herrmann----Jr.Margel--------So.Cronin
So.Devlin-------Fr.N.Ring---------So.Curran
So.J.Ring-------Fr.Leclerc-------Jr.Sweeney
Sr.Hankinson ---Fr.Winters

So.Ardanaz--Sr.Eriksson
Jr.______----Jr.________
So.Gagne-----Sr.McElhaney
Fr.______------Fr._______

[Ridge Rat]

Chuck Murray: It appears MS7's scouting team has connections in Germany they intend to bank on regularly.

Even with The Sarge having (predictably) slipped away to go the pro route, this seems promising.

Let's hope Germany treats MS7 as well as BC (Canada) treated Umile/McCloskey back in the day.

Makes sense to me, Kapstad, Gare, Henrion, and TyK (to name a few recent ones) all played in German leagues in 2018-2019, plus many others over the years.

[HockeyRef]

Chuck Murray: It appears MS7's scouting team has connections in Germany they intend to bank on regularly.

Even with The Sarge having (predictably) slipped away to go the pro route, this seems promising.

Let's hope Germany treats MS7 as well as BC (Canada) treated Umile/McCloskey back in the day.

Makes sense to me, Kapstad, Gare, Henrion, and TyK (to name a few recent ones) all played in German leagues in 2018-2019, plus many others over the years.

Stewie not behind the bench last nite perhaps he is shopping as we speak....

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Defenseman @Alex_Gagne27 from Bedford, NH signs National Letter of Intent w/@UNHMHOCKEY 6’3” 194 lbs. left-shot. @NHAvalanche https://t.co/g5J1eEgovH

— Mike Lowry (@UNHHockeyBlog) November 18, 2019

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Alex Gagne, BIG boy, still only 17 so could be looking at 6'5" or 6'6" by the time he arrives from Cedar Rapids. Plus, a local kid … but not being someone who watches the recruiting side closely, wondering from those in the know whether he is someone likely to be drafted high. someone who MS7 is looking at as a developmental project type, or closer to being more of a finished-product type??

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

Alex Gagne, BIG boy, still only 17 so could be looking at 6'5" or 6'6" by the time he arrives from Cedar Rapids. Plus, a local kid … but not being someone who watches the recruiting side closely, wondering from those in the know whether he is someone likely to be drafted high. someone who MS7 is looking at as a developmental project type, or closer to being more of a finished-product type??

From former Bruin Ian Moran, now a scout for Neutral Zone:
"We think he’s a project who will get better and better over the next 2-4 years and will end up going in the late 3rd round (of the 2020 NHL Draft)."

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

From former Bruin Ian Moran, now a scout for Neutral Zone:
"We think he’s a project who will get better and better over the next 2-4 years and will end up going in the late 3rd round (of the 2020 NHL Draft)."

That's concise and to the point on my queries. Thanks C-H-C!!

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

That's concise and to the point on my queries. Thanks C-H-C!!

To flesh this out. He's raw, has good tools, but where that leaves him for the draft is in the eyes of the beholder. Currently, the NHL ratings do not list him.
https://www.nhl.com/info/nhl-css-players-to-watch

But he has the size and projection that some GM, like Moran, would value him in the mid rounds.

Filipowicz is 6'3 212. That's not a bad comp. Pass first defender. His vision is probably not yet at that level, but...

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

To flesh this out. He's raw, has good tools, but where that leaves him for the draft is in the eyes of the beholder. Currently, the NHL ratings do not list him.
https://www.nhl.com/info/nhl-css-players-to-watch

But he has the size and projection that some GM, like Moran, would value him in the mid rounds.

Here's Ian Moran's complete evaluation of Alex Gagne from the Neutral Zone scouting service based on observations of the USHL Fall Classic in early October:
"Alex Gagne (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade – B-) Defense
(1) Brain – Alex is coming out of a league and level where he physically dominated everyone. This allowed him to cheat and take chances that he won’t be able to take at higher levels. We felt Alex got up to speed pretty quickly which is obviously a positive for his hockey IQ.
(2) Vision & Poise – He was a point a game D-man playing midgets, so we know he has offensive skills, but from what we saw he is not a lead the rush type of defenseman. We saw him make quick outlets and join the rush on a consistent basis. Alex also hit the stretch man with ease on both direct and indirect passes.
(3) Feet – Alex has good feet for a 17 year old who is almost 6’4. He has a nice stride and a strong base. I would not say he is quick, but he is agile enough to maintain tight gaps and accelerate in or out of corners. He also has a strong base and is not knocked off the puck.
(4) Compete & Effort – (Only note Extremes)
(5) Contact & Physicality – Although Alex is big, he is not a bruiser. He maintains gaps through his feet by finishing off opponents through good angles while playing stick on puck. When protecting his net Alex prefers to get there first and is strong enough to maintain net side positioning through his strong base.
(6) Release – He has a quick release while walking along the blue line and does not telegraph his shot. Alex hits the net and has the offensive instincts to shoot for his forward’s sticks.
(7) One Timer Ability – Although we did not see any in Pittsburgh, we did see Alex fire a few this past summer in Buffalo so we know the ability is in there.
(8) Body Language – (Only note extremes)
(9) Special Teams Potential – Physically has the ability to play both PP and PK minutes at a professional level. Again, he is coming out of a midget league where he was able to cheat in every situation. Will this continue or will he understand that there are limitations to what he can try? This understanding will have a huge impact on where he goes in the draft and how he projects long term.
(10) Intangibles – Alex is a New Hampshire kid committed to The University of New Hampshire. Why does this matter? UNH plays on an Olympic sized ice sheet. This can be viewed as a positive or a negative depending on the prospect. For Alex, we view this as a real positive. He’s not projected as a top pairing guy and his ability to defend is going to make or break him in the long run. So for his time in college he’s going to be playing games against skilled players on an Olympic sheet… meaning his feet have to develop or else he’ll struggle. We think he’s a project who will get better and better over the next 2-4 years and will end up going in the late 3rd round."

I've come to value the detailed, Neutral Zone (NZ) scouting reports because (1) their scouts identify who they are and what their backgrounds are (2) their scouting reports of individual UNH prospects turn out to be accurate descriptions of the player's skill set when they arrive as freshmen and (3) the UNH prospects who are rated as 4 Stars or above have turned out to be top college players. For example, before they enrolled at UNH, Benton Maass had a 4 Star NZ rating and Max Gildon had a 4.75 out of 5 Star NZ rating. NZ recently upgraded Alex Gagne's rating to 4.25 Stars. Overly long story short, UNH fans can reasonably expect Alex Gagne to play at a level similar to Maass but maybe not quite as high as Gildon. Also, by comparing Gagne's NZ scouting report with those of UNH defensemen like Maass and Gildon, fans can get find out how they are similar and how they are different.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

(10) So, big ice is now good for NHL prospects? And he'll arrive just in time to play on an NHL sheet...

[bakchk20]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

(10) So, big ice is now good for NHL prospects? And he'll arrive just in time to play on an NHL sheet...

Yeah. Hopefully he can make the adjustment...

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond

I thought that the Whitt was going to become a tweener (90 ft width) sheet?