Parker Wheeler Honored As A Top Collegiate Sports Broadcaster

UNH's Parker Wheeler
Ranked #15 Collegiate Sports Broadcaster

Every year since 2009, the Sports Talent Agency of America (STAA) has selected the top collegiate sports broadcasters through it's Jim Nantz Award and All-America Program. The STAA assembles a panel of judges, including top representatives from the professional sports broadcasting industry, to review the work of candidates from a broad spectrum of colleges and universities. I am very pleased to acknowledge that Parker Wheeler was named the #15 Collegiate Sports Broadcaster in America. Here's a video describing the All-America Program and naming the honorees:



Throughout the 2015-16 UNH men's hockey season, we were very fortunate to feature Parker's game reports and analysis on The UNH Men's Hockey Blog. As the play-by-play announcer of men's hockey for WUNH 91.3 FM and a former New Hampshire All-State goalie, Parker provided unique, entertaining pieces on the ups and downs of the Wildcats' season. From his first game report titled "Despite High Scoring Win Over AIC, UNH Wildcats Have Work To Do" to his final report called "UNH’s Season Draws to a Close; Merrimack Wins Game Three 2-1", Parker helped UNH hockey fans understand the strengths and weaknesses of the 2015-16 team.

Last weekend, Parker Wheeler graduated from UNH with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Journalism. In his senior year, he was the Sports Director of the WUNH Sports Department and on-air host of Wildchats, the Thursday night sports talk show. Parker also was the play-by-play broadcaster of UNH women's soccer, volleyball, and field hockey for America East TV.

UNH fans can follow Parker Wheeler's career in sports broadcasting and analysis on his website parkerwheeler.com and his twitter account. He has a very bright future.

UNH Commit Liam Blackburn, West Kelowna Warriors Win RBC Cup

Liam Blackburn
Leading Scorer in RBC Cup

Liam Blackburn and the West Kelowna Warriors completed an incredible playoff run by capturing the top prize in Canadian Junior A hockey - the Royal Bank of Canada Cup. Blackburn helped seal the deal by netting a short-handed goal in the third period of the 4-0 win over the Lloydminster Bobcats in the Championship Game on Sunday evening. The Canadian Junior A season began with 131 teams in 10 leagues across the nation and now, the West Kelowna Warriors are #1.

West Kelowna qualified for the RBC tournament by first winning the BCHL Fred Page Cup Championship then the Western Canada Cup. The RBC Cup competition includes the winners of the Eastern (Carleton Place Canadians) , Central (Trenton Golden Hawks), and Western (West Kelowna) Championships, plus the Western Runnerup (Brooks Bandits) and host team (Lloydminster Bobcats). En route to winning the RBC Cup, the Warriors defeated all 5 teams and finished with a record of 5-1-0.

Liam Blackburn was the leading scorer in the RBC Cup competition. In six games, Blackburn scored 4 goals, including 2 shorthanded, 1 even strength, and one shootout tally, plus 4 assists. Here are the video highlights of his 4 goals:



Prior to the tournament, the International Scouting Services identified Liam Blackburn as one of the "Players to Watch" at the 2016 RBC Cup. They wrote:

"Skilled offensive forward … good vision … very good agility … can handle the puck in traffic … good hockey sense … dangerous on the power play and penalty kill."

He certainly lived up to the billing. Blackburn signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of New Hampshire in November, 2014. He is on track to enroll at UNH this Fall.

UNH Commit Lucas Bahn Selected in USHL Draft

Defenseman Lucas Bahn
Drafted by Waterloo Black Hawks

On Tuesday, the United States Hockey League held its Phase II Draft for players born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2000. The 16 USHL teams used 24 rounds to select players who could compete for spots on the 2016-17 roster. The players came from a wide variety of teams including high school, prep, and junior teams from both the United States and Canada. Three players committed to the University of New Hampshire - Lucas Bahn (defenseman), Mike Robinson (goalie), and Charlie Kelleher (center/winger) - were drafted by USHL teams.

Lucas Bahn - Defenseman

Lucas Bahn (DOB: 9/11/1999), a right-shot defenseman was selected by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the 7th Round of the USHL Entry Draft. Waterloo did not have a pick in the first two rounds so Bahn was their 5th selection. Overall, he was the 112th pick in the draft.

Bahn, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, verbally committed to UNH a little over a month ago on March 27. Last season, the 5'9", 150 lbs., right-shot defenseman played for the Skipjacks Hockey Club 16U and 18U teams. In 26 regular season games with the Skipjacks 16U, Bahn scored 3 goals including 1 power play goal and 1 game-winning goal, and dished out 13 assists including 5 on the power play. He was the 8th leading scorer among all defensemen in the USPHL 16U League. He also scored a goal in the USPHL 16U Playoffs and posted 2 goals in 9 regular season games with the 18U team.

When Lucas Bahn committed to UNH in March, his plan was to play for the Skipjacks 18U in the USPHL next season. Now he will have the opportunity to try out for the Waterloo Black Hawks this summer. His target date for enrollment at UNH is the Fall of either 2018 or 2019.

I had an opportunity to interview Lucas, via email, on his selection by the Waterloo Black Hawks:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): Congratulations on being selected by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the 7th round of the 2016 USHL Phase II Draft. Do you plan on attending Waterloo's tryout camp in June and their training camp in late August to compete for a spot on their 23-player active roster for 2016-17?

Lucas Bahn: Thank you very much, I appreciate that! Yes, it is an incredible opportunity to be drafted by Waterloo, and I look forward to participating in their tryout camp as well as competing for a spot on the roster! The coaching staff has given me an unbelievable opportunity, and I intend to make the most of it!

Mike Lowry: What would the opportunity to play in the USHL offer you in terms developing specific areas of your game?

Lucas Bahn: The USHL is obviously an incredible league, not only for exposure but also development. Personally, it would be incredibly effective in terms of my development as a player because the players in the USHL are bigger, faster, and stronger therefore providing the best players to play against and improve myself. I would like to continue to improve my speed, and the USHL is the perfect place to do that.

UNH Commit Mike Robinson Chosen in USHL Draft

Goalie Mike Robinson
Drafted by Dubuque Fighting Saints

On Tuesday, the United States Hockey League held its Phase II Draft for players born between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2000. The 16 USHL teams used 24 rounds to select players who could compete for spots on the 2016-17 roster. The players came from a wide variety of teams including high school, prep, and junior teams from both the United States and Canada. Three players committed to the University of New Hampshire - Mike Robinson (goalie), Charlie Kelleher (center/winger), and Lucas Bahn (defenseman) - were drafted by USHL teams.

Mike Robinson - Goalie

Mike Robinson (DOB: 3/27/1997), a left-catching goalie, was selected by the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the 2nd Round of the 2016 USHL Entry Draft. He was the 30th overall pick and the third goaltender selected.

Last summer, Robinson was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In July, he participated in the Sharks' Prospect Camp but injured his wrist. Robinson had committed to play for the Boston Junior Bruins Premiere team but his recovery kept him out of their lineup until January 2, 2016.

Robinson, a native of Bedford, NH, was the goalie of record for the Jr Bruins in 12 regular season games. The 6'4", 200 lbs. goalie won 7 games and lost 5. He posted a Goals Against Average of 2.97 and a Save Percentage of .910. He only played for 8 minutes in one of the Jr Bruins' 4 USPHL Playoff games.

Before Robinson injured his wrist, he had planned to play one season with the Junior Bruins in the USPHL and enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2016. Last November, he signed a National Letter of Intent with UNH. However, as Michael explains in this interview, he, his family, and the UNH coaches have decided to move his enrollment to the Fall of 2017.

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): Congratulations on being selected by the Dubuque Fighting Saints as the 30th overall pick in the 2016 USHL Phase II Draft. The Saints' starting goalie Hunter Miska plans to enroll at Minnesota-Duluth next fall and their backup Jaxon Castor is committed to Arizona State for 2017 or 2018. Do you plan on attending Dubuque's tryout camp in June and/or their training camp in late August to compete for a spot on their 23-player active roster for 2016-17?

Mike Robinson: Yes, I plan on attending their camp this summer and plan on playing in Dubuque for the 2016-17 season.

Mike Lowry: What does the opportunity to play in the USHL offer you in terms developing specific areas of your game?

Mike Robinson: Playing in the USHL next season will benefit my development and prepare me for the next level. The USHL is the top junior league in the country and for me, playing at such a high level like that, it will get me ready for college hockey.

Lowry: You have signed a National Letter of Intent to enroll at UNH and play for the Wildcats. Originally, you had planned to enroll in the Fall of 2016. Have you decided to defer your enrollment until the Fall of 2017?

Robinson: Due to the injury (wrist) I suffered at camp in San Jose and missing a good chunk of the season (Aug-Jan) I feel for my development, I should play another year of juniors to prepare myself for college hockey.

Lowry: Being drafted in the third round of the 2015 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks means that there are a number of teams/organizations who have an interest in having you come play for them sometime in the next few years. In addition to the Dubuque Fighting Saints, the Rimouski Oceanics drafted you in the 2015 QMJHL Draft. Are you still on track to play NCAA hockey in 2016 or 2017?

Robinson: I talked to many teams leading up to the USHL draft and after ending up in Dubuque, I couldn't be happier. I have heard many great things about the organization and I am proud to be selected by them. I plan on attending UNH in the fall of 2017.

2016-17 UNH Roster

Although Mike Robinson will not be enrolling this Fall, the UNH Wildcats will have two veteran goaltenders on their squad. Danny Tirone enrolled midway through the 2014-15 season. As a freshman, the 5'11", 175 lbs. right-catching goalie compiled a 14-6-0 record with a 2.14 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.. He was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Month in March, 2015. Last season, Tirone's record was 9-19-6 with a 3.19 GAA and a .907 Save%. He was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week twice. Tirone will be a junior next season.

Adam Clark played in every game during the first half of his freshman season. The 6'5", 220 lbs. left-catching goalie accumulated 5-13-2 record in 2014-15 with a 2.94 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Clark only played in two games last season before injuring his shoulder. In late October, he won against Union College and Merrimack College on successive weekends and compiled a 2.00 GAA and .939 Save%. Clark will also be a junior next season.