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Highlight Goals
The 2021-22 UNH Wildcats are near the bottom of Hockey East in goal-scoring. In 18 Hockey East games, UNH has averaged 1.73 goals per game which is the second fewest in the 11-team conference. By contrast, UConn currently leads the league in goal-scoring with 3.22 goals per game.Looking to the future, one always hopes incoming commits will succeed at scoring goals when they transition to the NCAA Division 1 level. In an update last November, I featured 3 UNH commits who were scoring goals in junior hockey - Kristaps Skrastins, Cy LeClerc and Stiven Sardarian. Skrastins (26 goals, 3rd highest in NAHL) and LeClerc (22 goals, tied 5th in NAHL) have continued to score goals at the high rate of a goal every 2 games. Sardarian, a 3rd round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, has 4 goals and 10 assists in 25 games with the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL). In this update, I feature 5 more UNH commits who have been showing the raw ability to score goals in an impressive fashion.
~ Nicolas Ardanaz (DOB: 5/30/02), the 5'10", 175 lbs., left-shot defenseman from Langley, British Columbia, is a smooth-skating, puck-moving, offensive defenseman with the West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL). He has tallied 2 goals and 17 assists in 38 games this season. This video highlight shows the nifty stickhandling and elusive puck carrying which lead to his 2nd goal:
~ John Evans (DOB: 4/8/02), is a 5'10", 161 lbs., right-shot winger from South Surrey, British Columbia. Two seasons ago, Evans was one of the best rookies in the BCHL. He scored 22 goals and 28 assists in 57 regular season games and added a goal and 2 assists in 5 playoff games. He was the fourth-leading rookie scorer in the league and the top-scoring 2002-born rookie in the BCHL.
So far this season, Evans has scored 9 goals and 20 assists in 32 games with the West Kelowna Warriors. His 3 short-handed goals is tied for 3rd in the BCHL. This video highlight shows his high hockey IQ as he sneaks up ice on the penalty kill and scores a breakaway goal:
~ JP Turner (DOB: 1/31/03), is a 6'0", 195 lbs., right-shot forward from East Falmouth, Massachusetts. In his 2019-20 season with Avon Old Farms, Turner was considered one of the best players in New England Prep School hockey. He scored 19 goals and 16 assists in 27 games. With the disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic last year, Turner first played 21 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL then returned to Avon Old Farms for 2 games.
In this, his first full season in the USHL, Turner is working to regain his scoring touch. After scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in 31 games with Sioux Falls, Turner was traded to the Fargo Force. In the first game with his new team, Turner charged into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and rifled this wrist shot over the goalie's blocker into the top corner:
~ Brendan Fitzgerald (DOB: 3/6/03), the 18-year-old, 5'11", 170 lbs., left-shot defenseman from North Reading, Massachusetts, has the potential to go to UNH as a true freshman. After his junior season with Governor's Academy (New England Prep) last year, Fitzgerald has made a seamless transition to the USHL. So far, he has scored 2 goals and 14 assists in 33 games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
This video highlight shows the headsup play that lead to Fitzgerald's second goal of the season. He races out of the penalty box, forechecks with outstanding agility, forces a turnover and tucks the puck home:
~ Jake Dunlap (DOB: 12/5/01) the 5'9", 170 lbs., left-shot forward from Windham, New Hampshire, has scored some of the most 5-on-5 goals in the USHL. All 15 of his goals for the Madison Capitols have been even strength tallies. That's tied for 4th for the most in the league.
This video highlight shows Dunlap's end-to-end goal in a recent game against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He wheels out of his own zone avoiding forecheckers and uses his quick stride to create space through the neutral zone and beats the defensemen wide.
2021-22 Statistics
| Player | NZ Stars** | Team | League | GP | Goals | Asst | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Commits | |||||||||
| Nicolas Ardanaz* 5/30/02 (D) | 3.75 | West Kelowna Warriors | BCHL | 38 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 18 | - |
| Damien Carfagna* 12/12/02 (D) | 4.0 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 38 | 5 | 31 | 36 | 35 | +9 |
| Jake Dunlap* 12/5/01 (F) | 3.75 | Madison Capitols | USHL | 37 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 34 | +10 |
| John Evans 4/8/02 (F) | 4.0 | West Kelowna Warriors | BCHL | 32 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 4 | - |
| Cy LeClerc* 8/17/02 (F) | 3.75 | Janesville Jets | NAHL | 40 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 4 | +17 |
| Conor Lovett 4/7/01 (F) | 3.75 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 36 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 69 | -7 |
| Tyler Muszelik* 7/1/04 (G) | 4.0 | US National U18 | Overall | 23 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 3.08 | .894 |
| Team USA U-18 | USHL | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3.79 | .882 | ||
| NCAA Exh. | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2.93 | .904 | |||
| INTL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.67 | .942 | |||
| Cade Penney* 3/23/01 (D) | 3.75 | Surrey Eagles | BCHL | 28 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | - |
| Madison Capitols | USHL | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | +3 | ||
| Stiven Sardarian 2/7/03 (F) | 4.0 | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 25 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 | -2 |
| Kristaps Skrastins* 11/20/01 (F) | 3.75 | Amarillo Wranglers | NAHL | 41 | 26 | 23 | 49 | 53 | +4 |
| JP Turner* 1/31/03 (F) | 3.75 | Fargo Force | USHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Sioux Falls Stampede | USHL | 31 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 24 | -7 | ||
| Morgan Winters* 12/8/01 (F) | 3.5 | Omaha Lancers | USHL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | +3 |
| Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 20 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | +5 | ||
| 2022 or '23 Commits | |||||||||
| Jed Baliotti 2/7/02 (G) | 3.5 | Nanaimo Clippers | BCHL | 13 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3.63 | .896 |
| Northeast Generals | NAHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.76 | .910 | ||
| Aberdeen Wings | NAHL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | .872 | ||
| Brendan Fitzgerald* 3/6/03 (D) | 4.0 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 33 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 48 | +5 |
| 2023 Commits | |||||||||
| Nick Ring 10/26/03 (F) | 3.75 | New Jersey Titans | NAHL | 39 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 6 | +2 |
| 2023 or '24 Commits | |||||||||
| Ryan Conmy 10/23/04 (F) | 3.75 | Bishop Kearney Selects 18U | 18U AAA | 24 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 0 | - |
| Sam Court 1/7/04 (D) | 3.75 | NV River Rats U18 | 18U AAA | 17 | 1 | 9 | 10 | - | - |
| Avon Old Farms | NE Prep | 20 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 2 | - | ||
| Connor DeTurris 10/8/04 (F) | 3.5 | Madison Capitols | USHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -1 |
| Chicago Fury 18U | 18U AAA | 28 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 24 | - | ||
| T1EHL 18U | 9 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 12 | - | |||
| MES 18U | 12 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 6 | - | |||
| 2024 Commits | |||||||||
| Connor MacPherson 3/2/05 (F) | NR | Leamington Flyers | GOJHL | 30 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 12 | - |
| Ryan MacPherson 3/2/05 (F) | NR | Leamington Flyers | GOJHL | 30 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 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 "2022 Commits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2022. 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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