Defenseman Sam Court, a newcomer to Avon Old Farms and the Neponset Valley River Rats, has committed to New Hampshire.
The '04 from Winnipeg, Manitoba, announced his intention to play for the Wildcats, via Twitter on Tuesday night. Court came to the region after playing for the Steinbach Pistons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League during the Covid-shortened season in 2020-21. He had five assists in seven games played in the Canadian junior league.
In 17 games played for the River Rats 18-U, Court has a goal and nine assists, which is tied for second among the team’s defensemen. He had visited a number of Hockey East programs since arriving in the United States in August. New Hampshire was one of the first schools to show significant interest.
Court will play for John Gardner’s Winged Beavers during the prep season. A senior, his USHL rights are owned by the Fargo Force. His commitment to UNH is likely for the 2023-24 or 2024-25 season.
The Wildcats have had some success with River Rats and Avon Old Farms over the past couple of seasons. Forwards JP Turner and Morgan Winters and defenseman Damien Carfagna are all former River Rats on UNH’s recruiting list. Turner also played prep hockey at AOF.
Former prep blue liner for Merrimack
Penticton Vees defenseman Frank Djurasevic has committed to Merrimack. The New Rochelle, N.Y., native is an '02 playing his second season in the BCHL. The big righty played one season for Trinity-Pawling after skating two seasons for South Kent Selects Academy. Djurasevic skates well for a big guy and has become more offensive over the years while maintaining an ability to defend with his range and physicality. Djurasevic is a good commit for the Warriors.
Yale commits a Canadian goaltender
Yale has received a commitment from Collingwood Blues goaltender Noah Pak. The '03 from Oakville, Ontario, is playing in his first season of junior hockey with the OJHL organization. In four games with Collingwood, Pak is 2-2-0 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. Prior to the OJHL, Pak played three years of midget hockey for the Oakville Rangers.
Miscellaneous recruiting notes
Long Island Gulls defenseman Nicholas Fascia, an '05 from Blackwood, N.J., has committed to Penn State. Fascia chose the Nittany Lions over Providence, the other program in his final two. A first-round pick of the Madison Capitols in the USHL Phase I draft, Fascia represented the U.S. at the Five Nations Tournament in August. He’s a talented defensive defenseman with high-end skating ability and his first touch is good. The concern some college programs had was his offensive upside.
Another New Jersey defenseman, '04 Patrick Reilly, recently made his college commitment. He announced his intention to play for Princeton. Reilly is with the New Jersey Rockets 18-U this season. He’s spent a few weekends this fall in New England, competing in the Eastern Alliance Kickoff and Boston Junior Bruins Shootout.
St. Andrew’s College defenseman Matthew Virgilio became the first '06 to make a college commitment when he announced his intention to play at Michigan. While most players in his birth year are freshmen or sophomores, Virgilio is a junior in high school, meaning he could commit to the Wolverines or any other program. St. Andrew’s will visit New England three times this winter: November’s Prep Hockey Conference event at Mount Saint Charles, the St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament in December, and the True Hockey Prep Cup at the ICenter in Salem, N.H., in January.
