Recruitment Update: 5/22/13

St. Anselm transfer and Trinity recruit Liam McKillop

Since out last update, we have learned of three additional names for the 2013-14 NESCAC recruitment list. Trinity added a prep school forward in St. Paul's Nate Wark and a NCAA D-II transfer in St. Anselm's Liam McKillop. Tufts nabbed prep school forward Matt Pugh from Salisbury.

Trinity
Burlington, VT native and Trinity recruit Nate Wark co-captained St. Paul's varsity hockey team with Williams recruit Greg Zaffino in 2012-13. Wark, a 5'11" 180 lb. forward, spent the past three seasons at the Vermont prep school. In 2011-12, Wark finished sixth on the Pelicans with 12 points (5-7-12). As a senior this past season, he had 18 points (5-13-18). The Scouting News noted Wark's  "quickness and accurate shot" and prior to the 2012-13 season, the New England Hockey Journal named him a player to watch.

Wark played baseball for the Pelicans in 2011-12 but stepped away from the diamond in his senior season. More importantly, he participated in a three-on-three hockey tournament in 2011 that raised over 2,000 dollars for Haiti earthquake relief efforts. Wark's team didn't win the tourney, but they did take home the prize for best uniform for their fluorescent leotards. Current Colby Mule Brendon Bourgea's team won the charity event.

Before coming to St. Paul's, Wark played high school hockey in Burlington. In 2010, Wark made the Burlington Free Press All-Vermont team for his 51 point sophomore campaign (19-32-51).

Wark will be joined on Coach Matt Greason's squad next season by NCAA D-II transfer Liam McKillop. The 5'11" 175 lb. forward spent his first two college years with St. Anselm's, netting 56 points (27-29-56) in 49 games. This past season, he was second on the team in goals (16) and tied for the team lead in points (16-16-32).  The Hawks won the Northeast-10 regular season and conference championships with McKillop making the NE-10 All-Conference team.

St. Anselm is technically D-II, but they also play a D-III ECAC East regular season schedule with teams such as national powerhouse and Middlebury rival Norwich. The NE-10 is the only D-II conference that has hockey and since the NCAA D-II Hockey Championship was suspended after 1999, St. Anselm and other D-II hockey schools have no post-season aspirations, similar to NESCAC members prior to 1993.  The first ever D-II hockey championship in 1978 was mentioned in last week's Throwback Thursday piece.

Before going to the Manchester, N.H. college, McKillop played junior hockey on Long Island  for the New York Bobcats. Prior to that, the New York native grew up on Manhattan's east side and played youth hockey with many current NESCAC players. McKillop was part of both the North Jersey Avalanche peewee national champions and Long Island Gulls midget team that made it to the national semifinals.

Wark and McKillop become the 11th and 12th names on Trinity's recruiting list, tying them for now with Colby for most recruits for 2013-14.  Bowdoin, Hamilton and Williams come in tied for third with nine recruits each, followed by Tufts with eight, Wesleyan and Conn College with six, Middlebury with four and Amherst with only three names so far. 

A large recruiting class that includes proven scorers such as McKillop should help Trinity soften the blow of losing four of their five top scorers from 2012-13 to graduation. 

Tufts
Salisbury forward Matt Pugh will head to Medford, MA next year to play hockey for the Jumbos. USHR describes Pugh as a "solid, north/south power forward who can skate and is strong enough to hold his own at the D-I level." In his PG season in 2012-13, the 6'1" 190 lb. forward finished fifth on the team in scoring with 25 points (11-14-25) en route to a New England Prep School Championship. Currently Pugh pitches and plays outfield for the 21-2 powerhouse Salisbury baseball team.

Prior to PGing at Salisbury, the Watertown, MA native spent three years at Buckingham Browne and Nichols. In 2011-12, Pugh was an All-ISL selection and finished second on BB&N with 40 points (17-23-40) in addition to co-captaining the Knights with his once and future teammates, current Jumbos Luke Griffin and Aidan Hartigan. Pugh led BB&N in scoring with 37 points (14-23-37) in the 2010-11 season and co-captained the team with Hartigan and current Hobart player Alex Quinn. 

Apparently Pugh wants to room at Tufts with Jumbo recruit Conal Lynch from Andover.  So there's that.

@clynch_7 we rooming together or what kid
— Matt Pugh (@PepeLePugh10) April 29, 2013

While at BB&N, Pugh played split seasons with the U18 Junior Bruins along with Wesleyan recruit Elliot Vorel and Colby goalie recruit Ben Csiernik.  You can find a highlight video of Pugh from his time with the Bruins in 2011-12 here.

Pugh also played summer hockey for the Boston Junior Whalers and will skate for them in the Chowdah Cup this summer. The Whalers have a post on their website congratulating Pugh and Trinity recruit Jordy Abrams on their NESCAC futures.  Pugh may follow the likes of Bowdoin's Tim McGarry in playing NESCAC hockey and baseball, but has not yet committed to the diamond for the Jumbos.