UNH Commits Update 4-19-2019: Final 2018-19 Statistics

Will Margel USA Hockey 18U Championship

Tim Stützle German Development League U20 Championship

News & Notes

USA Hockey National Championships:

Will Margel - From April 3-8, Will Margel and the Selects Hockey Academy/Central Connecticut Selects 18U team competed in the 2019 USA Hockey Tier I National Championship. They won two games and lost one in Pool Play, defeated #1 ranked Shattuck St. Mary's 8-6 in the Quarterfinals, beat the Yale Jr. Bulldogs 6-2 in the Semifinals, and won the Championship Game 3-2 in overtime against the North Jersey Avalanche.

Margel finished the tournament tied for 1st in scoring (13 pts), tied 2nd in assists (8) and tied 3rd in goals (5) in 6 games. These video highlights show all of his goals plus two assists from the Shattuck St. Mary's victory:



On Wednesday, Will Margel signed a National Letter of Intent with UNH. He is a senior at the South Kent School. Next season, he will play junior hockey and enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2020. Margel has not yet decided where to play next year. In May, 2017, he was selected by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the 9th round of the USHL Futures Draft.

Robert Cronin - A month after Robert Cronin's season with The Gunnery School ended, he rejoined the Yale Junior Bulldogs 18U team in the USA Hockey Nationals. They won all three games in Pool Play and beat the Mid Fairfield Jr. Rangers 7-2 in the Quarterfinals.

That set up a matchup against Will Margel and Central Connecticut Selects in the Semifinals. Robert Cronin scored both of the Yale Jr. Bulldog's goals and tied the game 2-2 late in the second period. However, the Selects team scored 4 unanswered goals and won 6-2. Will Margel scored the Selects' second and sixth goals. Across the Bulldog's five games, Robert Cronin scored 6 goals and an assist. He tied for 2nd in goal-scoring in the tournament. Here are all of his goals:



After Cronin graduates from The Gunnery later this spring, he plans to play one or two seasons of junior hockey before enrolling at UNH. He anticipates playing in either the United States Hockey League or British Columbia Hockey League next year. As an undrafted prospect, it will be interesting to see if he is selected in the United States Hockey League annual draft on May 7th and/or the North American Hockey League draft on June 4th.

Liam Devlin - Another UNH commit to compete in the USA Hockey Tier I 18U National Championships was Liam Devlin. After his season with The St. Sebastian's School was over, he rejoined the Boston Junior Eagles 18U team for the tournament. The Jr. Eagles won all three games in the Pool Play including a 4-1 defeat of Margel and the Central CT Selects. Devlin scored their 4th goal. In the Quarterfinals, the Jr. Eagles lost to Northwood Prep 3-6. Overall, Liam Devlin tallied 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 games.

Next year, Liam Devlin will be a senior captain for St. Sebastian's. Following his senior year, Devlin plans to play one year of junior hockey then enroll at UNH in Fall 2021. So far, he has been drafted by the South Shore Kings in the National Collegiate Development Conference. He will be eligible for the upcoming USHL and NAHL's drafts.

David Sacco - UNH commit David Sacco competed in the Tier I 16U National Championships. After his sophomore hockey season with Lawrence Academy ended, Sacco rejoined the Cape Cod Whalers 16U team. The Whalers won all three games in Pool Play but lost to the Pittsburgh Pens Elite in the Quarterfinals. Pittsburgh went on to win the 16U Championship. Sacco tallied 2 assists for the Whalers in 4 games.

Next year, David Sacco will be a junior at Lawrence Academy. When he committed to UNH last August, he indicated that he plans to enroll at UNH in either the Fall of 2020 or 2021. In January, 2018, Sacco was drafted by the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs in the National Collegiate Development Conference Futures Draft. He will be eligible for the upcoming USHL and NAHL's drafts.

German Development League U20 Division I Championship:

Tim Stützle - In the middle of March, Tim Stützle and the Jungadler Mannheim won the 2019 DNL U20 Division I Championship. In the opening, best-of-three series, the Young Eagles beat the Eisbären (Polar Bears) Juniors Berlin two games to one. Stützle tallied 2 goals and 2 assists in the decisive third game.

Mannheim faced Kölner Junghaie (Young Sharks) in the championship round. Jungadler won the first game 3-2 and Stützle assisted on the first goal. In Game 2, Mannheim overwhelmed Berlin 6-2 to cap off the championship. Stützle scored 2 more goals and 2 assists. Stützle finished the playoffs tied for 2nd in scoring (11 pts), 2nd in assists (7) and tied 2nd in goals (4) in 5 games.

Here are Stützle's game-winning third goal and insurance fifth goal in the final playoff game:



Tim Stützle is on track to enroll at UNH in the Fall of 2020. Last May, he was selected by the Sioux City Musketeers in the 2018 USHL Phase I Draft. He will be eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft.

2018-19 Statistics

NOTE
The statistics for the commits, presented in the above table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2020 Commits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2020. I have based these projections on the following factors:
~ 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
2019 Commits
Kalle Eriksson 9/15/99 (D)	Madison Capitals	USHL	31	4	12	16	14
	Omaha Lancers	USHL	24	1	12	13	6
Lucas Herrmann 8/1/00 (F)	Madison Capitals	USHL	53	14	8	22	52
Nolan McElhaney 4/22/99 (D)	Omaha Lancers	USHL	5	0	0	0	2
Chase Stevenson* 1/13/99 (F)	Trail Smoke Eaters	BCHL	32	9	22	31	26
		Playoffs	10	1	7	8	12
	Surrey Eagles	BCHL	25	10	12	22	37
2020 Commits
Aidan Curran 1/22/01 (F)	NH Jr Monarchs	NCDC	50	12	37	49	36
		Playoffs	2	0	0	0	2
Zack Jones 3/31/01 (F)	Boston Bandits	NCDC	50	4	31	35	20
		Playoffs	2	0	0	0	0
Will Margel* 3/16/01 (F)	Selects Academy 18U	Overall	64	45	55	100	18
		USPHL 18U	5	4	7	11	4
		Playoffs	4	1	4	5	0
		BEAST Series	10	9	5	14	8
		NE Regionals	5	3	3	6	-
		USA 18U Nationals	5	4	7	11	4
Tim Stützle 1/15/02 (F)	Mannheim Young Eagles	DNL U20	21	23	32	55	30
		Playoffs	5	4	7	11	4
	Team Germany U20	Intnl	-	-	-	-	-
Connor Sweeney 5/5/00 (F)	Lawrence Academy	NE Prep	26	7	15	22	20
		Playoffs	2	0	1	1	-
	Islanders Hockey Club	NCDC	1	2	0	2	0
	Little Bruins 18U	Tier I 18U	9	1	2	3	2
		Mass Districts	2	1	0	1	-
Marek Wazny 2/21/00 (F)	Maryland Black Bears	NAHL	53	7	13	20	28
2020 or '21 Commits
Nick Ardanaz 5/30/02 (D)	Delta Prep	CSSHL	33	5	25	30	18
		Playoffs	3	0	1	1	0
	Vernon Vipers	BCHL	3	0	0	0	0
Nicholas Cafarelli 12/31/01 (F)	Cushing Academy	NE Prep	31	17	24	41	18
		Playoffs	2	1	3	4	2
	Eastern MA Senators 18U	Tier I 18U	4	1	0	1	-
		Mass Districts	3	2	0	2	-
Robert Cronin 8/15/00 (F)	The Gunnery	NE Prep	31	19	35	54	2
		Playoffs	1	0	0	0	-
	Yale Jr. Bulldogs 18U	BEAST Series	9	2	4	6	4
		USA 18U Nationals	5	6	1	7	4
Jack Ring 12/18/00 (F)	Boston Advantage U18	T1EHL	29	9	12	21	26
		ECEL	17	9	10	19	-
	Northeast Generals	NAHL	1	0	0	0	0
David Sacco 1/3/02 (F)	Lawrence Academy	NE Prep	23	13	15	28	32
		Playoffs	2	1	0	1	-
	Cape Cod Whalers 16U	Mass Districts	1	1	1	2	-
		USA 16U Nationals	3	0	2	2	0
2021 Commits
Liam Devlin 1/7/01 (F)	St. Sebastian's	NE Prep	27	8	17	25	2
		Playoffs	1	0	1	1	-
	Boston Jr. Eagles	EHF Selects	11	3	5	8	8
		Mass Districts	3	3	0	3	-
		USA 18U Nationals	4	2	3	5	17
Cy LeClerc 5/14/02 (F)	Seacoast Spartans 16U	ECEL	17	25	18	43	-
		Overall	60	55	57	112	-
2021 or '22 Commits
JP Turner 1/31/03 (F)	Avon Old Farms	NE Prep	25	5	8	13	0
		Playoffs	1	0	0	0	0
	NV River Rats 16U	Mass Districts	3	1	2	3	-
Morgan Winters 12/8/01 (F)	Tabor Academy	NE Prep	23	13	21	34	4
	Little Bruins 18U	Tier I 18U	7	0	0	0	0
		Mass Districts	1	0	0	0	-
2022 or '23 Commits
Nick Ring 10/26/03 (F)	Boston Advantage U16	T1EHL	28	5	7	12	4
		ECEL	15	6	4	10	-
* = Signed National Letter of Intent

UNH Commit Lucas Herrmann: A Hard-Working, Gritty Forward

Lucas Herrmann
2019 UNH Commit

"Hermann had a level of snarl that at times helped him and at times did not..The 2000 was not intimidated by older players. He was not huge or heavy but very strong and skated well..He had some nice tools, soft hands and is a solid prospect." Neutral Zone

Lucas Herrmann Forward, 6'2", 187 lbs. Shoots Left Hometown: Buffalo, New York DOB: 8-1-2000 Turns 19 in August Current Team: Madison Capitols (USHL)                        ~ First/Second Line Center; First Power Play Unit Commits to UNH: April, 2019 at Age 18 years, 8 months.

2018-19 USHL Highlight Reel

During the 2017-18 season, Lucas Herrmann was a 17-year-old senior in high school playing his first year of junior hockey in the North American Hockey League. He tallied 6 goals and 19 assists in 54 games. One month after the season ended, the Madison Capitols selected Herrmann in the 5th round (80th overall) of the 2018 United States Hockey League draft.

Over his first 21 games in the USHL this season, Hermmann centered the Capitols' first line in seven games. His offensive production was limited to 2 assists. Herrmann turned it around beginning on January 17th. Over the final 32 games of the season, he scored 14 goals and 6 assists. Six of the goals came on Madison's power play, another was an overtime, game-winner, two were game-tying goals, and one came in a shootout. When Herrmann committed to UNH last week, Madison head coach Garrett Suter said:

"We drafted Lucas knowing he could do big things for us, and when he finally broke through, the flood gates opened. Not only has he been producing on the ice, but off as well. When we traded [Josh] Boyer at the deadline, Lucas stepped up and filled the hole as an alternate captain.”

These video highlights show how tough and productive Lucas Herrmann can be in front of the opposing goalie:

Interview

I had an opportunity to interview Lucas Herrmann, via email, about his hockey career and commitment to UNH:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): Congratulations on your commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire. What are the main reasons you chose UNH?

Lucas Herrmann: Thank you! I chose UNH because I really felt comfortable on campus, with the coaches, and with the players. They have a historic hockey program and is a very strong academic school.

Mike Lowry: What other college programs were you considering? Which schools did you visit and which ones made an offer to you?

Lucas Herrmann: I was talking to a few schools and had visits lined up but once I went to UNH, I felt at home and knew I did not want to be anywhere else.

Lowry: Do you plan to enroll at UNH next Fall? How far along are you in the process of applying for NCAA eligibility and admission to the University of New Hampshire?

Herrmann: Yes, I will be enrolling in the Fall. I have not started applying yet. We have 2 games left in the season this weekend and I will be starting that process after we finish up here in Madison.

Lowry: At this stage in your hockey development, what are the main strengths of your game? What areas are you trying to improve?

Herrmann: I would say I am a 200 foot player. I do well in the face off circle, I am physical and get to the dirty areas. I am trying to improve on my agility and am always trying to improve my overall strength.

Lowry: Over the first 21 games in this, your first season in the United States Hockey League, you tallied 2 assists for the Madison Capitals. Then you went on a run of scoring 13 goals and 6 assists in 25 games. What factors have lead to this dramatic increase in offensive production?

Herrmann: I had a slow start to the season and the bounces were not going my way and I started to grip the stick a little bit. I broke my jaw in November and had to sit out 9 games and I learned a lot and came back after Christmas with more confidence in myself and the team. I stopped thinking about scoring because I was so excited to play again and I started to put it all together.

Lowry: You and teammate Kalle Eriksson, a defenseman and fellow UNH commit, are key players on the Capitals' power play. Would you describe Eriksson's skill set?

Herrmann: Kalle is a very talented player. I have never seen someone so calm and fluid on the ice. He is a solid defenseman and is very offensive as well. He is a key component on our team and especially on our power play. He can get the puck through traffic and on net every time. I’m very excited I get to play along side him for 4 more years.

Lowry: Last season, you played for the Odessa Jackalopes and Topeka RoadRunners in the North American Hockey League. Why did you decide to move over to the USHL this season? What differences do you see between the NAHL and USHL?

Herrmann: I really enjoyed my time in the NAHL. I met a lot of amazing people and had some awesome coaches. I decided to move to the USHL because it is known as the premier league for junior hockey. I wanted to be able to take my game to the next level and I believe that this league would give me the opportunity to do so.
The main difference between the NAHL and the USHL is the physicality. The NAHL South especially is a very tough division to play in. The USHL is a faster paced game with a lot of skill.

Lowry: You attended the Nichols School in Buffalo as a sophomore and junior and played for Head Coach Jamie Printz. A number of forwards coached by Printz have gone on to succeed at higher levels. Frankie Cefalu played 4 years at UNH. Andrew Poturalski was an All-American at UNH and is a leading scorer in the American Hockey League. Sean Malone was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and plays in the AHL. How did Coach Printz help your development?

Herrmann: Coach Printz and all of my coaches I had in my 3 years playing at Nichols really helped me find what kind of player I have to be to be successful. They worked with my on how to use my frame to protect pucks and drive the net and they helped me work on my weaknesses every practice. Nichols does an amazing job shaping kids as players and students.

Lowry: What are your academic strengths and interests? Have you thought about what you might major in when you enroll at UNH?

Herrmann: I have always been a strong student in the math and science departments. I am very interested in the sciences and history. I am leaning towards being a business major but I am also thinking about the sport studies program.

Neutral Zone Scouting Reports

From the NAHL Showcase, October, 2017

"Hermann had a level of snarl that at times helped him and at times did not. He walked the line for sure. The 2000 was not intimidated by older players. He was not huge or heavy but very strong and skated well. He worked and finished his checks. He was thrown out of one game for a hit from behind, which resulted in limited viewing. He had some nice tools, soft hands and is a solid prospect."

From Lawrenceville Holiday Tournament, January, 2017

"He is not pretty but gets the job done. Lucas is an average skater with a good shot that he can get off in a crowd. He had a dynamite weekend and was one of the top scorers through hard work and grit. The work ethic is high end and he goes to all the right places and does all the little things to help his team win. A really solid 200ft player who gets in on the forecheck and takes the body, plays a pretty direct game and drives the net."

Junior Hockey & Prep School Statistics

Player	Season	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
Lucas Herrmann  (F)	2018-19	Madison Capitals	USHL	53	14	8	22	52
	2017-18	Odessa Jackalopes	NAHL	37	2	10	12	82
		Topeka RoadRunners	NAHL	17	4	9	13	31
	2016-17	Nichols School	CISAA	14	6	7	13	16
			Playoffs	2	0	0	0	0
	2015-16	Nichols School	CISAA	9	2	1	3	4
			Playoffs	3	0	2	2	0

UNH Commit J.P Turner: A Rugged, Pure Scorer

J.P. Turner
2021 or '22 UNH Commit

"Uses his body well on the cycle; picks pucks with ease. Can drag and fire and is a pure scorer. Good sense up the ice with a scorer’s blade. 2003 is mature, prepared, balanced, rugged and direct. High ceiling." Neutral Zone

J.P. Turner Forward, 5'11", 190 lbs. Shoots Right Hometown: Falmouth, Massachusetts DOB: 1-31-2003 Turned 16 in January 2018 National Collegiate Development Conference Draft: Boston Bandits Neutral Zone Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars Current Team: Avon Old Farms School/Neponset Valley River Rats U16                        ~ Forward Commits to UNH: March, 2019 at Age 16 years, 2 months.

2017-18 Highlight Reel

When J.P. Turner was in junior high school in Falmouth, Massaschusetts, he served as manager for the high school hockey team. His Dad, John Turner, was the longtime Assistant Coach of the Falmouth Clippers. As a freshman in the 2017-18 season, J.P. lead FHS in goals (22) and assists (21). He was the 10th highest goal scorer in Massachusetts High School hockey. The Clippers won the Atlantic Coast League Title and the Boston Herald named Turner to the ACL All-Star Team.

Here's a link to J.P. Turner's Highlight Video of his freshman season at Falmouth High School.

Interview

I had an opportunity to interview J.P. Turner, via email, about his hockey career and commitment to UNH:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): Congratulations on your commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire. What are the main reasons you chose UNH?

J.P. Turner: The main reason I chose UNH was the coaching staff. I had seen them over the past year and heard they had interest. I took an unofficial trip to campus with my dad last spring to check it out and get a feel. I followed up that visit in January and attended the UNH vs. Maine game, which was awesome! I really felt the campus life and hockey culture was a great fit for me. Also UNH has a great business program and that is what I plan on studying.

Mike Lowry: Your Mom's sister, Colleen Coyne, was an All-American hockey and lacrosse player at UNH in the early 1990's and a gold medalist in women's hockey at the 1998 Olympics. What advice did she give you as you evaluated college hockey programs?

J.P. Turner: She told me to make the best decision for me and the decision that felt right. Obviously she was rooting for UNH, but did not want to put pressure on me.

Lowry: What other college programs were you considering? Which schools did you visit and which ones made an offer to you?

Turner: I did visit other Hockey East Schools. I knew last spring at my visit, that UNH was the offer I was looking for.

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?

Turner: As for a target date, we haven't really nailed that down yet. One of my personal goals has always to play Division 1 hockey as a natural freshman, but at the same time I want to know when I hit the ice up there that I am going to make an impact and contribute.

Lowry: In your recently completed sophomore season at Avon Old Farms School in central Connecticut, you scored 5 goals and 8 assists. At this stage in your hockey development, what are the main strengths of your game? What areas are you trying to improve?

Turner: I think my strengths are my size and strength along with my shot. I need to improve my skating, with becoming more explosive and a more powerful stride. Working on my wall play since I recently moved to the wing this season. I also need to work on getting a quicker release for my shot.

Lowry: You grew up playing hockey in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Your Dad, John Turner, is a longtime coach and administrator for the Falmouth Youth Hockey League and assistant coach of the Falmouth High School hockey team. What's the best piece of hockey advice he's given you?

Turner: With my dad being so involved with Falmouth Youth Hockey it turned me into a rink rat as soon as I could walk. When I was younger, he coached the Bantam “A” team so I would always sneak in his car and go to practices with him whether I was watching or skating. He also coached my town teams growing up from mites to peewees.

There are a few things that come to mind with the best advice I’ve gotten from him. One is that you never know who is watching. That drives me to always be my best whether it is a practice or a game because you never know who’s snooping around the rink. Another piece of advice I received was never forget where you came from. I’ve always taken pride in Falmouth Youth Hockey and playing for my town. It’s a great program and supported heavily by a great community with fantastic people. It is definitely a special feeling and he’s installed that mindset and culture for me since day 1.

Lowry: As a 16-year-old with a 5'11", 190 pound frame, you've been described as a strong, power forward. When you played pee wee and bantam hockey for the Boston Junior Terriers, you were coached by one of the most rugged forwards to play in the NHL - Mike Grier. He was an All-American at Boston University and played in 1,060 games over a 14-year NHL career. He's now an Assistant Coach with the New Jersey Devils. What are some of the important things he taught you about being a power forward?

Turner: Coach Grier was unreal to play for! His hockey IQ is off the charts and I tried my best to absorb everything he taught us. He never raised his voice. He would start talking and all of us would just skate towards him from all over the ice! When Coach was talking, you went to him, you wanted to hear what he was saying because you knew you would learn something.

Coach always stressed the importance of playing a 200 ft game and being aggressive on the fore-check, make them make mistakes. He taught me a lot about being a big presence in front of the net and getting in the dirty areas. We all learned a lot from coach Grier about hockey but we also learned about being good teammates and having a positive locker room. The atmosphere was always fun! Not only is he a tremendous coach, but he is a tremendous person and role model for a kid to have and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to play for him.

Lowry: You are eligible for the United States Hockey League draft in early May. You've already been drafted by the Boston Bandits in the National Collegiate Development Conference. Can you envision a scenario in which you would leave Old Avon Farms prior to your graduation year in order to play junior hockey?

Turner: As of right now, I don’t envision a scenario in which I leave Avon prior to graduation. We have a strong group of players for the next two seasons. We all definitely have our eyes on winning a New England championship and are all bought into doing so.

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?

Turner: I plan on a 2021 graduation date. I think I'm a strong math student but I really love history and politics. I love class discussions and having to persuade people into agreeing with my arguments. I am looking into studying business at UNH.

Neutral Zone Scouting Reports

From the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic, December, 2018

"Not yet a featured player, Turner played power play and popped two goals in the first game including one on the man-up. He is a scorer, can snap it home and looked strong/prepared after an excellent bantam season in 2017-18. He picked pucks from the wall and scrums with ease. Used his body well on the cycle and always looked to the net. Can drag and fire and his line had some of the best shifts on the second day as he worked with Heinke and Shamburger. The 2003 was a factor here and that says a lot. Good sense up the ice with a scorer’s blade. Took an offensive slash which should not happen but overall, he looked prepared and made plays as a younger player"

From the Masschusetts Tier 1 Midget Playoffs, November, 2018

"Big, strong power winger that gets up and down the ice well. He plays a heavy game and is physical in all situations. Plays direct and fights through traffic to get to the net. Scored two goals in the semi’s on similar plays off 2-1’s. He has above average skill with the puck and can make defenders miss in space. He is rugged along the wall and doesn’t hesitate to play in the dirty areas. Will need to continue getting quicker and being more mobile side-to-side but has as much upside as anyone here."

Youth Hockey & Prep School Statistics

Player	Season	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM
J.P. Turner  (F)	2018-19	Avon Old Farms	NE Prep	25	5	8	13	0
			Playoffs	1	0	0	0	0
		NV River Rats 16U	Mass Districts	3	1	2	3	-
	2017-18	Falmouth High School	Mass HS	22	22	21	43	14
		Boston Junior Terriers	USA 14U Nationals	3	0	2	2	4
			USA Selects 15	4	2	0	2	6