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| Josh Player (D) 2024 or '25 UNH Commit |
Player Spotlight
~ Josh Player (DOB: 5/13/05), the 6'0", 190 lbs., right-shot defenseman from Thorofare, New Jersey, played three seasons of 15U through 18U with Bishop Kearney Selects (Rochester, New York) - one year behind UNH freshman Ryan Conmy. Last December, Player moved up to the USHL as a 17-year-old. In 38 games with the Green Bay Gamblers, he scored 1 goal, 5 assists.This season, Player has earned a leadership role as an Alternate Captain and starting defenseman for Green Bay. He has upped his offensive play scoring 3 goals and a game-winning assist in his last 5 games.
These video highlights show Player's range of offensive skills. Two goals came from the blueline - one wrister and a slap shot. On the other goal and assist, he skates strong to the net. Each score happened when teams were at full strength.
Josh Player verbally committed to UNH in August, 2022 and signed his National Letter of Intent in December, 2022. He graduated from high school last spring. I project he'll enroll either next fall or in 2025. It will depend on a variety of factors including how many current UNH defensemen leave the team at the end of this season.
News & Notes
~ The current window for signing a National Letter of Intent opened on November 8th and will close on August 1, 2024. A flurry of players signed an NLI with UNH over the last few weeks including Luca Primerano, Jack Sadowski, Connor de Haro, Price Grimes, Reid Conn, and Lars Petter Eckholm. 10 out of the 16 players committed to UNH have signed an NLI.~ The New England Prep School season got underway this week. 3 UNH Commits are playing: Jack Sadowski (Kimball Union Academy, Meridan, NH), Kole Hyles (Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA), and George McCaffrey (Westminster School, Simsbury, CT).
2023-24 Statistics
| Player | NZ Stars** | Team | League | GP | Goals | Asst | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Commits | |||||||||
| Reid Conn* 2/2/04 (D) | 3.75 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 52 | -3 |
| Connor DeTurris 10/8/04 (F) | 3.75 | Nanaimo Clipper | BCHL | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - |
| Lars Petter Eckholm* 3/7/04 (F) | 3.25 | Cowichan Valley Capitals | BCHL | 19 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | - |
| Connor MacPherson* 3/2/05 (F) | 4.0 | Penticton Vees | BCHL | 21 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 6 | - |
| Ryan MacPherson* 3/2/05 (F) | 4.0 | Penticton Vees | BCHL | 21 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 0 | - |
| Ryan Philbrick* 6/20/04 (D) | 3.75 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 18 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | +3 |
| 2024 or '25 Commit | |||||||||
| Sebastian Bradshaw 5/26/05 (F) | 3.75 | Coquitlam Express | BCHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | - |
| Brooks Bandits | AJHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | - | ||
| Conner de Haro* 10/17/05 (D) | 3.75 | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +2 |
| Josh Player* 5/13/05 (D) | 3.75 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 20 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 16 | -1 |
| Luca Primerano* 3/17/05 (F) | 3.5 | Prince George Spruce Kings | BCHL | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | - |
| Jack Sadowski* 7/29/06 (F) | 3.75 | Kimball Union Academy | NE Prep | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | - | - |
| Wildcats 19U | NEFPHL 19U | 17 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 0 | - | ||
| Massachusetts District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | ||
| 2025 Commits | |||||||||
| Nikita Konevych 6/3/06 (D) | NR | Austin Bruins | NAHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Price Grimes* 1/28/06 (D) | 3.5 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | -6 |
| Niko Tournas 2/17/06 (F) | 4.0 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | +1 |
| New England District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 | - | ||
| 2025 or '26 Commits | |||||||||
| Kole Hyles 1/16/06 (F) | 3.75 | Cushing Academy | NE Prep | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Central Mass Peguins | EHF 18U | 23 | 8 | 10 | 18 | - | - | ||
| New England District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | - | ||
| 2026 Commits | |||||||||
| George McCaffrey 1/2/07 (F) | 3.5 | Westminster School | NE Prep | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| MidFairfield Rangers 15U | NE Pack | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | - | ||
| Team White | USA Selects 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | ||
| * = 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 "2024 Commits" are projected to begin playing for UNH in the Fall of 2024. 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.
~ Number of incoming transfer players and the position they play.
~ 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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