UNH Recruits Update: Jan-21-2013

UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski (Photo: Mike Lowry)

Player of the Week - Jason Kalinowski

UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski (Photo: Mike Lowry)

DEERFIELD, MA - Last night, 6'0", 185 lbs. right winger Jason Kalinowski capped off a very productive week of prep school hockey with an exclamation point. Kalinowski and the Salisbury School Crimson Knights visited the classic hockey barn at Deerfield Academy and came away with a 2-1 overtime victory. Kalinowski, a senior, scored both Salisbury goals including the game-winner in overtime.

Kalinowski, who plays right wing on Salisbury's first power play unit, began the scoring early in the second period on a power play. He stole the puck from a Deerfield defender in the low slot and snapped a wrister beating goalie Adam Ellison (an Amherst College commit) over his right shoulder. It was Jason's 6th goal of the New England Prep School season, but he wasn't done yet.

Deerfield tied the game early in the third period. Salisbury's Head Coach Andrew Will sent out senior forwards Kalinowski, Liam McDermott, and Jacob Hand to begin the overtime. A half-minute into overtime, Kalinowski battled for a loose puck in the low slot and lifted a backhander over goalie Ellison's glove. It was Kalinowski's 3rd goal over a 4-game stretch last week. Since Jan. 14th, Salisbury had defeated Choate and Trinity-Pawling, tied Kent, and finally, beat Deerfield. Kalinowski also added 3 assists in these games including a helper on the overtime, game-winning goal against Choate.

In 11 regular season games, Jason Kalinowski has scored 7 goals. Though he missed 4 games early in the season, he is Salisbury's second-leading goal scorer (tied with Neil Robinson). So far, Jason has posted 20 points on 7 goals and 13 assists. He leads the 7th-ranked Salisbury team in assists and points. Kalinowski is the 7th leading scorer in New England Prep School hockey with an average of 1.82 points per game.

This is the first time I've seen Kalinowski play this season. I watched him play a few times last season on the Salisbury team and the Mid-Fairfield Midget team. Jason is noticably stronger and has grown into his 6-foot frame. Kalinowski is unlike any UNH forward in recent memory in that he plays a very physical game and loves to camp out all around the goalie's crease. His skill set includes:
~ He has a low-to-the-ice skating style and can really scoot.
~ Jason throws body checks along the boards and in open ice. Once he commits to a check, he stays with it until the opposing player has been taken out of the play.
~ In the offensive zone, he carries the puck strong to the net. When teammates are moving the puck around the perimeter, Jason often hovers in front of the goalie.
~ Once he is in the low slot, he bangs with his body and stick to maintain his position and is very difficult to push around.
~ Using his physicality, Jason is effective in one-on-one battles along the boards and in the corners.
~ On a couple occasions, Jason set up prime scoring opportunities with a perfect pass from behind the net.
~ Jason also plays on the first penalty kill unit for Salisbury.

Because the Salisbury School is located in northwestern Connecticut, the hockey team usually does not play games within easy driving distance of UNH. On Sunday February 10th at noon, Salisbury will play 6th-ranked Cushing Academy at UMass Amherst. Last year, this annual matchup was well attended by Division I coaches.

Latest Statistics

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	33	5	17	22	24
Tyler Kelleher (F)	USA U18 Team	USHL	16	7	7	14	8
	USA U18 Team	NCAA	17	8	7	15	4
Dylan Maller (D)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	35	1	3	4	28
Jordan Masters (F)	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	13	2	3	5	25
Andrew Poturalski (F)	Cedar Rapids	USHL	26	6	12	18	21
2013 or '14 Recruit
Michael McNicholas (F)	Nanaimo Clippers	BCHL	35	10	22	32	6
2014 Recruits
Dylan Chanter (D)	Merritt Cents	BCHL	37	8	8	16	19
Adam Clark (G)	Salmon Arm	BCHL	25	12W	11L	2.53	.926
Shane Eiserman (F)	USA U18 Team	USHL	14	4	4	8	23
	USA U18 Team	NCAA	17	3	2	5	6
Cam Marks (D)	Coquitlam Express	BCHL	27	2	4	6	6
2014 or '15 Recruit
Jason Kalinowski (F)	Salisbury Prep	NEPSHC	11	7	13	20	-
2015 Recruits
Charlie Kelleher (F)	Junior Bruins U18	USEHL	38	9	10	19	8
Joseph Masonius (D)	Jersey Hitmen	EmpJHL	17	5	12	17	24
	Jersey Hitmen	EJHL	1	0	0	0	2
2015 or '16 Recruit
Liam Darcy (D)	Berwick Academy	NEPSHC	15	1	8	9	-
Patrick Grasso (F)	Des Moines	USHL	10	0	1	1	0
	Omaha Lancers U16	NAPHL	22	13	21	34	8
Brendan van Riemsdyk (F)	Jersey Devils U16	AYHL	21	13	11	24	50
	Christian Brothers	Jersey Prep	15	9	18	27	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ For his outstanding performance for the Tri-City Storm two weeks ago, 2013 recruit Dylan Maller was named the USHL Defenseman of the Week.

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ In the recently released, NHL Central Scouting Service "Midterm Rankings", 2014 recruit Adam Clark was #32 among North American goalies.

Eastern Junior Hockey League:

~ Last week, 15-year-old UNH recruit Joe Masonius was called up by the Jersey Hitmen to play in his first game in the EJHL. I had a chance to watch Masonius play in the Empire Junior Hockey League All-Star game on Monday. I'll post a profile on the talented defenseman in the coming days.

Prep School Hockey:

~ The BvR scoring train continues to roll along. During three wins for the Christian Brothers Academy last week, Brendan van Riemsdyk scored 3 goals and 3 assists. BvR scored the game-winning goal against Manalapan and assisted on the GWG against Don Bosco.