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One key measure lagged behind in the national picture - goal-scoring. UNH averaged 2.94 Goals Per Game which was 31st in NCAA Division I. Five UNH players scored 10 or more goals in 2023-24 - Ryan Conmy (14), Liam Devlin (13), Harrison Blaisdell (11), Cy LeClerc & Morgan Winters (10).
In order to build on the program's progress in a meaningful way, returning UNH players will need to increase their scoring output and new players known for their offensive prowess will be needed. There are two potential sources for new players to help move UNH forward. Incoming freshmen, the focus of this article, is one. The second is players available in the transfer portal.
Potential Openings on 2024-25 Roster
UNH's postseason has just barely begun. Between now and opening day, the UNH roster will evolve. As of today, Harrison Blaisdell is the only current UNH player who will definitely not be on the 2024-25 roster. He finished his 5th season and is no longer eligible to play.There are 6 seniors with one year of eligibility remaining. Forwards Nick Cafarelli and Cam Gendron, defensemen Luke Reid and Nikolai Jenson and goalie Jeremy Forman were freshmen in 2020-21. Because of the disruption caused by COVID, players on that roster were given one additional season of eligibility. Goalie Raphael Gaughn has used 3 eligibility years so has one left.
Since the bonus COVID year of eligibility went into effect only 3 UNH seniors have remained for their graduate year. Forward Eric MacAdams and goalie Mike Robinson returned in 2021-22. Forward Harrison Blaisdell returned this season. 6 former UNH players used the extra year of eligibilty to play at other schools. Defenseman Benton Maass (Minnesota State, 21-22), forwards Kohei Sato (Bentley, 21-22), Jackson Pierson (Notre Dame, 22-23), Eric Esposito (Mercyhurst, 22-23) and Chase Stevenson (Merrimack, 23-24), and goalie David Fessenden (Canisius, 23-24).
The transfer portal opened up at the end of this season for all graduating seniors with a year of eligibility. So far, none of the UNH seniors have entered the portal. The portal will be open for undergraduates from March 31 to May 14.
Potential Options for Current UNH Commits
All recruits and committed players born in 2003 who are playing junior hockey this season will not be eligible to continue their junior career in 2024-25. The UNH coaching staff have flexibility in this regard. None of the players currently committed to UNH were born in 2003 so technically, UNH is not obliged to enroll any of them next fall due to expiration of junior eligibility.Realistically, UNH hockey is very likely to admit at least a few committed players who are judged to be ready to play Division I next season and have the most potential to advance the team's success. A total of 10 commits have signed a National Letter of Intent with UNH so new freshman players will probably come from that pool.
Projections as of March 22, 2024
~ To boost offensive production in 2024-25, I believe Connor and Ryan MacPherson will enroll at UNH in Fall, 2024. The twin brothers are 4 star prospects according to Neutral Zone (the same as UNH's current leading scorer freshman Ryan Conmy).
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Connor MacPherson (DOB: 3/2/2005), the 6'0", 176 lbs, right-shot winger from Windsor, Ontario, is currently ranked 179th North American skater prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting. He's scored 11 goals, including 6 game-winners, and 31 assist in 50 games for the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League. |
BCHL Game Report, December 19, 2023
"Tonight (Connor) MacPherson showed that he was able to get plenty of high-quality chances because he is great at carving out space in the slot and shows very quick hands under pressure. A couple of times tonight he would make a move right into a shot. This would catch both the defender and goalie off balance a little bit he was quick with his movement. One of the more underrated parts of his game tonight was how deep he came back into his own zone to contribute defensively."
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Ryan MacPherson (DOB: 3/2/2005), the 6'1", 183 lbs, left-shot center was drafted in Round 6 (172 Overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft. He's scored 16 goals, including 7 power play and 1 short-handeded, and 22 assists in 50 games for the Penticton Vees (BCHL). |
BCHL Game Report, December 19, 2023
"(Ryan) MacPherson had the quickest hands on the ice sometimes but the play ended up dying in the corner. He passes up chances to take the puck to the net to make the highlight reel pass the back door. He made great hockey plays tonight but could capitalize more with an attack mentality rather than a perimeter one. He was pure offense tonight his motor works harder near the goalie than it does coming back into his own end but when he does work he is hard to get the puck from."~ I project at least one defenseman who's signed a National Letter of Intent will be on the 2024-25 UNH roster. When I interviewed Reid Conn in November, I asked him if he and the coaches had agreed on a target date for enrollement. His reply was "I will be at UNH next season". Neutral Zone rates him a 3.75 star prospect.
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Reid Conn (DOB: 2/2/2004), the 6'4", 205 lbs, right-shot defenseman from Centennial, Colorado, is the only committed defenseman in his third season of junior hockey. He has scored 3 goals and 7 assists in 51 games for the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League. His +/- rating is -11 and he's accumulated 68 penalty minutes. |
USHL Game Report, October 25, 2023
"Conn was a nice surprise in this game as not a lot of expectations. The bigger right-shot defenseman showed good mobility and adequate puck-handling skills for his size. In the 2nd period he showed good gap control in 1v1 situation with his body positioning and use of his stick to check the opponent to negate the shot/pass out of play. He was using his size and strength well to be physical in his own zone when needed. He scored the team’s only goal in the 3rd period as he broke to the net receiving #12 Brisson pass in the side slot for the goal. While Conn is a bit older for the league with the ’04 birthdate he was a steady presence at both ends."
Fine-tuning 2024-25 UNH Roster
There needs to be openings for the 2 incoming freshman forwards (Connor and Ryan MacPherson) and 1 defenseman (Reid Conn). Harrison Blaisdell's roster slot would go to one of the forwards. Using recent seasons as a guide, the 2nd forward slot and 1st defenseman slot will probably be created by graduating seniors not returning to UNH for a 5th season.The future plans of graduating forwards Nick Cafarelli and Cam Gendron and defensemen Luke Reid and Nikolai Jenson will become clear in the coming months. Hypothetically, if none of them return to play for UNH next season, there'd be room on the 2024-25 roster for one addtional forward and one additional defenseman. Would these positions go to UNH commits beyond the MacPhersons and Reid Conn? Would UNH receive commitments from players in the transfer portal? If one or more undergraduate UNH player enters the transfer portal, who would move into the opening? Stay tuned.
This season's roster included 4 goalies: Jakob Hellsten, Tyler Muszelik, Jeremy Forman and Raphael Gaughn. Currently, 16-year-old Ryan Grout is the only goalie committed to UNH. Therefore, if any of the current goalies leaves the program, UNH would need to find a replacement either in the transfer portal or through a new commitment.
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 | 51 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 68 | -11 |
| Connor MacPherson* 3/2/05 (F) | 4.0 | Penticton Vees | BCHL | 50 | 11 | 31 | 42 | 14 | - |
| Ryan MacPherson* 3/2/05 (F) | 4.0 | Penticton Vees | BCHL | 50 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 10 | - |
| 2024 or '25 Commit | |||||||||
| Connor DeTurris 10/8/04 (F) | 3.75 | Nanaimo Clipper | BCHL | 39 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 8 | - |
| Lars Petter Eckholm* 3/7/04 (F) | 3.25 | Cowichan Valley Capitals | BCHL | 42 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 8 | - |
| Conner de Haro* 10/17/05 (D) | 3.75 | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 29 | +21 |
| Ryan Philbrick* 6/20/04 (D) | 3.75 | Salmon Arms Silverbacks | BCHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - |
| Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 30 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | +5 | ||
| Josh Player* 5/13/05 (D) | 3.75 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 52 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 36 | +3 |
| 2025 Commits | |||||||||
| Sebastian Bradshaw 5/26/05 (F) | 3.75 | Coquitlam Express | BCHL | 37 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 41 | - |
| Brooks Bandits | AJHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | - | ||
| Price Grimes* 1/28/06 (D) | 3.5 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 42 | -5 |
| Luca Primerano* 3/17/05 (F) | 3.5 | Prince George Spruce Kings | BCHL | 50 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 8 | - |
| Jack Sadowski* 7/29/06 (F) | 3.75 | Kimball Union Academy | NE Prep | 37 | 41 | 50 | 91 | - | - |
| Wildcats 19U | NEFPHL 19U | 17 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 0 | - | ||
| Massachusetts District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | ||
| 2025 or '26 Commits | |||||||||
| Kole Hyles 1/16/06 (F) | 3.75 | Cushing Academy | NE Prep | 32 | 14 | 9 | 23 | - | - |
| Central Mass Peguins | EHF 18U | 23 | 8 | 10 | 18 | - | - | ||
| New England District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | - | ||
| Niko Tournas 2/17/06 (F) | 4.0 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 36 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | +1 |
| New England District | USA Selects 17 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 | - | ||
| 2026 Commits | |||||||||
| Nikita Konevych 6/3/06 (D) | NR | Corpus Christi IceRays | NAHL | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 42 | -6 |
| Austin Bruins | NAHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -4 | ||
| George McCaffrey 1/2/07 (F) | 3.5 | Westminster School | NE Prep | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | - | - |
| MidFairfield Rangers 15U | NE Pack | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | - | ||
| Team White | USA Selects 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | ||
| Jayden Connors 2/26/07 (D) | 3.75 | St. Michaels Buzzers | OJHL | 46 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 36 | - |
| Ryan Grout 8/15/07 (G) | 4.0 | Salmon Arms Silverbacks | BCHL | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2.18 | .928 |
| * = 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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