Headlining the recruiting class is Josh Gilliam from Peterborough, Ontario. Ranked 139th as a skater by NHL Central for North America, the 2004-2005 Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League Rookie of the Year scored 104 points with the Peterborough Stars last season. He was the second-leading scorer in the league for 2005-2006, and in 105 games with the Stars he recorded 163 points overall. Gilliam was also selected to play in the Canadian Junior A Top Prospects Game last season.
Andrew Owsiak is a high scoring forward coming out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In two years in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League and Alberta Junior A League, Owsiak racked up 58 goals and 89 assists for 157 points. In 2004-2005 in the Midget AAA League, Owsiak was the league's second leading scorer and a league all-star.
Forwards T.J. Galiardi and Rob Smith, both from Calgary, combined for 150 points over the last two seasons. Galiardi was invited to participate in the 2006 Alberta Junior Hockey League All-Star Game and play in the Viking Cup Tournament that featured select players from the AJHL South.
Defenseman Harry Taylor, out of Toronto, Ontario, played the last two seasons with the Saint Mike's Buzzards of the OPJHL, scoring 56 points over that span.
Four Americans round out next year's class. Perhaps the most intriguing player in the group is Joey Gaudet. Gaudet's name will be familiar to most Dartmouth hockey fans, as he is one of head coach Bob Gaudet's sons. The local product from Etna, N.H., was a three-time choice for the New Hampshire All-State Hockey team and led Hanover High School to two state titles. The former New Hampshire High School Division I Player of the Year, Gaudet played for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs this year for whom he scored 35 points for the Eastern Junior Hockey League champions.
Peter Bodlt, a resident of Greenwich, Conn. and a graduate of the Taft School, spent last season overseas playing for Sodertalje of Sweden. The forward scored 10 points in 46 games during his tenure in the Swedish Under-20 Elite League.
Defenseman Kevin McCarthy will help solidify the already strong backline for the Big Green next season. McCarthy played his prep hockey at local Stoneham High School before transferring to Phillips Exeter Academy. He's an offensively active defenseman, and has scored 67 points since 2004-2005.
Rounding out the recruiting class is goalie Joel Grossman of Foxboro, Mass. He will vie for playing time with Dan Goulding '09 and Mike Devine '08, who was selected as the team's most improved player after posting a 15-7-2 record overall and a13-4-2 mark in the ECACHL. In 72 games with the Waterloo Blackhawks of the U.S. Hockey League, Grossman went 31-27-5 with a 2.91 GAA and a .900 save percentage.
It will be a test for these rising freshman next season, as the Big Green comes off one of its most successful campaigns in recent history, having capturing the ECACHL crown.
After starting the season 1-4 with three straight conference losses, Dartmouth started a hot streak beginningwith a 6-1 victory over then-third ranked Cornell to finish 13-8-1 in the league. The Big Green advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament in Albany before falling to Harvard 10-1 for a disappointing ending to a great season.
The Big Green will open the 2006-2007 season with an exhibition game in Hanover on October 21 at 7 p.m., with the opponent to be announced.
