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Fans of UNH men's hockey have waited a long time to watch the Wildcats play. Hockey East seasons typically begin in early October but little has been normal in the sports world during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNH aimed to open an abbreviated, 26-game schedule on November 20th at Boston College. That afternoon, the game was postponed due to an inconclusive COVID test on a UNH player. A positive test the following day forced postponement of both weekend games against Boston College.
UNH wasn't scheduled to play the last weekend in November so hopes ran high for a season opener against UMass on December 4th. On Tuesday, Hockey East announced UMass will play Merrimack this weekend instead of UNH. Details on why the UNH men's team was forced to postpone these games have not yet been reported. It's likely the men continue to have COVID-related issues that are specific to their team (e.g., possible additional positive tests; ongoing quarantine restrictions; etc.). The UNH women's hockey team and basketball team and men's basketball team have begun their 2020-21 season and are scheduled to play this weekend.
While we all wait to see if UNH finally begins it's season next weekend against Maine in Orono, I offer up some real life, UNH-related hockey action. Most UNH commits have begun their season so let's go to the highlights!
News & Notes
United State Hockey League:~ Early in his second USHL season, Alex Gagne, an 18-year-old, 6'3", 207 lbs. left-shot defenseman from Bedford, NH, has scored a goal and 4 assists and compiled a +6 +/- rating in 4 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Last season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, he scored 2 goals and 6 assists in 38 games so his offensive game is trending upward. These video highlights show Gagne (#14 black jersey) joining the offensive rush to score a goal and add an assist against Team USA U-18 on November 22nd:
~ After the first game in his second USHL season, Liam Devlin, a 19-year-old, 5'11", 189 lbs. left-shot forward from Needham, MA, was traded from the Chicago Steel to the Omaha Lancers. In the second period of his first Omaha game, Devlin (#12 white jersey) scored on this 3-on-1 rush:
~ Morgan Winters, who turns 19 in a few days, played for Tabor Academy (Marion, MA) from his freshman to junior year. This season, the 5'11", 161 lbs. left-shot forward from Osprey, FL, made the jump to the USHL's Tri-City Storm. In his second game, Winters (#84 white jersey) cruised down the slot and one-timed this wrister home:
~ In mid-November, 4 UNH Commits playing in the USHL - Damien Carfagna (D, Green Bay Gamblers), Cade Penney (D, Green Bay Gamblers), David Sacco (F, Waterloo Black Hawks), and JP Turner (F, Sioux Falls Stampede) - signed a National Letter of Intent with UNH hockey.
British Columbia Hockey League:
~ Due to the COVID-19 pandamic, opening day of the BCHL regular season, which traditionally begins in early September, has been delayed until December 8th. BCHL teams did play preseasons games but those were suspended on November 23rd. The BCHL statistics shown in the table below and the video highlights are from the preseason.
~ Connor Sweeney of the Trail Smoke Eaters signed his National Letter of Intent with UNH hockey in mid-November. In 9 preseason games, the 20-year-old, 6'3", 205 lbs., left-shot forward from North Andover, MA, lead his team in scoring with 4 goals and 6 assists. On November 18th, Sweeney scored this game-winning goal against the Merritt Centennials:
~ Nicolas Ardanaz, an 18-year-old, 5'11", 175 lbs., left-shot defenseman from Surrey, British Columbia also signed a National Letter of Intent with UNH hockey last month. In 13 preseason games with the West Kelowna Warriors, Ardanaz scored a goal and 6 assists. Here's his power play goal - a wrist shot from the blue line:
~ In his first full BCHL season last year, John Evans scored at nearly a point-per-game clip (24G, 29A, 62Gms). The 18-year-old, 5'10", 145 lbs., right-shot forward from South Surrey, British Columbia - a longtime teammate of Nick Ardanz - exceeded that scoring pace during the preseason with 6 goals, 9 assists in 13 games. Here's his 6th goal - a shorthander off a steal (#14 black jersey):
North American Hockey League:
~ Jack Ring is off to a fast start in his second full season of junior hockey. The 6'3", 181 lbs., left-shot forward from Hingham, MA has tallied 2 goals and 6 assists in 13 games with the New Jersey Titans. This highlight goal shows Ring (#22 gray jersey) using his quick hands to control the puck in front of the net:
~ Last season, Aidan Curran battled illness as he played for three different teams and leagues. The 19-year-old, 5'11", 179 lbs., right-shot forward from Dracut, MA, looks to be back on track with the Northeast Generals (1G, 11A, 11Gms). Primarily known as a playmaker, Curran (#22 blue jersey) showed he can also score goals in this highlight from November 6th:
National Collegiate Development Conference:
~ On the strength of 22 goals and 33 assists in 50 games with the Islanders Hockey Club, Cy LeClerc won the NCDC Rookie of the Year last season. Over the summer, LeClerc joined the Wenatchee Wild in the British Columbia Hockey League. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US-Canada border has been closed to "nonessential American visitors" since March and the Wenatchee Wild recently announced cancelation of the season. LeClerc, a 5'10", 175 lbs., left-shot center from Brentwood, NH, has rejoined the Islanders Hockey Club and scored this goal in his first game of the NCDC season (#93 white jersey):
~17-year-old Nick Ring, the younger brother of UNH Commit Jack Ring, is playing for the Boston Advantage in their inaugural NCDC season. The 5'9", 165 lbs., right-shot forward from Hingham, MA, has already scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 13 games. Here's one by Ring (#9 blue jersey) from November 14th against the Junior Bruins:
2020-21 Statistics
| Player | NZ** Stars | Team | League | GP | Goals | Asst | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Commits | |||||||||
| Nicolas Ardanaz* 5/30/02 (D) | 4.25 | West Kelowna Warriors | BCHL | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | - |
| Timo Bakos 7/28/00 (F) | 3.75 | Starbulls Rosenheim | Germany3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
| EHC Königsbrunn | Germany4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | ||
| Robert Cronin 8/15/00 (F) | 3.75 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1 |
| John Evans 4/8/02 (F) | 4.5 | West Kelowna Warriors | BCHL | 13 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | - |
| Alex Gagne* 8/12/02 (D) | 4.25 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | +6 |
| Will Margel* 3/16/01 (F) | 3.75 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Jack Ring 12/18/00 (F) | 3.5 | New Jersey Titans | NAHL | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | -9 |
| Connor Sweeney* 5/5/00 (F) | 3.5 | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | - |
| 2021 or '22 Commits | |||||||||
| Liam Devlin 1/7/01 (F) | 3.75 | Omaha Lancers | USHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Steel | USHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Cade Penney* 3/23/01 (D) | 3.75 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +7 |
| David Sacco* 1/3/02 (F) | 3.75 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| JP Turner* 1/31/03 (F) | 4.25 | Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 Commits | |||||||||
| Jed Baliotti 2/7/02 (G) | 3.75 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damien Carfagna* 12/12/02 (D) | 3.75 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| Aidan Curran 1/22/01 (F) | 3.5 | Northeast Generals | NAHL | 11 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 0 | +2 |
| Cy LeClerc 8/17/02 (F) | 3.75 | Islanders Hockey Club | NCDC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - |
| Wenatchee Wild | BCHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Morgan Winters 12/8/01 (F) | 3.5 | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| 2022 or '23 Commits | |||||||||
| Brendan Fitzgerald 3/6/03 (D) | 4.0 | Governors Academy | NE Prep | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nick Ring 10/26/03 (F) | 3.75 | Boston Advantage | NCDC | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | - |
| * = Signed National Letter of Intent | |||||||||
| ** = Neutral Zone 5-Star Rating | |||||||||
The statistics for the commits, presented in the above table, are categorized by the projected year they will enroll in UNH. For example, the "2021 Commits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2021. I have based these projections on the following factors:
~ Number of UNH players leaving the team at the end of the previous season and the position they played.
~ 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.
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