Recruit 2023-24 Season Recap
The pipeline is looking well-stocked for 2024 and 2025
We’ve made it more than halfway through the offseason, and with the recruiting class for this fall recently announced, it’s time to review the seasons that each recruit had. We had a mid-season update in December, so we’ll mostly be focusing on the second half of the year. We also will look ahead to what next season has in store for all of the recruits and have some special player cards via Puck Preps.
2024
Mathieu Bourgault - Bourgault ended up being traded to Bismarck in the spring, and he didn’t have as good numbers with them because he was playing lower in the lineup. In total, he ended up with 10 goals, 25 assists and 35 points in 61 games. I’m not too worried about his numbers as he was snakebitten all year; he generated a lot of shots and chances that just weren’t going in. Bourgault’s size and hard game make him a good fit for the bottom 6.
Felix Caron - Likely the crown jewel of this year’s recruiting class, Caron continued on his torrid scoring pace throughout the entire year. He finished with 31 goals, 38 assists and 69 points in 54 games. Both the goal and point totals were 3rd in the entire BCHL. He has an excellent shot and skill, skating and IQ to go with it. With his offensive abilities, Caron looks like he can make an immediate impact in RPI’s top 6.
Carson Dorfman - Dorfman is a fairly recent commit. He finished out the year with Sioux City in the USHL as their 3rd stringer, so he didn’t get much ice time there. He projects to be the #3 goalie behind Watson and Giesbrecht this season.
Brody Maguire - Numbers-wise, Maguire had 3 essentially identical years in Okotoks in the AJHL. He’s never going to be a defenseman that puts up gaudy numbers or is running the power play, but he’ll play good defense, be hard to play against, and get minutes on the penalty kill. As a freshman, he’ll likely be pretty low on the depth chart as more of a depth guy due to the all the experienced players RPI has on the back end.
Gustavs Ozolins - Ozolins committed this spring after a year in the USHL and 2 years with the Minnesota Wilderness in the NAHL, where he was the captain this year. Ozolins had a solid year with 27 points in 51 games as their best all-around defenseman. He is very smart and efficient with a well-rounded skill set. He has the ability to be a key defensive player, and I expect he’ll be able to contribute for the Engineers immediately in a 3rd pairing or depth role.
Rainers Rullers - RPI’s most recent commit, Rullers had a good year with Madison in the USHL as a key center who was relied on in all situations. He should fit right into RPI’s lineup as a two way center who is a go-to penalty killer at minimum, and he also has enough offense that he could play in the middle 6. He will likely compete for the 3rd line center spot with McNeil and Beaton.
Jagger Tapper - I wrote in the mid-season recruiting update that I thought Tapper could use another year. At the time, that was true, but in the second half of the year, he upped his game to another level and absolutely turned it on. When the 5 AJHL teams split to go the BCHL, Tapper had 19 points in 20 games and played great even though he was facing even better competition. Then, in the playoffs, he took it up another notch and was genuinely playing outstanding hockey with 12 points in 10 games to lead the team in scoring. I’m not entirely sure what to expect from Tapper in his freshman year, but his skating ability and his skill with the puck on his stick gives him a high ceiling. If he’s ready for the college game, he has the ability to add good secondary scoring for the Engineers.
2025
Easton Adrian - At the end of the year, Adrian ended up moving to play for the Blackfalds Bulldogs after they split to go to the BCHL. He ended up struggling there with 4 points in 18 games, which is why I said in RPI’s Offseason To-Do List that I thought he’d be more suited for a 3rd pairing/depth role if he came to RPI this fall, and I would delay him a year due to the logjam of defensemen there. That’s indeed what ended up happening, which should be beneficial for both Adrian and RPI. I would expect Adrian to either stay in Blackfalds in the BCHL or go to Madison in the USHL, who drafted him last year and I believe still have his rights.
Matt Hanscom - With the number of LD slated to come in 2025, I expect Hanscom will be a 2026 arrival, but we will leave him in 2025 for now. Hanscom had an okay first year of junior hockey. He had 2 points in 15 games with Blackfalds in the AJHL, and then he moved to the New Hampshire Mountain Kings in the NAHL. He had 3 points in 18 games with a -11 rating there. My assumption would be that he’ll stay with New Hampshire this year.
Landen Hilditch - Hilditch took a step forward with West Kelowna in the BCHL this year. He had 15 points in 51 games, which isn’t a lot, but his calling card will always be his defense. He’s 6’4 and 200 LBs and an extremely good skater at that size. He does have some offensive upside from the clips I have watched of him, so I do think he could put up more points next year. He projects as a top 4 shutdown defenseman at the collegiate level who can move the puck.
Luke Janus - Janus had a solid year in the middle 6 for the Maryland Black Bears with 30 points in 58 games. He took it up a notch in the playoffs as well with 11 points in 11 games. Janus has great speed and good size, and he’s quite tenacious on the forecheck. The majority of Maryland’s top scorers will be gone next season as they are aging out of junior hockey. Janus should be locked into their top 6, and I expect he’ll even play on their top line at center. He looks slated for a great year.
Jackson Kyrkostas - Kyrkostas was supposed to come to RPI this fall, even signing an NLI during the year, so that means he chose to go back to junior hockey to develop more. He had an excellent first year of junior hockey with 48 points in 54 games for the West Kelowna Warriors in the BCHL. That put him 2nd in the entire BCHL in points among rookies and 19th in the league. His 23 goals also ranked 2nd in the BCHL among rookies, and it was 10th in the league. I expect that Kyrkostas will be one of the best players in the BCHL next season and be in the top 5 in the league in points, similar to what Caron did this season.
Dylan Lariviere - Another BCHL rookie with a great year, Lariviere had 32 points in 52 games. His size, skill and goal scoring ability is all very tantalizing, and I think he is an underrated recruit currently. I’m copying and pasting what I said in the mid-season update because I think it all still applies. “When he committed, I thought Lariviere had one of the highest ceilings for our commits, but he was also very raw and needed time to develop. He appears to be progressing faster than anticipated, and next year, he could be one of the top players in the BCHL.” Next year, he will play for the Trail Smoke Eaters after the Merritt Centennials left the BCHL.
Lucas Lemieux - Lemieux ended up leaving the Camrose Kodiaks midway through the year to move to the Trial Smoke Eaters in the BCHL. He had a solid second half of the year with them with 8 points in 23 games after 16 points in 34 games with Camrose. He also helped Canada West win gold at the World Junior A Challenge in a big upset. They beat the heavily favored USA team in the semifinals. I expect Lemieux will be staying in Trail next year, where he should be one of their top defensemen. His skating ability, size, skill and two way game project to make him a top 4 defenseman at the collegiate level.
Carter Oakenfold - Another player who changed teams midseason, Oakenfold was struggling with injuries in Spruce Grove and started playing better once healthy. He finished with 20 points in 40 games there. He then moved to West Kelowna where he was buried in the bottom 6 on a very deep team. He had 8 points in 19 games there. I expect Oakenfold will stay with West Kelowna next year, who loses most of their talent. They are losing at least 6 of their top 9 forwards, and it could be more than that if Jack Pridham or Cal Hughes moves to the USHL. I think Oakenfold will likely settle into a role as their 2nd line center, probably behind Kyrkostas funnily enough.
Ryan Sanborn - Sanborn really struggled in his first year of junior hockey. He finished the year with a 0.870 SV% for Prince George in the BCHL. It should be noted that Prince George was a very bad team, and they did not give Sanborn much support and help. That does not totally explain away the bad numbers though, and it’s clear that Sanborn struggled in addition to the poor defense. He was considered a great recruiting win when he committed and a very talented goalie, so I do think he will bounce back and make good on his potential despite a disappointing year.
Ryan Shaw - Shaw had a solid first year of junior hockey with 22 points in 42 games for the Blackfalds Bulldogs in the AJHL. He then had 6 points in 14 games once they split to the BCHL, but he followed that up by elevating his game in the playoffs with 5 points in 4 games. Shaw is a skilled player who should have a great year next year. I would think he just stays in Blackfalds and plays with them in the BCHL.
Jack Ziliotto - Ziliotto struggled at first in the BCHL with Alberni Valley with 5 points in 23 games there. They were a good team and he was buried on the depth chart with mostly 4th line minutes. A midseason trade to the Merritt Centennials to play with Lariviere was extremely beneficial for him. He got much more opportunity and ice time, and he had 17 points in 23 games with them. With Merritt leaving the BCHL, Ziliotto has signed with the Trail Smoke Eaters just like Lariviere.
2026
Carter Matthews - Matthews had a very good first year of junior hockey with the Camrose Kodiaks in the AJHL. He had 24 points in 52 games, which led the entire AJHL in scoring by U18 defensemen! He projects as a solid two-way defenseman. Matthews has also signed with the Trail Smoke Eaters for next year, making him the 4th RPI commit who will play there next season.
Great job as always. Thanks.