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.

Recruiting Update

There has been a lot going on in term of recruiting for the Huskies and with no game tonight, we figured now would be a good time to provide an update.

The biggest news is the Cam Darcy recommitment.  The news was announced by Darcy via his twitter last week.  Darcy had decommitted when Cronin and company left.  BC and BU were rumored as possible destinations for the South Boston native, but there was either no interest or no room.  Either way, Madigan was able to talk to him and get him to commit over the weekend.   Darcy is a forward playing for the US National Team Development Program this season and he will arrive on campus next fall.   For those hoping to see him play, Northeastern will host the USNTDP in an exhibition game on January 7th at Matthews Arena.

Mike Gunn, who had decommitted from Michigan State, was also a big pick-up.   Gunn is a defenseman who plays in the USHL for the Youngstown Phantoms, where NU Alum Rob Rassey is an assistant coach.  So obviously some credit goes to him for this pickup.

“Northeastern really attracted me because they have such a great coaching staff and it’s right in the heart of Boston,” Gunn said. “When I visited out there I got to stay with some of the guys on the team in the dorms and I had a great experience. I just loved all of it.”

He, too, will join the Huskies next season.

On the heels of the Gunn announcement, Defenseman Mike McKee decommitted via Judd Brackett on twitter.  McKee was another Cronin recruit.  The new staff aparently did not think as highly of him as they brought in  Gunn who is a similar player.  Or they were worried that they would lose him anyways.   Either way it isn’t a big loss because of the Gunn acquisition.

Gunn wasn’t the only Youngstown Phantom to commit, though.  Ryan Belonger, a forward, has also committed.

Phantoms Head Coach Anthony Noreen said that Belonger, who the Phantoms selected with their 17th-round pick in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft, is one of his greatest coaching success stories.

“When we got Ryan he was a natural goal scorer, but there were some holes in his game,” he said. “To his credit, he didn’t want to be a one-dimensional player. He put in the work and now he is probably our most responsible player in his own end and the scoring touch is still there. He’s a special player.

Again, some credit most go to Rassey, who looks to be establishing a bit of a pipeline for the Huskies.  Belonger is a right wing who has already put up 7 points in his first 6 games this season.   He will be joining Darcy and Gunn in arriving for the fall of 2012.

Jon Gillies, a goalie, who was another Cronin recruit Madigan was able to win over will be on campus in either 2012 or 2013.  That will have a lot to do with Chris Rawlings’ decision.

Other pick ups have been made as well.  Zach Aston Reese is a forward who will be here in 2013.  “ZAR” was a Brown commit who has presumably followed Assistant Coach Jerry Keefe here.  2013 is also the expected arrival time for Nathan Ferriero (Cody’s younger brother), local product Ross Olsson, and Defenseman Garrett Cockerill who is entering his first season in the USHL.

And for those with an interest in really long term, 15 year old defenseman Daniel Whillet has also verbally committed.

There are 2 outstanding issues, both Cronin recruits.  One is defenseman Ryan Renz, who has had a Brodie Reid-like commitment process.  He has been pushed back, traded in juniors, and now no one really knows if he is coming.  With all of the other defensive recruits, I’d say its unlikely that he ever suits up for NU, but I really have no idea.   The other is forward Dylan McLaughlin (no relation to Mike) who was supposed to be coming to campus in 2013 or 2014.  We have heard nothing about him since Cronin left, so we have no idea on him either.

To keep up to date on all Northeastern recruits go to our Future of NU page, which we keep updated. Click on the links to see current stats.