More Nlers turning heads on U.S. ice

Ryan Greene will wait one more hockey season before he joins Mark Hillier, reigning NCAA DI rookie of the year, Alex Newhook and Adam Dawe in the Hockey East conference.

Greene will play a full season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), a Tier I junior circuit in the U.S. that serves as a breeding ground for most NCAA schools.

A 16-year-old from Paradise, Greene has committed to Boston University.

He is set to join the Terriers for the 2021-22 hockey season.

Newhook, from St. John’s, led all U.S. college rookies in scoring this season with 42 points for the Boston College Eagles.

Dawe, from Gander, just finished his second season at the University of Maine, scoring eight goals and 18 points in 28 games for the Black Bears.

Greene spent three years playing prep school hockey at Connecticut’s South Kent school, with the Selects Academy squad.

This season, he left South Kent in January and joined the USHL’S Gamblers for 18 games where he had three goals and a pair of assists.

“It certainly took five or six games,” said the 6-0, 160pound forward, “to get adjusted to the flow of the game, But I could definitely see an improvement in my development there (in the USHL).”

Also returning to the NCAA ranks next season is Bowling Green goaltender Zack Rose of Paradise, who just completed his freshman season with the Falcons.

Rose was 2-2-1 with a 2.20 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.

Out west, Matt Mckim of St. John’s is set to play U.S. college hockey with the University of Alaska-fairbanks in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

Mckim committed to Alaska in January.

A 5-9, 160-pound winger, Mckim, 20, led the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in scoring this season with 24 goals and 85 points in 57 games.

He was eight overall in league scoring in the junior A circuit.

This is Mckim’s second season playing in western Canada. He spent the 201819 campaign with the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League, but had his junior A rights traded to Bonnyville in a summertime deal.

Before moving into the junior ranks, Mckim also attended St. Andrew’s College.

SOUTH KENT SCHOOL - SUBMITTED Ryan Greene of Paradise had 17 goals and 57 points in 46 games for Connecticut’s South Kent prep school this season. He wound up the year with the USHL’S Green Bay Gamblers, where he will play next season.

HOCKEY EAST PHOTO – SUBMITTED Alex Newhook of St. John’s was the top rookie in NCAA hockey this past season, leading all first-year players with 42 points for the Boston College Eagles.