It's been a minute since we broke down some of the biggest news in the local college hockey recruiting scene.
That's largely been due to the grind of the New England prep and high school hockey seasons. Recruiting tends to slow down a bit during this time.
However, some local prospects have finally landed Division 1 commitments.
Let's dive into some of the biggest (and most relevant) pieces of college hockey recruiting news since mid-November.
Dartmouth got commitments from Mason St. Louis and Brock Cummings
On Feb. 4, Dartmouth continued its trend of committing some of the best players in prep hockey when it got St. Louis.
St. Louis, who is the son of Montreal Canadiens coach and NHL legend Martin, has 44 points in 26 games this season, which ranks inside the top 10. He's been a mainstay down the middle for the Bruins and a big addition after head coach Mike Kennedy's team lost a lot of scoring to graduation. It's no surprise that Brunswick is in the thick of the Elite 8 race.
Dartmouth went on a committing spree on Aug. 1, getting some of the best players in prep with Avon Old Farms' Indiana Grossbard (Wilton, Conn.) and Belmont Hill's Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.) and Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.). All have been top players for their teams.
The Big Green also committed a former prep star in Brock Cummings. The former Belmont Hill standout committed to Dartmouth in November and has spent the last two seasons in the BCHL. In his final year at Belmont Hill in 2022-23, he had 40 points playing down the middle.
Harvard scored Oskar Drabczynski
Drabczynski has been one of the top '08 defensemen in the region for quite some time. He spent the last three seasons with Mid Fairfield.
He took his talents to Avon Old Farms this season and has been a standout with three goals and 14 points in 18 games as he runs a power play. He's always been a strong skater who moves pucks efficiently and confidently. The junior '08 was a fifth-round pick by Des Moines in the USHL Phase 1 Draft last year.
Drabczynski joins a plethora of prep talent committed to Harvard. Salisbury defenseman Colin Feeley, Taft forward JT Rothstein, Kent defenseman Ryan Poirier (Salem, N.H.) and Kent goalie Jacoby Weiner (Riverside, Conn.) all committed there since last Aug. 1.
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Timothy Kazda chose Boston College
This was a big get for Boston College. Since making the move to North American hockey in 2022-23, Kazda has been one of the top '08 forwards in the region.
He has been with Seacoast Performance Academy since his 14U season. Through 35 games with the 16U team this winter, he has 37 goals and 73 points. The Slovakian forward stands at 6 feet and 185 pounds. Last spring, he was picked in the third round of the USHL Phase 1 Draft by the Chicago Steel.
Kazda dominates against his own age group and has outstanding hands. He can drive play and has a hard, accurate shot.
Rui Han picked Yale
It feels like there's always at least one player who commits to a school right after a strong holiday tournament performance. This season, that was Han.
Han showed signs of a breakout with the Neponset Valley River Rats 18U team in the fall, but hit his stride this prep season with Phillips Andover. He was vital to the Big Blue winning the Flood-Marr Tournament and parlayed that into a Yale commitment.
Through 20 games, the '07 senior has 15 goals and 27 points. He's a great skater who has high-end skill and can produce offense in any situation. Han attended Select 15-17 Camp over the last three summers and is from San Diego, Calif.
Army committed Nate Porter
One year ago, Porter was in a much different place.
The Hingham, Mass., native had recently returned to Dexter after time spent in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers and Madison Capitols. Despite leaving prep early, he wanted to return to Dexter to help build his stock back up.
He did.
He posted 26 points in 26 games for Dexter last season. Right before his senior year got underway, he committed to Army. It's a special commitment for Porter, whose father served in the Navy.
Porter's been a big reason why Dexter is the No. 1 team in the region, as he has 11 goals and 23 points in 20 games. He's a smooth-skating, skilled forward who can play down the middle or on the wing.
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Calvin Beard chose Air Force
Beard was one of the top offensive defensemen in prep last season, posting 17 goals and 44 points in 28 games for St. Mark's. The Southboro, Mass., native played three seasons at St. Mark's.
But it wasn't until Beard moved on to the BCHL's Powell River Kings that he scored a Division 1 commitment.
Beard started hot in Powell River and committed to Air Force in January. The 6-foot-2, 179-pounder has five goals and 19 points in 41 games for the Kings. He also made himself into a more well-rounded defender with Powell River.
Funny enough, Beard isn't the only St. Mark's alum committed to Air Force. Back in August 2022, Andrew Gibbons (South Kingstown, R.I.) committed to Air Force. The two spent three seasons together under head coach Carl Corazzini.
Sacred Heart committed Ian Sherman
Right before Christmas, Sacred Heart landed Sherman. The Brooklyn, Conn., native made Select 15 and 16 Camps the last two seasons. He was a force with the Neponset Valley River Rats 16U team last fall and continued that progression into the winter with Pomfret. He has three goals and eight points in 21 games as a junior '08.
Points aren't the big thing with Sherman — it's his steady, two-way play. He moves pucks safely and can be tasked with playing against other team's best players. This was a nice get for Sacred Heart.
Will Prowse picked Princeton
Prowse was the backup goalie for Holderness last season. The late '06 was slated to be the Bulls' starter this season, but left for the USHL's Lincoln Stars at the last minute. He would struggle jumping from prep backup to USHL regular, right?
Wrong.
Through 18 games with Lincoln, the Vail, Colo., native has appeared in 18 games and is 12-2-1 with a 2.70 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage.
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Prowse finding success isn't much of a surprise, however, when you consider his past. He was a standout with the Rocky Mountain Roughriders' 15O and 16U teams. He also was in net for the Rocky Mountain District at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp in the summer of 2023.
On Jan. 7, he committed to Princeton.
A slew of CHL commits
Last month, I wrote in depth about the CHL ruling's impact on every aspect of hockey from 14U through college. One area it will hit hard is juniors, as commits will likely stay in junior hockey longer as teams commit age-out players in the CHL.
That's already started to happen.
Here is a breakdown of the commitments since the ruling.
- Maine: Will Gerrior, Ottawa (OHL)
- Merrimack: Tyler MacKenzie, Everett (WHL)
- Providence: Donovan McCoy, Sudbury (OHL); Jonathan Fauchon, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Quinnipiac: Ben Riche, Saskatoon (WHL); Ben Saunderson, Saskatoon (WHL); Brady Schultz, Halifax (QMJHL); Markus Vidicek, Halifax (QMJHL)
- UConn: Carlin Dezainde, Swift Current (WHL)
- UMass Lowell: Josh Mori, Edmonton (WHL); Diego Buttazzoni, Portland (WHL); Austin Elliott, London (OHL), Luke Shipley, Brandon (WHL)
- UNH: Alex Carr, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL); Sam Oliver, Drummondville (QMJHL); Nicholas DeAngelis, Sudbury (OHL)
- Vermont: Cedrick Guindon, Kingston (OHL); PJ Forgione, Saginaw (OHL); Zach Filak, Sarnia (OHL)
Are more CHL commits coming?
The majority of the players listed above are age-outs. They can't play junior hockey after this season because they're too old.
But will younger players leave the CHL early?
This quote from Providence assistant coach Joel Beal shed some light on that in Part 2 of my CHL ruling report.
"I think at the end of the season, once players get away from their teams for the year, you're going to see a much more honest recruiting process between the players and the colleges in terms of what their options might look like for next fall," Beal said. "If a player decided to go to school the next fall versus going back to their CHL team, there's no real retribution or punishment for that player leaving their CHL team."
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He's talking about the high-end younger players — the ones who programs like Boston College, Boston University, Providence, North Dakota, Michigan and Michigan State would normally be in on.
"Those (high-end) players are being recruited now and they're considering their options," Beal said. "I think there are kids committed to schools right now that just haven't announced it."
Only time will tell.
