Over the course of the next few weeks, in the lead up to the 2022-23 NCAA season, Neutral Zone will unveil our class rankings. We’ll start by ranking every class by league, and then cap it off just before the season begins with our national top-10.
There are a few things to remember when it comes to our class rankings. First, the size of the class does play a role. Our algorithm attempts to project the impact the recruiting class will have on the program.
As we explain on the rankings page of our site: “The points algorithm is designed to weight players according to their age, the league they come from, and their star rating. We have analyzed freshman production in regards to age and in regards to the league they come from, and have found patterns in the data. We have weighted those patterns into our data and applied it to the team rankings. The algorithm also puts a higher degree of importance on higher star players so two teams with the same number of commits and same number of total stars could have different point totals because two 4.5 stars is different than one 5 star and one 4 star.”
Incoming Air Force goalie Aaron Randazzo is who Neutral Zone has projected as the top recruit in the league this season. That’s based on Randazzo’s ranking in our 2001 National Rankings.
Neutral Zone’s Preseason Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team
F – Adam Jeffery, RIT
F – Stephen Castagna, Bentley
F – Blake Humphrey, Sacred Heart
D – Ethan Lund, Niagara
D – John Driscoll, Army
G – Aaron Randazzo, Air Force
Top 2001-Born Recruits (Related: See our Top-300 2001 National Rankings)
(29) Aaron Randazzo (G) – Air Force – ★★★¾
(36) Ethan Lund (D) – Niagara – ★★★¾
(45) John Driscoll (D) – Army – ★★★¾
(58) Casey McDonald (D) – AIC – ★★★¾
(61) Nicholas Kent (D) – Mercyhurst – ★★★¾
(66) Adam Jeffery (F) – RIT – ★★★¾
(67) Stephen Castagna (F) – Bentley – ★★★¾
(85) Mason McCormick (F) – Air Force – ★★★¾
Top 2002-Born Recruits (Related: See our Top-300 2002 National Rankings)
(64) Blake Humphrey (F) – Sacred Heart – ★★★¾
(95) Joshua Barnes (F) – AIC – ★★★¾
| Team | Total Commits | Total Stars | Average Stars | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 11 | 38.00 | 3.45 | 436.92 |
 | 10 | 34.75 | 3.48 | 403.67 |
 | 9 | 31.75 | 3.53 | 397.83 |
 | 8 | 28.50 | 3.56 | 352.90 |
 | 8 | 28.25 | 3.53 | 327.56 |
 | 7 | 24.50 | 3.50 | 294.05 |
 | 7 | 24.75 | 3.54 | 279.38 |
 | 6 | 21.25 | 3.54 | 276.26 |
 | 6 | 21.25 | 3.54 | 263.07 |
 | 4 | 14.25 | 3.56 | 167.67 |
