As of Wednesday, May 27, there are 129 players from the six New England states committed to play Division 1 college hockey.
The committed players range from 1999s who are aging out of junior hockey and matriculating to a college campus in the fall to ’05s who are still at least three years away from playing college hockey.
The last New England player to commit was Dexter Southfield center Matt Copponi. The ’03 from Mansfield, Mass., picked Merrimack back on May 8. In general, commits can come in waves. There can be a period of quiet before a flurry of commitments. That is potentially exacerbated right now with the impact of the coronavirus.
The NCAA recruiting dead period was recently extended until July 31, due to the coronavirus. That doesn’t mean a prospective player can’t commit to a college. Coaches and recruits can communicate via text, email, Zoom and phone calls. What is prohibited for the next two months is in-person visits and coaches recruiting off campus.
With hockey being halted, I felt this was a good time to analyze the 129 committed players from the New England region.
Breakdown by state
Massachusetts - 84
Connecticut - 27
New Hampshire - 8
Rhode Island - 4
Vermont - 3
Maine - 2
This data really shouldn’t come as a surprise to any person who follows the sport. While Massachusetts has tailed off somewhat in producing collegiate and pro talent, the Bay State still is one of the top two or three states in that regard in the country. Connecticut, especially Fairfield County, has seen quite a boom in growth of hockey talent over the past couple of decades.
The most represented town was Hingham, Mass., with 11 committed players, while a number of towns had three commits — East Greenwich, R.I.; Needham, Mass.; New Canaan, Conn.; Duxbury, Mass.; Madison, Conn.; Westwood, Mass.
Breakdown by college program
New Hampshire - 14
Boston College - 10
Northeastern - 9
Boston University - 8
Harvard - 8
Yale - 8
Providence - 7
Connecticut - 5
Holy Cross - 5
Merrimack - 5
UMass Amherst - 5
Army - 4
Brown - 4
Princeton - 4
Sacred Heart - 4
Bentley - 3
Colgate - 3
Union - 3
Vermont - 3
Cornell - 2
Dartmouth - 2
Quinnipiac - 2
St. Lawrence - 2
UMass Lowell - 2
Arizona State - 1
Colorado College - 1
Maine - 1
Michigan - 1
Michigan State - 1
Ohio State - 1
Penn State - 1
For years, the majority of the region’s youth hockey players aspiring to play college hockey have desired one of the four Beanpot schools. This data would show that hasn’t changed much. Providence has made a concerted effort to land some of the region’s top players, but the Friars do a good job finding players from elsewhere.
I think it’s smart that UMass Lowell and Quinnipiac rarely dip into the local talent pool. Both programs have had remarkable success over the past decade or so and have done it largely on talent from other parts of the country and world. I think more programs outside the four Beanpot schools could take a lesson from their tactics.
A couple of schools on this list appear to be trying too hard to land local talent. Sure, they might get some good ones here or there, but largely, they’re getting the leftovers. It would be wise for most of the other schools to concentrate their recruiting efforts elsewhere.
Take Maine as an example. After committing a decent amount of local kids at the beginning of the Red Gendron era in Orono, the Black Bears appear to be making a shift away from the region.
Changing on the fly
By my count, 15 of the 129 committed players in New England have decommitted or been decommitted from the college program they first chose.
There is a lot of outrage and banter about this topic on Twitter. It’s definitely an intriguing topic, but it’s not one that I get too worked up about. I am not an expert on the college admissions process, but 15 of 129 is 11.6 percent. I’d hedge a bet that the percentage isn’t too far off from the general college population. You can only go to college once. You might as well pick the school and program that will prepare you best for your future. There’s certainly something to be said about loyalty. I’m a big believer in loyalty and keeping your word.
However, I’d imagine many of the adults on Twitter who opine about decommits surely would leave their place of employment for another one if it was a better situation for their family. There are a lot of factors, but compensation, commute, benefits and opportunity for career growth are all reasons adults leave one job for another. Why shouldn’t a teenager be able to do the same?
Colleges back out on commitments to players as well. Sometimes a player doesn’t pan out. Sometimes a better player comes along or a current player stays in school longer than the coaching staff expected. Sometimes, a recruit doesn’t live up to the expectations of the school.
I’m not saying the decommitments aren’t an issue, but I think it’s one of many things in the world today that people love to be offended about.
