Thanksgiving marks the unofficial end of the “early” part of the college hockey season, and it’s at this point that we usually look at freshmen who have made a big impact for their teams and the league in general.
But this year is unique, at least in terms of rookies. About a dozen players in the league elected to use the additional year granted by the NCAA due to COVID and return as grad students. The conference also saw a large influx of players transferring in, around 30 in all, mostly grad students and upperclassmen.
That has created a lot of top-heavy rosters, and put a squeeze on playing time for most freshmen.
So it’s been especially difficult for a rookie to make a name for himself (unless that name is Carter Wilkie, but more on that later).
For this reason, I’ve expanded this list of top newcomers to feature both freshmen and transfers, as well as a sophomore who saw no ice time last year.
Here are our top six newcomers so far:
1. Carter Wilkie, freshman, RIT
There have been eight Player of the Week awards handed out by the league so far, and Wilkie has won five of them. He’s currently first among rookies and eighth overall in the league in scoring with six goals and six assists to date.
Wilkie was named Player of the Month in Atlantic Hockey for October and November.
2. Gavin Abric, sophomore, Army West Point
Abric didn’t play last season, backing up All-American Trevin Kozlowski, but won the starting role this season compiling a 2.28 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 11 games. Both are best in Atlantic Hockey.
3. Evan DeBrouwer, grad student, Bentley
DeBrouwer played in 51 games at Arizona State before transferring to Bentley. He’s been hot lately, winning his last three starts and posting a 1.56 GAA and a .947 save percentage in five contests. DeBrouwer was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the week for Nov. 29 for his performance against Army, stopping 51 of 52 shots in a pair of games, which included a 25 save shutout on Saturday.
4. Danny Pearson, freshman, Bentley
The rookie has appeared in only six games for the Falcons, but is likely to see more action based on his numbers. He has at least a point in five of those six games, including a pair of goals last Saturday’s 5-0 win. Pearson was the AHA Rookie of the Week for Nov. 29.
5. Clayton Cosentino & Andrew DeCarlo, freshmen, Air Force
Air Force and Army West Point can’t grant an additional year of eligibility, nor can they accept transfers. That leaves both at a disadvantage in this new area of player free agency. Air Force is the youngest team in the league, regularly dressing 10 freshmen while most teams have only three or four in the lineup each night.
Standing out in the crowd of rookies for the Falcons are Cosentino (six points, tied for third on the team) and DeCarlo (five points, tied for seventh). Both have appeared in all 14 games for Air Force. DeCarlo was named AHA Rookie of the Week for November 15.
