UNH Recruits Update: Sept-30-2015

2016 Commit Justin Fregona Langley Rivermen

2016 Commit Brendan van Riemsdyk Islanders Hockey Club

Player Spotlight - Justin Fregona

Just five games into his rookie season in the British Columbia Hockey League and 18-year-old Justin Fregona has already found the back of the net 5 times. He is tied for second in goal scoring in the league. Fregona's first goal, scored in the second game of the season, illustrated why Langley Rivermen Head Coach and General Manager Bobby Henderson has called him a "natural goal scorer". As this video highlight from Langley RivermenTV shows, Fregona (#13 in white jersey) skates through the low slot facing the point, with his back to the net, and redirects a defenseman's shot from the blueline with the back of his stick:



The next night, in a 5-3 loss to the Wenatchee Wild, Fregona scored the first hat trick of his BCHL career. His first and third goals came on shots from below the goal line off the back of the Wenatchee goalie. The second was a backhander on a 2-on-1 break.



Justin Fregona's 5th goal of the season turned out to be the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The scoring play was a nifty give-and-go with Fregona and Rivermen center Adam Sinclair (a Harvard commit):



Last season, Fregona and Sinclair were linemates for St. Andrew's College, the top university preparatory school in Canada. The Saints won it's third consecutive Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) Championship as well as the National Independent School Invitational Championship. During the long 2014-15 season, St. Andrew's College played a total of 52 CISAA and nonconference games. Justin Fregona played in every game, scored 34 goals and 43 assists, and was the Saints' leading scorer. UNH sophomore Warren Foegele was a leading scorer on the 2013 and 2014 St. Andrew's teams. Fregona's target date for enrollment at UNH is the Fall of 2016.

Player Spotlight - Brendan van Riemsdyk

Brendan van Riemsdyk is a finisher. The 19-year-old, 6'4", 200 lbs. power forward for the Islanders Hockey Club has buried 4 goals in the first 5 games of the United States Premiere Hockey League season. For his efforts, van Riemsdyk was named USPHL Premiere forward Star of the Week.

Bringing new meaning to the phrase "fast start", BvR netted his first goal just 25 seconds into the first game of the season. As this highlight video shows, van Riemsdyk (#17) skated strong to the net for his first three goals and quickly converted centering passes on the edge of the crease:



BvR's fourth goal of the young season came on an Islanders Hockey Club power play. Notice that the primary assist came from fellow UNH commit Liam Darcy. Darcy, a defenseman (#21), quarterbacked the play from the top of the umbrella formation, fed a pass to BvR at the faceoff circle, and Brendan snapped a one-time wrister past the goalie.

This is BvR's second season playing in the Premiere Division of the USPHL. Last year, he scored 31 goals and 13 assists in 51 IHC games and was named the 2015 USPHL Rookie of the Year. The youngest of the three van Riemsdyk brothers is on target to enroll at UNH next September.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the following table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2016 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2016. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ The year the recruit and UNH coaches originally targeted for enrollment in UNH.
~ How old the recruit would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ The recruit's performance in recent seasons as well as injuries.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of UNH players leaving the team at the end of the previous season and the position they played.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2016 Recruits
Liam Blackburn  (F)	West Kelowna Warriors	BCHL	6	2	5	7	8
Justin Fregona  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	5	5	0	5	11
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	2	1	0	1	0
Nick Nonis  (D)	Powell River Kings	BCHL	7	0	0	0	4
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	5	4	1	5	2
Mike Robinson  (G)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
2016 or '17 Recruits
Joe Cipollone  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	6	2	1	3	0
Liam Darcy  (D)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	5	0	2	2	0
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	1	0	0	0	0
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	-	-	-	-	-
2017 or '18 Recruits
Eric Esposito  (F)	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL	1	0	1	1	12
Jason O'Neill  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	-	-	-	-	-

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ 2016 commit Patrick Grasso of the Des Moines Buccaneers scored his first goal in the second game of the season. Last year, Grasso netted 9 goals and added 25 assists.

~ 2016 or '17 commit Aaron O'Neill has a lower body injury and is on the Tri-City Storms' 45-day injured reserve list. His goal is to return to competition around the end of October.

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ Over the summer, 2017 or '18 commit Jason O'Neill competed for a roster spot on the Madison Capitols of the USHL. He initially made the 30-man protected list but did not make the 23-player active roster. O'Neill plans to play for the Langley Rivermen in the BCHL.

UNH Recruits Update: Sept-18-2015

2016 Commit Liam Blackburn West Kelowna Warriors

'16 or '17 Commit Joe Cipollone Vernon Vipers

The young hockey players who have verbally committed to play for UNH in the future are beginning their 2015-16 hockey seasons. The British Columbia Hockey League and the U.S. Premiere Hockey League started up last weekend, while the United States Hockey League opens it's season on September 25th.

At the end of last May, I presented the final statistics from the 2014-15 season for the UNH recruits who had verbally committed to attend the University of New Hampshire and play NCAA Division I hockey for the Wildcats. The commitment of three recruits covered in that article have changed since then. Joseph Masonius verbally accepted an athletic scholarship offer from UNH back in October, 2012 when he was 15 years old. The defenseman maintained his commitment to UNH throughout the two years he played for the U.S. National Team Development Program and fully intended on enrolling at UNH this fall. The UNH Admissions Office decided not to accept Joseph for the Fall 2015 semester. He was then promptly accepted by the University of Connecticut and will play for the Huskies this season.

Defenseman Jake Ryczek verbally committed to UNH in April, 2014 when he was 16 years old. At the time, Ryczek was playing for the Selects Hockey Academy at the South Kent School in Connecticut. Earlier this summer on June 5th, Associate Head Coach Scott Borek, who served as the recruiting coordinator at UNH, left for a comparable position at Providence College. According to Mark Divver, who covers Friars' hockey for the Providence Journal, Ryczek decided to not honor his verbal commitment to UNH around this time. The NCAA has clarified that verbal commitments are non binding for either the prospective student athlete or the school. On June 18th, Ryczek announced his verbal commitment to Providence College.

Last Saturday, Over The Boards reported that Joel Farabee, a forward at the Selects Hockey Academy, had de-committed from UNH. Farabee had verbally committed to UNH last December when he was 14 years old. Mark Divver tweeted that Farabee is considering Providence College, Boston University, and possibly Boston College.

Twelve UNH recruits continue to honor their commitment to the University of New Hampshire. Four of them - Liam Blackburn, Joe Cipollone, Justin Fregona, and Nick Nonis - have begun their season in the British Columbia Hockey League.

Player Spotlight - Liam Blackburn

High-scoring Liam Blackburn is off to a hot start. Three games into the BCHL season, the 5'10", 175 lbs. left-shot center has already potted 2 goals and added 4 assists. Here are his two goals:



At this very early stage of the BCHL season, Blackburn is tied for second in scoring. During the regular season last year, Blackburn tied for 6th in BCHL scoring and posted the third most assists. In 51 regular season games with the West Kelowna Warriors, he scored 22 goals, including 8 power play goals, and dished out 51 assists. Blackburn (DOB: 6-8-1996) signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the University of New Hampshire during the early signing period last November. He and the UNH coaches decided one more year in the BCHL would be best for his development. Blackburn will join the UNH Wildcats next September.

Player Spotlight - Joe Cipollone

In his second game as a BCHL rookie, Joe Cipollone scored a goal and an assist for the Vernon Vipers. Here is Cipollone's first BCHL goal:



Cipollone graduated from the South Kent School in June. Last season, the 5'9", 168 lbs., left-shot forward was the second-leading scorer for the Selects Hockey Academy 18U team. In 28 United States Premiere Hockey League games, Cipollone scored 22 goals and 36 assists. He was drafted by the Bloomington Thunder in the 7th Round of the 2015 USHL Draft. However, he chose not to attend Bloomington's Tryout Camp.

NOTE
The statistics for the recruits, presented in the following table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2016 Recruits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2016. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ The year the recruit and UNH coaches originally targeted for enrollment in UNH.
~ How old the recruit would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ The recruit's performance in recent seasons as well as injuries.
~ Anticipated date of high school graduation.
~ Number of UNH players leaving the team at the end of the previous season and the position they played.

Player	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
2016 Recruits
Liam Blackburn  (F)	West Kelowna Warriors	BCHL	3	2	4	6	2
Justin Fregona  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	1	0	0	0	4
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	-	-	-	-	-
Nick Nonis  (D)	Powell River Kings	BCHL	2	0	0	0	0
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
Mike Robinson  (G)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
2016 or '17 Recruits
Joe Cipollone  (F)	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	2	1	1	2	0
Liam Darcy  (D)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	-	-	-	-	-
2017 or '18 Recruits
Eric Esposito  (F)	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL	-	-	-	-	-
Jason O'Neill  (F)	Madison Capitals	USHL	-	-	-	-	-

News & Notes

U.S. Premiere Hockey League:

~ Goalie Mike Robinson, a third-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, injured his wrist this summer. He is projected to return to the Junior Bruins' lineup in January.

United States Hockey League:

~ On September 21st, all USHL teams must reduce their active rosters from 30 to 23 players. Patrick Grasso (Des Moines), Aaron O'Neill (Tri-City) and Eric Esposito (Youngstown) are virtual locks to make the active rosters. Jason O'Neill (Madison) is battling for a roster spot.

Incoming UNH Freshman Jason Kalinowski

Jason Kalinowski - Forward #19

For the 2015-16 season, the UNH hockey team welcomes six freshmen. The Class of 2019 includes 5 forwards - Marcus Vela, Ara Nazarian, Jason Kalinowski, Chris Miller, and Frankie Cefalu - and defenseman Matt Dawson. Here is a profile of Jason Kalinowski, including a new interview with his former coach Dennis Williams of the Bloomington Thunder.

Jason Kalinowski Last Team: Bloomington Thunder United States Hockey League DOB: 7-2-1995 Hometown: Stamford, CT Forward, 5'11", 180 lbs. Shoots Right Commit to UNH: 9-19-2011 at Age 16 years, 2 months. Signed National Letter of Intent: 4-21-2015

Coach's Report

During the final 45 games of the 2014-15 USHL season, Jason Kalinowski was coached by Dennis Williams, Head Coach and General Manager of the Bloomington Thunder. Last week, I had an opportunity to interview Coach Williams regarding Kalinowski's strengths and readiness for NCAA hockey:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): What are Jason's strengths and how did he develop during his season with the Thunder?
Coach Dennis Williams: Jason’s strength is his compete level and willingness to do what it takes to win. Jason has great vision and sees the ice very well. A fearless competitor that elevates his teammates play. With his time in Bloomington, we were able to see Jason’s game grow both on and off the ice.

Mike Lowry: What kind of adjustments will Jason need to make as he begins his NCAA career?
Coach Williams: Like any adjustment from level to level Jason will need to adjust his pace of play as well as decision making. At the college level everything happens that much faster therefore his decision making will have to be quicker.

Career Achievement

~ 2012-13 season: Member of New England Prep Hockey Elite 8 Champion Salisbury School.

USHL Highlight Reel

Prep School & Junior Hockey Statistics

Player	Year	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	+/-	PIM
Jason Kalinowski  (F)	2014/2015	Bloomington Thunder	USHL	45	2	9	11	+5	60
		Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	5	0	0	0	-1	4
	2013/2014	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders	USHL	57	8	23	31	-3	64
		Playoffs	USHL	4	0	0	0	-3	4
	2012/2013	Salisbury School	NE Prep	24	9	18	27
		Elite 8	NE Prep	3	0	0	0
	2011/2012	Salisbury School	NE Prep	25	12	15	27
		Elite 8	NE Prep	2	2	1	3

Link to Articles on Jason Kalinowski

"Jason Kalinowski: Third 16-year-old Commits to UNH"

"Newest UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski Prepares for Prep Hockey Season"

"UNH Recruit Jason Kalinowski Signs National Letter of Intent"