With all three coaches back in the rinks at the River Rats Jamboree, Northeastern received commitments from two players over the past two days. Long Island Gulls 16-U center Ben Yurchuk announced his intention on Monday to play college hockey at Northeastern. The '05 from Randolph, N.J., is a dual citizen who has spent the...
With all three coaches back in the rinks at the River Rats Jamboree, Northeastern received commitments from two players over the past two days.
Long Island Gulls 16-U center Ben Yurchuk announced his intention on Monday to play college hockey at Northeastern. The '05 from Randolph, N.J., is a dual citizen who has spent the past three seasons playing for the North Jersey Avalanche and New Jersey Colonials.
He’s a smart, skilled, slick forward who can make plays. Yurchuk had a big summer, scoring three goals and four assists in five games at the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp. That performance in Buffalo earned him a spot on the American’s roster at the Five Nations Tournament.
Yurchuk, a first-round pick of the Chicago Steel in the 2021 USHL Phase I Draft, has a lot of upside and projects to get even better over the next few years. Several Hockey East schools were among the suitors for Yurchuk. This is a huge recruiting coup for Jerry Keefe and his staff. Yurchuk is undoubtedly a top-20 forward in the country at the '05 birth year.
The other new commit to Northeastern is '04 forward Dylan Hryckowian, whose older brother Justin will be a freshman for the Huskies this season. The younger Hryckowian has shined a few times over the years in various showcases in New England such as the Junior Chowder Cup.
Hryckowian isn’t overly big, but he’s willing to play in traffic and between the dots. He’s slick and can score goals with his elite hands. From Ile-Blizzard, Que., he shined over the past two days with the Buffalo Regals 18-U. He’ll play prep hockey for Andrew Will at Salisbury this winter.
UConn lands another big Canadian
Less than a month after landing '05 forward Matthew Wood out of British Columbia, UConn has committed another top Canadian in the birth year. On Tuesday, defenseman Jax Wismer gave his pledge to play college hockey for the Huskies.
Mike Cavanaugh and his staff landed Wismer, hailing from Utopia, Ontario. A fifth-round pick of the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL Priority Selection, Wismer is a skilled, mobile, offensive defenseman.
Sacred Heart adds Gendron
Hawkesbury Hawks center Willyam Gendron has committed to Sacred Heart, the player announced Monday night. Gendron, an '03 from Boisbriand, Que., came down to August’s Atlantic Hockey Coaches Camp in Attleboro, Mass. As was the case with many Canadians, Gendron didn’t see game action in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus. He’ll suit up for the Hawks, a team in the CCHL, this winter.
