Not long after the calendar turned to 2020, a pair of goaltenders committed to top Hockey East schools.
UMass Lowell has had a lot of success recruiting goalies out of the NAHL and the River Hawks hope that trend continues after they landed 6-foot-2 goalie Henry Welsch from the Aberdeen Wings.
Welsch, a Minnesota native who we have rated as a 4-star goalie, has a .928 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average this season.
“Henry is a goalie with good size in net, technique is a little raw at times but he battles and showed some great athleticism as well,” said our scouts. “The Lakeville Minnesota native is big but gets low in his stance, narrow at times but is tough to beat low. Gets the paddle down and squeezes everything.
“Welsch has a very active stick and was able to block passes going cross crease or in his vicinity. Made an outstanding save with his left shoulder on a 2v1 as he slid across and got a big piece of it and directed it up and out of danger. Bottom line Welsch keeps the puck out of the net, he can make a spectacular highlight reel save and he has an excellent glove but could improve on being more sharp on his lateral movement so he doesn’t have to work as hard.”
Northeastern added goaltender Devon Levi, who we also have rated as a 4-star goaltender. A 2001-born Quebec native, Levi has a .941 save percentage and a 1.45 goals-against average in 27 games for the Carleton Place Canadians in the CCHL this season.
Levi was recently named MVP of the World Jr. A Challenge in December. Levi previously committed to Vermont last year before changing that commitment to the Huskies earlier this month.
“He played nearly 100 minutes more than the next goaltender and faced nearly 100 shots more as well, finishing with respectable statistical numbers of GAA (2.85) and SVP (.917),” said our scouts who watched him at the World Jr. A Challenge. “He played in all 6 of his team’s games, sitting only one period versus the US team in which he faced 33 shots through two periods allowing 6 goals. The next time out against the Americans in the semi-finals, Levi stopped 41 of 42 shots in regulation and OT, and then went 4-for-4 in the shootout to lead Canada East to the Gold Medal Game against Russia. In the final game, Levi stopped 39 out of 41 shots over the course of the 85-minute game–finally succumbing on a power-play blast against that went off his teammate’s arm.
AIC stayed hot on the recruiting trail, landing Rhode Island native Matt Rickard. The 6-foot-1 defenseman previously played at the Winchendon School and this season is skating for Lone Star in the NAHL. The 3.75-star player has 23 points in 35 games from the blue line.
“Matthew plays a skilled game from the back-end,” said our scouts. “He moves well with the puck and consistently turns defense to offense. Makes a strong first pass out of his zone and frequently tries to activate on the rush.”
Bismarck (NAHL) defenseman Ethan Gauer committed to Alaska-Anchorage earlier this month. Gauer is a 5-foot-11 defender from Michigan who our scouts described as being solid in his own end. This season, Gauer has 17 points in 29 games for the Bobcats.
“He was excellent at holding the blue and keeping the offense alive,” said our scouts. “In his end, he hit to defend and showed a defender’s stick. He hid his poke to defend the line rush and is a good backward skater. We liked how he used his partner and zipped passes D to D to give him more time to make plays up ice. Ethan did a lot well and looked to be a plus player who can be relied upon the end of games and in key spots. He has some offensive upside but right now is more a defensive type.”
