Jack Gorton Commits to RPI
Son of Canadiens GM played sparingly at BU the past two years
The Engineers received a commitment over the summer from former BU Terrier Jack Gorton, who hails from Westchester, NY. Jack notched just three games over his first two seasons at Boston University and found himself stuck behind some of the best talent in college hockey. He comes to RPI in hopes of more ice time and an opportunity to come through on the talent that once earned him a commitment to one of the best programs in the country. Let’s take a look at Jack’s game and see where he fits into the puzzle this year:
A BCHL Standout
Gorton committed to Boston University in December 2021 after two years with Victoria in the BCHL. In his final year of juniors, he produced at nearly a point-per-game and doubled his goal total. Scouting reports from his BCHL days identified him as a physical player with a frame built for the college game at 6’3 200. Gorton is a physical, power forward with a plus shot, which he often uses to create chances off the rush. His strong and disruptive physical play is something that should project well into RPI’s bottom 6 this year.
Coach Lang spoke quite a bit about recruiting players from winning programs as he looks to establish culture within this reshaped roster. Gorton was clearly hindered by the talent that was ahead of him at BU the last two years, as that program has been knocking on the door of a National Championship lately. One understated reason Jack may find opportunity here is that the forwards are incredibly skewed towards lefties right now. The only right-shot forwards that are locks to play significantly are Filip Sitar and Jagger Tapper, and I’d expect Buckley & Kyrkostas to get time as well. Gorton is a bit of an unknown commodity, but I see a path for him in the bottom 6 given his physicality, right-handed shot, and size.
Gorton will return to his old school when RPI kicks off the season with a scrimmage at BU on October 5th. The season is coming up soon and we can’t wait to see this team hit the ice!