Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Former BC commit Vatrano joins UMass

Former Boston College recruit Frank Vatrano has committed to the Massachusetts hockey team Tuesday, according to his Twitter account.

Jeff Bernstein/Collegian

“Committed to play my college hockey at Umass Amherst,” Vatrano said via his Twitter account (@Frank_Vatrano).

While it has not been officially confirmed, it is expected that Vatrano will join the Minutemen as a freshman next season.

UMass coach John Micheletto was not available for comment due to NCAA regulations.

Vatrano, 18, is a 5-foot-10, 206 lbs forward who last played for the United States National Team Development Program and was considered one of the Top 40 prospects in the country, according to juniorhockey.com. He appeared in 60 games and collected 35 points on 16 goals and 19 assists in two seasons.

Vatrano played for the U.S. Under-18 team in last winter’s International Ice Hockey Federation World U18 Championship and registered two goals and two assists in six games.

Vatrano was considered one of the Eagles’ top incoming players this season, according to bcinterruption.com, and was projected to play on the third or fourth line for the defending national champions this season.

A report by the Eagle-Tribune back in September said that Vatrano did not leave on his own terms. It was believed he was dismissed from the team for academic reasons on Sept. 25, two weeks before the BC’s season-opener.

A report by juniorhockey.com stated just three days later that Vatrano failed to get through the NCAA Clearinghouse, which is a way of verifying the eligibility of a student-athlete by determining that they meet certain requirements in educational performance and background, meaning he would’ve been ineligible to play had he remained at Boston College.

As a result, Vatrano withdrew and joined the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. By leaving, Vatrano regained his eligibility and opted to join UMass, according to Tuesday’s reports.

Nick Canelas can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @NickCanelas.

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