UNH Adds Top 1995 Prospect - Defenseman Dylan Chanter

The UNH hockey program already has commitments from three, high-scoring forwards born in 1995 - Tyler Kelleher, Shane Eiserman, and Jason Kalinowski. Now, UNH has added a top 1995 defenseman from the British Columbia Hockey League - Dylan Chanter. In his rookie season with the Merritt Centennials, the 6'3", 195 lbs., right-shot defenseman has posted 2 goals and 10 assists and logged 45 penalty minutes in 50 games.

Dylan Chanter (DOB 9/17/1995) is one of only three 16-year-old defensemen who have played the entire season in the BCHL. Beginning in the 2011-12 season, the BCHL mandated that each team must have at least one 16-year-old on the roster. All the BCHL teams chose to carry only one 16-year-old player on their rosters. The vast majority of BCHL players are from 18 to 20-years old. The other two 16-year-old defensemen playing in the BCHL - Nolan DeJong (Victoria Grizzlies) and Bo Pellah (Langley Rivermen) - have already committed to Cornell and Penn State, respectively. All three, including Chanter, have scored 2 goals so far this season.


Last season, Dylan Chanter played Midget Minor (U-16) hockey for the Pursuit of Excellence (POE) team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. In 56 regular season games, Chanter scored 4 goals and 18 assists. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Chanter decided to try and make the jump from minor hockey to Canadian Junior A hockey, bypassing Junior B hockey. Chanter participated in Merritt's spring camps and signed with the Centennials in June, 2011.

In the following video, produced by the Merritt Centennials, Dylan Chanter discusses his adjustment to playing in the BCHL:



As you might expect, a 16-year-old Canadian player talented enough to play in the BCHL would attract the attention of Major Junior teams. The Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) acquired the WHL rights to Dylan Chanter early in the summer of 2011. The WHL holds its Bantam Draft for 15-year-old players in May of each year. A youngster drafted by a WHL team is added to the teams 50 Player Protected List. A player on a protected list may not play for another WHL team or participate in another WHL team's training camp. They are free to play in Junior A leagues in Canada or the United States.

WHL teams have two methods for adding a player to their protected list. The first is through the Bantam Draft. The very top bantam prospects are the ones drafted. Dylan Chanter was not drafted by Portland. Following the Bantam Draft, WHL teams are allowed to add other bantam prospects to their protected list. Dylan Chanter was "listed" by the Portland Winter Hawks through this later method. As a player on Portland's Player Protected List, Chanter participated in the Winter Hawks summer training camp in August, 2011.

By verbally accepting an offer to play at the University of New Hampshire, Dylan Chanter has signalled his commitment to obtain a college education in the United States. The U.S. Hockey Report indicated that Chanter plans to enroll in the fall of 2014. The Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL may continue to pursue Chanter but for now, he has listed Durham, NH as his destination. Chanter, whose hometown is Armstrong, British Columbia, would join a long list of outstanding players from Western Canada who have played for UNH. Other standouts have included Damon Kipp, Connor Hardowa and Grayson Downing from the current roster and past players such as a Colin Hemingway and Hobey Baker Winner Jason Krog.