One of the most coveted '06s in the entire country, Newburyport, Mass., native Cole Eiserman, finally made his college commitment on Wednesday. Over a month after he became eligible to choose a college destination, the USA Hockey NTDP left wing pledged to the University of Minnesota. Eiserman picked the Gophers over Boston University and North Dakota.
Eiserman spent the past two seasons playing for the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a prep school in Faribault, Minn. In 2020-21 with the school’s 14U team, Eiserman scored 97 goals and 57 assists for 154 points in just 50 games. He made the jump to the school’s prep team this past winter, registering 56 goals and 30 assists for 86 points in 53 games.
A pure goal scorer, he’s a power forward who shoots the puck with zip and can drive the net. He’s played alongside recent Boston University commit Mack Celebrini the past two seasons. The duo are considered among the best prospects for the 2024 NHL draft.
Even with fall hockey starting up in New England and college coaches scouring the rinks for talent, commitment announcements haven’t slowed. Eiserman was far from alone in terms of locals making their college plans known. Three other locals made commitments over the past week.
Mount Saint Charles forward Patrick Murphy decided to stay local, pledging to play for Brown University. The North Kingston, R.I., native’s decision was undoubtedly swayed by the recent hiring of former Mount director and coach Matt Plante as an assistant on Brendan Whittet’s (East Providence, R.I.) staff. Murphy is one of the best commits for Brown in a few years.
As a late '05, Murphy has spent the past three seasons in Woonsocket and will remain at Mount for the upcoming year. In 2021-22, Murphy scored 27 goals and added 23 assists for 50 points in 52 games. A goal scorer who plays the game with an edge, Murphy is an athletic winger who could also slide into the middle.
Another Rhode Islander, St. Mark’s and Little Bruins '05 right wing Andrew Gibbons committed to Air Force. The Wakefield, R.I., native joined his older brother, '02 Brendan Gibbons (Wakefield, R.I.), in choosing to play college hockey for the Falcons. Brendan, who plays in the NAHL with the Maine Nordiques, announced his commitment last month.
The younger Gibbons scored 18 goals and 18 assists in 28 games for St. Mark's coach Carl Corazzini (Framingham, Mass.) in 2021-22. A projected first liner again this upcoming winter, he’s a great teammate who will fit in well at Air Force.
After missing out on a couple of targets in the class of 2024, UConn finally received a commitment from Cushing '05 junior left wing Ethan Gardula. The Princeton, Mass., native had six goals and 20 assists in 24 games for Paul Pearl’s (Winthrop, Mass.) Penguins during the 2021-22 season. A longtime member of the Boston Junior Eagles, the 2023 draft-eligible prospect will play split season for the Central Mass Penguins this fall.
A pair of New Yorkers who play or previously played in the region made big commitments in recent days. Brunswick and Mid Fairfield left wing Drew DellaSalla committed to Harvard while former Mount Saint Charles goaltender Jack Parsons pledged to Providence.
DellaSalla, from Rye, N.Y., scored seven goals and 25 assists for 32 points in 30 games played at Brunswick as a sophomore in 2021-22. He had some dominating performances for Mid Fairfield and recently stood out at the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp and the U17 Five Nations Tournament. He’s one of the most skilled forwards in the '06 birth year in the United States. He chose Harvard over another Beanpot school.
SUMMER RESULTS: Here's a look at the recruiting winners and losers from AugustÂ
Parsons, widely considered to be the best goaltender in the '06 class, spent the past two seasons at Mount Saint Charles. He’ll be with USA Hockey’s NTDP for the next two before matriculating to the Friars. The Ithaca, N.Y., native went 29-2-1 with a .923 save percentage for Scott Gainey’s 15 Only team at Mount last winter. He has good size and plenty of upside as a potential pro goaltender.
Three Hockey East programs also recently received commitments from international players. Bishop Kearney Selects '06 forward Nicholas Wellenreiter (Hamilton, Ontario) committed to Maine while '05 OJHL forward Cole Cooksey (Toronto, Ontario) chose Merrimack. UMass received a commit from '03 Rogle BK J20 defenseman Sebastian Tornqvist (Everlov, Sweden).
