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UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond


With the caveat that he is not quite a blue chipper (23rd forward by Jeff above, and in the second tier “A-/B+” Group by USHR), I think he qualifies as the first real positive recruiting move by Souza. To now, his recruits have been kids where the competition has been weak or non-existent. Bahn literally had no offers, Crookshank had no offers, and was just getting to the point where Denver might offer. Verrier was a fringe DI kid, perhaps starting to draw some ECAC offers, Miller was a second or third tier Alberta kid. Corson Green is a raw kid who probably had more interest from Major Junior than from colleges when UNH popped him. McAdams had some interest from PC and BU, but it is unclear the price range of their offers and how much of priority he was -- I suspect those top teams probably were pretty low on the scholarship front.


So, with that backdrop, and importantly, without any info yet about Wazny's other schools, I suspect he probably was a solid "second tier" (not BU, BC or PC or top two ECAC -Q, Harvard- type of recruit) kid. Given that we have seemed to be losing kids who might fall into that profile (including to Maine, U.Mass, Northeastern, etc.), this is the first recruit with some options to affirmatively select UNH. A lot of my angst was the product of the fact that literally no recruit with good options was picking us. Marek changes this. Let's hope he is not an outlier. I have come to accept that we have gone past the point of an exciting coach yielding a huge recruiting surge. We are at the point (if you accept that Souza is the successor) that any upgrades will be marginal, slow and incremental. In that framework, this is a small incremental step, the first one in the right direction.

Now lets hope we can get his twin brother to commit.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=240368
 
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So, jumped the 01 market and got 02 freshman goalie from St Sebs, Drew Commesso. He replaced their senior goalie midway through their first game. Supposedly highly rated in US.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/college-hockey-recruiting-ncaa/2016/10/24/13358820/boston-eagles-u14-showcase-top-prospects-bantam-major-nj-colonials-mid-fairfield-capitals-penguins
Goaltenders:

1. Drew Commesso, #1 Light Blue, Bay State Breakers – The clear #1 here. He’s already well over six feet, so he fits that profile. He’s athletic and controls rebounds extremely well. He looks to be this year’s version of Spencer Knight (Avon).

Ushr April 2016
 
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So, jumped the 01 market and got 02 freshman goalie from St Sebs, Drew Commesso. He replaced their senior goalie midway through their first game. Supposedly highly rated in US.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/college-hockey-recruiting-ncaa/2016/10/24/13358820/boston-eagles-u14-showcase-top-prospects-bantam-major-nj-colonials-mid-fairfield-capitals-penguins
Goaltenders:

1. Drew Commesso, #1 Light Blue, Bay State Breakers – The clear #1 here. He’s already well over six feet, so he fits that profile. He’s athletic and controls rebounds extremely well. He looks to be this year’s version of Spencer Knight (Avon).

Ushr April 2016

Now THIS is a grab - he's a ways off still, but he's a future NTDP candidate and potentially this regimes first really big get. Hats off to them - now let's go get some more...

Additionally, the last St. Sebs goalie to come to UNH was Kevin Regan...
 
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Have to agree - still early but HUGE get for UNH. Widely regarded as one of the best 02 goaltending prospect in N. America. Several other HE schools offered/were in on him including BC and BU. Superb job!
 
Now THIS is a grab - he's a ways off still, but he's a future NTDP candidate and potentially this regimes first really big get. Hats off to them - now let's go get some more...

Additionally, the last St. Sebs goalie to come to UNH was Kevin Regan...

1,2 we want more!! Very nice to hear...I knew we were probably looking for a future gk and was just speculating at least in the next year. Nice get indeed!
 
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I wonder if he was visiting during the game Friday night. If there was ever a game to sell the potential for what a top end recruit could get the UNH fan base back to (for more than one game per year), that was it.
 
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I wonder if he was visiting during the game Friday night. If there was ever a game to sell the potential for what a top end recruit could get the UNH fan base back to (for more than one game per year), that was it.

Sorry that I missed the two games this past weekend. I will get to Thompson Arena this Saturday, for sure.
 
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

So, playing out the G situation, interesting to see how they squeeze the needed goalie into the 2018-21 years. Of course, things change quickly.
16-17 Tirone, Clark
17-18 Tirone, Clark, Robinson
18-19 Fr.______ Clark??, Robinson
19-20 Fr or Soph.______ Robinson
20-21 Commesso, Robinson, Soph or Jr.________
 
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I wonder if he was visiting during the game Friday night. If there was ever a game to sell the potential for what a top end recruit could get the UNH fan base back to (for more than one game per year), that was it.

Excellent point. It's funny, for so many years we just took the sellouts for granted.

So, playing out the G situation, interesting to see how they squeeze the needed goalie into the 2018-21 years. Of course, things change quickly.
16-17 Tirone, Clark
17-18 Tirone, Clark, Robinson
18-19 Fr.______ Clark??, Robinson
19-20 Fr or Soph.______ Robinson
20-21 Commesso, Robinson, Soph or Jr.________

Lazzarro (current #3 and probable #4 next season) is around through '19/'20, so IF Clark stays through season after next (which would be his 5th due to last year's injury redshirt), then don't you just need the next emergency guy in place for '19/'20 when Clark is gone for sure, and presumably Robinson is the lead dog? I know that would require Lazzarro to be back-up grade quality by his senior season, but we've seen guys like LaRochelle and Carney (or arguably Jamie Regan last year) pull that off in the past. If you have to go get that guy a year early because Clark leaves on plan (4 year schedule), there's probably a stronger argument to get a legit front line goalie then.

I still have to wonder if we do really still end up with the 3 goalie logjam (or 4 if Lazzarro is included) next season? I don't see Tirone chucking away a 4th and final season as starter to go play pro in the 'Coast, and I don't see pro interest in him at this point at a higher level than that. Seeing Robinson getting regular starts after his recent trade is encouraging for expectations to see him in Durham next season. Does Clark even relish coming back for his (academic) senior season next year if he's going to be relegated to a 3rd stringer?

Robinson solved the logjam issue this season by playing another year of juniors. Barring serious injury or eligibility-impacting issues to Tirone or Robinson, I suspect Clark might "solve" the logjam next season.
 
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I wonder if he was visiting during the game Friday night. If there was ever a game to sell the potential for what a top end recruit could get the UNH fan base back to (for more than one game per year), that was it.

Many recruits I've read interviews on say they did indeed come to the Maine game...here's hoping we can get back to that (or something like it) with attendance and fan fervor on a more regular basis!
 
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Many recruits I've read interviews on say they did indeed come to the Maine game...here's hoping we can get back to that (or something like it) with attendance and fan fervor on a more regular basis!

He was not at the game on Friday as he was playing in the St. Sebs/Milton Academy game per USHR....

Seb's Bounces Back at Milton

Milton, Mass. -- After host Milton blitzed St. Sebastian's for three unanswered first period goals, Arrows head coach Sean McCann replaced his starting goaltender, senior Alex Zafonte, with freshman Drew Commesso at the start of the second.

It worked. Commesso, who many observers feel is the top '02 goaltender in the state (Gavin FitzPatrick at BB&N is another contender) made some big saves early in the second and his teammates began mounting a comeback when freshman forward Liam Connors connected at 4:50 of the period.

In the third, senior Brendan Goostray made it a one-goal game at the 3:30 mark. Two minutes later, sophomore Riley Hughes scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 3-3.

Sophomore Liam Gorman scored the game-winner with 2:50 left, a short-side shot under the arm of Milton senior goalie Ethan Domokos, who finished with 34 saves. Arrows senior D Eric Jeremiah added the fifth consecutive Arrows goal, an empty-netter with 19 seconds left in regulation to make it a 5-3 final.

Gorman (1g,1a), freshman Liam Devlin, senior RJ Murphy, and junior D Blake Colman each had two points for the Arrows.

Commesso finished his two shutout periods with 20 saves.

On pulling his starter and replacing him with Commesso, McCann said, "Sometimes the spark works."

"I thought the win showed great character from a young group," McCann added. "Just get the next one. That was our message after the first period."

In the first period, a number of St. Seb's passes were getting picked off and they had trouble clearing the zone.

"When they just made short, clean 8-10 foot passes instead of trying to connect on long passes, things improved," McCann said.

Milton coach Paul Cannata said simply, "Winning one period is not winning a hockey game."
 
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

"14-Year-Old Goalie Drew Commesso Commits to UNH"

"I visited several area Hockey East schools and had other offers but I felt that UNH was the best fit for me. After visiting a few schools I figured out that I did not want to go to a school with an urban campus so that narrowed my search, and after visiting UNH I knew it was for me. I loved the campus and the coaching staff here was a huge reason I made the decision to come here. I wanted to go to a school that would contend for a national championship and still stay close enough to home that my family can come watch me play."
 
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

"......and the coaching staff here was a huge reason I made the decision to come here."
 
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