The Forecheck: UConn officially signs three in class of 2023
The Huskies have started putting together their next recruiting class.
Welcome to the UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.
UConn men’s hockey signs three players
On the first day of the early signing period, UConn men’s hockey inked three new players: Forwards Jake Richard and Charlie Lewinski and defenseman Kevin Fitzgerald. Each player’s team reported the signing on Twitter.
Richard is a 2022 sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres. A 6-foot-2 power forward from Jacksonville, Florida, Richard is regarded as a late bloomer and just made the cut-off to be eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft. Through 11 games with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, he has six goals and five assists.
Lewinski is also a 6-foot-2 power forward who will arrive in Storrs straight out of Novi High School in Michigan as an ‘05 prospect. At the time of his commitment, a source compared him to current Husky Nick Capone — but better.
On the blue line, Fitzgerald is a two-way defenseman with a high hockey IQ. He turned down a chance to play major juniors in order to go the college route and picked UConn over at least 15 other teams, including a few in Hockey East. This season, Fitzgerald is playing with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers and is a 2023 NHL Draft prospect.
With those three locked in for next season, the Huskies’ 2023 recruiting class is starting to come together.
Up top, UConn is only projected to lose the three transfers — Ty Amonte, Adam Dawe, and Justin Pearson — from its forward group, though Joey Muldowney (a sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 NHL Draft) and Mason Kesselring are both expected to join the team. That means the Huskies will either carry 18 forwards or are counting on a player to turn pro early or enter the transfer portal.
Defensively, UConn will have at least three spots open with Jake Flynn, Roman Kinal, and Harrison Rees all set to graduate. Fitzgerald will come in as a freshman alongside Owen Simpson, leaving the Huskies with some flexibility for the final opening. They could use it to bring back one of the seniors (they all have an extra year of Covid eligibility), hit the transfer portal, or add another commit like Brady Smith or Jax Wismer, both of whom are ‘05 prospects.
In goal, UConn is set at the top of the depth chart with Logan Terness and Arsenii Sergeev, though it will probably want to add another backup to replace senior Ryan Keane.
Week in review
From the UConn Hockey Hub:
'Might as well let 'em know it's in': Ty Amonte delivers overtime winner to push UConn past Maine
At every turn, UConn found game-changing plays to get past Maine, 3-2
From The UConn Blog:
Last week’s Forecheck:
Three stars
First star: Justin Pearson
Pearson notched his first goal in a UConn uniform on Saturday, scoring the game-winner just 48 seconds after Maine tied it in the fourth period. He also added an assist on Matthew Wood’s goal, a crucial score that tied the game and turned the tide shortly after the Huskies killed off a major penalty.
Second star: Arsenii Sergeev
The freshman put in the best performance of his young career on Saturday, stopping 29 of 31 shots and earning the win. He was in control throughout the night, made big saves when he had to, and never ended up out of position.
Third star: Matthew Wood
The freshman’s ascent continued with a goal and an assist on Saturday to notch his third multi-point game this season. He’s now up to 10 points on the year, second-most on the team behind only Ryan Tverberg (11 points).
Play of the Week
Ice-cold capture
