In tonight’s post, I wanted to take a look at the upcoming recruiting period. Starting on August 1st, 2007 (I feel very old) birthdates can start committing to college programs. This is a pivotal time for the coaching staff as they look to lock in some high-end future Eagles before the end of the summer.
Let’s set the table before getting into specific names. First of all, we know that by the time the 2007 age group arrives on campus, the majority of the incoming recruiting class will be gone from Chestnut Hill. The odds that Will Smith, Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard stay more than two years are slim to none- if they get two years out of any of those guys, it will be considered a victory. With that being the case, BC will need to replenish their talent pool. Right now, they have six forwards set to arrive on campus in 2024- Teddy Stiga, Jake Sondreal, Matthew Frost, Tobias Pitka, Justin Solovey and Landan Resendes. The staff is clearly preparing for the possibility that they’re going to have some major holes to fill. Obviously, they have been burned in the past when it comes to early departures (2016), but I think there are two differences between now and then. One, BC has a pretty strong recruiting class set to come in 2024. It is not a star-studded class, but Stiga, Sondreal, Frost and Resendes are all thought of as players who can produce. Secondly, if you experience unexpected departures, you can build up through the transfer portal. Is that ideal? No, but it was not an option in 2016. Truth be told, Neutral Zone has BC’s 2024 recruiting class ranked as #2 in the country, but people I spoke to offered a wide variety of opinions on the class- spanning from not up to BC’s standards to worthy of that ranking. Of course, only time will tell how that class shakes up.
The bottom line is that BC needs to add some talent in their 2025 class (the 07 age group). Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to the best of starts as Conrad Fondrk, one of the top 2007s in the country out of Mt. Saint Charles (RI) committed to Boston University today. I am not totally sure how Fondrk was able to announce his commitment before August 1st, but that is a minor point. Fondrk was rumored to be headed to BU for months and BC was never in the mix. From people I have spoken to, BU may have the upper hand for many of the top 2007 prospects. The Terriers already landed the first punch with Fondrk’s commitment today.
Here is a list of players I am keeping an eye on for the upcoming recruiting period.
James Hagens- The top prospect on the market, Hagens could be the #1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. BC is one of the finalist for Hagens, but all signs point to him committing to Harvard, where his brother is slated to start this fall.
Teddy Mutryn- Neutral Zone’s 8th ranked prospect, I have long thought Mutryn, a St. Sebastian’s product, was a shoe-in for BC given the connections his family has to the school. However, from what I am hearing, Harvard and UConn are going to be serious players in this recruitment. This is definitely one to watch.
Richard Gallant- He will be on the USNTDP U17 team next fall and had a very strong season for St. Mark’s (ISL) before getting hurt towards the end of the year. A Concord, MA native, this will be an important recruiting battle between BC and BU. Some I have talked to believe the Terriers may be tough to beat out here.
Matthew Grimes- a 5’11 puck moving defenseman out of Mt. Saint Charles, Grimes is one of the top prospects in the Northeast.
Haeden Ellis- Neutral Zone’s 33rd ranked prospect, Ellis is a 5’7 forward out of Buffalo. He recently lit up the Select 16’s camp in New York with 8 points in 4 games. Michigan is a factor here, according to people I have talked to.
Niles Benson- Another Buffalo Jr. Sabres prospect, Benson was a fourth round pick in this year’s USHL Draft. He put up 21 points in 16 games last year and is ranked 48th by Neutral Zone.
Dylan Krayer- A linemate of the aforementioned Fondrk, Krayer, from Concord, MA, had 68 points in 55 games this year. He is rated as a 3.75 star recruit by Neutral Zone.
This is just a short list of names- obviously, there are more players who the staff will be in on. We will see how things transpire over the next few weeks- hopefully they will be able to add some talented future Eagles.
Until next time. Go Eagles.
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