UNH Commits Update 6-19-2021: Final 2020-21 Statistics & Awards

Robert Cronin

Alex Gagne

Will Margel

Morgan Winters

News & Notes

Final Statistics:

~ All of the players committed to the University of New Hampshire have completed their 2020-21 seasons. The last to finish the season was 2022 commit Morgan Winters. He and the Kenai River Brown Bears were eliminated in the second round of the North American Hockey League playoffs on June 13th. Winters averaged a point per game in both the regular season (13G, 20A, 34 Games) and playoffs (3G, 2A, 6 Games).

~ Among all UNH commits, Will Margel was the leading scorer. In 37 regular season games with the NAHL Johnstown Tomahawks, Margel averaged 1.38 points per game (23 Goals, 28 Assists). In 5 playoff games, he averaged 2.0 points per game (2 Goals, 8 Assists).

~ 2022 commit Cy LeClerc was the second leading scorer, averaging 1.11 points per game (11 Goals, 20 Assists) in 28 regular season games with the Islanders Hockey Club in the National Collegiate Development Conference. LeClerc began the season with the Wenatchee Wild in the British Columbia Hockey League but their season was cancelled due to COVID-19. LeClerc joined the Islanders at the end of November.

Awards:

~ 2021 commit Robert Cronin was named to the 2020-21 All-USHL Third Team. Here's the official announcement by the Dubuque Fighting Saints:

"Cronin, who will begin his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire next season, was one of the league’s top goal scorers. His 28 goals finished tops on the Saints roster, and fifth-most in the league. When the team’s playoff hopes were on the line, his game elevated to another level. He scored three goals and four assists in a weekend sweep of the Green Bay Gamblers in the final two games of the season to cement the team’s playoff berth.

'It’s a great accomplishment and I’m extremely honored to be awarded it. Though, this isn’t just a solo award. It wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates and coaches, as they helped make it true,' Cronin said. 'From where we started at to finishing above .500 and clinching a playoff spot in a shortened season and a tough Eastern Conference really is amazing, and I love this group for their resilience all year. It was an amazing end to my junior career and I’m so happy to be a Saint for Life.'

'Robert showed signs of the offensive output last season that we benefitted from this season. However, he found himself behind others, and to his credit, he worked. To me, this is a very big deal,' said head coach Oliver David. 'He returned focused, stronger, and wanting to earn more. He worked at his game. Easier said than done. We all say it, but he did it. I’m so proud of him, and happy he rightfully gets recognized by the USHL as an All-Star.'

The Massachusetts native took a massive jump in his development from year one to year two in his USHL career. Cronin scored just two goals and eight points in 44 games last season as mostly a depth player, but finished the 2020–21 season with 54 points in 48 games as one of the Saints’ top-line threats. Of his 28 goals, ten of them were scored on the power play, and three of them proved to be game-winning goals."

~ 2021 commit Alex Gagne was also named to the 2020-21 All-USHL Third Team. Here's the announcement by the Muskegon Lumberjacks:

"Gagne was named to the All-USHL third team following a season that saw him at (or near) the top of the league in plus-minus virtually all year. Gagne finished with a +35 rating, a Muskegon franchise record.

Gagne also chipped in 26 points offensively, but was praised most highly by Jacks Head Coach Mike Hamilton for his defensive prowess. Down the stretch and throughout the playoffs, Gagne played on Muskegon’s top defensive pair alongside Kyle Aucoin, a duo that Hamilton regularly called the best in the league.

Gagne is committed to the University of New Hampshire and is expected to suit up for the Wildcats next season."

~ 2021 commit Will Margel was named to the 2020-21 NAHL All East Division Team. Margel finished the regular season as the leading scorer in the North American Hockey League. From the time he moved from the Lincoln Stars (USHL) to the Johnstown Tomahawks at the end of December, Margel scored 23 goals and 28 assists in 37 games. Margel's 1.38 points per regular season game was the best in the league. Although he played in up to 19 fewer regular season games than most NAHL players, he still tied for 10th in points, T-7th in goals, and T-4th in power play points (4 PPG + 14 PPA). The Johnstown Tomahawks were eliminated in the opening round of the NAHL Playoffs. Margel lead the team in scoring with 2 goals and 8 assists in 5 playoff games.

~ 2022 commit Morgan Winters was named to the 2020-21 All-NAHL Rookie 2nd Team and the Midwest Division All-Rookie Team. Winters was the 5th leading scorer among all NAHL rookies with a scoring average of 0.97 points per regular season game (13G, 20A, 34 Games).

~ 2021 commit Colton Huard and the Chicago Steel won the 2021 Clark Cup Championship. The 6'4", 196 lbs., right-shot defensemen distributed 3 assists in 8 playoff games and with a +4 rating. Huard finished the USHL's regular season with a +/- rating of +34 - the second best rating among all USHL defensemen and 3rd best overall.

NCAA Division I Transfer Portal:

~ On May 24th, UNH received it's second commitment through the transfer portal. 23-year-old David Fessenden (DOB: 4/30/98), a 6'6", 230 lbs., sophomore goalie for the University of Alabama-Huntsville will join the UNH goalie squad this season. In the 2020-21 season, Fessenden posted a record of 3-11-1 in 16 NCAA games. His goals against average was 2.94 with a save percentage of .910.

2020-21 Statistics

Player	NZ** Stars	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM	+/-
2021 Commits
Harrison Blaisdell 3/18/01 (F)	4.5	North Dakota	NCHC	19	0	4	4	10	+6
David Fessenden 4/30/98 (G)	3.5	Alabama-Huntsville	WCHA	16	3	11	1	2.94	.910
Robert Cronin* 8/15/00 (F)	4.0	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	48	28	24	52	54	+10
			Playoffs	2	0	1	1	6	-1
Alex Gagne* 8/12/02 (D)	4.25	Muskegon Lumberjacks	USHL	53	3	23	26	24	+35
			Playoffs	4	0	0	0	2	-1
Colton Huard 11/27/00 (D)	4.0	Chicago Steel	USHL	53	3	18	21	34	+34
			Playoffs	8	0	3	3	2	+4
Will Margel* 3/16/01 (F)	3.75	Johnstown Tomahawks	NAHL	32	21	23	44	6	+12
			Playoffs	5	2	8	10	0	+2
		Lincoln Stars	USHL	2	0	0	0	0	-2
Connor Sweeney* 5/5/00 (F)	3.5	Islanders Hockey Club	NCDC	26	1	11	12	10	-
			Playoffs	3	1	3	4	0	-
		Trail Smoke Eaters	BCHLPre	9	4	6	10	6	-
2021 or '22 Commits
Nicolas Ardanaz* 5/30/02 (D)	4.25	West Kelowna Warriors	BCHL Pod	20	1	9	10	6	-
			BCHLPre	13	1	6	7	2	-
Liam Devlin 1/7/01 (F)	3.75	Omaha Lancers	USHL	48	12	9	21	102	+2
			Playoffs	2	0	1	1	2	-1
		Chicago Steel	USHL	1	0	0	0	6	0
John Evans 4/8/02 (F)	4.5	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL	22	3	6	9	0	+4
		West Kelowna Warriors	BCHLPre	13	6	9	15	6	-
2022 Commits
Jed Baliotti 2/7/02 (G)	3.75	Northern Cyclones	NCDC	8	2	5	0	3.82	.879
			Playoffs	2	1	1	0	2.76	.917
		Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	0	-	-	-	-	-
Damien Carfagna* 12/12/02 (D)	3.75	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	50	6	12	18	18	+13
			Playoffs	2	0	0	0	0	-1
Cy LeClerc 8/17/02 (F)	3.75	Islanders Hockey Club	NCDC	28	11	20	31	10	-
			Playoffs	5	2	0	2	0	-
			All Star Game	1	0	2	2	0	-
		Wenatchee Wild	BCHLPre	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tyler Muszelik 7/1/04 (G)	4.0	US National U17	USDP	25	10	14	0	4.36	.863
		USNTDP Juniors	USHL	18	5	10	2	4.88	.857
Cade Penney* 3/23/01 (D)	3.75	New Jersey Titans	NAHL	29	0	10	10	22	+6
			Playoffs	5	0	2	2	8	-1
		Omaha Lancers	USHL	3	0	0	0	0	0
		Green Bay Gamblers	USHL	14	0	2	2	0	+6
David Sacco* 1/3/02 (F)	3.75	Islanders Hockey Club	NCDC	4	2	2	4	39	-
			Playoffs	5	0	3	3	2	-
		Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL	6	0	0	0	2	+1
Stiven Sardaryan 2/7/03 (F)	-	Red Army Moscow	MHL	50	9	21	30	2	+7
			Playoffs	1	0	0	0	0	-1
JP Turner* 1/31/03 (F)	4.25	Avon Old Farms	NE Prep	4	3	2	5	-	-
		Sioux Falls Stampede	USHL	21	4	0	4	18	0
Morgan Winters 12/8/01 (F)	3.5	Kenai River Brown Bears	NAHL	34	13	20	33	31	+3
			Playoffs	6	3	2	5	6	0
		Tri-City Storm	USHL	4	1	0	1	0	+1
2022 or '23 Commits
Brendan Fitzgerald 3/6/03 (D)	4.0	Governor's Academy	NE Prep	-	-	-	-	-	-
Nick Ring 10/26/03 (F)	3.75	Boston Advantage	NCDC	43	13	8	21	10	-
			Playoffs	3	0	2	2	2	-
			All Star Game	1	2	2	4	0	-
* = Signed National Letter of Intent
** = Neutral Zone 5-Star Rating

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 "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.

UNH Commit Stiven Sardaryan: An Outstanding Playmaker

Stiven Sardaryan
2022 UNH Commit

"Sardaryan is a very creative wing and he can also play center. You gotta watch this kid play. He's a strong, powerful, low center of gravity...He's an outstanding playmaker." Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst, December, 2020

Stiven Sardaryan Forward, 6'1", 154 lbs. Shoots Left Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia DOB: February 7, 2003 18 years, 5 months Current Team: Red Army Moskow (MHL)                        ~ Forward Commits to UNH: May, 2021 at Age 18 years, 4 months.

2020-21 Season Highlight Reel

Interview

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

Mike Lowry: Congratulations on your commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire. How did you first become interested in UNH?

Stiven Sardaryan: Thank you for your congratulations. I am really pleased to learn and play for the University of New Hampshire. I've always liked the NCAA games, it's very serious and strong hockey.

I have looked through dozens of UNH game clippings. Personally, I have not been to the matches. But during a video conference with UNH, the coaches showed us everything both on video and at the presentation. It was super. They were distinguished by their special spirit, student energy, beautiful show and the excitement of numerous, real fans.

Mike Lowry: As a rising star with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (Red Army Moscow) in the Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (Junior Hockey League), you have many options in Russia, other European countries, and North America to pursue your hockey career. What hockey leagues, other than the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), did you consider joining?

Stiven Sardaryan: I've played in Russia for CSKA Red Army (Moscow). I did not consider other offers in Russia, as I played in one of the best teams in the youth league and I had an unfinished contract. In 2021, there were several offers from the QMJHL, WHL, and OHL of the Canadian Youth Hockey League also from North America. All the offers were from decent teams, but already at the beginning of the year I was very keen on the offer to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Of course, any hockey player aspires to play in the NHL, I also decided for myself that the most ideal place to prepare for the NHL and at the same time get the necessary education is in the NCAA.

Lowry: What are the main reasons you chose to commit to the NCAA, in general, and UNH, in particular?

Sardaryan: The NCAA is a good technical training base for athletes with professional coaches and already trained, mature players. It also provides good opportunities to simultaneously study and train without any loss of quality. Every year, the NCAA becomes more popular and the percentage of players in the NHL who played NCAA hockey increases.

As for the choice of a specific university, the University of New Hampshire, several aspects played a role. In the proposal from UNH, I saw specific goals, objectives, a great desire and faith to realize this together with me. We had very pleasant, rather frank and long negotiations with Coach Mike Souza and Assistant Jeff Giuliano. Their presentation interested me very much. I think they are real professionals and love their job very much. They know what they want from me and I know that I can give it to them.

Lowry: What other college programs in the United States did you consider during the recruiting process? Which schools did you visit and which ones made an offer to you?

Sardaryan: In choosing a university, we thought for a long time, consulted my family and 100% decided that my path would be connected with the University of New Hampshire and I am very glad that everything turned out to be successful.

Lowry: Have you and the UNH coaches agreed on a target date for you to enroll as a freshman at the University of New Hampshire and join the team?

Sardaryan: In the month of May, I signed my contract with CSKA Red Army and signed an agreement with the UNH coach to join the team and enroll at the University of New Hampshire in 2022. We came to a general agreement that before I start playing for UNH and study at the university, I need to spend a year in the United States Hockey League (USHL). It will allow me to get used to the climate, to the terrain, to prepare physically and improve my English.

I want to especially thank the Coaches of the Men’s Hockey team at the University of New Hampshire. Coach Mike Souza and Assistant Jeff Giuliano were very helpful in finding a suitable United State Hockey (USHL) team where I will be spending the next season in the USA before I enroll at the university in Fall, 2022.

Lowry: On May 27th, you were selected by the Youngstown Phantoms in the second round (16th overall) of the United State Hockey League Phase II Draft. Do you plan on signing with Youngstown and playing there next season?

Sardaryan: A few days before the USHL Draft, we had to get acquainted with several team coaches, to consider their proposal. Thanks to the Youngstown team for choosing me in the draft. They also managed to acquire other good players in this draft and I am sure this year will be a triumphant one for Youngstown.

We also had a long conversation with Brad Patterson Head Coach and General Manager of the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL. With both the Youngstown Phantoms and New Hampshire coaches, we understand each other well, we understand what we can do, what we want and we are confident that we will achieve our goals. In the Youngstown Phantoms' team, we have one goal - to win the 2021-22 trophy and I'm going there for that!

Lowry: This past season, your first in the MHL, you were the fifth leading scorer for Krasnaya Armiya with 9 goals and 21 assists in 50 games. At this stage in your hockey development, what are the main strengths of your game? What areas are you trying to improve?

Sardaryan: Last year, unfortunately, I had to miss a lot of games due to COVID-19. I am not happy with the results of last season, I did not have the opportunity to fully realize myself. As for the strongest sides, but if you can call it the strongest, then I like to play with my head and hands. I can see the field of play from above like a chessboard. I like to play beautifully and most importantly effectively.

As a teenager, my father regularly took me to chess matches and explained that it was important for hockey and now I understand why. Perhaps these are my good qualities and I use it successfully. It is important for me that the coaches of the teams where I am going to play see and understand these qualities and have invited me to play because of them. They understand that with the right partners, our link can be an unconditional checkmate on the opponent's goals.

As for what else to work on, there is always something to do. This season I will pay special attention to physical development. I need to gain some muscle mass.

Lowry: The National Hockey League's Central Scouting Service has ranked you the 72nd international skater under consideration for the 2021 NHL Draft. What would it mean to you to be drafted by an NHL team?

Sardaryan: Being selected in the NHL Draft is a chance to get into the NHL and above all a great responsibility to those who believe in me. And I would use this opportunity with dignity and would try to justify all expectations.

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

Sardaryan: My strengths in studies are good memory and ability to concentrate. I can quickly prioritize assignments, learn and remember easily. English will be very easy, and I want to choose a course in business and management at the university.

Scouting Report

"Sardaryan is a very creative wing and he can also play center. You gotta watch this kid play. He's a strong, powerful, low center of gravity...He's an outstanding playmaker. He's a pass-first kind of wing. I love pass-first wings because you know if they had to finish, they would. I love those play making wings. They're on the puck and look like a center and skate like a center. They also contribute on the defensive end, positioning themselves properly, stick on the ice, swinging back and forth trying to take away the passing lanes. This kid does it all." Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst, December, 2020

Youth & Junior Hockey Statistics

Player	Season	Team	League	GP	Goals	Asst	Pts	PIM	+/-
Stiven Sardaryan (F)	2020-21	Red Army Moscow	MHL	50	9	21	30	2	+7
			Playoffs	1	0	0	0	0	-1
		CSKA Moscow U18	Russia U18	6	6	8	14	6	-
			Playoffs	4	2	5	7	2	-
	2019-20	CSKA Moscow U18	Russia U18	24	28	57	85	4	-
			Playoffs	10	4	18	22	4	-
		CSKA Moscow U17	Russia U17	23	12	23	35	18	-
	2018-19	CSKA Moscow U18	Russia U18	1	0	2	2	0	-
		CSKA Moscow U16	Russia U16	27	11	24	35	8	-