Five locals commit as Division 1 college hockey signing period opens

Buffalo Junior Sabres product Alex Bales has committed to Providence. (Rosemarie Wallace)

On the first day that rising high school juniors could commit to play Division 1 college hockey, five players from New York and New Jersey jumped on offers.

Four ’06s and one late ’05 committed to programs in the Big Ten, Hockey East, and ECAC Hockey.

In the least surprising local announcement of the day, Buffalo Junior Sabres product Alex Bales committed to Providence. The ’06 from East Amherst, N.Y., pledged to the Friars coming off a stellar season at Kent School and with the Yale Junior Bulldogs.

Bales had a goal and 10 assists for Kent, helping the Lions win the NEPSAC Martin/Earl Large School Tournament.

He’s on the smaller side, but he skates well, makes smart puck touches, and brings a physical element on the defensive end. A fourth-round pick of the Tri-City Storm in the USHL Phase I Draft, he’s expected back at Kent and Yale Junior Bulldogs this season. His father, Mike Bales, has been the goaltending coach for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres since the 2019-20 season.

The most high-profile player to commit from the region was John Whipple, a native of Morristown, N.J. The ’06 moved away from the region following the 2018-19 season, playing one year with Minnetonka Bantam AA and then the last two with Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

Whipple committed to play for the University of Minnesota. A dynamic athlete, Whipple can contribute offensively and has the brute strength to be hard to play against in his own zone. In 54 games with Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15 Only this past season, he scored 18 goals and had 37 assists. He’ll spend the next two seasons playing for USA Hockey’s NTDP.

Whipple wasn’t the only local player pledging to a Big Ten program. Sioux Falls Power 16-U defenseman Brian Lonergan of Montvale, N.J., announced his commitment to Michigan. Just four days shy of being an ’06, Lonergan moved away from the North Jersey Avalanche for the 2021-22 season. In 43 games for Sioux Falls Power, he scored two goals and had 23 assists. Lonergan was being courted by mid-level Hockey East and ECAC Hockey programs prior to June’s USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp. His outstanding performance in that event led to him garnering serious interest from the Wolverines. A sixth-round pick of the Fargo Force in the 2022 USHL Phase II Draft, he’s expected to play for that organization this season.

Long Island Gulls and Delbarton defenseman Daniel D’Alessandro announced his commitment to Princeton. The Essex Falls, N.J., native chose the Tigers after his first season with the Gulls. The ’06 New Jersey Colonials product had a goal and an assist in 13 games with the Long Island Gulls 16-U. He also scored four goals and had six assists while skating for Delbarton at the high school level. It’s expected that D’Alessandro, a fourth-round pick of Sioux Falls in the USHL Phase I Draft, will be back with the Gulls in 2022-23.

Bishop Kearney Selects defenseman Alex Visnapuu pledged his allegiance to St. Lawrence on Monday. The ’06 from East Chatham, N.Y., was part of a strong group on the school’s 15 Only team. Visnapuu had seven goals and 27 assists in 69 games for the national semifinalists. A good-sized defender, Visnapuu’s physical tools are considered strong for this birth year. If he improves his hockey sense, this could be a monumental get for the Saints. Visnapuu is transferring to play for Mount Saint Charles 16-U in 2022-23.

While those five were the only locals to commit, two other marquee prospects who played in the region during the 2021-22 season made their college choices public on Monday. New Jersey Rockets 16-U center Kamil Bednarik and North Jersey Avalanche 16-U defenseman Cole Hutson both committed to Boston University. They’ll spend the next two years together with USA Hockey’s NTDP before matriculating to the Terriers.

Outside of Princeton and St. Lawrence committing D’Alessandro and Visnapuu, respectively, one other local college received a commitment. RPI obtained a pledge from Westminster and Yale Junior Bulldogs center Ryan Shaw, an ’05 who previously played for Massachusetts high school powerhouse Pope Francis.