Jon Gillies Decommits from Northeastern

Stop me if you have heard this one before: Northeastern’s top recruit for next year will not be coming to Northeastern.  With Chris Rawlings surprising everyone, including the coaching staff, by deciding to stay for his senior season, there was really no room for Jon Gillies.  Gillies asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent and on Wednesday, coach Madigan agreed to this.  We were the first to report this news in what was our second scoop ever I believe (the first being when we posted what the lines for the preseason game.  No one believed us then either.  Oh well.)  To read more about the situation, including quotes from Gillies, read this.

We will have more on this in the coming days, but its an unfortunate situation where no one can really be blamed, but its just another tough blow for Northeastern.

 

 

 

 

2012 Recruiting Class: Projecting Next Year’s Roster

Incoming: 6

Jon Gillies, Goalie, Indiana Ice (USHL), 18 years old

Mike Gunn, Defenseman, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), 20 years old

Colton Saucerman, Defenseman, Lincoln Stars (USHL), 20 years old

Cam Darcy, Forward, US National Team Development Program, 18 years old

Ryan Belonger, Forward, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) , 20 years old

Michael McMurtry, Forward, Gloucester Rangers (CCHL), 20 years old

This class is not without its question marks.   Jon Gillies will be picked in the NHL Entry Draft this summer and Patrick Roy’s QMJHL team (Quebec Ramparts) owns Gillies rights.  The team that drafts him could try to push him down that road.  But really it all depends on Chris Rawlings.  If he leaves, Gillies will be here next year to take over.  If he stays, Gillies will probably go the MJ route and Northeastern will miss out on one of the best goaltenders in this group.  Colton Saucerman suffered a serious knee injury in December and he is out for the rest of the season.   I have no idea if he will be ready for the start of next season, but I would guess no.   Since he is already 20 years old, Saucerman will be here next season, but he may be redshirted.   Cam Darcy is also eligible for the NHL draft, but he is a local kid and since he will probably be a later rounder pick, there won’t be much pressure from an NHL team to go MJ.   Ryan Belonger will definitely be here along with Michael McMurtry, who was recently announced.  Belonger will be a lower line guy most likely, but he will be in the lineup.  McMurtry is by all indications a recruited walk-on.

Definitely Outgoing: 1

Mike McLaughlin, Graduation

The Captain is the lone senior on the team.   He will graduate in May and plans on attending Grad School.  McLaughlin has been named to the Hockey East All-Academic in all 3 of the previous seasons.

Possibly Outgoing:

Steve Quailer, Graduation

Alex Tuckerman, Graduation

Vinny Saponari, Jets

Anthony Bitetto, Predators

Ludwig Karlsson, Pros

Chris Rawlings, Pros

Luke Eibler, Pros

Braden Pimm, Pros

Joe Manno, Pros/MJ

All of these guys are not leaving, but its pretty likely that some of them will.  Thats just the way it goes in college hockey.  You could put almost the whole team on this list, but I would say these are the guys that are the most likely to either receive offers/consider offers.

Quailer and Tuckerman are an exception however.  Both have only used 3 years of eligibility due to missing a full season with an injury.  Both should be graduating this May, which leaves them with a decision.   They could stay and enroll in Grad School in order to play one more season or they could just get on with their careers.   Quailer is a Canadiens draft pick. And if the Canadiens do not sign him this summer, then they will lose his rights.   Quailer has been much better this season and the Canadiens are probably going to want him.  So while he is not officially gone, it seems like a near certainty.   Tuckerman, on the other hand, is not drafted by any NHL team.  If he leaves he will likely find himself playing in the ECHL, so there is a chance he stays and enrolls in Grad School.

Bitetto would be a Junior next year, but he could probably play in the AHL next year if he wants to. The soon to be 22 year old has had an up and down, but the Predators like him and he did attend their Rookie Development camp this past summer.  If he does go, lets hope he takes his buddy from Comm Ave, Garrett Noonan (also a Predators draft pick), with him.    Saponari is the other guy on the list that has already been drafted.   The Georgia native was drafted by his hometown Trashers, but they now moved to Winnipeg.  This is his first year at Northeastern after playing two at BU, but he is already 22, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he were to begin his pro career after this season.  That said, he may have unfinished business in the NCAA and he worked hard to return to Hockey East after getting kicked out of BU, so he may stay and finish his degree/eligibility.

The next group is a little different.  None of them were drafted but all could sign with any NHL team as a free agent if they want.  Rawlings, 23, seems most likely to leave.   There was been speculation after each of his first two season that he would leave and sign a pro deal, but each time he has returned.  The rumor mill suggests that he stayed this year since his girlfriend was still in school.  She is graduating this year and it seems like this is the year Rawlings finally makes the jump after attending multiple NHL summer training camps the past couple of season.  Next is Karlsson, who just turned 21.  The Swede has had a tremendous freshman season that will have likely earned some offers.  The situation will remind fans of Brodie Reid and Jake Newton, who both left after good freshman campaigns.   Karlsson has been much better than Reid was, and Reid’s stats were boosted by his great play on the PP unit.  Karlsson will get these offers, and since he is unlikely to stay 4 years and graduate at 25, he will be seriously considering those offers.  Eibler would be a 22 year old Junior next season.  The Capitals were interested in him last summer, but he decided to stay.   He has been a solid presence for Northeastern and I wouldn’t be shocked if he decides to leave.   I wouldn’t consider it very likely though.   Pimm would also be a Junior next season, and he is already 22.  He has been great so far this season and I am sure a few teams will be interested.  Pimm is a bit of a wild card on and off the ice, so there is no use in speculating what he may do.  But he will be given the chance to leave, if he is interested.

The last guy on the list is Joseph Manno.   Manno is draft eligible this summer.  He has had a quiet season, but he projects to be a late round pick this summer.  Depending on who drafts him and how he has enjoyed his first year of college, Manno could choose to return home to his native Canada to play Major Juniors.   After decommitting from UMass last summer, he went that route and he has many friends that play there.   NU fans will be hoping he stays though, as he has shown some potential this season and could be in line for Top 6 time next season.

2012 Projections

Theses are purely speculative.  Everything I know and have heard is written above.  These are just my guesses/gut feelings.

Goalies: Gillies, Witt, Mountain

Defenseman: Eibler-Manson, Ellement-Daniels, Gunn-Cornell  (Oskroba, Hoeffler)

Forwards: Saponari-Daniels-Manno, Vermeersch-Pimm-Ferriero (when healthy), Vrolyk-Darcy-Reid, Dongara-Stone-Belonger (Morra, McMurtry)

CSS Midterm Rankings

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

The Central Scouting Service released their Midterm Rankings for the 2012 Draft today. Northeastern had 5 players/recruits mentioned on the Preliminary Rankings a few months ago.  Those  same 5 found themselves on the Midterm Rankings.

Recruit Jon Gillies was ranked 4th among goalies in North America.  Gillies, who plays for the Indiana Ice in the USHL, is the only USHL goalie ranked in the top 5.  He has been having a great year in Indiana and figures to go in the first couple rounds of the draft.   Major Juniors have been after him for a while and Patrick Roy’s team owns his draft rights, so there is a  chance he could go that route.  But he has once again made it clear he plans on coming to Northeastern.  Plenty of NHL goalies have come from the NCAA and teams usually allow them more time to develop before signing them.  So Northeastern fans can (probably) look forward to Gillies coming to campus and staying for a few years no matter who drafts him.  With Rawlings leaving after this season, Gillies will see plenty of action next season for the Huskies.

Moving onto the skaters,  2013 recruit Zach Aston-Reese was the highest ranked at 74.   “ZAR” is playing in his second season with the Lincoln Stars in the USHL and having a solid season.  The Kitchener Rangers hold his OHL rights, but the Center from Staten Island, obviously has a good relationship with assistant coach Jerry Keefe.   He was originally committed to Brown, where Keefe coached, but he followed Keefe to Northeastern.  Aston-Reese will spend one more year in the USHL before coming in 2013, where he should be part of a big incoming class.

2012 recruit Cam Darcy, from South Boston, was ranked 104.  Darcy is spending this season playing with the U-18 USNTDP. Out of the 15 skaters from his team that were ranked, Darcy was 8th.  He was ahead of BU recruit Matt Lane and BC recruits Frankie Vatrano and Brendan Silk who also play for the USNTDP.  Darcy will arrive next year and is expected to be a big part of the team.

Rounding out the rankings for Northeastern were two current Huskies: Freshmen Adam Reid and Joseph Manno.   Reid was ranked 143.  Manno was ranked 156.

Reid, who came from the USNTDP, has been spending most of his time on the 4th line this season.  Reid is a big kid and he has proven to be strong on the boards.   He will likely go later in the draft as he still has a lot of developing left to do.  He will never be a huge scorer, but he can definitely be a complete player and maybe take the Joey Vitale route to the NHL someday.

Manno is ranked the lowest, but is probably the biggest flight risk.  The freshman from Montreal has shown his skill this season, but he has also shown his immaturity at times.   He was benched late in the Princeton game and then was a healthy scratch the following night vs Minnesota.  If he can stay disciplined, he has the skills to be a very good player.   Manno originally committed to UMass.  When he decommitted, many thought he would be going to the QMJHL.  I wouldn’t rule that out.  He is from Canada and has many friends play across the CHL.  Depending on who drafts him and how he finishes the season (think Brodie Reid), he could depart in the summer.

Northeastern currently has 7 players that have been drafted (Quailer, Saponari, D. Daniels, J. Daniels, Bitetto, Manson, Ferriero).   Quailer will leave after this season.   Saponari or Bitetto could possibly leave, but if all goes well for the Huskies at the 2012 draft, they may, for what would be the first time in program history, have double digit NHL draft picks on their roster at one time.   Its a longshot, but it could happen.   And with Madigan at the helm, that number looks like it will continue to go up.

Recruit Update

Cam Darcy, F, USNTDP, 2012: Husky fans who made an appearance at the exhibition against the USNTDP Saturday night were given the opportunity to see Darcy in action. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Boston native, with family and friends in attendance. Darcy played well and received a nice Matthews Arena welcome (“We want Darcy!”). Darcy is a heady player and is an effective penalty killer for the team. A lot of young players don’t play the puck effectively nowadays. It’s nice to see that the Huskies have someone who does that well coming their way. Team USA won the bout 7-4, and Darcy centered a line with two BC recruits on his wings with Frankie Vatrano and Brendan Silk.

Ryan Belonger, F, Youngstown (USHL), 2012: Belonger finds himself on a team fighting for wins, but the forward continues to have an impressive season with 10 goals and 21 points in 29 games.

Mike Gunn, D, Youngstown (USHL), 2012: The 6’3″ defenseman finds himself +14 for the season, and appears to have assisted on a couple of Belonger’s goals. The chemistry is encouraging.

Jon Gillies, G, Indiana (USHL), 2012: Gillies is having one heck of a year. The Ice are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games. Gillies, who is one of the headliners in a showcase of USHL talent coming up, was named USHL goaltender of the week last week. He is 17-5-4 on the season with a .928 save percentage and a 2.28 GAA, and could be looking at the top two rounds of the NHL draft in June if he keeps it up. The young tender has stated that he is “100% committed” to Northeastern recently. If this stays the case, he would be a heck of an addition to an already promising program.

Colton Saucerman, D, Lincoln (USHL), 2012: Saucerman is undersized for a defenseman, but he makes up for it in his excellent offensive production, with 14 points in 24 games and a +11 rating.   His season however has been cut short due to a torn ACL he suffered last week.  He will the rest of the season and it will be interesting to see how this affects next year’s plan.   Saucerman turns 20 in May, so he will likely be here next year, even if he has to redshirt or miss part of the season.

Zachary Aston-Reese, F, Lincoln (USHL), 2013: Saucerman’s younger teammate was selected to join Jon Gillies for the USHL showcase. He has 11 points in 28 games.

Recruit Update: 12/14

No major news for Northeastern in terms of recruits.  Ryan Renz officially won’t be joining the Huskies, but that was obvious when he didnt come this fall.  Not really a loss since NU has already picked up better defenseman and Renz has not committed anywhere else.  No incomings either.  Next season’s class is pretty much set barring a major change.  So Madigan and his staff are probably focused on 2013 and beyond now.  Here is who all of the current recruits have been doing this year:

2012

Jon Gilles (G, Indiana Ice) continues to impress. This past week, he won USHL Player of the Week.  With all signs pointing towards a Rawlings exit, Northeastern cannot afford to lose Gillies to Major Juniors.  This radio interview makes it seem like he will probably be here, but MJ is probably going to come after him pretty hard and who could blame him for taking the chance to play for Patrick Roy’s team?  He has a 2.50 GAA (6th in USHL) and .922 SV Percentage (2nd) through 20 games this year.  He has played all but 2 games for his team.

Ryan Belonger (F, Youngstown Phantoms) is leading his team in penalty minutes with 44 in 21 games. But, 31 of those 44 have come in 2 games due to fights and misconduct.  He is also 3rd on his team with goals with 9 and 4th on his team in points with 15.

Mike Gunn (D, Youngstown Phantoms) is a +13 through 21 games, which is the 8th best in the entire league.  Gunn was a -13 last year in a half season with Chicago, so clearly the move to Youngstown has been a good one for him.

Colton Saucerman (D, Lincoln Stars) may be just what Northeastern needs on the Power Play.  Through 20 games he has a 3-8-11 line.  All 3 of those 3 goals, along with 3 of the assists have come on the Power Play.  His 11 points have him tied for 8th among defenseman.    Saucerman has just 10 penalty minutes on the year, which is extremely low for a defenseman.

Cam Darcy (F, USNTDP) has a 2-5-7 line in 26 games in all action.  Remember that since he plays for the USNTDP team, these games are not only against USHL opponents, but also some exhibitions against college or international teams.   Darcy and the USNTDP will visit Matthews Arena January 7th, so be sure to check him out. The talent is there.

2013

Garrett Cockerill (D, Muskegon Lumberjacks) has only appeared in 2 games for Muskegon this year.  He has spent most of his team with the Compuware U18 team that he played for last year.

Zach Aston-Reese (F, Lincoln Stars) has gotten off to a slow start.  He has a 3-6-9 line in 21 games for a Lincoln team that is currently in 1st place.  He finished last year with just 5 points from 25 games with Lincoln.

Nathan Ferriero (F, Governor’s Academy) has just begun his Junior year at GA, who play in the ISL.  The plan appears for Nate to come right from prep school, just like his brothers Cody and Benn (at BC) did.  Its rare that a kid doesn’t spend at least a year in juniors.  Cody struggled in his first year here as an 18 year old, but really has turned it on this year.  It will be interesting to see if Nate will take a similiar path.

Ross Olsson (F, Williston Northampton) has also entered his Junior season in the Prep League.  He picked up a goal the other night, but his team is 0-4 on the season.

2014

Dylan McLaughlin (F, Sioux Falls Stampede) has appeared in 11 games in his first USHL season.  He has an 0-2-2 line.  McLaughlin is just 16 years old, so he has plenty of time to develop and grow.

Daniel Whillet (D, NJ Rockets) has split time between the AJHL and the MJHL teams for the Rockets organization.  He is currently in the lower of the two leagues, the MJHL, where the 15 year old has spent much of his time this season.

2016

Cam Askew (F, Valley Jr Warriors) is absolutely tearing it up in the EJHL.  He has 21 points in 12 games. which is 3rd best on his team.  Askew, who is just 14, is seeing action as a freshman for St. Sebastians as well.  He picked up a hat trick against Milton Academy earlier this month.  The game also marked his first varsity goal.

Cam Askew Commits to Northeastern, plus Recruit Updates

There is nothing wrong with planning ahead and thats exactly what Coach Madigan has done by getting a commitment from Cam Askew.  Askew, a forward, is currently in 8th grade at St. Sebastian’s.  He is a ’97 birthdate and is planning to be here for 2016.

It is interesting to say the least.  Askew is apparently one of the best in his age group and its great to see Madigan and Northeastern getting a local kid before BC or BU can get their hands on him.  But its hard to get excited over someone 5 years away.  There is plenty of time for him to change his mind or go the Major Juniors route.  And there is no guarantee that he continues to develop like he has. So kudos for getting the commitment, but lets not get too excited yet.  We just hope it doesnt end up like the Chris Student situation.

2012

Jon Gillies has signed his National Letter of Intent to come here next season. Which probably means Rawlings will be leaving for the pros.  Gillies is 7-3 with a 2.44 GAA and a .913 SV % so far this season with the Indiana Ice of the USHL.

Cam Darcy and the USNTDP U-18 won the Four Nations tournament in Switzerland last week.  Darcy had an assist.

The other forward from next year’s class, Ryan Belonger has racked up 39 Penalty Minutes in just 15 games.  He also has 6 goals and 6 assists.  We can only hope he is the second coming of Dennis McCauley.

Defenseman Mike Gunn, who plays with Belonger for Youngstown, has a 1-4-5 line through 15 games.   He is also a +13 on the season.  With Gunn and Colton Saucerman (1-5-6, +3) coming in next season and no defenseman graduating, it could be a real battle for lineup spots on the blue line.  It will be interesting to see how that situation plays out.

2013

Defenseman Garrett Cockerill is making the jump up to the USHL this year with the Muskegon Lumberjacks.  In 2 games, he has yet to register a point but he is a +3.

Forward Zach Aston-Reese is off to a slow start with just 2 goals and 2 assists in his first 12 games.

Ross Olsson, who is from Billerica, is playing with the Eastern Mass Senators U18 team this season.

Nathan Ferriero is playing for the Governor’s Academy.

2014

Daniel Whillet has 5-9-14 line in 15 games for the New Jersey Rockets in the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League.

Dylan McLaughlin has joined the Sioux Falls Stampede for his first season in the USHL.  Through 5 games, he has 2 assists.

Overview

So no real big news with any of the recruits in terms of stats.  Its good to see McLaughlin and Cockerill playing in the USHL at such a young age.  And its really good to see some local kids commit.  Olsson, Darcy and Askew are all from Massachusetts.  Obviously you want the best players available, but its always good when you get local talent.  This year’s team has 5 players from Massachusetts (Tuckerman, Dongara, Vrolyk, Ferriero and Cornell) and it’d be nice to keep that going.

CSS Preliminary Rankings

NU commit G Jon Gillies has really impressed NHL scouts thus far.

Today CSS (Central Scouting Services) for the NHL released their annual preliminary player rankings for November. Included are current  freshman forwards Adam Reid and Joseph Manno, as well as future Huskies F Cameron Darcy (USA U-18) and G Jon Gillies (Indiana USHL).  The full list can be seen here.

In the “NCAA watch” section of the list, Reid and Manno were classified as C skaters for scouting purposes, meaning they are officially under consideration for the upcoming 2012 NHL entry draft in Pittsburgh. This also shows that while they are not seen as must-see prospects in Hockey East, the two forwards still have impressed scouts with their improved play (Manno) and defensive prowess (Reid).

The two Northeastern commits were mentioned in the USHL portion, where Gillies has earned himself the top spot on CSS’s goalie rankings, and may be selected earlier rather than later in the draft. Darcy’s two-way play has scouts thinking draft as well, slotting him at 20th amongst skaters in the USHL. These two prospects headline a formidable group of recruits for the future. We’ll keep you updated on scouting throughout the season.