CHL to NCAA Recruiting Megathread

[cinnamoroll]

05 F Sam McCue commits to Bowling Green. Currently Brantford Bulldogs, previously played in Peterborough, Owen Sound, and Flint. One of those guys teams trade for because he’s a hard working two-way forward that can score. 2024 Leafs 7th round pick in his D+1 year, Toronto’s rights will extend to after his senior year instead of expiring this year. Odanak First Nation member, brother Max was a longtime London Knight, former sharks pick, now in the Columbus org. Sam gets suspended way less frequently than his brother did lol

Good pickup for the Falcons

 

[cinnamoroll]

Another OHL commit for BGSU- 05 F Matthew Soto commits to BGSU, decided he would celebrate with a hat trick tonight with the Peterborough Petes. 5 point game for him. He spent 4 full seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs, for his overage season he was traded to the youthful Petes (still paying for their 2023 OHL Championship). 11 points in 9 games so far. In Kingston he was often a depth guy and only hit 50 points in one season, but he's getting top 6 minutes this season. He was born in St Paul, MN, but most of his youth hockey has been in Ontario.

Mike McMahon also reports 07 F Jake Crawford from Owen Sound as a BGSU commit. 3rd OHL season with the Attack, 2nd with an A... 6'3, skates well. BGSU OHL commits this cycle up to 5 with Soto, McCue, Crawford, Carson Campbell, and Chase Coughlan.

Speaking of letters, I am enjoying seeing a few of the commits new to the CHL (but experienced in USHL/BCHL) occasionally getting letters despite being recent additions. I track the Sharks prospects the most, of course, and 2 have received As- Michigan State commit Max Heise with Prince Albert and BC commit Teddy Mutryn with Moncton. There's a few others I know of- Northeastern commit Owen Keefe with Drummondville and Michigan commit JP Hurlbert with Kamloops, afaik no one has received a C besides the special case of Penticton, where they traded for the WHL rights of a player who played for them in the BCHL.

 

[cinnamoroll]

The QMJHL took a page out of the OHL's book and decided to hold their own prospects' game this year, where they showcased the best draft-eligible prospects in the league in Sherbrooke last night. It was a fun game and evenly matched, needed a shootout to decide the winner. 6-5 for Team Lafleur over Team Crosby. While it is ultimately NHL-draft focused (reportedly 100+ NHL scouts), it was very well attended by college scouts, especially Hockey East.

Mark Divver directly lists the following schools, but it isn't a complete list:
Providence, BC, BU, Harvard, Lowell, Maine, Vermont, Merrimack, SLU

Some already committed prospects in the game with notable performances:
Rian Chudzinski, BU, who keeps scoring despite a very quick return from alleged mono??
Egor Shilov, BU
Jacoby Weiner, Harvard- 16 saves on 17 shots in first half
Nathan Lecompte, Northeastern
Liam Lefebvre, UVM (Team Crosby Player of the Game)
Tommy Bleyl, Michigan State

Standouts without commitments:
William Lacelle- saved all 15 shots in his first half
Xavier Villeneuve
Oleg Kulebyakin
Nikita Ovcharov (Team Lafleur Player of the Game)
Maddox Dagenais (2024 QMJHL Draft 1st overall) goal and shootout winner

Note: Vlasov (UConn) was injured and couldn't play (not a serious injury, just precaution)

commitment news:

07 F Shaan Kingwell commits to Princeton, playing for Ottawa 67s.

05 D Nolan Stevenson flips commitment to St Cloud State, playing for Penticton Vees, previously committed to Omaha. He was the 2-year BCHL Vees player that the WHL Vees traded for the rights of during the expansion draft, essentially trading for their own player. He already wore a letter for them the past two years so they gave him the C.

Eli McKamey (NoDak) is finally having his WHL debut after an injury delayed the start of his WHL rookie season. He's not a bad consolation prize when trying to fill the gaping hole the Victoria Royals have to try filling... First ever exceptional status player in the BCHL last season for Penticton

Speaking of the Vees, yesterday it was reported that the next WHL location for expansion will have their arrival pushed back to 27-28 instead of original projection of 26-27. Still working on getting ownership settled, though they appear to be down to one candidate. The Vees had the smoother transition because the same ownership group made the move. (Reported cost for Penticton was in the $15 million range for expansion fee and territorial rights paid to Kelowna). The Chilliwack franchise is an effort from the WHL and the City of Chilliwack, so the BCHL Chiefs would be pushed out of their arena when the expansion team comes in. They should get at least another year before worrying about that.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Bit of a shocker here- One of the better QMJHL teams this season, Chicoutimi Saguenéens, will be losing their leading scorer. 07 F Nathan Lecompte (Northeastern) is reportedly going to the USHL. He has 12 points in 10 games, this is his 3rd QMJHL season. He was picked 4th overall in the 2023 QMJHL draft. He went undrafted and was part of that Top Prospects game, and later today it came down he is leaving. No word on which team but I'm guessing it is one of the higher-end organizations with great facilities, maybe Muskegon. Notably, Chicoutimi is the team who holds the rights of BU commit and 2026 projected top 10 pick Tynan Lawrence, who has instead remained in Muskegon after being named Clark Cup MVP as a D-1. They also had a recent high draft pick who asked for a trade after 14 games last season, but that might've been more about opportunity.

I don't think it is anything to do with/will negatively affect Northeastern's relationship with Chicoutimi, they just called up another NU recruit in Owen McHale for a few games until his school season gets underway.

We might learn more about this situation in the coming days. Plenty of rumors and everything flying around, including some vague implications that there is something up with the coach/GM, who has been there for over a decade. This is a go for it year for Chicoutimi and they were starting strong, big loss for the team

My immediate thought is could his relationship have soured significantly over the commitment? Only one other Sags player has committed after playing but hes an NHL drafted defenseman going to Harvard, usually the timeline is pretty long for Ivy Leagues. I'd hope not- a lot of QMJHL teams have good relationships with the college scouts, but this would look bad on the team and even the league. I'd hope theyre mature enough not to act like children on the playground but that hasn't always rung true for situations far more dire than this one.

 

[cinnamoroll]

At 7pm ET Brampton Steelheads vs Niagara IceDogs is the free OHL game on youtube and socials.

Brampton:
Zach Nyman, Michigan
David Green, Merrimack
Julian Demiglio, RIT

Niagara:
Braidy Wassilyn, BU
Cole Cooksey, Merrimack
Jacob Monks, Merrimack
Alex Hage, Michigan
Sebastian Dell'elce, Quinnipiac
Hayden Reid, Minnesota

 

[sezenack]

Rylan Gould leaving Michigan Tech to go back to the WHL. I think there are plenty of CHL teams hoping that will start a trend for the players who are lower in the lineup

 

[manurespreader]

Rylan Gould leaving Michigan Tech to go back to the WHL. I think there are plenty of CHL teams hoping that will start a trend for the players who are lower in the lineup

He was top 6, not lower in the line up.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Rylan Gould leaving Michigan Tech to go back to the WHL. I think there are plenty of CHL teams hoping that will start a trend for the players who are lower in the lineup

lower in the lineup is one of the reasons we might see this but there’s a lot more besides that. Gould had fine enough numbers until his last game when he got injured. He was getting used to the game, so it’s either something with the injury, academics, socially, etc. College can be overwhelming and plenty of kids go back to the USHL if they’re having a tough time. Sometimes they return to that school a little older and stronger or transfer somewhere that is a better fit. Even happened last year with Noah Powell, left OSU for Oshawa Generals, entered the portal and transferred to ASU.

Also worth noting Gould was convinced late in the process to come earlier when he was originally coming next season. There’s a lot of depth in Michigan Tech’s program so they’ll be fine

I suspect we will see a few, but it’s not terribly out of the norm. People just usually don’t notice if someone returns to the USHL

 

[cinnamoroll]

A good profile on Bemidji State’s rookie goaltender Max Hildebrand, 2025 WHL Goalie of the Year and one of the very first CHL players to announce their commitment after the rule change. Worth a point out here for some interesting points about his comments on the college recruiting process and the comments from his father Steve, who is the GM of the Saskatoon Blades. Plenty of quotes about his son but he has a few comments about the changing landscape from his perspective.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Also meant to post earlier, but Nathan Lecompte is back in Chicoutimi and is claimed he never meant to leave to the USHL. Weird situation lol

 

[cinnamoroll]

08 D Carter Hicks and 06 F Cole Davis commit to UConn, both play for the Windsor Spitfires.

A bunch of interesting trades going around in the CHL, Oshawa is officially selling, involved in the return for their top 2 defensemen is 07 D Luca DiPlacido, Cornell commit playing at St Andrew’s College, got into 11 playoff games with Brantford after the school year. Braidy Wassilyn (BU) is traded from Niagara to London. Cornell commit 07 F Michael Dec goes to Erie.

 

[cinnamoroll]

CHL alum in weekly honors:

Hockey East Rookie of the Week: Justin Poirier, Maine

CCHA Rookie of the Week: Teydon Trembecky, Michigan Tech
CCHA Defender of the Week: Hudson Thornton, Bemidji State

ECAC Goalie of the Week: Nate Krawchuk, RPI

NCHC is weird and waits another day to announce weekly awards so i’ll just make another post if they have any former CHL guys

It was reported last week that the NHL met with junior hockey stakeholders last week for a two day summit. This included USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, CHL, WHL, OHL, QMJHL, and USHL. Sean Shapiro has an article on it plus quotes from Bill Daly on EP. Seems like most of the CHL side are feeling good about their spot in the junior hockey landscape, as they should. Daly is definitely concerned about the USHL, which he should be.

 

[sezenack]

the NHL bankrolls the CHL and not the USHL so until that changes, the imbalance will remain (I'd argue that no one should get money from the NHL honestly)

 

[cinnamoroll]

the NHL bankrolls the CHL and not the USHL so until that changes, the imbalance will remain (I'd argue that no one should get money from the NHL honestly)

no idea of the amount differences, but the NHL has been bankrolling the USHL, just announced a new investment a few months ago, and probably will continue to ramp it up. but in general i have a lot more faith in the CHL leadership’s ability to make the most of that money than the USHL’s bonkers commissioner- even Dan Near (a very narrow difference).

as for the NHL financially supporting junior leagues, it’s in their best interest to make sure the pipeline to the league isn’t a total mess. the money would be going somewhere regardless and if the USHL is willing to commit to improvements then that’s great.

 

[sezenack]

no idea of the amount differences, but the NHL has been bankrolling the USHL, just announced a new investment a few months ago, and probably will continue to ramp it up. but in general i have a lot more faith in the CHL leadership’s ability to make the most of that money than the USHL’s bonkers commissioner- even Dan Near (a very narrow difference).

as for the NHL financially supporting junior leagues, it’s in their best interest to make sure the pipeline to the league isn’t a total mess. the money would be going somewhere regardless and if the USHL is willing to commit to improvements then that’s great.

I must have missed that announcement, my bad. I think that's a fair argument though in terms of development for the league. I think if they're investing in the junior leagues, it makes more sense to put more resources in the USHL than CHL because there is much more growth potential in trying to grow the game in the US than Canada now. Hopefully, they keep ramping that up

 

[cinnamoroll]

I must have missed that announcement, my bad. I think that's a fair argument though in terms of development for the league. I think if they're investing in the junior leagues, it makes more sense to put more resources in the USHL than CHL because there is much more growth potential in trying to grow the game in the US than Canada now. Hopefully, they keep ramping that up

here’s that announcement- it came in april this year. they’re focusing it on standardizing player experience, which the OHL is also addressing on their end but i don’t think the NHL is funding their effort so much as being a stakeholder (ie contributing to the discussion about what those standards should be). hockey canada has a lot more resources so i get the impression they do a lot of the funding for the CHL

 

[cinnamoroll]

NCHC Rookie of the Week: Ollie Josephson, NoDak

B1G First Star of the Week: Blake Montgomery, Wisconsin

CCHA Rookie of the Month: Teydon Trembecky, Michigan Tech

 

[Sparkee]

NCHC Rookie of the Week: Ollie Josephson, NoDak

B1G First Star of the Week: Blake Montgomery, Wisconsin

CCHA Rookie of the Month: Teydon Trembecky, Michigan Tech

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

JUSTIN POIRIER - MAINE

Justin Poirier (Fr., F; Valleyfield, Que.) led Maine and tied for league lead with five points on three goals and two assists in a sweep of No. 5 Boston University. He scored two goals and added an assist, including on the overtime game-winning goal in Friday’s 5-4 win. He followed up with one goal and one assist in an 8-5 victory on Saturday. He paced Hockey East with three goals and added eight shots on net.

 

[Sparkee]

Another good rookie for Maine has been Jaden Lipinski. He is leading the team in face off win percentage at 64.6%, 5th on the team in scoring, tied for 2nd on the team in +/-. He is big center man that skates well, covers a lot of ground, has a good 200 ft game, and is a menace in front of the opposing goalie with battling for net front position.

This UMaine freshman hails from an unlikely hockey hotbed in the desert

“Hockey in Arizona is a lot bigger than you think,” said Black Bears' center Jaden Lipinski, who is from Scottsdale.

www.bangordailynews.com

 

[cinnamoroll]

Another good rookie for Maine has been Jaden Lipinski. He is leading the team in face off win percentage at 64.6%, 5th on the team in scoring, tied for 2nd on the team in +/-. He is big center man that skates well, covers a lot of ground, has a good 200 ft game, and is a menace in front of the opposing goalie with battling for net front position.

This UMaine freshman hails from an unlikely hockey hotbed in the desert

“Hockey in Arizona is a lot bigger than you think,” said Black Bears' center Jaden Lipinski, who is from Scottsdale.

www.bangordailynews.com

Big Lipinski fan, like to see his success.

There’s a few guys I watched a lot last year or previous years due to being baby sharks-adjacent that have done well to start. Wisconsin’s Oliver Tulk has been similarly successful in the faceoff dot and contributing offensively, plus his teammate Blake Montgomery. CC’s Brandon Lisowsky had 13 shots on goal in their friday game but got goalied hard. Trembecky counts in this too. NoDak’s Keaton Verhoeff is exceptional, and Josh Zakreski was doing great but is now out long term with injury. Quinnipiac’s Markus Vidicek has been solid.

Some under the radar standouts beyond the guys getting weekly honors:
Lindenwood F Charles Savoie and Giovanni Morneau- dynamic USports transfers with 11 and 10 points respectively. they’re carrying the offensive load for a sneaky scary team. especially wanted to highlight them since they’re independent
Niagara F Marshall Finnie- brother of Red Wings’ rookie Emmitt, both having pretty good seasons
RMU F Bruce McDonald- extremely under the radar pick here, but he leads the team in points with 7
Bemidji State F Oliver Peer- USports transfer, leads Beavers in points, straight up just looks amazing
St Thomas F Nathan Pilling- tied for lead in nation for SHG with 2, including the first ever goal scored in the Tommies new barn
Miami F Kocha Delic- leads Miami in points
DU F Clarke Caswell- leads DU forwards in points
Omaha D Aidan de la Gorgendiere- USports transfer D, tied third in team points and logs a lot of key minutes
Providence F Jonathan Fauchon- QMJHL MVP getting rave reviews from coaches, teammates, second in points on team, tied 2nd in nation on PPGs
UML F Dalyn Wakely- tied for 1st on team in points, no goals yet
UNH F Félix Gagnon- a personal favorite, second on the team in points, monster on faceoffs. was convinced he’d fit the college game well and he has proven it
Northeastern F Jacob Mathieu- how bout those huskies? there’s a 4-way tie for the team scoring lead, Mathieu is the only freshman
Ohio State F Jake Karabela- tied for second on the team in points

I don’t have a ton of fancy stats (and my laptop is out of commission for a bit) so here’s some of the CHL defensemen who are used over 22 min TOI/g (ie have the trust of their coaches):
Bemidji State Hudson Thornton, 24:27, 10-2-5-7
St Lawrence Andrew Brown, 23:25, 8-0-3-3
BGSU Brayden Crampton, 23:00, 6-2-1-3
Omaha Marc Lajoie, 22:15, 6-1-1-2 (USports transfer)
Clarkson Matthew Mayich, 22:04, 8-1-1-2

and the CHL goalies of note:
Michigan Jack Ivankovic (duh)
Wisconsin Daniel Hauser
DU Quentin Miller
The 3 above are tied in nation shutouts with 2 along with 3 others
Penn State Joshua Fleming
NoDak Jan Spunar
UML Austin Elliott
Miami Matteo Drobac
RPI Nate Krawchuk

guys to watch for further growth (even if stats are a little spooky):
Bemidji State Max Hildebrand
Colgate Reid Dyck

This is a little messy and rambly but this was a fun overview personally, some of these guys I didn’t know about or didn’t realize how well they were doing