UNH Recruits Update: Nov-6-2015

2016 Commit Justin Fregona Langley Rivermen

2016 Commit Charlie Kelleher Junior Bruins

Player Spotlight - Justin Fregona

In his first season of junior hockey, 18-year-old Justin Fregona is nearly scoring a goal a game. The 5'7", 154 lbs. right-winger has scored 14 goals in 18 games with the Langley Rivermen. Fregona is tied for 3rd in goal-scoring in the BCHL.

Last week, Fregona added 3 goals and 3 assists to his season totals as the Rivermen won three games and improved their record to 12-6-0. On Friday, Fregona scored the Rivermen's first and sixth goal in a 6-3 win over the Coquitlam Express and chipped in 2 assists. He was awarded the #1 Star for his efforts. This video of his first goal (Courtesy of Langley Rivermen TV) shows Fregona initiating and finishing a 2-on-1 break:



Last night, Fregona netted his 14th goal of the season in a 10-4 victory over the Surrey Eagles. He gathered a pretty, cross-ice pass and sniped it top corner:



Fregona graduated from St. Andrew's College, a university preparatory school in Ontario, last spring. He lead the Saints in scoring with 34 goals and 43 assists in 52 games. His target date for enrollment at UNH is the Fall of 2016.

Player Spotlight - Charlie Kelleher

It was a busy and productive week for 18-year-old Charlie Kelleher. Over the weekend, he and the Junior Bruins played three games at the 2015 Beantown Fall Classic and won all three. On Saturday afternoon, they captured a shootout win over the Connecticut Junior Rangers. Kelleher scored the Junior Bruins' first goal midway through the second period. At the end of regulation, the teams were tied 2-2 and neither team scored during overtime. Kelleher sealed the deal for the Junior Bruins on this nifty shootout goal:



Later that evening, Kelleher posted 2 assists, including the game-tying assist, in a 4-1 victory over the Syracuse Stars. On Sunday, he chalked up 3 more asssits, including the game-tying assist as the Junior Bruins downed the PAL Junior Islanders 4-1. Yesterday, Kelleher capped off a four-game scoring streak when he assisted on the game-tying goal with only 7 seconds left in regulation against the Islanders Hockey Club.

Despite missing the first five games of this season, Charlie Kelleher has climbed up the scoring leader board in the USPHL. In 12 games, he has scored 5 goals and 13 assists and has posted at least one point in every game but one. Although Kelleher has played in seven fewer games then the USPHL's leading scorer - Joseph Duszak, a Mercyhurst University commit - he is tied for 6th in scoring with 18 points.

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	18	10	15	25	18
Justin Fregona  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	18	14	8	22	19
Patrick Grasso  (F)	Des Moines Bucs	USHL	12	7	3	10	2
Charlie Kelleher  (F)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	12	5	13	18	6
Nick Nonis  (D)	Powell River Kings	BCHL	19	1	3	4	18
Brendan van Riemsdyk   (F)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	16	7	7	14	4
Mike Robinson  (G)	Junior Bruins	USPHL	-	-	-	-	-
2016 or '17 Recruits
Joe Cipollone  (F)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	3	1	0	1	0
	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	12	4	3	7	2
Liam Darcy  (D)	Islanders Hockey Club	USPHL	7	0	2	2	0
Aaron O'Neill  (F)	Tri-City Storm	USHL	1	0	0	0	0
2017 or '18 Recruits
Eric Esposito  (F)	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL	7	0	1	1	12
Jason O'Neill  (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	10	1	4	5	0

News & Notes

United States Hockey League:

~ On Saturday, 2016 UNH Commit Patrick Grasso scored his 7th goal of the season as the Des Moines Buccaneers downed the Dubuque Fighting Saints 4-2. It was Grasso's second power play goal this season. He is currently tied for 3rd in USHL goal-scoring.

~ Last week, 2016 or '17 UNH Commit Joe Cipollone of the Tri-City Storm scored a goal in his second USHL game.

~ 2016 or '17 UNH Commit Aaron O'Neill played in his first game of the season last Friday night. He played center on the Tri-City Storm's second line. O'Neill missed the first 10 games of the USHL season with a lower body injury.

British Columbia Hockey League:

~ 2016 UNH Commit Liam Blackburn posted 2 assists in each of the two games he played last weekend. He has scored at least one point in his last 14 games and in 16 out of the 18 games he has played in this season. He is currently tied for 4th in BCHL scoring with 10 goals and 15 assists.