It’s unusual in this day and age, but there are still quite a few coveted, uncommitted ‘02s who could begin playing college hockey next fall.
With the advent of early recruiting, most top players get scooped up early in the recruiting process. However, there are 10 uncommitted ‘02s that are getting serious attention from college recruiters.
Two of the top three uncommitted ‘02s are players who were once committed to another program. Only three of the players in the following top 10 will likely matriculate to a school next fall.
Following the writeup of top 10, uncommitted, American born ‘02s, there is a look at the top uncommitted players in this age group within the New England region:
1. Matt Beniers
USA U-18, 11/5/02, C, left shot, 6-0/155
Beniers is by far the most coveted recruit left on the market in this age group. The Hingham, Mass., native finished up last season with a callup to the NTDP U-18 team. Beniers is dead set on playing college hockey in Boston and recently visited Boston College and Harvard. Beniers is a 200-foot center who can hunt pucks and make plays. His hockey sense is very good and he skates well. His compete level is also high. He doesn’t have the flashiest of skill sets, but when you combine it with the rest of his repertoire, it’s more than enough to be a productive player. Expect Beniers to land with the Eagles or Crimson.
2. Mark Estapa
Tri-City (USHL), 1/13/02, C, left shot, 6-1/181
Estapa is a gamer. Simply put, he does all the little things that win hockey games for his team. The St. Clair, Mich., native is heavy on pucks, hunts pucks, goes to the dirty areas, and plays responsibly in all three zones. Projecting forward to the collegiate level, he could be a very good second or third line center, but he’s versatile. The Little Caesars product had a productive Select 17 camp this summer and was named to the U.S. roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Estapa, formerly committed to Western Michigan, is likely to end up at a Big Ten school.
3. Ty Smilanic
USA U-18, 1/20/02, C, right shot, 6-0/160
Smilanic plays a pro style, strong, and heavy game. He’ll drive the net with authority and has that explosive stride to power his way past opposing defenders. He can protect pucks and control possession. The Elizabeth, Colo., native has a hard shot and can unleash a wrist shot with solid accuracy. A former Denver commit, a knock on him is that he’s just using college hockey as a pit stop on the way to the NHL. Skill-wise, any school in the country would be more than happy to land Smilanic.
4. Grant Riley
Janesville (NAHL), 8/28/02, G, catches left, 6-4/190
Riley, hailing from Rochester, N.Y., is far and away the top uncommitted ‘02 goaltender in the United States. A big prototypical modern era goaltender, Riley has strong fundamentals, covers a lot of net and has a ton of upside. The one knock on him is lack of consistency as he can look dominant at times, but there tends to be a couple of less than stellar outings mixed in.
5. Blake Mesenburg
Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 6/5/02, C, left shot, 5-11/174
Mesenburg is a two-way center who can also contribute offensively at times. He does a lot of the little things well. Watching him play, he rarely loses a face-off, is on the right side of the puck, and anticipates the play well. At the high school level, he can score and produce, but he’s likely to be a third line center at the collegiate level. Mesenburg has drawn interest from NCHC, ECAC Hockey and Hockey East schools.
6. Hunter McKown
USA U-18, 8/18/02, RW, right shot, 5-10.5/165
Part of the reason McKown remains uncommitted is he’s somewhat of a tweener. He’s not a good enough offensive player, but his role as a bottom six forward isn’t well enough established. The San Jose, Calif., native needs to be more consistently physical and show he can do that against bigger and older players at the Division I level. At the end of the day, he’s without a doubt a Division I hockey player.
7. Scott Morrow
Shattuck St. Mary’s, 11/1/02, D, right shot, 6-2/196
Morrow has very good hands and puck skills, which allows him to make strong contributions offensively from the backend. He’s a big defender who loves to jump up into the rush. He makes quite a few plays on the rush and can also make plays from within the attacking zone. The biggest knock on him is his feet and skating, especially his first couple of steps. While it’s an issue, it has gotten better. The Darien, Conn., native is the son of Scott Morrow, a former NHL player.
8. Mason Langenbrunner
Eden Prairie, 9/14/02, D, right shot, 6-2/166
Langenbrunner, from Moose Lake, Minn., is a good-sized defenseman who can play both ways. Projecting forward, he’s more of a defensive defenseman who can shut down opposing players with his length and stick. He anticipates plays well and sees the ice with above average sense. If his skating can improve some, he’ll become even more effective at closing space on opposing forwards. The son of Bruins Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner, he should already be fielding offers, but certainly will soon.
9. Nick Justice
Victory Honda 18-U, 11/24/02, D, right shot, 6-1/185
Justice is a late bloomer who had a strong showing at USA Hockey Select 17 camp this past June. From Livonia, Mich., he has good size, a strong stick, and plays a steady game. A defensive defenseman, he makes a smart, yet simple first pass when retrieving pucks in his own zone.
10. Nicholas Chmelevski
Wenatchee (BCHL), 9/26/02, C, left shot, 5-8/155
Chmelevski is a playmaking forward who sees the ice extremely well. His vision allows him to hit open teammates for good scoring chances. He’ll be making the jump from midget hockey with Belle Tire 16-U to Wenatchee in the BCHL. If he has a productive year, the Northville, Mich., native should get a college commitment.
Top Uncommitted '02s from New England
1. Ryan Corcoran
Boston Advantage 18-U, 4/4/02, C, left shot, 5-11/165
Corcoran skates well, sees the ice well, and makes plays in all three zones. He’s on the right side of the puck a lot and has a strong hockey IQ. The Duxbury, Mass., native missed a lot of time last season with an injury, but is beginning to bounce back and get noticed by college programs.
2. Ryan McGuire
Belmont Hill, 7/27/02, C, right shot, 6-0/180
McGuire, from New Canaan, Conn., native is a defensively minded center who wins face-offs, blocks shots, and can kill penalties. His offensive skill set and skating both need improvement, but there’s a place for his intangibles in quite a few college lineups.
3. Brendan Gibbons
St. Mark’s, 6/15/02, C/RW, right shot, 6-1/205
Gibbons is a goal scorer who has a hard shot, is heavy on pucks, and goes to the dirty areas between the circles. The South Kingstown, R.I., native needs to improve his skating in order to take that next step in his game.
4. James Tepper
Proctor, 2/20/02, RW, right shot, 6-1/170
Tepper is likely destined for a role as a third line right wing once he gets to college. He’s a good skater who plays a hard game. He likes to bring his physical element and throw his weight around for hard body checks on the forecheck. The Shrewsbury, Mass., native can shoot it and has above average hands, but his hockey sense needs to get better in order to get more chances to make plays with the puck on his stick.
5. Nolan Hayes
Thayer, 8/14/02, D, right shot, 6-0/174
Hayes is an offensive defenseman who can break pucks out of his own zone and quarterback a power play. He has a good shot and the feet to escape oncoming forecheckers. He can undoubtedly make plays in transition, but his hockey sense needs to improve some. He sometimes has a tendency to turn pucks over. Skill-wise, the Milton, Mass., native has the ability to play college hockey.
6. Nate Benoit
Mount Saint Charles 18-U, 11/26/02, D, left shot, 6-1/170
Benoit is making the move from the Northern Cyclones to Mount Saint Charles after a productive season. From Bow, N.H., he can play well both ways. He skates well and has some jam to his game. He can defend, but he also has the ability to jump into the offense.
7. Carson Whitman
Boston Advantage 18-U, 5/28/02, C, right shot, 5-10/165
Whitman has above average hockey sense and can make plays. He skates well and has the potential to blossom into a solid college prospect, likely as an older freshman down the road.
8. Tucker Hartmann
St. Mark’s, 4/4/02, D, right shot, 5-10/170
Hartmann is a bright student and will likely end up at a good school such as Holy Cross, Colgate or St. Lawrence. He’s an offensive defenseman, but he competes hard and plays with jam. He has a good stick, but defensively, his decisions need to continue getting better. Junior hockey will be good for him following his prep school graduation.
9. Dhillon Wilde
Islanders HC (NCDC), 7/10/02, RW, right shot, 5-11/155
Wilde is making the jump from MIAA to the USPHL NCDC after a solid three-year stint at St. John’s of Shrewsbury. The Northboro, Mass., native is a fast, skilled winger who can make plays on the rush. He uses his speed to get to pucks.
10. Matt Myers
St. John’s Shrewsbury, 2/19/02, C, left shot, 5-11/165
Myers is a solid, 200-foot center who plays the game the right way. He can make plays and he can also score. He’ll be one of the better players in MIAA this winter. He’ll be a fringe Division I prospect, but Division III schools would be lucky to have him.
11. Ryan O’Halloran
Burlington, 5/2/02, C/LW, left shot, 5-10/150
O’Halloran is an athlete who can make plays and finish. His habits are a work in progress, but there’s a lot to like about his physical tools if he plays a year or two of junior hockey following his graduation next May.
12. Ryan MacDermott
St. Sebastian's, 1/27/02, D, right shot, 5-11/155
MacDermott is a solid two-way defenseman who will be in his third season with St. Sebastian's in 2019-20.
