Willett To Northeastern

Press Release sent to the World of Junior Hockey

EWARK, NJ – Coming on the heels of the announcement that Junior B forward Ryan Hitchcock (’96 birth year – Manhasset, NY) verbally committed to Head Coach Keith Allain and the Yale University Bulldogs for the Class of 2014, the New Jersey Rockets are pleased to announce that Hitchcock’s teammate, defenseman Daniel Willett (’96 birth year – Bayville, NY), has verbally committed to Northeastern University and Head Coach Jim Madigan. With the announcement of Willett’s commitment, there are currently four ’96 birth year players that hold a commitment to an American college and two of them are rostered on the New Jersey Rockets Junior B team.

“Dan has really established himself as one of the elite young defensemen in the United States,” commented New Jersey Rockets Head Coach and Director of Player Development Bob Thornton. “This is a great fit both academically and athletically for Dan and his family. Northeastern is getting a tremendous prospect.”

“This is such a great moment in my life,” offered Willett. “This happened so quickly and I would like to thank the coaching staff and my family for their support and advice during this process. I can’t wait for the next step in my playing career.”

“This commitment caps a big weekend for Dan,” said Thornton. “With a pair of goals this past weekend in the Woodchuck Classic, Dan is finding his offensive rhythm. We expect that when it is all said and done, Dan will be among the point leaders for defensemen this season in the Met League. We are very proud of this achievement.”

Willett, Hitchcock and their New Jersey Rockets Junior B teammates begin play in the MJHL this weekend by participating in the Met Kickoff Showcase being held in Pittston, Pennsylvania. The Junior B’s begin their quest to return to the MJHL Playoffs by facing off with the Northern Cyclones on Friday, September 16th at 6:30pm. The game will be available via FASTHockey.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)