To view a player’s complete NZ profile, click in the link in each headline.
2001 Spencer Cox (D) commits to Long Island for 2021
Cox is a Pa. native who had a nice season for the Chippewa Steel in teh NAHL this season, posting a pair of goals and 11 assists in 23 games while he also appeared in a couple of USHL games for the Omaha Lancers.
Cox came up with the Ohio Blue Jackets and then lpayed at Culver Military Academy, where he captained the team last season.
NZ Scouts: “Offensive-minded defenseman that distributes the puck very well on the breakout. He likes to get the puck going the other way quickly so he can jump up and be an extra man in the play. His skating and stickhandling ability is what make him the most effective as an offensive threat.”
2001 Hugo Haas (G) commits to AIC for 2022:
Haas is the latest international player to commit to AIC. He’s a 6-foot goalie who is with the Northeast Generals (NAHL) this season for his first year in North America.
Haas has appeared in 27 games for the Generals and he’s posted a 3.26 GAA and .919 save percentage; those numbers suggest he’s facing a ton of shots. Prior to coming overseas, he spent two seasons playing in Sweden. In 2018 he appeared in 30 games for the Lidingo Vikings (2.01/.930) and in 2019 he appeared in 21 games fo rthe Vaxjo Lakers J20 team (3.04/.909). His father, Rostislav, was a goalie who played professionally in Europe for 21 seasons.
NZ Scouts: “Hass was good early in the game at playing the puck making effective plays helping his team breakout. Hass made some great saves throughout the game when his team was down a man.”
2000 F Kaleb Ergang commits to Ferris State for 2021
The Spruce Grove native has carved out a nice AJHL career for himself. This season he has appeared in six games for Whitecourt and has three goals and three assists. Last year he appeared in 51 games and scored 17 goals while he added 38 assists. He’s made appearances in the AJHL since 2016, and in total he has appeared in 159 games, where he has scored 41 goals and 73 assists.
NZ Scouts: “Very strong on the half wall and is confident he will get pucks out. He has a great set of hands and creates a lot of space with them. Scored a nice goal where he picked up the puck below the goal line then used his feet to escape pressure up the half wall and across the blue where he released a quick seeing eye shot.”
2004 D Kaiden Ellertson commits to Nebraska-Omaha for 2022
Ellertson is another AJHL alum. He appeared in one game for Lloydminster last season and was set to play for Blackfaids this year. Ellertson came up with the Red Deer Rebels and played in the Macs Tournament, Alberta Cup and World Selects Invitational as a 15-year-old. He was selected by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.
NZ Scouts: “He is an offensive defenseman with good size and reach. He closed quickly to defend in his end and immediately started transition. He understood that the quicker he moved the puck up, the less time the opponents had to regroup. His vision is excellent and he snapped accurate passes all over the place. His versatility will suit him well down the road. Played 5-3 PK after a timeout, so his coaches trust him defensively.”
2004 D Leo Schwartz commits to Brown for 2023
Schwartz is a New York native who played with the Westchester Express 16U team this season. Prior to this year, he played three seasons with the Long Island Gulls as a 13U, 14U and 15U player.
Schwartz played for the Midwest Selects as a U12, U13, and U14 player at the World Selects and played for the Elite Hockey Group as a U15 player at the World Selects.
NZ Scouts: “Is a fleet-footed defender who plays an aggressive style and breaks the offensive zone down, allowing his forwards to gain the line with ease. We like his quickness and ability to charge into the zone at a moment’s notice. He has the top-end speed to blow by the competition and routinely gains entry without any issue.”
