The most talked about rookies in college hockey are typically the true freshmen who are high draft picks or have the potential to be selected in the first round the following year.
Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier and Connecticut’s Matthew Wood will get plenty of attention from scouts and media members as the 2022-23 season progresses. While Gauthier and Wood are undoubtedly good players, many times the older freshmen who have had time to marinate in junior hockey end up having an even bigger impact.
Justin Hryckowian at Northeastern was a good example of that in 2021-22. The former Salisbury star from Ile Bizard, Quebec, produced at nearly a point per game for the Huskies and was reliable in all three zones.
With that in mind, here’s a look at an older freshman on each Hockey East team who could have an impact in 2022-23:
Arsenii Sergeev
UConn, 12/16/02, G, catches left, 6-3/195
NHL: Calgary (2021, 7th round, 205th overall)
Sergeev continues the trend of UConn having success recruiting European players. He comes to the Huskies after three seasons of junior hockey in North America. The Russian was the starting goaltender for the Anderson Cup-winning Tri-City Storm last season. He went 30-6-2 with a .918 save percentage during the regular season. He’s got the size and ability to have that translate to success at the college ranks. Expect him to get plenty of minutes between the pipes early for Mike Cavanaugh’s (North Andover, Mass.) team. He’ll certainly be one of the best freshman goaltenders in college hockey.
Damien Carfagna
New Hampshire, 12/12/02, D, left shot, 5-10/175
Carfagna comes to Durham after two stellar seasons in the USHL, split between Green Bay and Sioux City. He was a member of the Musketeers’ squad that won the Clark Cup as postseason champions in 2021-22. An offensive, puck-moving defenseman, he’ll likely see power play time right away for Mike Souza’s (Wakefield, Mass.) club. The Wood Ridge, N.J., native posted six goals and 44 assists in 71 USHL games last winter. Carfagna returns to New England, a place he spent the 2019-20 season while prepping at Lawrence Academy and skating for the River Rats 18U team in the fall.
Jaroslav Chmelar
Providence, 7/20/03, RW, right shot, 6-4/198
NHL: New York Rangers (2021, 5th round, 144th overall)
Chmelar is an unknown commodity to most in North America, having never played here before this upcoming season with the Friars. A native of the Czech Republic, he has experience playing internationally for his country. He scored nine goals and nine assists in 39 regular season games for Jokerit in Finnish junior hockey last winter. According to a recent tweet by NEHJ contributor Mark Divver, Chmelar might start the season on Providence’s first line, alongside Brett Berard and Parker Ford. He’s big, heavy, plays physically and has deceptive speed. He’s excellent down low and on puck protection, according to a scout with knowledge of the player. Nate Leaman and his coaching staff have clearly tried to add size and heaviness in the recruiting over the last year or so to get back to their program’s identity.
Kenny Connors
UMass, 3/10/03, C, left shot, 6-1/198
NHL: Los Angeles (2022, 4th round, 103rd overall)
Connors, from Glen Mills, Pa., had a monster second season in the USHL, propelling him to become an NHL draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings. The former Mount Saint Charles center scored 25 goals and 31 assists for the Dubuque Fighting Saints, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. He’s heavy on pucks, plays a strong game down the middle, and will be another player in the mold of what Greg Carvel likes with the Minutemen.
Jeremy Wilmer
Boston University, 8/16/03, LW, left shot, 5-7/155
Wilmer comes to Boston University after taking an extra season with Tri-City in the USHL. The Rockville Center, N.Y., native spent two seasons with the NTDP before his stint in Kearney, Neb. What a season it was for the former North Jersey Avalanche star, as he became the USHL Forward of the Year while leading the league in scoring. He scored 26 goals and 80 assists for 106 points in 65 games between the regular season and playoffs. His small stature is what held him back from being drafted, but he’s a player who could prove to be a dynamic college player in time. Jay Pandolfo’s (Winchester, Mass.) team has no shortage of high-end players, but Wilmer could fit in nicely in the middle six this season.
Owen Fowler
UMass Lowell, 6/4/02, LW, left shot, 5-9/188
College hockey isn’t an overly physical brand and fights are frowned upon, but Fowler could become a fan favorite at the Tsongas Center for the edge he plays with every shift. The Tewksbury, Mass., native is a local recruit who spent the past two seasons in the USHL after skating for Central Catholic, Governor’s and the River Rats. After starting the season in Omaha, he was traded to Sioux City where he was a key member of the Clark Cup-winning squad. Between the two organizations, he scored 11 goals and 28 assists while racking up 214 penalty minutes in 65 games. He’s a hard-nosed forward who will be tenacious on the forecheck and won’t back down from any opposing player. He’s the type of player Norm Bazin has had success with during his tenure at Lowell.
Jack Williams
Northeastern, 3/2/02, RW, right shot, 5-11/170
Williams played at Berwick and South Kent before spending three seasons with Muskegon in the USHL. His point production increased in each of his three seasons with the Lumberjacks. He totalled 22 goals and 48 assists in 67 games last season. A power forward, he’s a north-south player who will provide depth and a secondary scoring option for Jerry Keefe’s (Saugus, Mass.) Huskies. It should be noted that the Scarborough, Maine, native showed tremendous loyalty in sticking with Northeastern, despite not being brought in right away. More players could learn from Williams’ way of doing things on his path to college hockey.
Zach Bookman
Merrimack, 3/29/02, D, right shot, 5-9/175
Bookman is a freshman blue liner who Scott Borek’s (Swampscott, Mass.) staff has high hopes for in 2022-23. The Warriors lost a boatload of offensive production from their defensive group, whether it be via early signing, graduation, transfer or injury. The Syracuse, N.Y., native and Millbrook School graduate, spent the past two seasons with the AJHL powerhouse Brooks Bandits. In 64 games in 2021-22, he scored 23 goals and 89 assists for 112 points.
Lukas Gustafsson
Boston College, 12/16/02, D, left shot, 5-10/190
Gustafsson is another former prep player who will bring puck-moving capabilities and offensive acumen to his Hockey East team. The Alpharetta, Ga., native spent parts of two seasons at Cushing before moving on to the Chicago Steel. In 2021-22, he scored 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points in 62 games for the Eastern Conference regular season champions. Longtime Hockey East fans might remember his dad, Marcus Gustafsson, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime for Maine to defeat archrival New Hampshire in the 1999 NCAA championship game.
Brandon Chabrier
Maine, 7/19/02, D, right shot, 6-0/179
Speaking of the Black Bears, Ben Barr and his staff continue their efforts to revamp the program in Orono. The coaching staff has done a nice job of trying to reinvigorate the roster with some USHL veterans, including Chabrier. The Bayville, N.Y., native comes to Maine with 149 USHL games under his belt. The North Jersey Avalanche and Long Island Gulls product scored four goals and 18 assists in 66 games last season, split between Sioux Falls and Madison. Finding a right-shot defenseman who can skate and move the puck isn’t always easy. The Black Bears hope they’ve found a gem in Chabrier, who was formerly committed to Northeastern.
Ralfs Bergmanis
Vermont, 3/13/02, D, left shot, 5-10/174
Third-year head coach Todd Woodcraft and his staff have put a heavy emphasis on recruiting in Europe. Bergmanis is another example of this. The Latvian native comes to the Catamounts after spending last season with the Sioux City Musketeers. He scored five goals and 13 assists in 60 games last season as his team won the league’s postseason championship. He’ll help solidify a UVM blue line that looks to help the program take the next step back to respectability in Hockey East.
