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