Last month, Brown received a commitment from 6-foot-3 Salisbury forward Dean Bauchiero, a 3.75-star player from nearby Southington, Conn. Bauchiero will turn 18 later this year, but we’ve been following him since he was a U14 player at The Cup North American Championship in 2017.
This season as a junior, Bauchiero has 10 goals and six assists in 25 games for Salisbury. In the fall, he also played for the powerful Rochester Selects team in the Beast League.
“He showed a great deal of offensive ability and he can move well as a big man,” our scouts said. “Bauchiero does everything hard; his stride is very explosive and he can gain a fair amount of speed when he gets going. He has an absolute rip for a shot, plus he is accurate and does not miss the net often.”
NZ: What first sparked your interest in hockey as a kid?
Bauchiero: “For me as a kid, I was around hockey because of my brother. Having a brother 11 years older than me, he was a huge role model for me. I went to as many hockey games of his that I could.”
NZ: How do you see yourself as a player? How do you describe your style? Is there any player you model your game after?
Bauchiero: “I’m a big forward and I play that role. I’m physical, as much as I can be. I try to make the simple plays. I work hard in the corners and in front of the net. There isn’t really one player I model my game after, I try to add to my game as much as I can from others players around me.”
NZ: Where are some areas of your game you’re looking to improve the most?
Bauchiero: “I’m always trying to improve on my skating and hands. Over the past few years that’s been my main focus as a player.”
NZ: Reading through our scouting reports, our scouts love your skating and speed, especially for someone who has size at 6-3. Is that something you’ve worked a lot on?
Bauchiero: “Yes, they have improved over this past year and that’s been one of my main focuses when it comes to improving.”
NZ: What has your experience been like at Salisbury? Where do you feel like your game has grown the most there?
Bauchiero: “Salisbury has helped me improve as a player and person as much as possible. The coaches are always working on improving and getting better as a player. My game has grown mostly with being able to play at a higher speed and make plays quicker.”
NZ: What was your recruiting process like?
Bauchiero: “For me, I was lucky to have Brown talk to me because it is a place I can see myself playing at. The school offers a great education which is something I wanted out a school. It all happened pretty quickly, and I knew it was a place I wanted to go to after I visited.”
NZ: When you finally settled on Brown, what about that program made it the place for you?
Bauchiero: “The program is a place I could see myself at and that I want to be involved with. I can fit in as a bigger player with how the style that they play.”
NZ: Being from Connecticut, has it been a cool experience playing at Salisbury and now Brown in the future, in that a lot of your family I’m sure has been able, and will be able, to attend a lot of games?
Bauchiero: “Yes, playing at Salisbury is awesome because I can have family come to most games with it being close. For Brown, with it being close as well, I will be able to have family come to games which is big for me.”
