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UML Recruiting: Finally in the 20s!

If nothing else, this means Mirko won't be going into the transfer portal next year. :)

No, not implying he was, but that's something we as fans now have to worry about that wasn't an issue in the past.

From NZ (who had him as a 3.75*) back in 2022:
A crafty, deceptively quick left-shot forward, Buttazzoni took a while to get his feet under him this week, but improved with each viewing. Buttazzoni is not flashy but did showcase some strong hands and puck skills at times this week, as well as the ability to be a reliable player in all situations, playing responsibly in his own zone, not cheating on plays, providing low and slow support on breakouts, and cutting through open lanes with his stick on the ice and calling for pucks to provide some vocal support off the puck. In the offensive zone, Buttazzoni has a good, quick shot that he is able to get off under pressure, but it does lack a bit of the high-end pop of some of his peers. Buttazzoni makes strong, crisp passes that have good accuracy, and plays with a physical edge to his game. While not the most dangerous player on the ice, his skill set allows him to be a player that can play up and down a team’s lineup. Grade: B
Click to expand...
 
- Omaha has moved Easton Jacobs to the Injured Reserve list (1/24/25).
- Lucas Busch is injured and hasn't played since 12/13/24. He's not listed on the current Wisconsin roster.

Recruit stats as of 1/26/25.

RecruitDOBPos.TeamNZGPGAT
Josh Mori03/27/04DEdmonton (WHL)3.754511920
James Johnson04/16/04DNanaimo (BCHL)3.5032099
Austin Elliott05/14/04G London (OHL)3.75202.270.916
August Classon08/03/04DLone Star (NAHL)3.503351621
Luke Shipley08/08/04DBrandon (WHL)4.0044133043
Jack Solomon02/17/05GAustin (NAHL) / Sioux Falls (USHL)3.50252.080.918
Nick Romeo05/02/05FCedar Rapids (USHL)3.75367512
Lucas Busch09/29/05FWisconsin (NAHL)3.252361117
Aidan Dyer12/28/05FChicago (USHL)3.75378917
Diego Buttazzoni01/13/06FPortland (WHL)3.7543252954
Charlie Kresl01/27/06FVernon (BCHL)3.50338917
Easton Jacobs01/29/06FOmaha (USHL)3.7527325
Carson Olsen03/03/06DSalmon Arm (BCHL)3.5033066
Ryan Kroll04/04/06DDes Moines (USHL)3.5036033
Wyatt Herres01/27/07DWisconsin (NAHL)3.5031055
Kyle Jones02/27/07GOklahoma (NAHL) / Tri-City (USHL)4.00233.530.892
Stephen Grumley04/29/07DSherwood Park (BCHL)3.753211213
Tristen Buckley12/19/07FSherwood Park (BCHL)346814
Owen McCarthy02/20/08DTrail (BCHL)4.0025033
Anthony Pedalino04/29/08DLong Island Gulls U163.505042125
 
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boblav1 said:
A new goaltender, '04 Austin Elliott who's currently playing for the London Knights (OHL)

College Puck NXT CollegePuckNXT
The UMass Lowell River Hawks stays hot on the recruiting trail with a commitment from Austin Elliott! ‘04 born goaltender from Strathmore, Alberta is currently playing for the London Knights in the OHL. ( 20GP- 2.27 GAA- .916 SV % )

Austin Elliott - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
Click to expand...
NZ rates him as a 3.75*, and had this to say about him after a game in November 2024.
Austin Elliott is a good sized goalie with good mobility. He ended up in London this year as a 20 after spending the last two seasons in Saskatoon where he collected accolades. He is very poised in the net while playing calm and collected. Austin’s movement on his feet is very strong. He moves well laterally and does a good job at covering the lower portion of the net. He has a high compete level on pucks in close and uses his strong lateral movement to take away scoring chances in tight. Austin sometimes relies on covering the bottom of the net too much which can, at times, make his susceptible to getting beat up high. Overall, Austin gives his team a lot of stability in the net and makes a lot of the saves he should make.
Click to expand...
So this will give us Halasz, Solomon and Elliot for next season in net.
 
boblav1 said:
A new goaltender, '04 Austin Elliott who's currently playing for the London Knights (OHL)

College Puck NXT CollegePuckNXT
The UMass Lowell River Hawks stays hot on the recruiting trail with a commitment from Austin Elliott! ‘04 born goaltender from Strathmore, Alberta is currently playing for the London Knights in the OHL. ( 20GP- 2.27 GAA- .916 SV % )

Austin Elliott - Stats, Contract, Salary & More
Click to expand...

Not mentioned with those stats is that he is 20-0-0 for the London Knights.
 
Some important context on Austin Elliott- not sure how much NCAA fans have begun learning about the CHL and the different programs, but he's coming from what is arguably the best possible program. London Knights are currently 1st in the league, coming off of an OHL championship, and have multiple top NHL prospects and an insane alumni list. Most of the OHL hates the Knights because they've been so successful.

The interview linked above discusses his unique path to London. A theoretical NCAA equivalent would be a 3rd string senior goalie at Omaha enters the transfer portal and becomes the 1B for last year's Boston College roster.

Some fans think the high-powered London roster is juicing up Elliott's stats, since GAA is often considered a team stat instead of a goaltender stat. I watch a lot of Knights games and in all my viewings he's been a steady and calm presence. Junior hockey gets kinda wacky with the scoring, and London has needed to outscore their problems a few times. They can manage that (e.g LDN@GUE 11/10, 8-7 win for Elliott despite .731 save percentage). He's given up 4 goals 3 times and 7 the one time mentioned above, and still won each of those. He's also been good in the 3 shootouts and has 2 shutouts–his first one versus Guelph just under a week after they put up 7. On a worse team, or at least less offensively inclined team, he might have a few losses but he's been great for them on the whole. London is expected to have a very deep playoff run so that will be a good test of his abilities in high-pressure situations.

I'm no goalie expert, these are just my thoughts when I heard he committed to UML. Highly recommend checking out a London Knights game to see his play for yourself. Elliott seems to be splitting duties with Aleksei Medvedev, who is a great goalie but also a rookie. Knights twitter account posts the starter roughly an hour before each game, so you can check if Elliott is in net.
 
cinnamoroll said:
Some fans think the high-powered London roster is juicing up Elliott's stats, since GAA is often considered a team stat instead of a goaltender stat. I watch a lot of Knights games and in all my viewings he's been a steady and calm presence. Junior hockey gets kinda wacky with the scoring, and London has needed to outscore their problems a few times. They can manage that (e.g LDN@GUE 11/10, 8-7 win for Elliott despite .731 save percentage). He's given up 4 goals 3 times and 7 the one time mentioned above, and still won each of those. He's also been good in the 3 shootouts and has 2 shutouts–his first one versus Guelph just under a week after they put up 7. On a worse team, or at least less offensively inclined team, he might have a few losses but he's been great for them on the whole. London is expected to have a very deep playoff run so that will be a good test of his abilities in high-pressure situations.
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Thank you so much for the info. I can't speak to all the Lowell fans on here, but I know I haven't followed Major Junior hockey ... ever. So this is appreciated. I have heard the Knights being a great organization though.

Staying on the CHL topic, NEHJ has been breaking down what this will mean for recruiting going forward, and they think that some kids that are committed will wind up now being pushed out a year or two more because of the additional players available each season. For example, a 2005 DOB has to be in college by the 2026 season. So he commits to a school, and hopes to be in by 2024 or 2025. In the past, that was possible if his skill level was ready to play at the college level. But with the transfer portal increasing the availability of players and now the CHL ruling, there are a lot more players that could come in next season and maybe push the commit out another year, or to a different school. It will be interesting to watch if the decommit list grows after this season, as there's speculation that some of the higher end (younger) CHL players might be looking to move into the NCAA pathway after their current seasons are over.
 
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Yet another WHL commitment (3 now) for Lowell, as we will be adding another defenseman for next season. 4* rated Luke Shipley of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the most recent commit. The 6', 187 pound right-shot is in his fifth season in the WHL, and third with Brandon and has a 13-30-43 in 44 games this season. His Elite Prospects page.

From a December 2024 game, this is what NZ said about Shipley:
Luke is a right-shot defender who plays a strong two-way game for the Wheat Kings. A hallmark of his game is his edgework and ability to defend the rush, consistently closing gaps and forcing turnovers. He worked well with his defensive partner, falling back to cover when his partner activated into the rush. In the defensive zone, Luke positioned himself effectively to disrupt passing lanes and engaged opponents physically. He lifted sticks and gained inside control to win puck battles, then used his edges and hands to cut to open space. Calm and composed with the puck, he made smart passes off both his forehand and backhand. Luke initiated the rush on multiple occasions and drew a tripping penalty in one instance. However, we did note that he sometimes struggled to get the puck to the middle of the ice when leading the rush, making passing at pace an area for continued improvement. In the offensive zone, he timed his pinches well at the blue line and made intelligent passes to his forwards, helping to create scoring opportunities. Overall, Luke is a responsible two-way defender who can slot up or down the lineup depending on the quality of his teammates.
Click to expand...
 
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UMLFan said:
Thank you so much for the info. I can't speak to all the Lowell fans on here, but I know I haven't followed Major Junior hockey ... ever. So this is appreciated. I have heard the Knights being a great organization though.

Staying on the CHL topic, NEHJ has been breaking down what this will mean for recruiting going forward, and they think that some kids that are committed will wind up now being pushed out a year or two more because of the additional players available each season. For example, a 2005 DOB has to be in college by the 2026 season. So he commits to a school, and hopes to be in by 2024 or 2025. In the past, that was possible if his skill level was ready to play at the college level. But with the transfer portal increasing the availability of players and now the CHL ruling, there are a lot more players that could come in next season and maybe push the commit out another year, or to a different school. It will be interesting to watch if the decommit list grows after this season, as there's speculation that some of the higher end (younger) CHL players might be looking to move into the NCAA pathway after their current seasons are over.
Click to expand...
I think the decommit list is absolutely going to grow with schools choosing to opt in to the house settlement and having to limit their rosters to 26 players. The pool of players is getting larger and the number of spots is decreasing. A lot of kids that are D1 caliber players with have to settle for D3 or high level club. Maybe schools will start some new programs, but I honestly think we'll see the number of teams shrink before we see more expansion (if expansion ever happens). AIC already shutting it down has me feeling more pessimistic about the direction of D1 college hockey.
 
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