1998 (F) Kevin O’Neil commits to UConn for 2021 out of the transfer portal
UConn has added Yale forward O’Neil out of the transfer portal. O’Neil would have been a senior this past season but the Ivies opted out of the 2020-21 season.
In 2019-20 as a junior, O’Neil had 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 32 games. He appeared in 94 games for the Bulldogs over three seasons and he scored 17 goals and added 27 assists for 44 points with a -20 rating and 34 penalty minutes.
1996 (F) Luke Santerno commits to Clarkson for 2021 out of the transfer portal
Clarkson has landed a big addition in former Bentley forward Luke Santerno. The 24-year-old is a British Columbia native who has appeared in 123 career NCAA games with 34 goals and 71 assists.
This past season, Santerno appeared in 15 games for the Falcons and had 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists). Santerno had 30-point seasons as a freshman and sophomore before scoring 23 points as a junior.
2001 (F) Drew Vieten commits to Niagara for 2021
Vieten is a California native who appeared in 30 games for the Wichita Falls Warriors in the NAHL this season, where he scored 13 goals and added 16 assists. Vieten played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings from 13U through 18U and spent last season in the BCHL with West Kelowna before moving to the NAHL this season. Vieten has a twin brother, David Vieten, who is also in the NAHL with the Kenai River Brown Bears.
We had Vieten ranked No. 27 in the NAHL this season among 2001 birth years.
2004 (D) Kevin Fitzgerald commits to UConn for 2023
Fitzgerald is a 16-year-old defenseman from Bath, Ontario who is on the roster for the Brockville Braves in the CCHL this season. Fitzgerald appeared in 35 games last season for the Greater Kingston Front U16 team, where he scored three goals and added 15 assists.
Fitzgerald played U14 World Selects for the Pro Hockey Selects and he played for the Ottawa Stars U15 at the 2019 World Selects U15.
NZ Scouts: “Fitzgerald is a two way left shot defender with good vision and puck management skills. He skates well, engages physically with good gap and has enough confidence to step up on opponents in any zone of the ice. Fitzgerald is not a big bodied defender but is physical and can hit with authority. Offensively, he continues to impress us with his puck management on the power play and his ability to use his mobility to find good shooting lanes to get pucks through on target. A player we continue to watch and see developing as he increases his strength.”
2001 (D/F) Luis Linder commits to AIC for 2021
Linder is another international player for the Yellowjackets, originally from Austria. Linder played for the Junior Bruins NCDC team last season where he scored eight goals and added 34 assists in 39 games.
This season, Linder has appeared in four games for Austria’s World Junior team. The Junior Bruins announced Linder’s commitment on Twitter and noted that COVID restrictions prevented him from playing for the Bruins this season.