This wasn't the busiest August in men's college hockey recruiting history, but there was no shortage of news.
So far, that has continued into September.
Two high-end, local '08s have committed since the start of the new month. We also haven't fully broken down some of the big-time commitments in the second half of August. Now feels like a great time to reflect.
We also recently released our database of 2009-born players' college commitments. I still can't believe '09s are old enough to commit to colleges.
Here are 10 big takeaways from the last few weeks in men's college hockey recruiting.
Kaiden Donia picks Quinnipiac
Donia is one of the most fascinating prospects in the region. On one hand, he's a slender, 6-foot-5, right-shot defenseman who is raw and still has room to fill out. USA Hockey likes him, as he was invited to U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in 2024 and made the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup Camp this summer. On the other hand, some worry about his lack of production and question his hockey sense.
Quinnipiac went more with the former, offering Donia and getting a commitment from him on Sept. 1.
Donia became eligible to commit to a Division 1 program last Aug. 1, so college coaches were closely watching his games over the last 12 months. He tallied five goals and 12 points in 28 games for Groton last winter.
The realistic floor of committing Donia: He's a third-pairing defenseman to deploy in mostly defensive zone situations. The realistic ceiling: He pops, fills into his frame and becomes a two-way defender in Quinnipiac's top four. That's a bet Quinnipiac is fine with making.
Brown with a big get in Elliot Lennon
Lennon's breakout winter was huge for Deerfield, catapulting the Big Green to the No. 1 spot in the Elite 8 Tournament.
Even more impactful for Lennon: What it did for his profile.
The 6-foot-6, 201-pound netminder raised eyebrows at the Flood-Marr Tournament and finished the season with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. The '08 is being watched by NHL scouts this season, and committed to Brown on Sunday.
He was picked in the eighth round (138th overall) of last year's QMJHL Entry Draft by the Québec Remparts, and was taken in the 11th round (183rd overall) of this year's USHL Phase 2 Draft.
Lennon is playing for the Northern CT Nor'Easter this fall and is slated to be back at Deerfield come the prep season.
Rivers trio heads in different directions
Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) and Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) committed to Boston University, while Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) picked Boston College. None of that was much of a shock.
Still, watching the trio play against each other in two years will be weird.
They were brought up together with the Boston Jr. Eagles. Then there was Rivers. Now, it's the NTDP. The three have always played together, and will likely spend a good amount of time on a line in Plymouth, Mich.
Sears has a family history with Boston College and grew up an Eagles fan. But is there a chance that over two years with the NTDP...No, I won't go there. But...
Rocco Pelosi chooses Boston College
Pelosi is at the NTDP with Meyer, Sears and Pandolfo, and on Aug. 24, the high-end Mount St. Charles center picked Boston College.
READ MORE: 8 standout uncommitted 18U, 16Us from Eastern Alliance Kickoff
Even though it's not a shocker, it's a huge get for the Eagles. Entering his U17 year with The Program, he's in the running for top '09 in the United States. He was a leader and a force in two years with Mount St. Charles, tallying 170 points as a 14U and 140 as a 15O. He also led his team to two national championships.
At 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, he can play anywhere and do anything. He's widely regarded as a fantastic leader. He will fill any role for BC come 2027-28.
UConn lands high-end brother duo
The Huskies were quiet for most of August. That changed, however, on Aug. 30. UConn got commitments from the Amidovski brothers, Lirim and Nathan.
Lirim was picked in the fourth round of this year's NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, and had 19 goals and 32 points in 67 games for the OHL's North Bay Battalion. The '06 is a 6-foot-1, 181-pound right wing.
Most hype is around Nathan, who PuckPreps has as a 5-star recruit. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound center played most of his first OHL season with the Ottawa 67's as a 16-year-old, posting eight points in 52 games. Ottawa snagged the '08 11th overall in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection.
Northeastern lands a good QMJHL goalie
Northeastern went all-in on Aug. 1, getting commitments from Dexter Southfield forwards Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) and Owen McHale (Charlestown, Mass.), as well as Thayer defenseman Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.).
On Sept. 2, the Huskies may have locked down their goalie of the future in Samuel Meloche.
In his first full junior hockey season, Meloche posted a 2.90 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 51 games for the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. That showing helped him get picked in the fourth round (116th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in June's NHL Draft. He's 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds.
Merrimack has been busy
The Warriors got three commitments in the back half of August, committing '08 Caden Dabrowski, '05 Alex Mercier and '06 Mavrick Lachance.
Dabrowski, a 5-foot-10 forward, came up playing for Windy City Storm, but switched to the Chicago Mission last season, posting 51 goals and 86 points in 67 games at the 16U level. He also notched three points in six games for the Central District at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer.
NEXT UP: 20 standout 15O forwards from Eastern Alliance Kickoff | 7 standout 15O defenders
Mercier and Lachance are QMJHL commits. Mercier had 64 points in 64 games last season for the Moncton Wildcats and has steadily increased his production in four seasons with the team, while Lachance had 59 points in 52 games for the Sherbrooke Phoenix last season.
Charlie Puglisi commits to Cornell
Puglisi had a solid season for Winchendon last winter with six goals and 19 points as a sophomore. But the Latham, N.Y., native shot up to almost the coveted 6-foot mark and had a great showing at Select 17 Camp, scoring three times and adding two assists in six games.
There were multiple members of Cornell's coaching staff at the River Rats Jamboree. Now we know why: On Aug. 27, Puglisi committed to Cornell.
The center is a prime breakout candidate for prep this winter and has NHL eyes on him during fall action.
Other notes...
- On Sept. 3, UMass got a commitment from Samu Alalauri. The Finnish defenseman is 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds. He played for the Pelicans U20 squad in the U20 SM-sarja last season, scoring twice and adding three assists in 26 games. The '08 is slated to play for them again this season.
- I thought Genc Ula was one of the top uncommitted defenseman at Select 17 Camp in July. Evidently, Vermont agreed, getting a commitment from him on Aug. 25. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman played for the OHL's Peterborough Petes for all of last season, tallying five goals and 10 points in 56 games as a 16-year-old.
