College hockey players who hail from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all played a part in the success of their respective ECAC Hockey and NCAA Division 1 schools this past season.
Perhaps no school utilized local players more than Princeton University, which boasted no less than six players from the Tri-State area last season as the Tigers went on to garner their first ECAC Hockey championship and accompanying automatic NCAA tournament berth in 10 years. One of them, senior Eric Robinson (Bellmawr, N.J.), even went on to make his NHL debut last spring with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Other ECAC Hockey players, such as Cornell forward Anthony Angello (Manlius, N.Y), turned pro before completing their college eligibility. That group also includes 2018 All-America selections Ryan Donato of Harvard, Sheldon Rempal of Clarkson and Colton Point of Colgate.
Tri-State skaters also starred in Atlantic Hockey last winter. Dylan McLaughlin (Lancaster, N.Y.) of Canisius College established personal overall highs of 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points, second-best in the league, and tied for the conference games-only scoring lead with 15 goals and 42 points. He also topped the century mark in career points last year and earned an invitation to the New York Rangers development camp this summer. Marc Johnstone (Cranford, N.J.) surpassed the 30-point mark last season as a freshman for Sacred Heart University, while Joseph Duszak (Franklin Square, N.Y.) of Mercyhurst College led all Atlantic Hockey defensemen with 29 points in 29 conference contests. Senior goaltender Jake Bryniarski (Rochester, N.Y.) returns as a back-up netminder for Bentley.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut natives also have figured prominently in other Division 1 leagues outside ECAC Hockey and Atlantic Hockey, as close as New England’s Hockey East and as far as the Midwest powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which has won the past three NCAA Division 1 men’s hockey national titles.