In last week’s post I reported that defenseman Justin Dixson signed his National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Massachusetts.  I’ve also learned that defensemen Jake Massie and Cale Makar signed their NLIs during the early signing period which ended last week.  The signings help assure that coach John Micheletto and his staff are set at the blueline for years to come.

NHL Central Scouting released their latest Players to Watch list for next year’s NHL draft.  In their first list of the season Central Scouting had recruit John Leonard and current defenseman Carmine Buono as possible draft picks.  Buono is not longer listed in the most recent release.  However defenseman Callum Fryer now joins Leonard on the list.  Both are projected to be picked in the late rounds of the draft.

Shane Bear – D – Brooks Bandits (AJHL) – 2016 (NLI Signed)
16 GP / 3 G / 11 A / 14 Pts / 12 PIM
Bear was held pointless this past week.

Troy Conzo – RW – Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) – 2016 or 2017
26 GP/ 6 G/ 9 A / 15 Pts /  8 PIM
Conzo had two assists in his last three games.

Kyler Nachtigall – LW – Brooks Bandits (AJHL) – 2016 (NLI Signed)
24 GP / 6 G / 13 A / 19 Pts / 34 PIM
Nachtigall had a goal and an assist in two games this past week.

Jake Massie – D – Omaha Lancers (USHL) – 2016 (NLI Signed)
8 GP / 0 G / 0 A / 0 Pts / 8 PIM
Massie is still looking for his first points of the season.

Jake McCarthy – D – South Shore Kings (USPHL) – 2016
8 GP / 0 G /1 A / 1 Pts / 6 PIM
McCarthy did not play this past week.

Ty Pelton-Byce – C – Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) – 2016 (NLI Signed)
18 GP /2 G / 3 A / 5 pts / 4 PIM
Pelton-Byce was held pointless this past week.

Justin Dixson – LW – Tri-City Storm (USHL) – 2017 (NLI Signed)
13 GP / 0 G / 1 A / 1 Pts / 4 PIM
Dixson picked up his first USHL point this past week.

Colin Felix – D – St George’s (RI-HS) – 2017
0 GP / 0 G / 0 A / 0 Pts
Felix played for the Rhode Island Hitmen U18 before the high school hockey season started, picking up 6 goals and 19 assists in 17 games.  St George’s season kicks off this Monday against Taft School.

Nick Jenny – D – Omaha Lancers (USHL) – 2017
19 GP / 0 G / 4 A / 4 Pts / 12 PIM
Jenny had an assist this past week in two games.

John Leonard – LW – Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) – 2017
13 GP / 2 G / 1 A / 3 Pts / 4 PIM
Leonard did not pick up a point in his lone game this past week.

Cale Makar– D – Brooks Bandits (BCHL) – 2018 (NLI Signed)
24 GP / 4 G / 20 A / 24 Pts / 16 PIM
Makar had a couple assists in two games this week.  Makar is third on Brooks in points and is second in the league for scoring by defensemen.

Brian Scoville – D – Winchendon (NE Prep) – 2018
0 GP / 0 G / 0 A / 0 Pts
Scoville is played for the Cape Cod Whalers U16 team before Winchendon starts up.  He had 3 goals and 6 assists in 31 games.  Winchendon’s season starts this weekend in the Belmont Hill Jamboree.

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Freshman goaltender Nic Renyard was named a UMass Co-Student Athlete of the Week with Swimming & Diving’s Kellen Gray and men’s basketball’s Jabarie Hinds.

Quinnipiac goaltender Michael Garteig, whom the Minutemen will face this weekend, had the top play of week in NCAA hockey.  It may be the play of the season.

College Hockey News had a story today that I suggest everyone read regard a rule change that the Big Ten conference is proposing regarding age limits in college hockey.  The rule would essentially deduct a year of eligibility for 21 year old freshmen enter college hockey, and deduct additional seasons for each additional year beyond 21.  Now, I personally have no problem if the college hockey community as a whole wants to address age limits.  But that’s not what is happening here.  As the article discusses, because of their consider clout and systematic advantages in the NCAA hierarchy the Big Ten can introduce legislation like this to the larger NCAA governing body even if the majority of the college hockey schools are against it.

So what’s the motivation?  The Big Ten, who traditionally can count on getting blue chip recruits to commit and arrive on campus at younger ages, sees an opportunity to gain an advantage over the rest of college hockey.  The fact that the Big Ten has struggled mightily since forming a few years back probably plays a big role in pushing this new rule.  This rule isn’t meant to improve college hockey, it’s meant to allow the Big Ten to one-up most everyone else.  The Big Ten, using systematic advantages given to them from their position as a longtime multi-sport conference, is unilaterally bending the rules to benefit themselves because they’re unable to overcome the parity that exists currently in college hockey.  And that is pathetic.

Typically changes like this are discussed when the country’s college hockey coaches gather in Naples, Florida annually and the group as a whole will move forward with desired rule changes.  If the Big Ten had brought this forward in that setting, they would’ve been vilified.  Per the CHN article a straw poll of the DI coaches shows that such a measure would’ve been defeated 49-11.  Yet the Big Ten teams are 6 of that 11, but wield power greater than the other 49.  Three Hockey East coaches are also part of the 11, per Mike McMahon.  My guess is those coaches are Boston College’s Jerry York, Boston University’s David Quinn, and Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson.  Like the Big Ten teams these are all schools that don’t have to relay on overage players because they have their pick of the top blue chippers in the country, plus can pluck quality players verbally committed to other schools when needed.  This whole thing is a power play by the haves, upset that teams like Union, Yale, and Providence are winning championships, trying to put the have-nots back in their place.