by John Peterson
The list keeps getting longer. 11 members of the 2013-14 Austin Bruins team that advanced to the Robertson Cup Finals have made Division 1 college commitments.
The most recent commit is the youngest player from that storied team’s roster. This month, forward Trey Dodd (St. Louis, MO) announced he will play collegiately for Brown University.
The 18-year-old winger has spent most of the 2014-15 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, recording five goals and eight assists in 21 games played. He also appeared in nine games in a Bruins uniform in two stints back in Austin this year.
While playing for the St. Louis Jr. Blues of the NA3HL as a 16-year-old, Dodd impressed the Bruins coaches enough to sign a tender with the NAHL squad. After making the team last season, the power forward went on to score 11 goals and added six assists in 45 games.
Dodd tallied seven more points in 14 playoff games during the Bruins’ run to the national finals.
While his former team sits atop the Central Division with 12 games remaining in the NAHL schedule, Dodd’s Fighting Saints are in fourth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference through 40 games, which is currently good enough for a playoff spot.
Brown University competes in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) along with the likes of the Union College and Yale University, the past two National Champions. Dodd will also get a chance to play against his former Bruins teammate Sam Kauppila (Gurnee, IL – Green Bay Gamblers), who earlier this season committed to St. Lawrence in the ECAC.
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Here is a complete list of 2013-14 Bruins with Division 1 commitments (alphabetically): Jay Dickman (Shoreview, MN – Bemidji State), Dodd (Brown), Casey Jerry (Hudson, WI – MSU-Mankato), Kauppila (St. Lawrence), Lucas Kohls (Forest Lake, MN – UMass-Lowell), Guillaume Leclerc (Franois, France – UMass-Lowell), Nick Lehr (Roseville, MN – Minnesota), Charlie Manley (Orchard Park, NY – RPI), Brennan Sanford (Holt, MI – Michigan State), Joe Schuldt (Minnetonka, MN – Michigan Tech), Easton Viitala (Marquette, MI – Northern Michigan).
