Friday, May 13, 2016
RBC Cup Features Recruits
25 Division I schools have commits contending for the Canadian Junior A championship.
Forty-nine committed Division I recruits have converged on Lloydminster, Alberta and Saskatchewan, for the next week to compete for the RBC Cup, Hockey Canada’s Junior A national championship.
Five teams from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) have qualified for the event: the Brooks Bandits (AJHL), Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL), Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL), Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) and West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL).
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The 49 commits are committed to 25 Division I schools, with others likely to join them with a strong performance in Lloydminster. Colorado College leads all schools with six recruits in the tournament, including representatives on three different teams. Bentley (5), Alaska (4), Colgate (4), Massachusetts (3) and Sacred Heart (3) also have at least three commits at the event.
Tournament platy begins Saturday, with the preliminary round running through Thursday, May 19. Semifinals are set for Saturday, May 21, with the championship game the next day.
Team breakdowns
The Brooks Bandits enter the tournament with the most Division I commitments – 16 – and the best regular-season record of the five teams. The Bandits lost, however, to West Kelowna in the Western Canada Cup championship game.
Dylan McCrory (Bemidji State) and Jared Cockrell (Colgate) lead the Bandits’ offense, while defenseman Cale Makar (Massachusetts) was named the CJHL Rookie of the Year.
Carleton Place returns to the RBC Cup for the third year in a row, still seeking a first championship. Goaltender Colton Point (Colgate), a top 2016 NHL Draft prospect, led the Canadians to the Fred Page Cup championship and is one of nine Division I commits on the team.
Bryce Van Horn (Colorado College), Jordan Larson (Alabama-Huntsville) and Brett Murray (Penn State) have been Carleton Place’s offensive leaders in the playoffs.
Division I Commits by Team
16 – Brooks Bandits
11 – West Kelowna Warriors
10 – Lloydminster Bobcats
9 – Carleton Place Canadians
3 – Trenton Golden Hawks
Lloydminster qualified for the RBC Cup as the host team and made a playoff run to the AJHL semifinals. The Bobcats feature 10 Division I commits, led by regular season leading scorer Kevin Darrar (Holy Cross). Christian Lloyd (Sacred Heart) and Nicholas Quillan (Colgate) are the top-scoring defensemen, with Alex Leclerc (Colorado College) manning the nets.
The Trenton Golden Hawks have the fewest Division I commits with three, but captured the OJHL and Dudley Hewitt Cup championships to advance to their first RBC Cup.
Defense and the goaltending of Daniel Urbani (Canisius) has led the Golden Hawks as they ranked second nationally in goals against per game (1.89). Kevin Lavoie (Robert Morris) has been among the team’s top scorers in the playoffs.
West Kelowna ranks second in the field with 11 future Division I players. The Warriors shocked the heavily favored Penticton Vees in the BCHL playoffs and went on to beat Brooks in the Western Canada Cup.
Offense has fueled West Kelowna’s success, with Jonathan Desbiens (Bentley), Kylar Hope (Alaska) and Liam Blackburn (New Hampshire) ranking as the team’s top three scorers in both the regular season and playoffs.
NCAA Commits in the RBC Cup
| Brooks Bandits | |
| Shane Bear | Massachusetts |
| Jared Cockrell | Colgate |
| Parker Foo | Union |
| Jarrod Gourley | Arizona State |
| Derek Lodermeier | Vermont |
| Cale Makar | Massachusetts |
| Jeff Malott | Cornell |
| Charlie Marchand | Bentley |
| Dylan McCrory | Bemidji State |
| Josh McKechney | Colgate |
| Logan Mick | Quinnipiac |
| Kyler Nachtigall | Massachusetts |
| Joe O’Connor | Quinnipiac |
| Jesse Pereira | Canisius |
| Tristan Thompson | Alaska |
| Austin Wright | RIT |
| Carleton Place Canadians | |
| Owen Grant | Vermont |
| Marcus Joseph | Sacred Heart |
| Jordan Larson | Alabama-Huntsville |
| Will Leneave | Union |
| Matthew Lombardozzi | Bentley |
| Brett Murray | Penn State |
| Colton Point | Colgate |
| Maxime St. Pierre | Colorado College |
| Bryce Van Horn | Colorado College |
| Lloydminster Bobcats | |
| Noah Bauld | Cornell |
| Kevin Darrar | Holy Cross |
| Cole Josefchak | Colorado College |
| Alex Leclerc | Colorado College |
| Christian Lloyd | Sacred Heart |
| Greg Moro | Clarkson |
| Alex Pernitsky | Colorado College |
| Nicholas Quillan | Colgate |
| Kris Spriggs | Niagara |
| Troy Van Tetering | Alaska |
| Trenton Golden Hawks | |
| Josh Allan | Sacred Heart |
| Kevin Lavoie | Robert Morris |
| Daniel Urbani | Canisius |
| West Kelowna Warriors | |
| Bryan Basilico | Lake Superior State |
| Liam Blackburn | New Hampshire |
| Kristian Blumenschein | Colorado College |
| Jonathan Desbiens | Bentley |
| Quin Foreman | Dartmouth |
| Kylar Hope | Alaska |
| Kyle Marino | Alaska |
| Brett Mennear | Bentley |
| Nick Rutigliano | Bentley |
| Connor Sodergren | Army |
| Rylan Yaremko | Northern Michigan |