Nineteen New England players in the 2005 birth year have committed to play Division 1 college hockey.
In New England, there’s a clear-cut top three players in the `05 group: Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.). The trio have a couple of things in common besides being at the front of the `05 birth year in this region. They’re forwards on USA Hockey’s NTDP U18 team and they are all committed to Boston College.
The Eagles lead the way among area colleges in terms of recruiting `05s in the region. In addition to the aforementioned three players, Greg Brown’s (Hartford, Conn.) staff committed Cushing right wing Landan Resendes (Hudson, Mass.) to make it four `05s for BC.
After the Eagles, four schools have each committed two `05s from New England: Harvard, Brown, Holy Cross and RPI.
While it is undoubtedly true that the top `05s are off the board, there are a bunch of good players in the birth year from New England who remain uncommitted. There are others who could continue developing and become coveted commodities down the road.
Even nationally, all of the top players have committed to college hockey programs, with the lone exception being Gabriel Perrault. The USA Hockey NTDP U18 forward from Hinsdale, Ill., is the top fish left in the pond.
1. Matej Teply
South Kent 18U, 3/2/05, D, left shot, 6-1/178
Teply has elevated his stock tremendously over the last 18 months. The Stamford, Conn., native has continued trending in the right direction this fall as he’s transitioned from 16U to 18U. In 17 games, he has a goal and eight assists. Teply’s skating and mobility stand out while he defends, on breakouts, and as he pushes the pace up ice. He’s calm, cool and collected on the South Kent blue line. Already this fall, he and his teammates have captured the USHL Fall Classic 18U Championship. A commitment is likely close for Teply, who is in his second season at South Kent.
2. Gio DiGiulian
Kent, 9/25/05, C, right shot, 6-1/160
DiGiulian is a late birthday who has come into his own this fall. He’s one of those players who was certainly under the radar, coming from South Burlington high school in Vermont. In his first prep season at Kent, he missed some time in split season with an injury and skated behind Dale Reinhardt’s loaded and veteran forward group with the Lions. A lot of his strong play this fall was foreshadowed by how he played down the stretch of the prep season. In 27 games for the NEPSAC Large School Champion, he scored nine goals and had five assists. Expect an increased role and production in his second season of prep hockey this winter. He’s got the size, skating and hockey sense plus he plays a complete game. DiGiulian has been consistently solid for the Junior Bulldogs this fall season.
3. Chris Battaini
South Kent 18U, 6/27/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/151
Battaini is a skilled winger, who is the offensive catalyst for South Kent. In 18 games, he has 12 goals and 14 assists. Being from Pittsfield, Mass., and spending two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s kept Battaini in the shadows of the bigger names. He’s a little undersized, but he’s quick, crafty, and has a good stick. Battaini is shifty, elusive and makes plays on the rush and in attacking zone sequences. He will have to continue improving his hockey sense and ability to play between the dots, but his offensive skill set is worthy of a Division 1 offer.
4. Jake Freelove
Winchendon, 1/4/05, D, right shot, 6-3/183
Freelove played through an upper-body injury at national camp, then missed the rest of the summer and has been a little forgotten about this fall season. However, don’t sleep on the big righty from Tyngsborough, Mass. Freelove has improved a lot and he’s a monster with reach. Once he continues filling out his frame, he’ll get even better. He has poise and likes to push pucks north. He can distribute the puck while manning the point on the power play and he has vision to find streaking wings on the breakout. Freelove is still raw and the upside is noticeable to the point a few NHL scouts are keeping an eye on him this fall and winter.
5. Brendan Giles
Brunswick, 2/18/05, RW, right shot, 5-8/149
It’s hard to believe a player could fall under the radar when scoring 17 goals as a sophomore in prep. But, that’s just what happened with Giles. He added 15 assists, but finished tied for fourth in scoring on Brunswick. The Ridgefield, Conn., native has always lived in the shadows, playing on a talented Mid Fairfield `05 team with the likes of Ryan Fine, Sal Guzzo, Aram Minnetian and Drew Fortescue, all of whom are now with the NTDP. Lucas St. Louis (Greenwich, Conn.) and Logan Renkowski were part of that group, too, and are now in the USHL. Giles is a skilled offensive player in his own right and will likely find a home in Division 1 down the road.
TRACKER: Check out all the '05 commitsÂ
6. Cullen Emery
Dexter Southfield, 8/2/05, C, right shot, 5-9/182
Emery has had an impressive and productive fall for the Junior Eagles. Obviously I haven’t seen every game, but he seemingly put up two points in each of my viewings to date. The Reading, Mass., native has the skating and stick to jump off the page when watching him on the ice. He’s gone from Austin Prep to Reading to Dexter Southfield in the past three seasons. Finding some continuity as a second-year prep player for Dan Donato (Dedham, Mass.) will help. He’ll also see an increased role with the departure of four committed players ahead of him on the depth chart. He scored seven goals and had six assists in 23 games last winter, numbers that will likely go up this season as a junior.
7. Owen Leahy
Lawrence, 2/11/05, C, left shot, 5-8/135
I’ve always thought Leahy was a little underrated as he came up the ranks with the Providence Hockey Club and Cape Cod Whalers. The Warwick, R.I., native isn’t the biggest, fastest or most skilled player on the ice. However, he gets the most out of his ability by using his hockey sense and demanding the puck. He led Lawrence in scoring last winter, racking up 11 goals and 11 assists in 21 games. Expect Leahy to be even more of a force this winter for the Spartans.
8. Isaac Mitchell
St. Sebastian’s, 2/28/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/170
Mitchell is an underrated player in this region, who has just narrowly missed making it to national camp in both of the last two summers. He’s on the smaller side, which might hurt him in the minds of some scouts and college recruiters. However, he’s got that quick twitch, can play at pace, and hunts pucks. The Harvard, Mass., native scored eight goals and had 15 assists in 25 games last winter as a sophomore at St. Sebastian’s.
9. Jake McManus
Belmont Hill, 1/3/05, C, left shot, 5-8/161
McManus is a smart forward who I expect to have a breakout season as a junior at Belmont Hill. He scored just three goals and six assists as a sophomore in 2021-22. A lot of the players ahead of him on last year’s team have left and he’s a year older and more experienced. He needs to keep playing hard and thinking the game at a high level at top speed. The Winthrop, Mass., native definitely has the vision and ability to see the ice with a good stick.
10. Matt Cataldo
St. Sebastian’s, 5/19/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/194
Cataldo, from Norfolk, Mass., will never be outworked by anyone. He’s the consummate team player who has leaned out and improved his skating heading into his junior season at St. Sebastian’s. In 24 games as a sophomore, he scored three goals and had six assists. He’ll do whatever it takes to win games. Whether or not he makes it to Division 1 is up in the air. Whether he lands a home at that level or Division 3, the coach who gets him will get a competitive leader on and off the ice.
