Providence College has landed a commitment from '02 right-shot defenseman Cole Teleki, as first reported by Mark Divver. The Friars acted quickly after all three of their coaches watched Teleki over the weekend at the ECC Labor Day Cup. Teleki garnered plenty of attention from several Hockey East schools following his breakout performance over the past couple of weeks.
The Argyle, Texas, native saw his stock soar dramatically over the last couple of weeks. Always a solid prospect, he has taken major steps in his game over the last couple of months. Teleki is a defensive defenseman with size who can close quickly on opposing forwards. He also has the ability to make good first touches and can get shots through from the point.
"He's a big kid, strong skater and an aggressive defender," said River Rats 18-U head coach Ross Pasquantonio. "He plays tough and his offensive game is starting to come into his own."
Formerly of the Dallas Stars Elite youth program, Teleki came to New England a couple of weeks ago to play for the Neponset Valley River Rats 18-U and Lawrence Academy. The plan is for him to play this season in prep school before heading to the USHL.
Teleki registered five goals and 10 assists in 34 games with Dallas Stars Elite 16-U during the 2018-19 season. During the prior campaign, he finished with three goals and seven assists in his first season of midget hockey with the organization.
Teleki was my top rated 18-U defenseman at the ECC Labor Day Cup. I wrote, "Teleki was the best uncommitted player in the 18-U Red Division. He’s getting bigger and he’s very quickly earning college attention and should soon be getting noticed by NHL scouts. He skates well, has mobility and can close on opposing forwards very quickly. He’s able to shut down the rush as well as attacking plays in-zone. He also can get pucks moving north. He scored a goal in a game on Saturday on a wrist shot from the point."
Teleki was the third ranked defenseman at the River Rats Jamboree a few days prior.
UConn loses commit to WHL
'01 forward Ilya Usov, who played the past two seasons at Salisbury School, is no longer committed to UConn following this week's announcement that he is signed and will play in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders. Usov was once highly regarded, but never quite panned out as much as expected. Prior to coming to Salisbury, he put up 60 points in 21 games for the Colorado Evolution 15 Only team. Usov, originally from Belarus, has represented his homeland twice in international competition.


