UNH Commits Update 1-31-18: Spotlight on Angus Crookshank

Angus Crookshank
"Goal Scorer"

Player Spotlight - Angus Crookshank

During the 2016-17 regular season, UNH's top forwards provided ample goal-scoring. In 32 regular season games, All-American Tyler Kelleher scored 22 goals, Jason Salvaggio tallied 21 goals and Patrick Grasso had 17. Over the first 26 games this season, the top UNH goal-scorers are defenseman Max Gildon, and forwards Salvaggio and Ara Nazarian, each with 7 goals. The future success of the UNH hockey program will depend, in part, on the addition of forwards who have a knack for scoring goals. 2018 Commit Angus Crookshank is just such a player.

Last Friday night, Crookshank scored an unassisted goal which could easily qualify for "goal of the season" in the British Columbia Hockey League. With less than 3 minutes remaining, Crookshank picked up the puck at the redline, rushed into the Prince George Spruce Kings' zone, slid between two defensemen in the slot, and snapped a wrist shot. He picked up the rebound below the goal line, swooped around the faceoff circle, dragged the puck between two more opponents, and lifted a backhander into the top corner. It was Crookshank's 17th goal in 31 Langley Rivermen games.



After missing the first 8 games of the season with an upper body injury, Crookshank has scored at a "point a game" clip. The 5'11", 181 lbs., 18-year-old forward has played both center and left wing for the Rivermen. He is the team's leading goal-scorer and has also distributed 17 assists. At the 2017 World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) in mid-December, Angus helped Team Canada West win the Gold Medal by scoring 2 game-winning goals and adding 3 assists. He was the second-leading scorer in the tournament.

A week ago, Crookshank participated in the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game in Mississauga, Ontario. The CJHL and NHL Central Scouting Service selected the top 40 players from all the Canadian Junior A hockey leagues who are eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft in June. Team West won 5-2 and Crookshank assisted on their second goal. In the first clip in these highlights, he dishes a tape-to-tape, centering pass to Corey Andonovski, a Princeton commit who plays for the Chilliwack Chiefs:



The final two clips show Crookshank's 15th and 16th goals of the season. The 15th was the game-winner against the Victoria Grizzlies and came on the Langley power play. The 16th was also a power play goal against Prince George. Crookshank has 7 power play goals, tied for 5th most in the BCHL. He is also tied for 2nd in game-winning goals with 5. A goal scorer for sure.

The NHL Central Scouting Service released the midterm rankings on January 20th. Angus Crookshank is ranked #139 among North American skaters. The CSS has rated him a "C" prospect with potential to be drafted in the 4th, 5th, or 6th round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

2017-18 Statistics

NOTE
The statistics for the commits, presented in the following table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2018 Commits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2018. I have based these projections on a number of factors including:
~ If a National Letter of Intent has been signed.
~ The year the commit and UNH coaches originally targeted for enrollment in UNH.
~ How old the commit would be upon admission.
~ Number of years in junior hockey prior to admission.
~ The commit'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
2018 Commits
Joey Cipollone* 3/29/97 (F)	Junior Bruins	NCDC	37	17	26	43	22
Angus Crookshank* 10/2/99 (F)	Langley Rivermen	BCHL	32	17	17	34	24
	Team Canada West	WJAC	5	2	3	5	2
	Team West Prospects	CJHL	1	0	1	1	0
Eric Esposito* 8/24/98 (F)	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL	35	9	5	14	83
Corson Green 3/4/99 (D)	Central Illinois Flying Aces	USHL	12	1	0	1	42
	Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL	19	1	3	4	39
2018 or '19 Commits
Ryan Verrier* 11/19/98 (D)	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	30	3	6	9	24
2019 Commits
Lucas Bahn 9/11/99 (D)	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL	30	1	5	6	17
Nolan McElhaney 4/22/99 (D)	Cushing Academy	NE Prep	23	11	23	34	22
Chase Stevenson 1/13/99 (F)	West Kelowna Warriors	BCHL	30	7	11	18	23
2019 or '20 Commits
Jackson Pierson* 9/10/99 (F)	Culver Academy	Prep	29	23	37	60	-
	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	2	0	0	0	0
Connor Sweeney 5/5/00 (F)	Lawrence Academy	NE Prep	19	6	8	14	6
Marek Wazny 2/21/00 (F)	Burlington Cougars	OJHL	27	6	17	23	8
	Brookings Blizzard	NAHL	7	0	0	0	0
2020 Commits
Tim Stützle 1/15/02 (F)	Mannheim Young Eagles	DNL U19	21	16	24	40	8
		MacPhr	2	1	3	4	0
	Team Germany U18	Intl	2	2	0	2	4
	Team Germany U16	Intl	6	4	3	7	-
* = Signed National Letter of Intent

News & Notes

International:

~ 2020 UNH Commit Tim Stützle and the Mannheim Junior Eagles U19 (Jungadler Mannheim) travelled to St. Andrews College in Ontario last weekend for the annual MacPherson Tournament. In their first game on Friday, Mannheim defeated the Edge School (Calgary Alberta) 7-2 and Stützle posted a goal and 3 assists. He did not score in Game 2, a 1-3 loss to St. Andrews. Stützle missed the final two days of the tourney with the flu. The depleted Mannheim team advanced to the Championship Game but lost to the Edge School.

Prep School:

~ 2019 UNH Commit Nolan McElhaney has tallied a goal and 7 assists over the last 6 Cushing Academy games. He has the most assists and second highest goals among all New England Prep School defensemen (23GP 11G 23A). In the recently released NHL Central Scouting Service midterm rankings, McIlhaney is ranked #213 among North American skaters.

~ Over a 4-game stretch beginning on January 19th, 2019 or '20 Commit Connor Sweeney scored 4 goals and 3 assists for Lawrence Academy. He is ranked #217 among North American skaters on the NHL Central Scouting Service midterm rankings.

~ 2019 or '20 Commit Jackson Pierson and the Culver Academy Eagles (30-2-0) maintained the #1 ranking in USA Midget 18U Tier 1 hockey. Pierson has scored 23 goals and 37 assists and is tied for the lead in scoring on the Culver team.

National Collegiate Development Conference:

~ 2018 Commit Joey Cipollone is on a 6-game scoring streak including 2 goals and 6 assists. He moved up to a tie for 5th in NCDC scoring.