Holy Cross has been busy on the recruiting trail of late, committing seven local players for future seasons. On Sunday, Bill Riga and his staff landed the best commit yet since taking over as head coach of the Crusaders.
Thayer Academy and South Shore Kings Prep 18-U defenseman CJ Foley announced his intention to play college hockey at Holy Cross. The '04 from Hanover, Mass., is an offensive-minded defenseman who will be in his fourth season with Tony Amonte’s Tigers when the prep season starts in November.
Foley played forward as an eighth-grader in 2018-19 but has been on the blue line since then. Foley’s skating and puck-moving capabilities are his top attributes. In 2020-21, Foley registered 10 goals and 18 assists in 31 games for the Cape Cod Whalers 16-U. He was my second-rated uncommitted '04 in New England, as of August 20.
In December of 2020, I wrote a piece on the top uncommitted '04s in Massachusetts. Foley was my top-ranked such player. The top seven players from that piece have all committed. The rest of the players on that list who have committed went to schools such as Northeastern, Providence, UMass, Harvard, and Princeton. That just further reiterates what a terrific commit Foley is for the Crusaders.
Two Mid Fairfield centers go Big Ten
One current and one former Mid Fairfield center have chosen to play college hockey in the Big Ten. Brennan Ali committed to Notre Dame while Brian Nicholas pledged to play at Michigan.
Ali, an '04, is in his first season with Mid Fairfield after coming up through the Chicago Mission organization. The Glencoe, Ill., native will play prep school hockey at Avon Old Farms. Ali, whose stock soared this summer as he played for the U.S. at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, is a 200-foot center. He has good size, skates well, and has good habits away from the puck. In addition to the Fighting Irish, numerous schools in Hockey East and ECAC Hockey had shown interest in Ali.
Nicholas, a longtime Mid Fairfield '05, committed to Michigan. The Scarsdale, N.Y., native has good size, a powerful stride, and plenty of physical tools. He hasn’t put it all together and needs to play more between the dots in order to become more productive. However, there is plenty of upside for Nicholas, who is now with the Long Island Gulls 16-U.
Prep school forward for Brown
Salisbury and Buffalo Regals 18-U forward Ryan Walsh has committed to Brown, the player announced recently on social media. The '03 from Macedon, N.Y., is off to a hot start with Brown alum Kyle Quick’s team.
Walsh is a quick and skilled forward who has been on the top line for the split season team. In seven games, he has five goals and nine assists. Last season, he helped Rochester Coalition win a national championship while posting 13 goals and 21 assists in 33 games. Walsh will be in his second season at Salisbury when the prep season starts.
Veteran defenseman for Black Bears
New Mexico Ice Wolves defenseman Brandon Holt has committed to Maine. The '01 from Grand Forks, N.D., has already played 103 games in the NAHL entering his final season of junior hockey. In 2020-21, Holt scored six goals and 16 assists in 53 games for the Ice Wolves. He’ll be matriculating to Orono for the start of the 2022-23 season.
