UNH Recruits Update: The 2012-13 Season Begins

In the world of North American amateur hockey, three leagues - the United States Hockey League, British Columbia Hockey League, and Eastern Junior Hockey League - are the primary sources for players destined to play NCAA Division I hockey. Now that all three have begun the 2012-13 season, it's time to begin the "UNH Recruits Update" series.

This marks the second season for the "Update" series on The UNH Men's Hockey Blog. Fans will be able to follow the progress of the young players who have verbally committed to play for UNH over the next several years. The player statistics for each recruit, shown in the table below, will be updated on a regular basis. Outstanding individual performances will be reported on in depth. In addition, "News & Notes" about various recruits and their teams will be highlighted.

Since this is the first update of the season, I have included a brief writeup on each recruit. As you'll see, for a few of the future Wildcats, this season has already been an eventful one.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the table, are categorized by the year the player and UNH coaches have targeted for enrollment in UNH. For example, the "2013 Recruits" have a target of the Fall of 2013 to begin playing for UNH.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2013 Recruits
Matias Cleland (D)	Waterloo	USHL	3	0	2	2	7
	Omaha Lancers	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
Tyler Kelleher (F)	USA U18 Team	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
	USA U18 Team	NCAA	2	0	0	0	0
Dylan Maller (D)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	3	0	0	0	2
Jordan Masters (F)	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	0	0	0	0	0
Andrew Poturalski (F)	Cedar Rapids	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas (F)	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	8	2	4	6	0
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter (D)	Merritt Cents	BCHL	9	1	1	2	9
Adam Clark (G)	Salmon Arm	BCHL	4	2W	2L	2.75	.926
Shane Eiserman (F)	USA U18 Team	USHL	1	1	0	1	2
	USA U18 Team	NCAA	2	1	0	1	0
Cam Marks (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	9	2	1	3	2
2015 Recruits
Charlie Kelleher (F)	Junior Bruins U18	USEHL	-	-	-	-	-
Jason Kalinowski (F)	Salisbury Prep	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
2015 or '16 Recruit
Liam Darcy (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSAC	0	0	0	0	0
Patrick Grasso (F)	Des Moines	USHL	0	0	0	0	0
	Omaha Lancers U16	NAPHL	4	4	3	7	2

2013 Recruits

~ Matias Cleland - As I recently reported, the Waterloo Black Hawks have traded Cleland to the Omaha Lancers. In the first three games of the season, the 18-year-old defenseman had scored 2 assists while playing on Waterloo's power play unit.

~ Tyler Kelleher - This is Kelleher's second season playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program. The 17-year-old forward has moved up to the USA U18 Team. The NTDP U18 Team will play 28 games against USHL teams, 15 against NCAA Division I schools, 5 against DIII schools, plus 3 international tournaments. The early season highlight for Kelleher was his play in the first USA Hockey/CCM All-American Hockey Prospects game in which he scored an assist for the losing team. Also of note, Kelleher played on a line with fellow UNH Recruit Shane Eiserman (see below) during four USHL preseason games. Kelleher scored 2 goals and 1 assist with one goal being set up by Eiserman.

~ Dylan Maller - The 18-year-old Maller, a big defenseman, is in his second season with the USHL's Tri-City Storm.

~ Jordan Masters - After sitting out the last couple of months of last season, the 18-year-old Masters is eager to get back onto the ice for some real competition. Masters spent August and September resting and rehabilitating a minor back injury and is now ready to join the lineup of the Jersey Hitmen (EJHL). He is scheduled to make his season debut this weekend as the Hitmen play two games at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH.

~ Andrew Poturalski - As I reported in July, 18-year-old Andrew Poturalski broke his leg during an informal practice and has been rehabilitating ever since. Before the injury, Poturalski had earned a spot with the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the USHL. Poturalski resumed skating in mid-September and has been travelling with the Rough Riders.

~ Michael McNicholas - After one season playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL, the 18-year-old McNicholas decided he could develop more effectively as a member of the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL. McNicholas is off to a strong start with his new team scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in 8 games. The UNH coaches and McNicholas have targeted the fall of 2013 or 2014 to arrive in Durham.

2014 Recruits

~ Dylan Chanter - Chanter just turned 17 years old and he is already a formidable defenseman at 6'3" and 195 lbs. With a goal and an assist in 9 games with the Merritt Centennials, Chanter is well on his way to exceeding the 2 goals and 11 assists he scored in his first BCHL season. When Chanter verbally committed to UNH last February, U.S. Hockey Report indicated that the fall of 2014 was the target for his enrollment at UNH. The player profile on the Centennials' website lists the fall of 2014 or 2015 as his commitment date.

~ Adam Clark - The newest UNH recruit is a 6'5", 195 lbs. goalie in his second season with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL). After a summer of intensive instruction and training, Clark is off to an impressive start this season. In 4 games, Clark's goals against average is 2.75 and his save percentage is .926 - placing him 5th among all BCHL goalies.

~ Shane Eiserman - After completing his sophomore season as the leading goal scorer for Cushing Academy, Eiserman's hockey career has really taken off. His strong showing at the USA Hockey Selects 17 Player Development Camp in June helped earn him a slot on the NTDP U18 Team. In his debut in USHL action, Eiserman scored his first goal of the season. Last weekend, in a game against Notre Dame, Eiserman scored Team USA's only goal in a 1-1 tie. Eiserman turned 17 yesterday. UNH fans will get a chance to watch Shane Eiserman, Tyler Kelleher, and the NTDP U18 team on December 9th as they take on UNH at the Whittemore Center.

~ Cam Marks - In his rookie season in the BCHL, the 17-year-old Marks is the leading scorer among defensemen on the Coquitlam Express. He has posted 2 goals and 1 assist in 9 games.

2015 Recruits

~ Charlie Kelleher - At 15 years old, Charlie Kelleher is two years younger than older brother and fellow UNH recruit Tyler Kelleher. After starring for Longmeadow High School last season as a freshman, Charlie has made the jump to the Boston Junior Bruins U18 Midget Major team. The Junior Bruins U18 team is playing in the newly formed United States Elite Hockey League. In the most recent rankings of Tier 1 Midget Major teams in the US, the Junior Bruins were ranked 5th. Detailed statistics on Kelleher will be available in future UNH Recruit Updates. He is one of the leading goal scorers on the Junior Bruins.

~ Jason Kalinowski - 17-year-old Kalinowski is a senior at The Salisbury School in northwestern Connecticut. Salisbury begins play in the New England Prep School Hockey Conference in November. Kalinowski is currently playing fall hockey for the Mid-Fairfield Midget Major team.

2015 or 2016 Recruits

~ Liam Darcy - Last season, as a freshman at Berwick Academy, Liam Darcy scored 5 goals and 17 assists in 21 games and was voted the Most Valuable Player on the team. The 15-year-old defenseman is a sophomore at Berwick Academy. Darcy is currently playing in the New England Prep Fall Hockey League. The regular season for Berwick begins in November.

~ Patrick Grasso - At 16 years of age, Patrick Grasso has burst onto the junior hockey scene this season. Over the summer, Grasso earned a spot on the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. He decided to play part time for the Buccaneers and part time for the Omaha Lancers U16 team. The Lancers play in the North American Prospects Hockey League. Grasso is tied for 1st in scoring on the team with 4 goals and 3 assists. Tomorrow night, Grasso is scheduled to make his regular season debut in the USHL as Des Moines faces off against the Omaha USHL Lancers.