Taylor drafted by Penguins in NHL Entry Draft

by Ryan Fay

Union rising sophomore defenseman Jeff Taylor was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

Taylor

Taylor, a native of Clifton Park, was taken with the 203rd overall pick.

"It's a tremendous honor for Jeff and a result of the hard work and dedication he has put into this program," said Union head coach Rick Bennett. "Jeff will be an integral part of our defense next year and we look forward to seeing his progression as a player."

The 20-year-old registered three goals and 13 assists in 41 games this past season to help lead Union to its first NCAA championship. He ranked sixth on the Dutchmen with a plus-20 rating and was named to the ECAC Hockey Media Association All-Rookie team.

Taylor is the tenth player in program history to be drafted by an NHL team and the first to be selected by the Penguins.

UNION COLLEGE NHL DRAFT HISTORY

Jeff Taylor - D, 7th round (#203), PIT, 2014 NHL Entry Draft
Shayne Gostisbehere – D, 3rd Round (#78), PHI, 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Tim Boyle - D, 4th Round (#106), OTT, 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Justin Mrazek - G, 8th Round (#230), WSH, 2004 NHL Entry Draft
Brandon Snee - G, 5th Round (#143), NYR, 2000 NHL Entry Draft
Reid Simonton - D, QUE, 1994 NHL Supplemental Draft

Bill Sedergren, D (#207), CAL, 1987 NHL Entry Draft
Steve Baker - G, (#44), NYR, 1977 NHL Entry Draft
Kip Churchill - F, (#141), DET, 1977 NHL Entry Draft
Dean Willers - F, (#175), DET, 1977 NHL Entry Draft

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Late addition Pontarelli making an early impact for Dutchmen (with videos)

by Ryan Fay

Michael Pontarelli wasn't supposed to be on this year's team.

The former Cornwall Colts star, who led the Central Canada Hockey League with 107 points last season, was originally scheduled to join the Dutchmen for the 2014-2015 season.

He was only added to this year's roster after Josh Jooris gave up his senior year of eligibility and signed with the Calgary Flames in late July.

At the time, Pontarelli said, "I'm looking forward to jumping in right away and seeing how I stack up against everyone. I'm anxious to see what kind of impact I can bring."

If early indications are anything, the 5-foot-7 forward stacks up just fine and will have a big impact over the next four years.

In Friday's season-opening 3-3 tie against Bowling Green, Pontarelli displayed a slick passing touch and picked up his first two collegiate assists.

On Saturday, Pontarelli scored his first two collegiate goals (both on the power play) to help lift the Dutchmen to their first win of the season, a 5-2 non-conference victory over Bowling Green.

Through two games, the 19-year-old is tied with Kevin Sullivan for the team lead in points with four.

"It's very exciting," Pontarelli said. "Every time you jump a level and get your first points, it's exciting. It's something brand new. But that's just bonus. Getting our first win of the season in that fashion is the most important thing."

Added Union head coach Rick Bennett, "Pontarelli feeds off offense. That's not a big secret if you see his stats coming from juniors. When he's on a roll, he's on a roll."

That roll doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.

INJURY UPDATES

Bennett said junior goaltender Colin Stevens remains "day-to-day" with the upper-body injury he sustained in Friday's game when Bowling Green's Bryce Williamson rammed into him at 6:12 of the first period.

Freshman Eli Lichtenwald, who scored his first collegiate goal on Friday, didn't play on Saturday. Bennett was mum on Lichtenwald's status, but the forward was spotted using crutches as he watched from the bleachers.

CARR RECORD WATCH

Senior forward Daniel Carr scored a power play goal on Saturday, the 58th goal of his Union career. He needs one more goal to tie Mario Valery-Trabucco for the program's Division I-era career goals record. Valery-Trabucco played for Union from 2006-2010.

FRESHMAN FIRSTS

Jeff Taylor recorded his first collegiate point on Saturday. The Clifton Park native and former Albany Academy defenseman assisted on Nick Cruice's second period goal.

Goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos picked up his first collegiate win on Saturday in place of the injured Stevens. He stopped 20-of-22 shots in the winning effort.

GIVING THEM A GOOD SHOW

With Philadelphia Flyers brass in attendance on Saturday, junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere put on a good show. The 20-year-old, who the Flyers drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft, picked up three assists.

UP NEXT

Union hosts Lake Superior State for a two-game non-conference series next Friday and Saturday. The Lakers swept Robert Morris over the weekend, winning both games 3-1.

POSTGAME VIDEOS FROM SATURDAY

Pontarelli, later joined by Daniel Ciampini and Gostisbehere

 

Union head coach Rick Bennett

 

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Dutchmen announce 2013-2014 recruiting class

by Ryan Fay

The Union men's hockey team announced its incoming recruiting class on Thursday.

The eight member freshman class includes forward Alex Gonye, defenseman Noah Henry, defenseman Matt Krug, forward Eli Lichtenwald, defenseman Griffyn Martin, goaltender Alex Sakellaropoulos, defenseman Jeff Taylor and forward Mike Vecchione.

“I’m very happy with this class,” Union head coach Rick Bennett said in a release. “You always want to bring in a group that’s better than the one that just left, but that’s going to be a tough challenge with this group of players. It’s up to them to see if they can accomplish that. I feel our assistant coaches Joe Dumais and Jason Tapp did a tremendous job balancing last season with recruiting.”

Below are some capsules on each player with insight from their previous coaches and/or Bennett.

Defensemen

Jeff Taylor is a local kid, a native of Clifton Park who played at Albany Academy prior to spending last year with Dubuque of the U.S Hockey League. Taylor helped Dubuque capture a Clark Cup Championship, registering 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 57 games played.

Taylor (USHL)

The 19-year-old drew raves from now former Dubuque head coach Jim Montgomery, who has since moved on to be the head coach of Division I Denver. The former RPI assistant predicted Taylor will be an impact freshman.

"His [best assets] are quickness and his intelligence," Montgomery told me earlier this year. "He's an extremely smart player with great instincts. He's very valuable all over the ice, especially breaking the puck out."

Taylor is listed at 6-foot, 180-pounds.

"He still needs to get stronger like any teenage athlete," Montgomery said. "He needs to continue to build muscle mass in the weight room so he can have the physicality needed at the college level."

Griffyn Martin, who checks in at 6-foot, 175-pounds, played prep hockey at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut. A former Yale commit, Martin was one of Avon's three captains this past year and scored three goals and added 14 assists in 29 games played. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

“Griffyn is a physical defenseman who in time can develop into a really good player for us," Bennett said. "He’s a tremendous character guy to have on your team."

Matt Krug, a Buffalo, New York, native, spent the past two seasons with the Indiana Ice of the USHL. In 56 games played last season, the 20-year-old scored two goals and chipped in nine assists.

"He is a character kid who works hard and has a good first pass," Indiana head coach Jeff Brown told me earlier this year. "He's more of a stay at home defenseman. He's a good leader. Krug won’t step in and be an impact guy, but over the course of his time at Union, he will be a regular and a big part of the future."

Henry

Bennett hopes the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Krug will develop into a Shawn Stuart style defenseman.

Noah Henry, a Seattle, Washington native, is the fourth defenseman coming in. The 19-year-old Henry started last season with the British Columbia Hockey League's Penticton Vees before being dealt to Powell River in mid-November. In 52 combined games played, the 6-foot, 190-pound Henry had two goals and 14 assists. 

“Noah is a defenseman with tremendous speed," Bennett said. "That’s really going to help us with our breakouts, which helps our defensive zone. He’s really going to help us there and we’re excited about that."

Forwards

Prep star Alex Gonye could be one player looked upon to replace some of the offense that left the program with the graduations of top scorers Wayne Simpson and Kyle Bodie and the early departure of fourth-leading scorer Josh Jooris, who signed with Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Gonye, a 19-year-old Deerfield (M.A) Prep product, is known for having a scoring touch. He scored 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 24 games played this past season.

“Alex will be given a very good chance to develop into a top forward here," Bennett said. "He brings a lot of offense and very good vision on the ice, and he can shoot the puck. We think he’ll be able to grow into the daily grind of college hockey and the physicality on this level.”

Another scoring threat coming in is 20-year-old Saugus, Massachusetts native Michael Vecchione. He decommitted from New Hampshire prior to committing to Union and had a breakout season last year in his second season with Tri-City of the USHL. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound forward upped his offensive contributions considerably with 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games played. 

Vecchione (USHL)

"He's really developed as a player," Tri-City head coach Josh Hauge told me earlier this year. "He has a confidence now that he can score at this level. Statistically, he's improved a lot but his overall game has also improved by a lot... areas like his defensive play, his ability to block shots, play tough, and do the little things.

"The thing the fans notice is just how good of a skater he is. He's extremely fast, plays at a fast pace, and has a natural ability to score goals."

Eli Lichtenwald, 20, split last season between Omaha of the USHL and Nipawin of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. After a midseason trade to Nipawin, where he played in 2010-2011 and earned SJHL rookie of the year honors, Lichtenwald took off and scored 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 19 games played.

Lichtenwald is one of Union's larger recruits in recent memory as he checks in at 6-foot-6, 235-pounds. For a player so big, the native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan still has a lot of room to grow.

"The biggest thing with Eli is that he has a lot of room to improve," Nipawin head coach Doug Johnson told me earlier this year. "He is a late bloomer. He was an average midget player that blossomed his first year of junior and will only get better in the future. What Union fans see from Eli as a freshman won't even be comparable to what they see from him as a senior.

"I firmly believe Eli has the ability to be a very good regular with the possibility to be an impact player if he keeps developing like I believe he will."

Goaltender

When Troy Grosenick gave up his senior year of eligibility to the San Jose Sharks in April, the Dutchmen needed to add another goaltender for the upcoming season.

Enter 19-year-old Alex Sakellaropoulos.

The native of Tinley Park, Illinois played the past two seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL. He posted a 22-20-2 record in 48 contests last year with a 3.03 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts.

“When Troy (Grosenick) signed, our assistants did a great job getting Alex, an excellent goaltender, to come to Union," Bennett said. "We’re looking for big things from Alex.”

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Sakellaropoulos is the odds on favorite to serve as the primary backup to junior Colin Stevens in the upcoming season.

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Coming attractions: defenseman Jeff Taylor

by Ryan Fay

The Dutchmen will have voids to fill on the blueline next season with the pending graduations of Greg Coburn, Ryan Forgaard, and Shawn Stuart.

One player who could occupy one of those spots is Clifton Park native Jeff Taylor, a recruit scheduled to come in this fall.

Taylor, who previously played at Albany Academy, is currently with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the U.S Hockey League (USHL). He has three goals and 15 assists in 43 contests and his +32 rating is fourth best in the league.

For some insight on the 18-year-old defenseman, I chatted with former RPI assistant coach Jim Montgomery, now the general manager and head coach of the Fighting Saints.

UNION HOCKEY NEWS (UHN): What are some of Taylor's strengths?

JIM MONTGOMERY (JM): His quickness and his intelligence. He's an extremely smart player with great instincts. He's very valuable all over the ice, especially breaking the puck out.

UHN: How much progression have you seen from him in his time with you this year?

JM: Quite a bit. His confidence has grown and so has his maturity level. He quarterbacks our power play and he's a big part of the nucleus of our team that's in first place.

UHN: Where does he need to improve going forward?

JM: He still needs to get stronger like any teenage athlete. He needs to continue to build muscle mass in the weight room so he can have the physicality needed at the college level.

UHN: As someone who has coached in both the ECAC and the USHL, how big of a jump is for a player to go from one league to the other?

JM: It's always another level when you go from junior hockey to college hockey. But the easiest transition by far is to go from the USHL to college hockey.

UHN: Why's that?

JM: We're the best preparatory league. We play at a high level as far as speed, strength, and conditioning. The USHL does all the elements of college hockey at a level below. Our schedule mirrors that of college hockey where we're basically a Friday-Saturday league. Our players work out twice a week, they practice four times a week, and they play twice a week. Everything leads to your body and routine getting used to college hockey.

UHN: How would you gauge Taylor's readiness for Division I college hockey?

JM: He'll be an impact freshman.