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UML Recruiting: Finally in the 20s!

Add Merrimack to list of teams with a CHL commitment. 04' forward, Tyler MacKenzie, with a 3.75 NZ rating.

Mike McMahon @MikeMcMahonCHN
Merrimack receives a commitment from Tyler MacKenzie, who is currently 4th in the WHL in scoring (19g-19a in 24 games). MacKenzie is also an alternate captain for the Everett Silvertips. He's Merrimack's first CHL commitment. He was a captain for Medicine Hat last season.
 
Updating this since we're talking about what might be needed for next season. I had said 4 months ago that we'll definitely need to add at least one defenseman and a goalie, and we've done both. I do still think they'll get in another of each, maybe through the portal (8 dmen seems light with injuries sure to occur). I think most of the Major Junior commits we've seen so far are for next year, not really looking further than that, and I think that trend will almost certainly continue. So to me, the Major Junior route will be the same as the portal (just a bit earlier in the time frame).

25/26 roster

Defense (8):
Seniors: Mitchell Becker, T.J. Schweighardt
Juniors: Sean Kilcullen
Sophomore: Daniel Buchbinder
Freshmen: August Classon, Jacob Johnson, Ryan Kroll, Carsen Olsen

Forwards (18):
Seniors: Dillan Bentley, Jack Collins, Connor Eddy, Roc Truman, Scout Truman
Juniors: Jaiden Moriello, Grant Silkalns, Jan Vaarwerk
Sophomores: Mirko Buttazoni, Dylan Cook, Chris Delaney, Jacob MacDonald, Libor Nemec, Lee Parks, Dominic Rivelli
Freshmen: Lucas Busch, Easton Jacobs, Nick Romeo

Goalies (2):
Senior: Beni Halasz
Junior:
Sophomore:
Freshman: Jack Solomon

This leaves us at 28 on the roster, with the class breakdown being:
Seniors: 8
Juniors: 4
Sophomores: 8
Freshmen: 8

26/27 roster

Defense (7):
Seniors: Sean Kilcullen
Juniors: Daniel Buchbinder
Sophomore: August Classon, Jacob Johnson, Ryan Kroll, Carsen Olsen
Freshmen: Stephen Grumley

Forwards (14):
Seniors: Jaiden Moriello, Grant Silkalns, Jan Vaarwerk
Juniors: Mirko Buttazoni, Dylan Cook, Chris Delaney, Jacob MacDonald, Libor Nemec, Lee Parks, Dominic Rivelli
Sophomores: Lucas Busch, Easton Jacobs, Nick Romeo
Freshmen: Charles Kresl

Goalies (2):
Senior:
Junior:
Sophomore: Jack Solomon
Freshman: Kyle Jones

This leaves us at 23 on the roster, with the class breakdown being:
Seniors: 4
Juniors: 8
Sophomores: 8
Freshmen: 3

27/28 roster

Defense (8):
Seniors: Daniel Buchbinder
Juniors: August Classon, Jacob Johnson, Ryan Kroll, Carsen Olsen
Sophomore: Stephen Grumley
Freshmen: Owen McCarthy, Anthony Pedalino

Forwards (12):
Seniors: Mirko Buttazoni, Dylan Cook, Chris Delaney, Jacob MacDonald, Libor Nemec, Lee Parks, Dominic Rivelli
Juniors: Lucas Busch, Easton Jacobs, Nick Romeo
Sophomores: Charles Kresl
Freshmen: Tristen Buckley

Goalies (2):
Senior:
Junior: Jack Solomon
Sophomore: Kyle Jones
Freshman:

This leaves us at 22 on the roster, with the class breakdown being:
Seniors: 8
Juniors: 8
Sophomores: 3
Freshmen: 3
 
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UMLFan said:
In answer to your question, I think that this first and foremost helps the blue bloods. Many of those same programs lost some of these same kids to Major Junior in the first place. But yes, there will be a trickle down effect as there are more players to choose from. With this program having started so late in the 2025 recruiting cycle though, I'm curious to see how it plays out going forward once NCAA teams have a bit more time to recruit and plan for these kids (as opposed to having to only play for HS or Junior). I also wonder if this will impact expenses on college programs, more recruiting = more travel/time required. Vermont just picked up '04 Cedrick Guindon (a 4.5* by NZ). He was expected to be drafted by the NHL at some point, but it never worked out for him.
Click to expand...

Saw that Guindon pickup. I definitely think the schools closest to the border (Vermont, upstate NY ECAC and AHA, CCHA) will get more competitive. I mean even Bowling Green already has like 4 CHL commits. If Vermont is able to pull high caliber players I just don't see any reason why Lowell can't. Yeah we're not the closest to the border but it's a winning program under Bazin's tenure and is usually competitive in a top 3 league. But of course, Norm likes his unorthodox approach.....
 
Neutral Zone went to the BCHL Showcase (that took place towards the end of November) and add quick scouting reports on future commits. I'm only including a little blurb of each below.

James Johnson - Typically ’04s don’t have a ton of ‘ceiling’ but Johnson is the exception and showing noticeable improvement from last year.
Carsen Olsen - A crisp and accurate passer he has the potential to be a puck moving power play defenseman at this level once he gets more experience in the BCHL.
Stephen Grumley - Grumley is adjusting to junior hockey – learning how to defend against bigger and stronger competition but he has all the tools to be a top four defender and run the power play at this level.
Tristen Buckley - a high skill integllient instinctual hockey player with a smooth and agile stride who will only get better as he fills into his frame. Hidden gem type prospect who went undrafted in the WHL and USHL and just now coming on the scene.
Owen McCarthy - McCarthy is undersized but he’s highly mobile quick to pucks and to puck carriers both on the rush and in the corners and showed a swift stick to lift sticks and steal pucks.
Charles Kresl - Only knock we had for Kresl here is that his stride is a bit clunky and it requires him to work too hard for speed – it wasn’t limiting here but it could be at the next level.
 
Well, it's begun for this season as the first NCAA player jumped into the transfer portal last week, Kazimier Sobieski (a Deerfield, MA native) will have three years of eligibility left after leaving UMass. The defenseman was a 4* recruit per NZ, but only played 5 games in his freshman season before leaving for the USHL. While he didn't get on the scoresheet in any of his 5 college games, he has a 4-3-7 line in 6 games in the USHL with Youngstown.
 
UMLFan said:
Well, it's begun for this season as the first NCAA player jumped into the transfer portal last week, Kazimier Sobieski (a Deerfield, MA native) will have three years of eligibility left after leaving UMass. The defenseman was a 4* recruit per NZ, but only played 5 games in his freshman season before leaving for the USHL. While he didn't get on the scoresheet in any of his 5 college games, he has a 4-3-7 line in 6 games in the USHL with Youngstown.
Click to expand...

I mean we have made it a point of grabbing a UMass transfer every now and then... why not another lol
 
We continue to stockpile defensive recruits, but still not much on the forward side. Currently with 15 future commits, 8 defensemen, 2 goalies and just 5 forwards.

A bit about Herres from NZ (they don't have him rated), this comes from September:
[Wyatt is a well-sized, right-shot defenseman playing for Team Wisconsin. He demonstrated strong defensive awareness and an active stick in the game we watched on Sunday morning against MSP Magazine. He maintained a solid net-front presence in the defensive zone, consistently clearing pucks and bodies throughout the game. While he tends to play a simple game, he also showed the ability to contribute offensively, recording a goal and an assist over the weekend. Wyatt exhibited discipline by leveraging one of his strengths: keeping opposing forwards wide and steering them into low-percentage scoring areas. He effectively made simple, tape-to-tape outlet passes, avoiding turnovers in the defensive zone. As the Elite League progresses, we look forward to seeing Wyatt’s confidence grow, especially in carrying the puck and avoiding forced plays under pressure. He has good upside and discipline, which will serve him well in his continued development. Grade: C+/quote]
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
UMLFan said:
We continue to stockpile defensive recruits, but still not much on the forward side. Currently with 15 future commits, 8 defensemen, 2 goalies and just 5 forwards.

A bit about Herres from NZ (they don't have him rated), this comes from September:
[Wyatt is a well-sized, right-shot defenseman playing for Team Wisconsin. He demonstrated strong defensive awareness and an active stick in the game we watched on Sunday morning against MSP Magazine. He maintained a solid net-front presence in the defensive zone, consistently clearing pucks and bodies throughout the game. While he tends to play a simple game, he also showed the ability to contribute offensively, recording a goal and an assist over the weekend. Wyatt exhibited discipline by leveraging one of his strengths: keeping opposing forwards wide and steering them into low-percentage scoring areas. He effectively made simple, tape-to-tape outlet passes, avoiding turnovers in the defensive zone. As the Elite League progresses, we look forward to seeing Wyatt’s confidence grow, especially in carrying the puck and avoiding forced plays under pressure. He has good upside and discipline, which will serve him well in his continued development. Grade: C+/quote]
Click to expand...

The defense this season features 4 grad students and a senior, all of whom play nearly every game. We will need a bunch of new D-men next season.
Click to expand...
 
ScottK said:
The defense this season features 4 grad students and a senior, all of whom play nearly every game. We will need a bunch of new D-men next season.
Click to expand...
I get that, as I posted recently, we have 8 defensemen for next season (four frosh).
Seniors: Mitchell Becker, T.J. Schweighardt
Juniors: Sean Kilcullen
Sophomore: Daniel Buchbinder
Freshmen: August Classon, Jacob Johnson, Ryan Kroll, Carsen Olsen

Of those four freshmen, two will be 21 when the season starts, but the other two will both be 19, and no idea if Bazin will have them on the roster next October. But the other defensemen that have committed (Herres, Pedalino, Grumley, and McCarthy) are all at least one more season out. So I do still think there's a possibility of 2 (or more) new defensemen next year, maybe through the transfer portal (or even someone from Major Junior).

My point was more just to note that recruiting for forwards is lagging behind.
 
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I don't know when it changed, but Easton Jacobs now shows as a 2026 recruit. I know in my breakdown, I had expected him in 2025, so I'll adjust that in the next version.
 
Scouting report on Dyer, rated 3.75* by NZ) from October 2023, he's grown from the 5'4" he was last year to 5'11". Definitely not a huge goal scorer in either the NAHL last year (7-17-24 in 51 NAHL games last season) but showing a little bit better production in the USHL this year (7-8-15 in 27).
Absolute water bug on the ice his small stature helps him get lost in the play and makes him hard to get a hold of of course if he does he usually is taken from the play. His small area speed proved almost impossible to contain without an active stick or a misstep from himself. When he is on he is on he has to make plays at a hundred miles and hour otherwise he is going to get taken advantage of. We are in a new era where this style of play flourishes a little muscle mass could do some good.
Click to expand...
 
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Of the Top 10 goalies in minutes played in the NAHL, Lowell commit Jack Solomon has the best GAA (1.933) and second best save % (92.43). His Austin Bruins have a point in 20 straight games and are currently in second place in their Central Division.
 
I saw this on the Maine thread.
Sparkee said:
On Neutral Zone they have a list of the top still eligible and uncommitted 04 birth years. There are 53 players from major junior on that list that are rated a 4.0 or 4.25.
Click to expand...
Speaking of Maine, I noticed the Heisenberg site has recently crossed out 8 recruits from their huge list of commitments.

Recruit stats as of 12/24/24. As previously mentioned, not a lot of offensive production.
​​​​​ [TABLE="width: 679"]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl70"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl66"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl69"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl66"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl66"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl84, colspan: 4"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl71"]Recruit[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]DOB[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]Pos.[/TD]
[TD="class: xl73"]Team[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]NZ[/TD]
[TD="class: xl74"]GP[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]G[/TD]
[TD="class: xl72"]A[/TD]
[TD="class: xl74"]T[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]James Johnson[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]04/16/04[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Nanaimo (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]August Classon[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]08/03/04[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Lone Star (NAHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]11[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Jack Solomon[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]02/17/05[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]G[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Austin (NAHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]22[/TD]
[TD="class: xl83"]1.93[/TD]
[TD="class: xl82"]0.924[/TD]
[TD="class: xl68, bgcolor: white"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Nick Romeo[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]05/02/05[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Cedar Rapids (USHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.75[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Lucas Busch[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]09/29/05[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Wisconsin (NAHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.25[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]23[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]11[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]17[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Aidan Dyer[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]12/28/05[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Chicago (USHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.75[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]27[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]8[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Charlie Kresl[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]01/27/06[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Vernon (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]25[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]13[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Easton Jacobs[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]01/29/06[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Omaha (USHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.75[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]21[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]2[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Carson Olsen[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]03/03/06[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Salmon Arm (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]25[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]3[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Ryan Kroll[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]04/04/06[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Dubuque (USHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Wyatt Herres[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]01/27/07[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Wisconsin (NAHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]3[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Kyle Jones[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]02/27/07[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]G[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Oklahoma (NAHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]4.00[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]17[/TD]
[TD="class: xl83"]3.47[/TD]
[TD="class: xl82"]0.894[/TD]
[TD="class: xl68, bgcolor: white"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Stephen Grumley[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]04/29/07[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Sherwood Park (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.75[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]27[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]10[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Tristen Buckley[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]12/19/07[/TD]
[TD="class: xl81"]F[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Sherwood Park (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"] [/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]29[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]5[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Owen McCarthy[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]02/20/08[/TD]
[TD="class: xl81"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Trail (BCHL)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]4.00[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]19[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl64"]Anthony Pedalino[/TD]
[TD="class: xl76"]04/29/08[/TD]
[TD="class: xl81"]D[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64"]Long Island Gulls U16[/TD]
[TD="class: xl77"]3.50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl78"]39[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl79"]15[/TD]
[TD="class: xl80, bgcolor: white"]19[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
It would be nice if Mirko Buttazzoni's little brother Diego followed him to Lowell. Left shot forward who mostly plays wing currently has 15-24-39 in 29 with the Portland Winterhawks and has 1 more season of CHL eligibility if any team wants to take him as an overager. Also undrafted so could choose to go the college route to develop more before trying to turn pro. From the 2024 EP NHL Draft Guide:

"Lots of players work hard, but only a few compare to Buttazzoni. He never stops. He rips up and down the ice, bouncing off checks, pickpocketing pucks, and winning body position on much bigger opponents. In all three zones, he effectively supports the play and gets open, often perfectly timing his movements to the net."
 
Lowell2001 said:
It would be nice if Mirko Buttazzoni's little brother Diego followed him to Lowell. Left shot forward who mostly plays wing currently has 15-24-39 in 29 with the Portland Winterhawks and has 1 more season of CHL eligibility if any team wants to take him as an overager. Also undrafted so could choose to go the college route to develop more before trying to turn pro. From the 2024 EP NHL Draft Guide:

"Lots of players work hard, but only a few compare to Buttazzoni. He never stops. He rips up and down the ice, bouncing off checks, pickpocketing pucks, and winning body position on much bigger opponents. In all three zones, he effectively supports the play and gets open, often perfectly timing his movements to the net."
Click to expand...

Diego currently has a 3.75 NZ rating.
Diego Buttazzoni - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
 
With all the decommits at Maine, Merrimack now has the most future commits of any Hockey East team with 31 (Maine has 30).
 
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