Passed by a colleague, frm a source at USHR I am told:
Wahlstrom: Too Young
Perhaps we’re too old, but all we have to say about the commitment of 2000-born North Yarmouth Academy forward Oliver Wahlstrom to the University of Maine is: he’s too young.
It was a bit of an eye-opener when Springfield Cathedral freshman goalie Keith Petruzzelli, a Feb. ’99 birthdate, committed to Quinnipiac recently, but Wahlstrom’s commitment blows that one out of the water. Wahlstrom, from Yarmouth, Maine, is 13 and a half, a 6/13/00 birthdate, a 7th grader -- and the youngest player to ever commit to an NCAA Div. I program. He is due in Orono in the fall of ’19.
We learned all of this when we woke up to find a press release from North Yarmouth Academy. That in itself is a first. We can’t recall ever getting a press release (see link below) from a prep school announcing a verbal commitment.
Wahlstrom has received a ton of attention across the YouTube-iverse for scoring lacrosse-style goals during Mini 1-on-1 shootouts between periods of Bruins games at the TD Garden – he’s done it twice, humiliating the poor kids between the pipes with the show-off move.
Wahlstrom’s father, Joakim, played for a year at Maine in the late ‘80s before going on to play pro in Sweden, and has reportedly been a driving force behind his son’s career.
In talking to people in the hockey world this morning -- college coaches, junior coaches, prep coaches, and agents -- there is an overwhelming feeling of discouragement over the Wahlstrom decision. College hockey is not college basketball or football. It’s a distant third, and the last thing the game needs is to give the appearance that young children are being offered college scholarships. Perhaps, the NCAA might take a few minutes away from worrying about Johnny Manziel, and decide that hockey has gone rogue on them.
If so, could this be a turning point? Will we finally scrap verbal commitments and get back to Letters of Intent?
We also think it’s bad for the kid. He’s a known hard worker, and will likely continue to develop, but, as the saying goes, there’s many a slip twixt cup and lip. Will the Maine staff still be together in the fall of ’19? What if Wahlstrom’s development slows? Will Maine lose interest? If Maine struggles, will Wahlstrom decommit and go to another school? Will the siren call of the Q be too much to resist? Will he fall out of love with hockey? We’ve seen all these scenarios come to pass, many times.
He's just too young.
again, FWIW...
