Well, that was quite the first day of college hockey recruiting season now, wasn't it?
In all, 17 players committed to New England college hockey programs on the first day schools were allowed to offer rising juniors in high school. Of those 17, seven grew up in New England.
There's no doubt there will be a flurry of more activity in the coming days and weeks. Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.), Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) and a plethora of other local prospects have yet to announce their decision.
Here are nine storylines from Aug. 1.
Harvard was very active on Day 1
The Crimson seemed to be snagging players left and right.
The day opened with Lev Katzin announcing his commitment to Harvard. Katzin, a native of Thornhill, Ont., played for the Toronto Marlboros U16 team last season, scoring 56 goals and adding 87 assists in 81 games. The USHL's Green Bay Gamblers tendered Katzin back in March, ensuring he will play the 2023-24 season with them.
Right after Katzin announced, Donny Bracco came next. The Locust Valley, N.Y., native has been a longtime standout defenseman for the Long Island Gulls, playing on the 16U team in 2022-23. His great play was rewarded by making the United States National Team Development Program's U17 squad for 2023-24.
Aidan Lane followed Katzin and Bracco, announcing his commitment to Harvard shortly before noon. Lane spent this past winter skating with the Toronto Marlboros U16 team, posting 20 goals and 48 points in 35 games.
Providence lines up local standouts
The Friars grabbed two Rhode Island natives, with forward Kolin Sisson (Lincoln, R.I.) and Everett Baldwin (Rumford, R.I.) committing.
Sisson forced himself onto college hockey radars over the last few months with strong performances at both the New England District Festival and USA Hockey's Select 17 camp. Sisson posted six goals and nine points in six games at Select 17 camp, earning a spot at Hlinka Gretzky Cup camp. Sisson played for both South Kent and then Mount St. Charles this past season.
Baldwin was a leader on defense for St. George's this past winter, scoring two goals and adding 14 assists in 28 games. He was at Select 15 Camp last summer and Select 16s earlier this summer, posting one goal and one assist in five games. At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, the right-shot defender is a strong two-way threat.
Along with the local players, the Friars also nabbed defenseman Ryan White. The Kanata, Ont., native put up strong numbers for Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15U this past season, potting 19 goals and adding 30 assists in 59 games.
Boston University makes a big splash
The Terriers only lined up one comittment on Day 1, but it was a big one. BU secured center Jack Murtagh from East Greenbush, N.Y.
Murtagh lit it up with Bishop Kearney Selects 15U last season, registering 52 goals and 101 points in 68 games, helping him earn a spot on the U.S. NTDP U17 squad for 2023-24.
In 2021-22, Murtagh scored a whopping 67 goals and added 46 assists in 73 games for BK Selects' 14U team.
Northeastern lands a trio of prospects
Northeastern scored big on Tuesday, securing Cam Caron (Dracut, Mass.), Haeden Ellis and Ben Wilmott.
Caron was a repeat freshman this past winter at New Hampton and reclassified, making him eligible to talk with NCAA teams and be offered. Northeastern pounced on the 6-foot-3, 194-pound forward who was dominant for New Hampton in his first year of prep hockey, posting 18 goals and 47 points in 34 games. He has tons of potential, which is why he was selected in the fourth round (51st overall) by the Muskegon Lumberjacks in this year's USHL Futures Draft.
Ellis is a 5-foot-9, 150-pound forward from Buffalo, N.Y. His father, Matt, was a longtime left wing in both the National Hockey League and American Hockey League. Ellis played for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres this past season, skating for the 15U team.
KEEP AN EYE OUT: Seven of the 9 prospects to watch entering Aug. 1 remain uncommittedÂ
Wilmott, who's from Seattle, Wash., put up monster numbers with the North Jersey Avalanche last season. The 6-foot, 170-pound forward scored 36 goals and added 52 assists in 65 games at the 16U level.
All three are forwards with a good amount of potential.
Merrimack snags an MIAA standout
Merrimack hasn't always been known to land the can't-miss prospects on Day 1 of college hockey recruiting, but the Warriors certainly landed a steal.
CJ Watroba announced his commitment to Merrimack on Tuesday. The West Springfield, Mass., native registered 22 goals and 37 points in 22 games for Pope Francis in the MIAA this past winter, helping boost the Cardinals to a Division 1 state championship. He followed that up with a strong showing at USA Hockey's Select 16 camp, scoring three goals and adding three assists in five games.
Watroba boasts lots of offensive creativity, a nice shot and good skating. He has a high hockey sense and drives play. In my view, he was arguably the top '07 at the Mass. Hockey Festival in May.
He will play for head coach Tim Whitehead at Kimball Union this winter.
Yale gets two strong defensemen
Yale should be happy with its returns on Monday, landing two of the better defensemen in the region in Dylan Hunt and Kirby Perler (Woodbridge, Conn.).
Hunt may not be the flashiest defenseman, but he gets the job done. His strong shutdown game was rewarded when he announced his commitment to Yale late Tuesday night. The Marlborough, Mass., native posted one goal and 10 assists in 27 games for Milton Academy this past season. He's also been developing with the Boston Jr. Eagles.
This winter will be his junior year and early projections have him as one of New England prep hockey's top defensemen. The next step will be growing his offensive game.
Perler played last season with Mid Fairfield 15O and is slated to join the Long Island Gulls 16U squad this fall. He's known for his high-end skating and even better hockey sense. At the recent Select 16 camp, he scored one goal and added an assist in five games.
LIVE TRACKER: We tracked every local commitment from Aug. 1
Hunt is 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds; Perler is 5-foot-9 and 161 pounds. Both provide something different for Yale's back end and are strong pickups for the Bulldogs.
Grayden Robertson-Palmer commits to Dartmouth
Staying with the Ivy League schools, Dartmouth picked up a significant addition in Grayden Robertson-Palmer. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound forward played for Phillips Andover this past winter, scoring six goals and adding eight assists in 27 games. He also played for the Northern Cyclones 16U team in the fall, registering nine goals and 22 points in 19 games.
Robertson-Palmer has good speed and plays with a high compete level. As a rising junior, he projects to become a key cog in the Phillips Andover offense.
UMass adds a forward and a defenseman
The Minutemen added two players on Day 1. They scored forward Thomas Belzil and defenseman John Banks.
Belzil, a native of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, posted 30 goals and 80 points in 50 games for Bishop's College School Varsity this past winter. Prior to that, he was a standout forward for Seminaire St-Joseph. Banks is a smaller defenseman, coming in at 5-foot-8 and 146 pounds. But the Secaucus, N.J., native almost posted a point per game this past winter for the North Jersey Avalanche 15U team, scoring eight goals and adding 11 assists in 20 games.
Banks also just wrapped up playing at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp.
HINDSIGHT: College hockey commits from 2022 give advice to future recruits
Quinnipiac takes a prep prospect
The Bobcats secured a commitment from defenseman Conrado Calderini on Day 1. The Greenwich, Conn., native has played at Berkshire for the last two seasons, as well as the Neponset Valley River Rats last fall, where he posted two goals and 12 points in 21 games. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound defender will play a bigger role at Berkshire this winter under new head coach Kevin Czepiel.
