Rian Chudzinski became eligible to commit to a Division 1 program on Aug. 1. Despite interest from various schools, he didn't commit until Nov. 19.
On Tuesday, Chudzinski finally made his decision: Boston University.
Chudzinski's stock has soared over the past two seasons. The Needham, Mass., native scored four goals and tallied seven points in five games at USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp in the summer of 2023. He followed that up by posting 13 goals and 22 points in 27 games on a senior-heavy, stacked St. Sebastian's squad last winter. He was drafted in the fifth round (71st overall) by the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL Phase 1 Draft earlier this year.
This summer, he was strong at Select 17 Camp, notching three goals and four points in six games.
The 6-foot, 172-pound forward was arguably the most dominant 18U player in New England this fall, lighting it up with the Boston Junior Eagles. He even got tapped for two games with the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 team in late October. He posted an assist against Boston College.
Chudzinski, who is a late '07, will be one of the most talented players on a loaded Dexter Southfield team this winter.
So, how should BU fans feel about this? Good, that's for sure.
The Terriers are getting a player with translatable skills to Division 1 when he makes the jump. He's a great, powerful skater who generates speed quickly. He's physical and not afraid to get to the net front. He wins his board battles and always showcases a high compete. And, with all of that, he has high-end stick skills and a quick, accurate shot.
No matter where BU head coach Jay Pandolfo and his staff want to slot him in, he projects to make an impact.
Chudzinski is the perfect example of a somewhat late bloomer. He wasn't at USA Hockey's Select 15 Camp. He wasn't invited to the NTDP's Evaluation Camp in 2023. There were various other high-end or older players with him at St. Sebastian's.
He's also a bit of an outlier in how he approached recruitment. Even with the sheer amount of interest (and it was a lot), he waited. He opted not to make a decision in August or September.
"It's obviously a couple of years [away] so I'm not going next year," Chudzinski told New England Hockey Journal on Oct. 23. "I just want to take my time and make sure it's the right place for me and make sure it's the best place for my development. I don't really care about committing Aug. 1 just because I can put out a social media post. That doesn't matter to me. I want to keep getting better. Keep continuing to grow."
In our September story on the number of recruits who actually make it to their destination, 83.64 percent of players ended up at the college they committed to. For August commits, that number fell slightly to 78.41 percent.
Those numbers aren't bad. If a player commits somewhere, there's a high chance they end up at that school.
For Chudzinski, however, 83.64 percent and 78.41 percent aren't nearly good enough. He was about taking his time in order to make a highly informed and well-thought-out decision.
He wanted to make sure he was as close to 100 percent as possible.
"I've learned with a lot of kids, it's cool to post on Aug. 1 like 'I'm an Aug. 1 commit.' But it doesn't matter at all," Chudzinski said. "You want to go to the place that's right for you, right for your development. It doesn't matter when you commit. I want to make sure it's the right place for me. When I go in, I'm ready and they know me and I know them really well. It's a place I want to be, not a place where it's the coolest place to be.
"I think finding the right spot for me, or for anyone, is definitely the most important instead of whatever first comes."
Younger players use older players as examples — for good and bad. With Chudzinski being one of the high-end players committing from this class that became eligible in August, it will be interesting to see if players in future summers opt to take more time.
One thing is certain: This will be one of the good examples.
