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Former Malden Catholic and Kimball Union Academy hockey standout Nick Roberto has switched his commitment to Boston University, after de-committing from Maine in the recent weeks. He will join the Terriers for the 2013-14 season.

Roberto, a Wakefield, Mass. resident, tallied 23 goals and 48 points in 29 games for the Wildcats last season.

"Nick has worked very hard to attain this goal," KUA head coach Mike Levine said Monday. "The KUA community is very happy for both him and his family."

Roberto played the previous three seasons with Malden Catholic, where he was a part of the Lancers' Super 8 championship team in 2010-11, before enrolling at Kimball Union. He also was part of the Wildcats' Piatelli/Simmons Tournament victory in 2011-12 and was named Flood-Marr Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2012.

He joins former KUA teammates Doyle Somerby and John Macleod as BU commits and becomes the seventh player with Massachusetts roots joining the Terriers next year, including Robbie Baillargeon, Brendan Collier (former MC teammate), Tommy Kelley, Dalton MacAfee, T.J. Ryan and Somerby.

Roberto's change in commitment was first reported by Jasper Kozak-Miller of the "Over the Boards" hockey blog.

Selects Academy (Conn.) and former Catholic Memorial goaltender Shane Starrett announced his verbal commitment to Boston University on Sunday via his Twitter account.

The 6-foot-5, 180-pound netminder and Bellingham native is a 1994 birthdate and believed to land with the Terriers for the 2014-15 season.

Starrett was ranked 35th among North American goaltenders on the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm rankings in January. He has posted a 24-12-4 record and a 91.5 save percentage with the U-18 Selects Academy squad.

On Saturday, Feb. 2, BC High and Catholic Memorial will engage in their yearly Ed Wright Cup game at Boston University's Walter Brown Arena. The archrivals will have an added incentive for bragging rights this season, with two of the programs' most famous alums on hand. College hockey's all-time winningest coach Jerry York (BC High) and legendary BU bench boss Jack Parker (CM) will present the game's Most Valuable Player Award, celebrating the 50th year of the schools' hockey rivalry.

Here's more background info and historical perspective from Wright Cup committee member John Glynn:

Over the past 13 years, the Ed Wright Memorial Committee has presented an annual MVP Award in memory of Edward M. Wright, M.D. This Award memorializes the accomplishments of Ed Wright, a 1965 graduate of Catholic Memorial. It was also established to appreciate and recognize one of the best and oldest high school hockey rivalries in the country between B.C. High and Catholic Memorial. This year’s event is special because not only will there be the presentation of the MVP Award, but the co-presenters of the Award will be legendary coaches Jerry York (Boston College) and Jack Parker (Boston University).

This year, in addition to the MVP Award being presented, the Committee is very excited to commemorate the 50th year that these two schools have faced off, the first time being Dec. 31, 1962 at McHugh Forum. Looking through the attached documentation, you will see a rather unique history. One of the most interesting facts pertains to 2 legendary college hockey coaches, Jack Parker at Boston University and Jerry York at Boston College. Both Parker (CM ’63) and York (BCH ’63) faced off against each other in the very first shift of the first game; Coach Parker was the first line center for CM; Jerry York was the first line left wing for B.C. High. CM had a good night, won the game 7-3; Parker had 2 goals out of the 7 for CM; York had 2 goals out of the 3 for B.C. High. That was the first night that these 2 legends went through the traditional handshake line at the end of the game; just a preview for these two over the next 50 years.

Initially, the game was not a league game; in the early years, CM was in the old South Shore League and B.C. High was a member of the Boston City League. There was a major hockey realignment in the early 1970’s which resulted in the strong Catholic Conference emerging, including both B.C. High and CM. They played each other twice in league play and many more times at State Tournaments.

During the past 50 years, the intense rivalry, strong competition, excellent coaching produced many great players and coaches; it also produced high school students who participated as best as they could at the varsity high school hockey level who went on to be very successful adults, both personally and professionally. The tradition also included many sets of brothers who played at various times for these programs.

The Committee is very excited that both Jerry York and Jack Parker will present the 13th Edward M. Wright Memorial Award to the game’s Most Valuable Player. The Committee will also be introducing and/or recognizing the past 12 winners of the Edward M. Wright Memorial Award since 2001. In addition to Coaches Parker and York, 2 other original players, as representatives of each team who faced off at McHugh Forum on December 31, 1962, will be part of the post-game ceremony. The Committee expects a strong turnout to see a great hockey game, honor the tradition, and the individual Edward M. Wright, M.D. An attached summary of last year’s program about Ed’s background will give you an indication as to why Ed’s unfortunate passing on February 9, 2000 resulted in this Award in his name.

Shelby Herrington won her battle with the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Herrington, a junior, has played for the Bishop Brady (Concord) boys hockey team for the past two seasons, but the NHIAA ruled that Herrington could no longer skate for the boys team when Bishop Brady formed a cooperative girls team with Trinity High School of Manchester this year.

NHIAA bylaws state: “Interscholastic athletics involving mixed [boys and girls] competition is prohibited except in those instances where the member school does not offer equivalent activities for girls.”

Herrington has been centering Bishop Brady's second line.

Herrington's parents filed a suit against the NHIAA, and on Dec. 19 Merrimack County Superior Court judge Richard McNamara ruled that Herrington could continue to play for the boys team.

At issue is whether or not boys and girls hockey are considered “equivalent activities.” The Bishop Brady girls team doesn't practice as often as the boys team, and the girls team also has many players from Trinity, a school located 20 miles away. The boys teams has no players who do not attend Bishop Brady.

McNamara wrote: “This finding, though, does not lend any support to the [NHIAA's Council Appeal] Board's conclusion that the two teams provide 'equivalent activities' for each gender but, rather, lends support to the opposite conclusion.”

NHIAA executive director Pat Corbin expressed concern with the judge's decision, and the effect it night have on other NHIAA sports. He said the ruling could allow a boy cut from his team to play for a girls team.

“A concern is if this becomes a precedent for all other sports,” Corbin told the New Hampshire Union Leader. “All those things come to light.”

MERRIMACK'S BATTISTA RESIGNS
Joe Battista's five-year tenure as Merrimack High School's head coach ended Dec. 17, when he submitted his letter of resignation. The Tomahawks have a 15-40 record over the last five seasons.

“I feel I gave Merrimack everything I had,” Battista said. “A lot of kids gave me a lot. I just couldn't turn the program into a consistent winner.

“I started thinking about it [resigning] toward the end of the season. I thought it would be best to see what else is out there for me. I'm energized and motivated. I'm really looking forward to seeing what's next. I will be coaching somewhere next year.”

The highlight of Battista's five years with the program came in 2010, when the Tomahawks finished 7-4 and were one victory shy of making the Division II playoffs. Merrimack will compete in Division I next season, when NHIAA football will shrink from six divisions to three.

Merrrimack was 0-11 last season, a season that ended with a 41-14 loss to Souhegan on Thanksgiving. Battista, 42, wasn't on the Merrimack sideline on Thanksgiving for reasons that are still unclear.

“No comment on that,” Battista said. “I left Merrimack on good terms. There are no bitter feelings.”

KERSHAW AMED SHRINE COACH
There was talk that the Mascenic Regional (New Ipswich) football program might fold because of low participation numbers when Ray Kershaw became the team's head coach. Three years later Kershaw had the Vikings in the Division VI championship game.

Kershaw, a 46-year-old Springfield resident, was rewarded for his team's 2012 season by being named New Hampshire's head coach for this summer's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl. New Hampshire will face Vermont on Aug. 3 at Dartmouth College.

“It was very exciting for me when I found out I'd be New Hampshire's coach,” Kershaw said. “It's a great honor because of what the game is all about.”

Proceeds from the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl benefit Shriners' Hospitals for Crippled and Burned Children.

Both teams will being practicing for this year's game on Aug. 27.

MASCENIC ENDS LOSING STREAK
When the 2012-13 girls basketball season began no player on the Mascenic Regional girls basketball team had won a varsity game.

That changed when Mascenic beat Hillsboro-Deering 41-34 on Dec. 14. The victory ended the program's 94-game losing streak that began in the 2006-07 season. Mascenic has had five head coaches in the last six years.

Sarah Sharp scored a team-high 11 points in the win.

SHERBURNE SELECTS NIAGARA
Jamie Sherburne, a junior on the Bishop Guertin girls' basketball team, recently committed to play college basketball at Niagara University, a Division I program that competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

She is the second BG player who has committed to a Division I school. Meghan Green announced last July that she will continue her career at Boston University.

Sherburne and Green helped BG win the program's first state championship last March.

Roger Brown is a staff writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader, and publishes the New Hampshire Football Report: www.nhfootballreport.com.

Brewster Academy lacrosse senior defenseman Reid Randall has committed to Boston University, he told ESPN Boston.

Randall has been a varsity player for the Bobcats since his freshman year in both lacrosse and soccer.

Last summer, Randall played for 3D New England's championship team at the Denver shootout where he made the all star game. He also played for NESLL at the Brine Shootout and King of the Hill. He also attended Maverik Showtime and Jake Reed's Nike Blue Chip.

Dover-Sherborn boys' lacrosse attack/midfielder Grant Gregory has committed to Boston University for the 2015 season, he told ESPN Boston Tuesday night.

Gregory helped the Raiders to their first-ever MIAA Division 3 Eastern Mass. title in the spring and plays club lacrosse with Team Central. He is a three-sport athlete at D-S and also plays on the Raiders' soccer and basketball teams.

He also considered Virginia, Dartmouth, Providence, Brown and Princeton among his college choices. In the process, Gregory becomes the Terriers' first recruit for 2015.

Gregory was an Attack All-Star at both the Philly Showcase and the Baltimore Kick-off Classic. He's also played at UMass, Sea Wolf Shootout and the Philly Showcase this fall.

Cushing Academy freshman forward Cam Askew has committed to Boston University, he told ESPN Boston this afternoon.

After giving a verbal commitment to Northeastern last season, Askew pulled his commitment to the Huskies and reopened his recruitment in November.

Considered by many to be the top-rated 1997 birth year player in the country, Askew totaled 25 points (12 G, 13 A) for St. Sebastian's last season as an eighth-grader. Askew, a South Boston native, was also selected by the Indiana Ice in the sixth round of the 2012 USHL Entry Draft.

Former Arlington Catholic girls' hockey standout Natalie Flynn committed to Boston University this weekend.

Flynn, who's playing in a postgraduate year at Cushing Academy this year, announced her commitment via her Twitter account. She will enroll at BU in the fall and join the Terriers for the 2013-14 season.

"Boston University has always been my top choice, so I'm glad with the decision I made," Flynn told ESPN Boston Sunday night.

The Cougars captain helped lift AC to a victory over a heavily favored St. Mary’s of Lynn squad in last year's MIAA Division 1 state championship game. Flynn tallied 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points with the Cougars last season and was an ESPN Boston second-team All-State selection.

Former Duxbury High lacrosse standout Henry Narlee has committed to BU, joining its incoming class of 2014.

Narlee starred in football and lacrosse for the Dragons before enrolling at Avon Old Farms for his senior year. A midfielder by position, Narlee was also the Dragons' faceoff specialist.

During the summer he played for the 2014 AA Laxachusetts club team at the Brine Shootout, the N.E. Storm Tourney and King of the Hill in between resting shoulder injury. He scored the game-winning goal in three different games at the Brine Shootout.

When the Rhode Island Interscholastic League was founded in 1932, Westerly was one of the original schools to play football.

Chariho, which is roughly a long field goal from Westerly, didn’t add football until 16 years ago.

While games between Division I teams like Hendricken, La Salle, East Providence and Portsmouth invariably dominate the headlines, Westerly and Chariho have forced their way into the spotlight.

In fact, the Chargers captured the 2011 Division II Super Bowl championship – the first in school history but five less than the Bulldogs have amassed.

Westerly made an early bid for the Division II-A regular-season title on September 21 by biting the Chargers, 35-14.

The teams were tied 14-14 at halftime but Westerly (2-0) went ahead for good in the third quarter when quarterback Phil Lynch ran four yards for a touchdown.

Westerly broke the game open in the fourth when Tom McGuire also ran four yards for a score and Rob Lamotte followed by returning a punt 45 yards for a touchdown.

Max Bumarch scored Westerly’s first touchdown when he reeled off a 44-yard run midway through the opening quarter.

RAM TOUGH
La Salle remained undefeated (2-0) in Division I by posting a pair of impressive victories.

First, the Rams overcame an 11-7 deficit and rallied to beat Portsmouth, 42-25 as senior running back Josh Morris scored four touchdowns which accounted for 24 of the Rams’ points while Tyrell Cooper returned a kickoff 87 yards for a score and later caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Francis.

That set up a three-yard scoring run by Martin Bannerman.

Then, a week later, La Salle defeated Tolman, 42-20 with Morris shredding the Tigers’ defense for 180 yards and two scores on only 14 carries.

Francis provided balance to La Salle’s offense by completing 12-of-18 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns.

(Read full post)

Kimball Union Academy's Doyle Somerby was one of the more intriguing New England prospects in this year's NHL Draft Class.

The Marblehead, Mass. native started his high school career at St. Mary's of Lynn and, during his time with the Spartans, began the transition from playing forward to defense.

A rugged, 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, Somberby transferred to the Meriden, New Hampshire school for his sophomore season and continued his journey toward his professional dream.

That goal got a little closer to reality on Saturday as Somerby was selected by the New York Islanders in the fifth round (125th overall) in the NHL Draft.

"It's funny, [the Islanders were the first team I met with back in January," Somerby said in a phone interview from Pittsburgh. "But I only heard from them once more through the process, so it wasn't a surprise, but you're not really sure where you're going to end up."

Somerby will not be rushed to the NHL. He'll return for his final season at KUA in the fall (he'd also been drafted into the USHL and QMJHL) before heading off to join a deep class at Boston University in 2013. It's all part of a progression that Somerby's looking to fulfill.

"It was a tough transitition," Somerby said of his move back to the blue line. "It happened so fast. The biggest thing is still working on footwork. I'm a big guy and it took me a while to be comfortable with my body."

Somerby's development has been helped by playing against some of New England's top forwards at KUA, including Nick Roberto (Maine commit) and Niko Rufo (Providence College).

"Being at KUA, we have a bunch of small forwards who buzz around down low in the zone, like Roberto and Rufo," Somerby said. "It's built confidence in me being able to skate against those guys every day in practice."

He also credited his time in Lynn as having an impact on him.

"St. Mary's was great for me, it made me take school work seriously. Going out against the Austin Preps and Malden Catholics of the world and some of the players they had back then, that really helped me watching those players. It was great seeing them making the Super 8 so high last year, too."

While the work in progress continues, Somerby's looking forward to the hard work, with the ultimate pot of gold on the other side -- a chance to break in on Long Island.

"The team's been building with [Jonathan] Tavares and [Kyle] Okposo and they've got some really good defensemen," Somerby said. "I realize I've still got four, five more years to go, but it's exciting to see them buidling, getting the new rink and they have a great bunch of people in the front office. It's exciting to be a part of that."

After a whirlwind Saturday morning, Sam Kurker had one thing on his mind — lunch.

The St. John’s Prep standout was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (56th overall) of the NHL draft. He was in attendance at Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center with his family to hear his name called. After meeting with the media, a quick photo session and a meet-greet with new Blues owner Tom Stillman, head coach Ken Hitchcock and staff, the Reading, Mass., native had his first chance of the day to grab some grub.

“It’s been such a crazy day,” Kurker said during a post-lunch phone interview Saturday afternoon.

Kurker wrapped up his senior season with the Eagles as an ESPN Boston MIAA All-State first-teamer, scoring 32 goals with 28 assists for 60 points.

After the season, Kurker’s schedule remained full, fitting in interviews with prospective teams (he said he met with 25 teams) and attending the NHL combine. The 6-foot-2 inch, 210-pound winger called it a “stressful” experience.

“It’s tough,” Kurker said of the pre-draft gauntlet. “Between the combine and all the meetings, it’s tough. I tried to do the best in everything that I did because you want to leave a good impression on the teams.”

So Saturday came with a big sigh of relief.

“Looking at the draft board, you can guess where you might go, but you never know until it happens,” Kurker said. “But I’m very happy where I ended up. I felt most comfortable with St. Louis from the start.”

Kurker first sat down with Blues regional scout Vince Montalbano and then met with the entire staff at the combine.

He was looking forward to meeting some of his new teammates at the Blues' development camp, which will be held in July. But there’s no rest for Kurker. He realizes the process has just begun, and he’s already shifted his attention to joining Jack Parker’s BU Terriers next season.

“Going to BU, the goal is to a win a national title. With all those guys going [in the draft], hopefully we can do that.”

The Terriers had eight recruits taken in this year’s draft, several of whom have local ties, including Brendan Collier, Matt Grzelcyk, Danny O’Regan and Doyle Somerby.

“It’s great because there are a lot of local kids in that group and I think we all bring tough attitudes,” Kurker said. “I’m so excited to get going there.”

After making waves with their first-round pick on Friday night, the Boston Bruins kept things close to home for their third-round selection in the NHL entry draft.

With the 85th overall selection, the Bruins tabbed United States National Team Development Program U-18 (USHL) defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The 5-foot-9, 171-pound, puck-moving blueliner is a Charlestown, Mass., native who grew up a stone's throw away from the TD Garden.

Being drafted by the Bruins isn't Grzelcyk's only link to the Bruins. His father, John, is a longtime member of the "bull gang" at the Garden.

The 18-year-old will bring his hockey game back to Boston next season when he joins Boston University. Grzelcyk was also a member of the gold medal-winning Team USA squad that claimed its fourth straight title at the IIHF World Men's Under-18 Championship in April.

• Here's a snippet of Grzelcyk's reaction to being taken by the hometown team today, courtesy of the Bruins communications staff:

On whether he had any indication from the Bruins that they might draft him: "I met with them, so I mean I kind of had a rough idea, but you know I didn’t really come in with high expectations. So, it’s kind of a shock, but I couldn’t be happier."

On whether 84th was where he hoped and expected to be picked: "Not really, no, to be honest. You know I wasn’t ranked that high, I’m kind of a smaller guy, so it was pretty unexpected, but what can you say, you can’t go wrong."

On going through the draft with so many New England players:
"It’s great to see. I’ve known these kids ever since I was young, so it’s kind of a surreal feeling to be here with them and I’m just happy to share it with them."

On how his time with USA Hockey has helped him develop as a player: "It was probably the best two years of my life, you know I feel like I really needed the development and that’s exactly what I got. Being a part of that gold-medal team was just the best feeling I’ve had in hockey so far and couldn’t be happier that I stayed and had my time there in Ann Arbor."

On whether he’s ready to handle the pressure of playing for his hometown: "Yeah, definitely. I mean obviously there’s going to be a lot of people like my family and stuff, but I’ve always had this dream to play for the Bruins and hopefully that comes true one day."

• Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli touched on Grzelcyk's game earlier this week during his pre-draft conference call with the media. Here's what Chiarelli had to say:

"The Grzelcyk kid’s a very good, mobile defenseman. He’s later on down but he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

• Here's what Bruins director of amateur scouting Wayne Smith had to say on Grzelcyk's selection today:

"Well he’s the type of kid that plays much bigger than he is. He’s got a Bruin mentality. He plays to win; he plays hard; he’s hard to play against; he plays a virtually mistake-free game. His decision-making and his ability to move the puck is second-to-none in this draft. Obviously, it’s a great story that his father has worked at the Garden for [45] years. We brought him in to Boston in particular because we had keen interest in him, and after meeting with him, we just feel that he could be a part of helping us win another Stanley Cup."

The NHL Draft commences tonight in Pittsburgh and there is a host of New England-based high school, prep school and junior league players who hope hear their name called in the next two days.

More than 20 local players were represented on the NHL Central Scouting’s final draft rankings, released in April. So we took the task to the Northeast regional scouts of an Eastern and a Western Conference team to give their evaluations of some of New England’s best and brightest.

The region is moving into somewhat of a renaissance. Folks might like to wax about the good ole days, but there’s plenty of talent to be found around the local ponds right now. That fact was not lost on Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, who earlier this week during his annual pre-draft media availability, spoke about this year’s bumper crop.

“It is fairly deep,” Chiarelli said. “It’s the deepest that I’ve seen since I’ve been here and that’s a good sign. It’s a good sign that the registration numbers – usually, it means they’re going up – and obviously the quality of players for the NHL is increasing, too.”

So here’s a look at some of the local skaters to watch out for and their scouting evaluation.

(Players appear by NHL Central Scouting ranking among North American skaters.)

27. Cristoval "Boo" Nieves, Kent School, C
Scout’s take: “He’s an incredible skater, a tall, rangy kid. He’s more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer and finisher, but that’s what his role is, a playmaking-center man. His skating ability is as good or as close to as good as you’ll find in this draft.”

36. Sam Kurker, St. John's Prep, RW
Scout’s take: “He’s got great size, a big strong kid. He’s a great straight-line skater up and down the wing. [He’s got a] big, hard shot and she shows a willingness to play in the hard areas in front of the net, in the corners on the wall.”

54. Brian Hart, Phillips Exeter, RW
Scout’s take: “He’s got a huge shot. He’s real strong on the wall. He’s a very strong skater, in flight, he can really move.

Scout’s take on his soccer prowess as New Hampshire’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year: “You know that overall athletes usually make the best players in whatever sport they decide on.”

69. Chris Calnan, Noble & Greenough, RW
Scout’s take: “Got better and better as the year went on. He started to play physical and use the body, which I think is everybody was waiting to see. He’s got a bomb of a shot. And he’s got a commitment to BC now, that was nice to see.”

Chiarelli’s take: “I mean there are some good kids in the prep leagues and the Calnan kid’s a good player – a big strong kid – very physically mature, power-forward type.”

76. Danny O'Regan, St. Sebastian's, C
Scout’s take: “He’s a smaller, undersized forward, but plays with a ton of hockey sense. He’s very strong on his skates and plays with a little bit of jam. His intelligence and hockey sense really stick out.”

77. Jimmy Vesey, South Shore Kings/ Belmont Hill, LW
Scout’s take: “The best player in the area. I don’t care where it’s at, 100 points is a 100 points [scored with the Kings last season]. He grew a few inches and he’s just coming into his own. Harvard stole him. BC and BU were sleepwalking on him. He slid through draft last year, but I thought someone would take a shot. Someone’s going to be happy with him this year.”

Chiarelli’s take: “You’ve got in the EJ [Eastern Junior Hockey League], you’ve got the Vesey kid’s a good player. He’s second time through the draft, but very skilled, had a breakout year there, can really make some really good plays with the puck, whether it’s shooting or passing.”

79. Devin Tringale, Lawrence Academy, LW
Scout’s take: “Talk about a vastly underrated player. I think he’s going to go later than he should, but someone’s going to get a steal in this draft. He’s going to be a big asset at Harvard when he gets there.”

88. Frank Vatrano, USA U-18 (East Longmeadow, Mass.), C
Scout’s take: “If you were to put him in the Catholic Conference or prep school hockey, he’s a 50-goal scorer. He’s got an NHL shot right now, he’s got such a quick release. He’s very hard to knock off the puck. He’s become a very good hockey player [with Team USA].”

99. Doyle Somerby, Kimball Union, D
Scout’s take: “He’s got great size, as a forward turned D-man, so he’s a pretty good puck mover. He’s more of a stay-at-home defenseman, but a big, rangy kid. Good smooth stride for a kid his size and good speed in flight.”

101. Adam Gilmour, Noble & Greenough, RW
Scout’s take: “He’s got high skill, sets guys up. He’s going to get stronger. He’s a tall lanky kid. He’ll go to BC and that’s his type of game, playing a type of run-and-gun game, he’ll do fine there.”

143. Brendan Collier, Malden Catholic, LW
Scout’s take: “We hear this about him, he’s just a pure hockey player. Goal line to goal line, he works so hard, got a good compete level. I think he’s going to be a great college player. He’s got some potential because he just works so hard.”

Chiarelli’s take: “A couple of interesting one’s, the Collier kid, [he is] kind of under the radar a little bit, but a real gritty kid.”

177. Matthew Grzelcyk, USA U-18 (Charlestown, Mass.), D
Scout’s take: "I love him. His hockey IQ is up there with kids who are taken in the top 15 in the draft. If had to pick one kid to make the right play getting out of the zone, it’s him. He thinks the game. He finds the seams. He’s a hockey player. I think he’ll be running the PP at BU last year. He’s that David Warsofsky, Matt Hunwick type of player.”

Chiarelli’s take: “You’ve got some kids that kind of went to the U.S. Development Program but are from the area. The Grzelcyk kid’s a very good, mobile defenseman. He’s later on down but he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

St. John's Prep hockey standout Sam Kurker will be heading to Boston University in the fall, he announced via his Twitter account Thursday.

Kurker, an ESPN Boston All-State first-team selection in his senior year, originally committed to the Terriers for the 2013 season, but will arrive a year early on Commonwealth Ave.

Earlier this week, Kurker was selected in the USHL Entry Draft, 134th overall by the Indiana Ice.

The Reading native scored 32 goals with 28 assists for 60 points for the Eagles last season while leading Prep to the Super 8 crossover round. He is ranked 36th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in this year's draft class.