TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team will add four forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender to the roster for the 2016-17 season, head coach Seth Appert has announced. Five are from the United States, two are from Canada and one is from Austria.
“I am excited to welcome the Class of 2020 to the RPI Hockey Family,” said Appert. “This is a class that will help us in every position and in many different ways. They add skill level, passion and competitiveness to a talented group of returning players to make up the 2016-17 Engineers. Bryan Vines and Nolan Graham have done a first class job in bringing in a nationally competitive class which includes two NHL draft picks, 23 combined years of junior hockey experience and players from three different countries.”
Below is the list of Rensselaer’s recruits with their 2015-16 statistics and a quote from Appert:
Forwards
Todd Burgess (6’2, 185)
Center/Right Wing from Phoenix, Ariz. / Fairbanks (NAHL)
60 GP: 38 goals – 57 assists – 95 points
“Todd is a very talented power forward. He has a strong mix of vision and goal scoring ability. He made great strides in Fairbanks this past season as captain while leading the league in scoring and leading his team to a NAHL National Championship. Burgess is a NHL draft pick of the Ottawa Senators.”
Jacob Hayhurst (5’9, 170)
Center/Left Wing from Missassauga, Ont. / Cedar Rapids (USHL)
52 GP: 8 goals – 17 assists – 25 points
“Jacob is a skilled and competitive player who seems to be at his best in big games and in the playoffs. He is extremely good in small areas and has a high willingness to go to the net and make plays in traffic. He has been a great playoff performer and helped the Lakeshore Patriots to the RBC Cup with current Engineers defenseman Mike Prapavessis.”
Patrick Polino (5’9, 175)
Center/Left Wing from Buffalo, N.Y. / Lincoln (USHL)
39 GP: 13 goals – 16 assists – 29 points
“Patrick is a talented and tenacious player who will fit in well with how we want to play at RPI. He brings a wealth of experience from the USHL with over 200 games played and over 100 career points. He has proven himself as a leader and producer in the most demanding junior league in North America.”
Maximilian Reisinger (6’0, 190)
Center/Left Wing from Walding, Austria / Minot (NAHL)
26 GP: 10 goals – 14 assists – 24 points
“Max is a strong power forward with a proven scoring touch. He has been a very successful two-way player in the NAHL and has also been a top line player for the Austrian National World Junior Team.”
Defense
Charlie Manley (5’11, 190)
Left Defense from Orchard Park, N.Y. / Estevan (SJHL)
53 GP: 2 goals – 18 assists – 20 points
“Charlie is an elite skating defenseman, who is difficult to play against. His mobility and skating ability allow him to eliminate time and space from opponents and transition to offense. He had a very successful two-year stay in Estevan becoming an assistant captain this past season.”
Will Reilly (6’2, 190)
Right Defense from Toronto, Ont. / Nanaimo (BCHL)
52 GP: 9 goals – 23 assists – 32 points
“Will is an offensively talented, big and mobile defenseman. He has the size to be hard to play against and the shot and puck moving ability to create offense and play on the power play. He brings two years of junior hockey success with him and helped the Nanaimo Clippers to a deep playoff run this season.”
TJ Samec (6’3, 195)
Left Defense from St. Paul, Minn. / Brookings (NAHL)
60 GP: 10 goals – 15 assists – 25 points
“TJ is a big, tough defender and leader. He was captain for his team this past year and also contributed 10 goals with a very heavy shot. His toughness and competitiveness has consistently shown through. He has also won Minnesota State Championships with St. Thomas Academy.”
Goalie
Chase Perry (6’3 190)
From Andover, Minn. / Wenatchee (BCHL)
43 GP: 23 wins – 16 loses – 0 ties – 2.62 GAA – .892 SV%
“Chase is a very talented goaltender who has the size and athleticism to become an elite collegiate goaltender. He brings a great wealth of experience vital to the position after two years of junior hockey with Wenatchee and one year of NCAA hockey for Colorado College. Perry is an NHL draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings.”
