UNH Commit Will Margel: A Speedy, Creative Forward
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| Will Margel 2019 or '20 UNH Commit |
"A skilled, slippery, puck possession forward with speed, creativity, slick hands and a quick release." Neutral Zone
“Average size yet plays speedy, high pace game with offensive thoughts, and good hands." Russ Bitely, HockeyProspects.com
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Will Margel
Forward, 5'9", 170 lbs. Shoots Left Hometown: Potomac, Maryland DOB: 3-16-2001 Turned 17 in March 2017 United States Hockey League Draft: 10th Round, 131st Overall by Sioux Falls Stampede 2017 National Collegiate Development Conference Draft: 6th Overall by Islanders Hockey Club Neutral Zone Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars Current Team: Selects Academy South Kent School ~ Center & Left Wing Commits to UNH: October, 2018 at Age 17 years, 7 months. |
2018 Highlight Reel
Interview
I had an opportunity to interview Will Margel, via email, about his hockey career and commitment to UNH:
Mike Lowry: What other college programs were you considering? Which schools did you visit and which ones made an offer to you?
Will Margel: I visited about half of the Hockey East schools along with a couple ECAC and NCHC schools. At the end of the day, the moment I stepped foot on campus at the University of New Hampshire I knew it was the perfect place for me. The conversations with all three coaches cemented it. They're very direct with their approach, and Coach Souza laid out a plan for success for both the student and athlete sides of the coin.
Lowry: Have you and the UNH coaches agreed on a target date for you to enroll as a freshman at UNH and join the team?
Margel: They left it up to me, and I would love to come in as a true Freshman. It’s been a dream of mine to play college hockey, and to be able to have the opportunity to do it at as a true Freshman would be breathtaking. Although they left it up to me, it’s also a group decision in order to find the right time. I don’t want to rush things, and it's the same thing for them, because UNH is looking to win games every weekend, and whenever they see me being able to contribute every night is when I will make the jump to the next step.
Lowry: At this stage in your hockey development, what are the strengths of your game? What areas are you trying to improve?
Margel: My speed, hockey IQ, and shot release are definitely my top three traits. I like to use my speed all over the ice, and with how the game is changing now, skating is such an important aspect and to be one step ahead of everyone else gives me a greater advantage. I think my hockey IQ is very strong. I feel I see the game in a way where I am able to anticipate where the puck is going and how the play is going to unfold before it actually does. I have a really fast shot release off my stick. Not being 6 feet and 200 pounds, it was always something I wanted to work on. With goalies being so good these days, quickness and power are very important, and I specifically work on those things in the gym and on the ice to get better at it everyday. Whether it's my one-time or my snapshot, I just don't think I'm ever satisfied. I feel like I always have room to improve.
Lowry: Over the last three summers, you participated in the USA Hockey Selects Player Development Camps. How do you think your skills compare with the other top US forwards born in 2001? In which skill area have you shown the most improvement?
Margel: I know that at each camp I got better and better. It’s good to see what one improves at year after year, and also what you can add to your game. Being able to go to the National Festival three years in a row provided me a good measuring stick by comparing myself to others and where they had improved. When I’m at the top of my game, I know I’m an impact player every time I step on the ice. I know that I can compete with anyone. The two biggest area of improvement I’ve made are my speed and strength. Growing up and playing up with older kids meant that I was smaller, so speed and quickness have always been my biggest strengths. Every summer and throughout each season, I'm always focused on getting a quicker first step and more powerful strides. With speed comes power, and that’s where I specifically excelled over the past two summers. I've also put a big focus on my off-ice strength and conditioning My strength off-ice has directly translated over to my game on the ice. I have been very fortunate that South Kent has a direct partnership with Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Performance, and his trainers to come up to the school every week and work with our hockey teams. They have a general strength and conditioning program, but they also truly understand what I personally need based on my playing style and size in order to be the best player I can be.
Lowry: You are from Potomac, Maryland and you played pee wee and bantam hockey for Team Maryland based in Bethesda. When did you start playing hockey and who was a major influence during your early development?
Margel: I started skating at the age of 2. The biggest influence on me growing up would be Rob Keegan. He is the Head Director of Montgomery Blue Devils. He is the one that really helped shape me into the player I am today. He was my first coach and even up to this day I still do power skating and skills sessions with him.
Lowry: Since the age of 14, you have pursued your education at the South Kent School in Connecticut and have been a top scorer for the Selects Academy 15U, 16U, and 18U teams. Would you describe a couple of your most memorable on-ice experiences?
Margel: South Kent has been so great for me. The hockey here is like you have never seen before. There's a true partnership between the school and Selects Academy (the hockey program), and I think it's been the perfect 4 year lesson to help me get prepared to play Division 1 College hockey. The first time I put on the Selects Academy jersey was a moment I will ever forget. There was also the Cancer Awareness fundraising game vs NJ Avalanche last year. That was a special night for everyone. It seems that cancer impacts everyone one way or another, whether you're suffering yourself, or a loved one or friend has it. It made me feel great to be able to give my commemorative jersey to my aunt who is a breast cancer survivor.
Lowry: In May, 2017 you were drafted by the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and the Islanders Hockey Club of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC). Do you plan to play in either the USHL, NCDC, British Columbia Hockey League, or North American Hockey League before you come to UNH? Do you have a preference?
Margel: Being drafted was a great moment for me. It was the first real eye opener in my hockey career that I was being recognized as being one of the top players in my age group. Everyone has their own thoughts on each league, but when the time comes, the coaches, my parents and I will discuss what league will be best for me, if Junior Hockey is the route I take.
Lowry: When do you plan to graduate from high school? What are your academic strengths and interests? Have you thought about what you might major in when you enroll at UNH?
Margel: I will be graduating in the spring of 2019. I want to study Kinesiology at UNH. I know some of that can help with off-ice and add that to my training.
Neutral Zone Scouting Reports
From the 2017 U15 USA Tier 1 Nationals "We thought Will was perhaps the most interesting player here. He is fast, smart, involved and explosive. He stole a puck at his blue line and took off up ice for a pretty backhand score. He put rebounds home as he used leverage and his body to find space. He passed to linemates in positions to succeed, he made them better. He had some stretches of inconsistency but overall he looked engaged, athletic and balanced."
From the 2018 USA Hockey Select 17 National Development Camp "Margel came to camp this year after a breakout season with Selects Academy where he notched 31 goals and 37 assists in just 45 games. He’s small but clever and plays a skilled, puck possession style. His hands are slippery, he’s creative and thinks the game with pace. He made a lot of plays off the rush and in the transition game with his speed and vision and his passing ability and ease with the saucer pass made him a threat anytime he entered the zone with possession. He scored a beautiful quick release snipe top corner when he picked off a pass in the neutral zone and took it in all alone for the go-ahead goal. He has a deceptively hard shot and quick release and is able to create time and space for himself with his quickness, agility and hockey sense. More than his crafty playmaking ability is his detailed approach; one goal his team scored was off a 3v2 where he drove the far post with speed splitting the defender which opened up space for his teammates and created a 2v1 of which they scored upon. That kind of heads up play away from the puck is what makes Margel a D1 prospect and led to his impressive 2-3-5 line in 5 games here. Margel will return to Selects Academy next season to play for the defending U18 Champion squad."
Youth Hockey & Prep School Statistics
| Player | Season | Team | League | GP | Goals | Asst | Pts | PIM | Will Margel (F) | 2018-19 | Selects Academy 18U | Overall | 26 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USPHL 18U | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| BEAST Series | 10 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 8 | |||
| 2017-18 | Selects Academy 16U | Overall | 47 | 31 | 34 | 65 | - | |
| USPHL 16U | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | |||
| Playoffs | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 16U Nationals | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |||
| USA Selects 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |||
| 2016-17 | Selects Academy 15U | Overall | 51 | 46 | 49 | 95 | - | |
| 15U Nationals | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |||
| USA Selects 16 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2015-16 | Selects Academy 15U | Overall | - | - | - | - | - | |
| USA Selects 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| East Coast Selects | World Selects Inv | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | Team Maryland Bantam Minor | AYHL | 37 | 28 | 26 | 54 | - | |
| East Coast Selects | World Selects Inv | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
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