Scott Borek and the staff at Merrimack continued stockpiling talent for the future on Thursday evening, with Noble and Greenough center Casey Severo verbally committing to play college hockey for the Warriors. The Pittsford, N.Y., native is a rising junior at Nobles and plays split-season hockey for the Neponset Valley River Rats. He becomes the...
Scott Borek and the staff at Merrimack continued stockpiling talent for the future on Thursday evening, with Noble and Greenough center Casey Severo verbally committing to play college hockey for the Warriors.
The Pittsford, N.Y., native is a rising junior at Nobles and plays split-season hockey for the Neponset Valley River Rats. He becomes the third player with ties to Massachusetts – and fourth player overall – to commit to Merrimack in the last week.
“I committed to Merrimack because of the trust and the confidence I felt in the coaching staff along with the program being in Hockey East, which is one of the best leagues in college hockey,” Severo said.
Back in February, Severo was ranked as the top uncommitted ’01 forward in prep hockey by New England Hockey Journal. He scored 14 goals and added 15 assists in 28 games at the prep level this past winter.
Severo had a goal and two assists in this summer’s USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp, a national showcase in Amherst, N.Y., for which Borek and assistant coaches Curtis Carr and Josh Ciocco were all on hand.
Severo has a well-balanced offensive skill set. He relies on his above-average hockey sense to find seams and create scoring chances for himself and for his teammates.
“My style of play is a fast, two-way center who uses my high hockey IQ to play in all situations and be versatile and effective in both zones,” Severo explained.
Severo, who is expected to join the Warriors for the 2020-21 season, joins other recent commits, including Belmont Hill defenseman Michael Brown, Boston Advantage forward Matthew MacDonald, and Shattuck St. Mary’s forward Christian Brune.
Terriers continue recruiting dominance
Even with David Quinn departed for the New York Rangers, Boston University continues to rack up elite recruits.
On Thursday, Albie O’Connell, the Terriers' newly-promoted head coach, secured commitments from two highly-regarded Canadian prospects, both born in 2003.
Toronto Marlboros' center Danny Zhilkin, who was recently the MVP of the Junior Chowder Cup, was the first to announce his commitment. Defenseman Roman Schmidt also pledged to the Terriers later in the day. A dual-citizen, he’s a massive, 6-foot-5, blueliner from the Don Mills Flyers.
Schmidt impressed scouts at the World Selects Invite and USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp. He's is expected to be a high OHL pick next year, with the possibility of making the U.S. National Team Development Program.
